Gulpha Gorge Campground

30 July-1 Aug 2013

Gulpha Gorge Campground in Hot Springs National Park is one of the best campgrounds we have stayed in a National Park. There is everything one needs with the exception of showers, 30 and 50 amp, water and waste hookup's. The cost is $24 per night, but if you have an access pass or senior citizen pass issued by the parks service the cost is $12.

  We looked at all the sites in the campground and we did not see one bad site. A few of them at on an incline but those were not too bad. The Gulpha river runs along the outer edge of the campground and if you are a brave soul who needs showers. Sandee and I decided to give it a try after a long day of crystal hunting. The sun was going down and the water was cold when we took the plunge, but it was refreshing enough that we could go to bed having washed all the dirt off us. For those who think we used soap and polluted the water, think again. We would not pollute the water with manmade products, we used the natural sand in the river bottom to clean our self's. Of course the next day went back into Hot Springs to take the waters at the Quapaw spa again where we really cleaned up.

  If you like to camp in a tent of an RV this is the campground to visit. There was plenty of shade in each site and a good amount of space between sites.

                                                                    Our camp site

                                                          Pool we swam in

 

Lake Dardanelle SP-AR

30 July 2013.

 Half way between Fort Smith NHS and Hot Springs NP is Lake Dardanelle State Park in Arkansas and since there is an Eastern National passport stamp for the Trail of Tears at the visitor center we decided this would be a good place to spend the night, which turned out to be a great choice.

 While the site we were given had no shade and the afternoon sun beat down on us, the view of the lake was great. The one drawback to this view was the Nuclear Reactor Plant across the lake. Visions of Three Mile Island loomed in our imagination but if the plant did blow we were reassured by the local signs for "Nuclear One Evacuation Route" would guide us to safety.

 The visitor center had a 7,000  gallon fresh water tank and several other smaller ones. There were other exhibits there as well and an area to hook up to the internet.  Our camp site was in section C, site 46. If we get back to this park we know the perfect site for us, either 33 or 34. They are both close to the bathrooms and showers, which by the way were brand new and were great, but these sites are very large and have a separate fireplace patio.

 This park has it all, fishing, camping, water sports, a nice lake beach to swim in and boat rentals. The price for a 30 amp and water hookup cannot be beat, $21. You can get larger sites for only $29.  I would recommend campground for anyone heading west or east on I-40.

 

 

 

Roaring River SP- MO

28 & 29 July

 

Roaring River State Park, Missouri is the second of three state parks dedicated to trout fishing. Like Montauk SP, there is a fish hatchery in the park, a lodge where you can stay if you do not like camping, and three very large campgrounds. We stayed in campground 1 way back in a holler that narrows at the very end. Our site was right up against a dry stream bed.

  There were very few other campers around us, mainly because the showers and bathrooms were far enough away that one has to drive to them but with plenty of woods around there is was plenty of trees nearby in case of emergencies. One word of caution though, I took a walk behind our camp site to the dry creek bed and ran into a not so friendly neighbor, a Copper Head. I was just about to put my foot down when I looked and saw this little guy all coiled up and head raised as if to strike. Lucky for me it was cold and a light rain had began so I think he was just a bit too cold to strike. But if you stay in this park and your camp site is a it out of the way as ours was, you need to watch where you step as mother nature rules these woods.

 We ate the lodge one night, it was good but not as good as Montauk State Park.  The lodge was built by the CCC and it was a beautiful lodge. Massive columns of stone and a fireplace in the center are the highlight. I wish I had my camera with me so I could have taken a picture of it all.

 After dinner we walked along the river where all the folks were fishing. The water is very clean here as it was at Montauk SP.  One can see all the trout in the river just waiting to be caught. We were even lucky enough to see a fisherman reel his catch in while we watched nearby.

 All in all, if you like to trout fish this is the place for you. But the real draw for us is this state park is only 19 miles away from Pea Ridge National Battlefield and makes a great place to stay and visit this park.  And if you really want to take a road trip, as we do and did, you can drive two hours to Tahlequah, Oklahoma to visit the Cherokee National Museum and George Murrel Home.

KOA- Springfield, MO

28 July 2013

  We stayed at the KOA near Springfield, Missouri for two reasons, 1- it was a half way point for our westward trip across Missouri and 2- it was only 5.7 miles from Wilson's Creek National Battlefield. This reason alone is good enough to warrant an overnight stay if you are one to visit National Parks sites and we are.

