Bug Smacker

We are now up north hunting. So try to keep quiet. The weather up here is great for camping. Not so good for hunting. The day time temperatures are still getting into the 50s. We have seen plenty of animals, just nothing we can take home for dinner.

Update: The 6 volt battery installation in our new RV is working out great. It was worth the time and effort to do the upgrade. We can now go days without a charge. No more cold winter nights.

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Winter Camping

Tim R. Enright

RV manufacturers are doing a fine job of building units that are more capable of handling the colder temperatures that follow the busy summer camping season. Things like a fully-enclosed underbelly, thermal-pane windows, additional insulation, heated holding tanks, high-efficiency furnaces and even a fireplace are very common in newer RVs. With these improvements you can extend your camping season and broaden your northern destinations.

Even with all of these improvements you still want to exhibit some caution in these colder temperatures. When temperatures start dipping below freezing for most of the night any water that is exposed to these conditions can present a freezing hazard. When water freezes it expands with such force that it can cause damage to pipes, hoses and tanks.

Specific areas of concern can be water supply hoses, drain hoses, outside shower faucets and any drain pipes that are not protected by an enclosed underbelly.  Batteries that are exposed to the outdoors can also be a concern. These will become more of a problem if they are not kept fully charged.

Snow can present you with additional problems. Besides the obvious, snow can not only deter your travel but it can do damage to your RV as well. Snow can add an enormous amount of weight to the roof of your unit. It can also hinder with the operation of RV slideouts.

These are just things to be aware of but don’t let them prevent you from going camping when it gets cold outside. Winter can be a great time to RV.  You will find it to be very peaceful. There are no crowds and better yet NO BUGS.  There are also a lot of fun and exciting activities to do this time of year.

You will find that there won’t be a large selection of campgrounds open in the winter. This is not to say that there are not any. Places to look will be larger private campgrounds, state parks, membership resorts, state and national forest land or any campground that caters to winter activities. Just make sure you call ahead first.

Article Courtesy of : www.BugSmacker.com : Copyright © 2012

Woodland Park in Burt Township near Grand Marais, Michigan is a simply remarkable place. We arrived to find more than we ever expected here. We knew in a moment that this was going to be more than just a stopover for us. The sites are on a first come first serve basis. We booked 3 nights knowing very well that we would most likely extend the stay for the rest of our vacation.

The campground is tucked away along the southern shore of Lake Superior. The sites have electric, water and even cable TV. The sites are large considering that you are directly on the water. We stayed in a site one row back from the water and since the sites are so large our view of the lake was mostly unobstructed by the rigs in the first row. The sites in the front row have a better view of the lake, but the wind is also much stronger than even just a row or two back.

The bathhouse is very clean and well maintained. I could not figure out why you had to pay 50 cents to take a shower when the rest of the water hookups in the park were included in the site fee. While we are on the subject of the bathhouse let me heed a word of advice. The restrooms have a motion sensor to turn the lights on and unless you are dancing on the toilet they will shut off on you leaving you in the dark with your pants down.

There is WiFi throughout the park, although we were unable to connect to it due to the security settings they were using. Even with the password they provided the WiFi still did not work. The people here are exceptionally kind and helpful. The price for all of this is very reasonable as well.

The church across the street has bells that chime on the hour with a special little tune at noon. Several people in the park would go down to the lake shore and search for agate rocks and stones. The downtown area is within walking distance from the campground. There is also a public beach near the downtown area.

We discovered a small diner downtown. I doesn’t look like much, but the place had some really good food. Our favorite was their Philly Cheese Steak Sandwich which consisted of Shaved Rib-eye and Garlic Seasoned Skirt Steak cooked with real Bacon. Then they add Onion, Fresh Mushrooms, Green Pepper, Red Pepper and Orange Pepper. Topped with Cheddar, Provolone and Mozzarella Cheese. All on a Homemade Hoagie Bun. My mouth waters just writing the about this sandwich.

After dinner we stopped by a local farmer selling fresh vegetables along side the road. We got some fresh sweet corn, a very large muskmelon and some ripe peaches. I know the peaches were ripe because when I asked the farmer he said ” here take the rest of this peach I’ve been eating off of and see how ripe it is”. It is so refreshing to see people as kind as this still exist.

We met some new friends during our stay here.Earl & Claudia and Harold & Sally were camping between us and the lakefront. They had been camping to several of the same places as us. They were from downstate around the Detroit area. We also met Harry & Mary Smith from Negaunee, Michigan here in the Upper Peninsula. We hope to meet up with all of our new friends on a return trip sometime.

I also got a chance to tow a 5th Wheel belonging to George and Johna McLaughlin. It was much larger than our own trailer.  It had gotten stuck in the sand.   My wife” eyes lit up when she saw that her truck could actually pull something so big. There will be no stopping her from shopping for a new RV now.

Next to us was a group of people that would sit around the campfire and carve walking-sticks out of tree limbs. Some of them look quite nice. They were just a bunch of busy little beavers whittling away at those sticks.

I called back to that diner to get one of those Philly sandwiches to-go. They explained that they do not do takeout orders. This, along with the fact that they only accept cash and the orders take forever to be served, I begin to wonder if the food being so good will be enough.

Woodland Park is certainly a place that we will be returning to in the future. It is one of the best places we have been camping.

Here is the view from my windows right now as I write this.

We were passing through Houghton, Michigan on our way to our next campground when all of the sudden I spotted a McDonalds! I was never so excited to see a Mickey-D’s in my life. It meant that civilization was just around the corner.

Just prior to arriving in Copper Harbor, Michigan the road becomes winding and narrow. I am sure the larger rigs than ours would have a lot of fun on this part of the road.

We stayed at the Fort Wilkins Historic State Park, so named for the fort that is located there. The campground has 2 sections; a modern and a rustic section. Adjoining the rustic side are several newer pull-through sites. Fort Wilkins is sandwiched between the two sections and is open for the public to enjoy. It offers plenty of history. The entire park lies between Lake Superior and Lake Fanny Hooe.

The park offers WiFi which is very uncommon for a state park. We were told this is to try and ease the pain of not having any cell phone coverage in the area. In order to get cell coverage you must drive up Brockway Mountain. The climb to the top is along a twisted road that hugs the side of the mountain with a sharp drop-off on the other edge of the pavement. Once you arrive at the top you can enjoy a spectacular view of the sun setting on Lake Superior in the evening.

The next day we took a scenic drive down highway M-26. This allows for a breathtaking view of the Lake Superior shoreline with its jagged rock formations and its sandy beaches. We saw several small waterfalls along the trip. Just outside of Eagle Harbor is a place called the “Jampot”.  This is where Monks from the Society of St. John sell their homemade jams, jellies, breads, brownies, plus giant cookies and muffins.

On the way back to the campground we headed out to see the Estivant Pines, a stand of virgin white pines. We also found an old copper mine. This area is a haven for bicyclers and snowmobilers alike for there are plenty of trails to explore.

As the sign says: This is the end of the road!

On the road to the next campground we pulled over to see Bond Falls and Agate Falls.

Next stop, The Porky’s. As you can see the site was a bit unlevel.

If you like to hike then this is the place for you. Porcupine Mountains Wilderness State Park is Michigan’s largest State Park, by far. It offers endless hiking trails through the Northwestern Michigan wilderness and Lake Superior lakeshore. One day we hiked over 6 ½ miles of mountain terrain to view just a fraction of what this beautiful area has to offer.

We enjoyed the view from Lake of the Clouds.

We climbed the 300 foot tower atop of the Summit Peak.
  

We both had a very enjoyable time at the Porky’s