  This was our first experience at staying in a private campground. We like to stay in state or national parks but it fit our needs this time around.  Normally when we camp at state or national parks there is plenty of room and privacy not so in this KOA. There were about 85 sites, maybe a few more, but each site was so close to each other you can hear folks around you even when they talked in a low tone.

The upside to staying at a private campground, in this case a KOA, is they are CLEAN. The bathrooms and showers were like being at home. There is a pool, internet, and they will even make a pizza and deliver it to you at your campsite. The biggest drawback to this particular KOA was the railroad tracks which run very close to the site. We heard a number of trains throughout the night, but not so many that it kept e up all night. Of course I had ear plugs in so that may have helped.

  Bottom line for this campground, it was a good stop for us because it was very close to Wilsons's Creek Battlefield, otherwise we would have passed this one up. But it was great to have internet, a pool, and clean showers.

 

 

 

Giant City State Parl- IL

22-26 July 2013

 Giant City State Park is one of those old CCC parks with plenty to do for the camper and non-camper. We parked Tricera-Pod in one of the 85 electrical sites in a secluded area away from the other four campers in the park. Yup, with 85 sites in this park we were pretty much alone, over the next five days we would have folks come and go, but otherwise it was very quiet.

  If camping is not your thing do not worry, Giant City offers a number of cabins near the park lodge. We have stayed in these cabins in the past and for the price they are not bad at all. The cabins are near the swimming pool and within walking distance of the lodge.

If you are looking for a great meal, the lodge is the place to go.  There are several items to chose from and fried chicken is the specialty of the house. I have tried just about everything on the menu over the years and there is not a bad choice among them.  A word of warning though, if you get the fried chicken dinner be prepared to eat as they do put a feed bag on.

 There are a few trails to walk around the park, the best trail is the Nature trail, lots to see and it is not a strenuous hike at all. Deer, turkey, birds and many other animals can be seen every day at this park. As we left the lodge one night after dinner we encountered a skunk almost within arm's reach.  He/she could care less we were so close and would have came right up to us if we did not make enough noise to cause he/she to move along out of spray range.

 The bathrooms/showers were nice and clean. However the sites are a bit too close to each other and I suspect if the camp was a bit full with campers one would know what the neighbors were doing.  Sites are so close that when I was backing into our site I scraped the front end of our truck on a post. The cost is $20 per day.  Each site is a mix of gravel and paved and a bit uneven, but we managed to get Tricera-pod evened out enough that we felt comfortable.

 

Ozark NSR- Alley Springs-17 July 2013

 We like the campground at Alley Springs but the only one draw back was there was NO shade in the electrical sites. Plenty of shade if you are tent camping, but all of the electrical sites are pretty much out in the open.

  The bathrooms and showers are not too far away from the camp but with the government laying off many workers the are a bit dirty, but still usable if you do not mind the trash. It seems the bathrooms and showers are getting cleaned once a week so it gets kind of dirty after awhile.

 But still the price is great $20 a night or $10 if you have an access card, which we do have. Near by is the Alley Springs Mill where you can enjoy a nice hike around the springs.  If you enjoy water sports near the entrance to the campsite is a local vendor who will pick you up at your camp, rent you the equipment, take you to a drop off point on the river, pick you up at the end of your trip and bring you back to camp.  I recall that the cost for a 5 hour trip down the river on a tube was $15 so that is not to bad for a day of fun.

                                                                Our camp site

Montauk State Park- MO 18-22 July 2013

  Left  Alley Springs campground this morning and took our time getting to Montauk State Park, Missouri. We made a stop at Round Springs in the Ozarks National Scenic River but like three out of the five visitor center in this park it was closed, more on this area in my National Parks blog.

  Once we arrived at Montauk we found out site, backed in and began to set up Tricera-Pod. We had all kinds of issues as the 30 and 50 amp electrical grid blew the GFCI switch on the camper and I had to replace this switch. Once that was accomplished we only had power to the A/C unit. Then we could not get the slide out to retract. When I was trouble shooting the previous electrical issues I had pulled all the fuses out to see if they might be bad, which they were not. I was hot, miserable and it was getting late so we went to the restaurant at the lodge in the park.

  For those who are not familiar with this park it is one of three Missouri state parks known for its trout fishing and the lodge restaurant serves a great trout dinner.  After dinner we went back to camp had a few adult beverages and called it a night around 10pm.

 The next morning Sandee and I took a 1.5 mile hike around the park, really nice hike. The hike took us right past a portion of the fish hatchery in the park. The Rangers were scooping up young trout to move them to a bigger pond. As the scooped them up they dipped them in a solution that is like giving a human a shot for anti-bodies. We stood there watching for awhile and moved on.

After the hike I checked the fuses in the camper again. OOOOOPPPPPPS, seems that when I checked the fuses last night I put one fuse back in the wrong place. Now the slide out works, still having issues with all the 110v outlets in the trailer though.

 I was so happy we had breakfast at the lodge, eggs, hash browns and a great biscuits and gravy. MMMMMMMMM good. Then it was off on a road trip to Salem and Rolla, MO to pick up the Trail of Tears national trail stamps. Along the way we found a nice little rock shop we could not pass up. Found a few nice items to bring back home with us.

  As far as the camp grounds I cannot say enough good things about this park. Everyone including those camped near us was very helpful and kind.  Great big sites, but if you are looking for seclusion you will not find it here. As I mentioned before, this park is known for its trout fishing and at the crack of dawn they blow a loud siren to let everyone know they can now fish and they blow it again to stop all fishing for the day. Seems like the stocked stream gives forth its bounty everyday as the hatchery does release hundreds of fish each day it is no wonder lots of folks flock to this park.

  Oh and if you are into collecting park stamps they have one here for you to collect.

                                                         Woodchuck out side lodge restaurant

                                          Folks fishing along Current River in spark

                                                            Fish transfer & inoculation

                                                                  Current River

 

Ozark National Scenic River (NSR)-Big Springs 16 July 2013

Big Springs camp ground in the Ozarks National Scenic  River is pretty big with 145 or so sites, but only about 40 of these sites have electrical hookup and water. Showers are also available but they are about a 1/4 mile from the campsite with no path to the site, so you must drive to and from your camp site if you want to take a shower.

  If you are looking to get out of the sun in July or August at this camp site you need to go someplace else. There are a few trees but they are not very big and provide little to no respite from the sun.

  About a mile from the camp site there is a river outfitter who will pick you up from your camp site, rent you a canoe, raft or tube to float the river.  We did check the price to tube and for a large tube it cost $30 and this includes pickup and drop off at the river and camp site. The tube ride is about 5 hours long. Not a bad price for a half day's fun in the water.

Cost for site cost $20 or $10 if you have a National Parks Access card. All things considered we would camp there again as the price is great.

                                                                   Big Springs Lodge

 

 

                                                                         Lodge insdie

                                        
                                                                Our camp site

      
                                                        Current River near camp

 

 

T.O. Fuller SP - TN 15 July 2013

T.O. Fuller State Park outside of Memphis, TN is one of those small state parks but it really packs a big punch. Located just seven miles from the famous Beale Street it is a great base camp to head down into the city to enjoy the great food and music the city has to offer.  The sites are spacious and paved, bathrooms and showers are clean.  The camp hosts were great folks and have been the camp hosts there for several years.

 The camp hosts have been there so long because the husband was an archeologist for the state of TN for 30 years. His job involved working for and preserving a little known site that occupies a corner of this state park, The Chicalissa (Chickasaw for abandoned place) Indian Mounds.

  For $5 you can tour the museum and the mounds. If however you are camping at the state park you get free tickets to the museum. We took full advantage whenever we get free stuff.  The site is maintained by the University of Memphis, TN and is very well preserved and maintained, with efforts to inform and educate the public. For being a very small and little known Native American Museum it packs allot about the story of the Chickasaw people.

 I highly recommend a visit to this museum.  We took about 2 hours out of our day and could have stayed longer but we had to get on the road to out next adventure, the Ozark National Scenic River in Missouri.

 

 

Cedars of Lebanon SP -TN 10 July 2013

One of our favorite restaurants, Demos, is located in Murfreesboro, Tennessee. We make it a point in our travels though TN to eat dinner at this place as they have really good food and a REALLY good price. It is an Italian & Steak place. On this trip I had a salad, baked potato and a 14 oz sirloin steak for $13.  I have had the steak before and they always cook it to perfection.

 Before dinner we parked Tricera-Pod at Cedars of Lebanon State Park. A very nice park with HUGE pull through spaces. OLD bathrooms and showers but as most state parks very clean.  The park is an old Civilian Conservation Corps park. There is a swimming pool, baseball fields and a conference room.  We did not get to look around much as there was a huge thunder, lighting and rain storm that came though and we had to hunker down for three hours as the rain soaked everything.

 The next morning after eating breakfast I had another adventure. Our camp site had an elevated picnic area and after I had finished eating I slipped on the wooded railroad ties that formed the perimeter of the camp site. I fell flat on my back and  cut my left elbow. The cut was not so bad, but after a week it is still sore.

  Before the big rain storm and dinner we took a ride over to Stone River National Battlefield.  Across the street from General Rosecrans headquarters on public land ( not the  battlefield) the there is a large tailing pile of rocks. In these piles of rocks you can find crinoids and brachiopods fossils. So if you are ever in that area and like to hunt for fossils this is a good place to find these small but ancient animals.

Claytor Lake SP- VA-9 July 2013

  On the road again for our annual trip to the NPTC convention.   All was well for the first couple of hours until I noticed that no one was letting me make lane changes on the highway.  So we pulled over at a rest stop about  12 miles east of Richmond, VA so I could check out  what might be wrong. Big trouble in paradise as the electrical cable from  Tricera-Pod ( our name for our little Forest River Model 177 R-Pod) that hooks up to our truck had been dragging the road for who knows how long. Bottom line all the individual wires had been stripped bare and severed. No wonder I was having trouble making lane changes, none of our turn signals, or lights were working.

 After calling an RV place to find out what it would cost, $100 and hour, to repair I went to work on my own.  A pair of wire cutters, a Swiss Army knife ( courtesy of my wife's who always carries her knife) and lots of electrical tape we were on the road again with all lights workings.

  We made camp at Claytor Lake State Park in Virginia near the TN/VA border. A really nice campground with a huge lake. Camp sites were nice and big with lots of room. Bathrooms and showers are a bit dated but they were clean. Met some really nice folks at this camps site. They were a retired couple from Texas. They taught school all over the world for over 30 years.

 Had a nice pizza for dinner at a local place, MK's Gourmet Pizza's. They severed allot more than pizza's so if anyone decides to stay at this state park check it out. You cannot miss the place as it is only a couple of miles from the entrance to the park. 

 

Chippokes Plantation SP-VA 25-27 Jun 2012

 Took our R-Pod out for a shake down, our first trip in the Pod. Three days at this Virginia state park was great.  While it rained two nights it did not spoil our experience and there was no leaks in the pod, we stayed nice and dry, unlike some of our other camping adventures.
  The park is an a working farm donated to the state in 1969. There are two campgrounds, A & B. We stayed in A which appears to be the older of the two camp sites. Camp A's showers and bathrooms are a bit dated, but very clean. The camp sites are HUGH, there is enough room to park small campers, pop-up and Class B style RV's and  one can put TWO tents on the provided pads. Water and electric (30 amps) is provided.
  Site B is a bit more updated, brick building for shower and bathroom and a laundry room. All the RV sites are paved ( Site A's are gravel) and 50 amp service  is provided.
  There is a  Huge pool, 2 ft to 12 1/2 feet deep and a small camp store located here as well. For sightseeing one can visit the working farm, museum, animals and the old plantation home. If you get bored with that you can go to the visitor center to look at the fossils found along the James River. By the way if you like to hunt for fossil's you can do so along the river, but you can ONLY keep the sharks teeth.
  This time of year ( June) you can leave the park and go pick Blueberries about a two miles down the road at College Run Farm. We have done this for a couple years now. Sandee makes jam from what we pick.
 All in all a great camping trip. OOOO yes, while I was in the Pod one night getting ready for bed around 8pm, Sandee was outside reading at the table when a raccoon decided he/she wanted to take a stroll though our camp. The raccoon came within arms length of Sandee and when she talked to him/her it just kept on walking. The next day I saw wild turkey and deer in the camp site. Plus all sorts of birds, woodpeckers, cardinals etc.
We had a nice time at this campground.

                                               R-Pod hooked up to the truck in camp

                                                             Park entrance
                                  

                                                         Park museum

                                               Donkey's near the museum

 

                                                 James River near visitor center

Bird Song Resort,TN- November 2012

 If you are looking for a twist on camping, this RV/Tent/Marina is it. Birdsong Resort is built on Kentucky Lake centrally located on the Tennessee River, the largest man made lake in the USA. That is pretty neat, but the big deal here is the farm fresh water pearls, the only place in North America that does so.  They give tours of the farm which cost, but there are a couple levels of tours with varying cost, so you can pick the one that suits you. We did not take the boat out on the water to see the pearl farm, but out tent site was so close we had a nice view of the operation. Of course you can buy pearls too at the tourist trap, which we did.
  Our camp site was a wide open area with enough trees that provided great shade. The shower was not all that great but it was good enough to wash off the trail dust. A water facet was near by so we could haul water to the camp. The best thing was we were the only one's there, so it was nice and quiet.
  There is parking for RV's, which provide all the requirements one needs. However, the entire resort is a bit overcrowded.  There are so many permanent summer homes /trailers at the resort one gets the feeling that in the summer time this place would be supper busy.  There is a club house with a pool that is open to everyone.
  Would I drive my RV there? I don't think so, I seem to recall the roads where a bit cramped and what I saw of the RV park/campgrounds that seemed pretty tight as well.  But if you are looking for something different this might be the place.
  If I was going to visit again, I would park my RV at Nathan Bedford Forest State Park, then drive on over to Birdsong just to check out the pearl farm.  The state park has better accommodations in my book.
  Lost all my pictures of Birdsong when I bought my new computer sorry, nothing to share on that front. But you can do a web search for Birdsong and all kinds of stuff comes up.
 

Hungry Mother State Park, VA-November 2012

  I have posted some information from the website, which is easier than me trying to list everything. We stayed here one night in a tent and I have to tell you it was wonderful. Our campsite was really close to the showers and they were clean, clean, clean as was the laundry room.
  Even in November the campground was crowed but everyone was quite and the surroundings were beautiful. We arrived a bit too late to try our the restaurant, but the building was cool, build by the CCC back in the day with stone, got love stone buildings. The visitor center, where you check in has allot of nature stuff to look at.
  All of Virginia state parks have a rubber stamp that you can get an impression to remember your visit. I collect stamps from the National Parks and there is a book you can get to press your stamps into. I use this same book  to collect other stamps like the Virginia state parks stamps.
  Some states, like Tennessee, have their own passport book you can get for free at any state park. It tells you about the park and it provides a place to stamp the parks stamp.
  Anyway, since we live in Virginia we have visited and/or stayed at a few and we have always enjoyed our stay.

 Long a family favorite known for beautiful woodlands and a placid 108-acre lake in the heart of the mountains, Hungry Mother has a sandy beach with bathhouse, boats (fishing, canoe, kayak and paddle) and a boat launch, and a universally accessible fishing pier. Guests also enjoy its campgrounds, cabins, gift shop, visitor center, six-bedroom family lodge that sleeps 15, hiking and biking trails, and restaurant

  Camp Burson Camping (This campground is located before the entrance to Hungry Mother State Park proper.)
Camp Burson guests register at Camp Burson, not at the Discovery Center. The entrance is on the right side of Park Boulevard just before you reach the park's main entrance. Camp Burson guests will need to drive to the park's main gate to gain access to all other amenities at the park - swimming, restaurant, concessions, gift shop, cabins, other campgrounds, Hemlock Haven, etc. All Virginia State Park rules, regulations and policies pertaining to reservations apply to Camp Burson guests.
Site types in Hungry Mother proper
A (Campground A E/W, 11 sites) - Various equipment, electric and water hookups; tents, popup campers and RVs up to 35 feet; back-in sites; accept outlets for 20 and 30 amp current (50-amp current available at Camp Burson only).
B (Campground B E/W, 20 sites) - Various equipment, electric and water hookups; tents, popup campers and RVs up to 35 feet; back-in sites; accept outlets for 20 and 30 amp current (50-amp current available at Camp Burson only).
C (Campground C - 11 TENT sites) - Tents only. Bathhouse. Tent must fit on 20 by 20-foot pad. No hookups.
Burson EWS (30 electric, water and sewer hookup sites in Camp Burson only, and not near other Hungry Mother campgrounds) - Various equipment, electric, water, sewer hookups; tents, pop-ups and RVs up to 35 feet; back-in sites; accept outlets for 20, 30 and 50-amp current. Sites are on gravel; tent campers should bring air mattress. (Carefully read the info above regarding Camp Burson sites; the campground is not in Hungry Mother State Park proper. It's adjacent to the park, and check-in is handled separately during the main camping season.)
Burson E/W (22 electric and water hookup sites, no sewer in Camp Burson only, and not near other Hungry Mother campgrounds) – Various equipment; electric and water, no sewer; tents, pop-ups and RVs up to 35 feet; back-in sites; accept outlets for 20, 30, and 50-amp current. Sites are on gravel; tent campers should bring air mattress. (Carefully read the info above regarding Camp Burson sites. The campground is not in Hungry Mother State Park proper. It's adjacent to the park, and check-in is handled separately during the main camping season.)
Total campsites: 94 total in the park; 52 of which are in Camp Burson

Warrior State Park, TN- Nov. 2012

 Not too happy with this park. While it did have modern facilities, the bath house and restrooms were a bit dated, no make that really outdated and run down.  It really showed their use and age. We had water at our site and electricity.  For a November day the park was very crowded, we arrived late in the evening (5pm) and the camp office was closed. So we selected our site thinking someone would come by to collect our money. By the time we got ready for bed no one came by. Morning came I left camp for a couple of hours to visit near by Sycamore Shoals State Historical Site. Upon my return no one had came by. So we packed up and checked the office and it was closed, this was around 10 am.
 So all things considered, a free night of camping was not so bad.
 

Petoskey State Park, MI-July 2012

 Here is another state park in Michigan that we liked. Sandee's love is rocks, being a geologist and paleontologist collecting rocks, sand, minerals and gems is what gets her excited. Over the years I have carried a number of rocks for her, in fact she say's this is way she married me because I before we were married I carried one HUGH rock to her car for her.
  The reason why we stayed at this park was to hunt for the Petoskey Stone. After we set up camp we went to the beach and began our search. We did not find any huge stones but we found a number of smaller ones to fill our needs. We learned a great trick to find these stones from the locals. Every one who was searching used a pasta strainer to dip into the sandy bottom a few fee from the shore line and shifted the sand out until nothing but the larger stones and shells were left. Since we did not have the a strainer I cupped my hands and let the water wash the sand away. It took a bit longer to get to those stones but I was successful.
  In July 2012 we camped at four Michigan state parks and we were never disappointed. Each of the parks had modern facilities, electricity, water, dump stations and a good clean working bath house and restrooms. Clean is the key here, other state parks we have stayed in just were not that clean.

 

Squirrel in our camp site.

 

 Petoskey beach.

Keweenaw NHP

 Our first camping adventure in over 30 years began in the Keweenaw Peninsula. We spent seven days at Fort Wilkins State Park in Michigan.  What a great place to renew our adventure and love for camping.  This state park is located at the furthest northern point of Highway 41 that stretches south to the very southern tip of Florida.  We used this as our base camp while we explored the Keweenaw National Historic Park.
  One of our fondest memories is waking up early in the morning and seeing deer near our camp and hiking to Horseshoe Harbor to look for Lake Superior Agates. We were the first that morning to get to the harbor and imagine our surprise when we found bear tracks on the shore line, however we did not see the bear.
  While we were camping in a tent, we still had some comforts of home. Fort Wilkins SP provides electricity and water at some sites. Modern showers with hot water and laundry services at both campgrounds are provided. The bonus at the campground we stayed at is we had Wi-Fi right at our tent site.  There is a campground store that provide a few things you may have forgotten and the near by town of Copper Harbor has a number of restaurants and small mom and pop stores. You can also find a number of tourist type artist stores there as well.   If you like good food and do not mind paying for it Harbor Haus is one not to miss. All the staff dress in traditional German clothing. When then cruise boat returns from Isle Royal National Park all the staff run outside to and give a traditional wave to those returning on the boat. Kind of touristy but lots of fun to see.

Camp site

 

 Back side of our camp site

 

 Deer near our camp early one morning

Horseshoe Harbor

Pictured Rocks NS- 26-28 July 2012

  I grew up camping in a tent and Sandee started camping while in college. She in such places as Alaska and Wisconsin. I spent my childhood pitching a tent in  Pinnacles NP ( at the time it was a state park), Craters of the Moon NP and in my backyard on many a night.
  We are older now and it has been many years since we have pitched a tent. The kids are grown and on their own now so in 2012 we got back to what we enjoyed as kids, camping.
 Our first adventure came when we attended the annual convention for the National Parks Travelers Club. A club dedicated to those who enjoy the nationals park system. In 2012 the convention was held at Apostle Island National Seashore. After the convention we started to make our way home to Virginia. Along the way we spent a few days at a couple more parks and made camp for a few days to enjoy the natures beauty.
  Our first stop was Hurricane River campground at Pictured Rocks National Seashore. This camp site is what most consider primitive, no electricity, one tap for water and a vaulted toilet. But we had a great site a stones throw from Lake Michigan. At night we could hear the gentle waves of the lake as it crashed against the shore. While at the camp site we took a few hikes, the one I most recall is the mile and half hike to Au Sable Light Station.

 This made for good nights sleep. We spent three nights at this campground before we moved on.


Hurricane River Campground

 

Lake Superior near our campground

 

Au Sable Light Station