Yes, it has been a while
This website has been inactive for a couple of years. That doesn’t mean that we have stopped camping. It also doesn’t mean that the website cannot catch up. Each time we camp, a journal is handwritten. That journal has always been the source for this website and will be used as we continue. Hopefully, by the first camping this year this will be up-to-date. I guess it just took someone telling me that they miss this blog.
The default park
This trip was supposed to be a 16-night trip venturing south with the trailer. We were going to Iowa, Illinois, Tennessee – Lynchburg & Pigeon Forge, Kentucky – Bourbon Country, Indiana including Indiana Dunes and a last overnight in Wisconsin.
That trip was amended down to six nights with Pella, Iowa (that had been the first night of the 16) and Winterset, Iowa ending with two nights in Preston, Minnesota, just outside of Forestville State Park. That plan also changed. We dropped the Iowa portion of the trip as a family member went into hospice.
So, we were left with two nights in Preston. My sister decided to join us there with their own trailer. Two nights before the trip, she called and wanter to be even closer to home. My brother-in-law needed to be close to work or at least guaranteed good Internet coverage. Besides, the forecast was better at home than 100 miles south.
So, we sit in Willow River State Park just outside Hudson, Wisconsin, writing in the camping journal. We are in the only site that we have had at this campground, #215. We are beginning the camping season exactly where we left off last year.
Preparations
Prep for the beginning of the season is the same whether we are going 100 miles, 1,000 miles, or only 28 miles. We had a lousy, rainy, cold spring. The trailer warranty was also ending, so we had some work done. Mostly the propane regulator recall replacement and the battery not charging. They found a loose wire behind the load center and corrected that. The fridge would not start up off shore power. Turned out to be air in the line from the propane regulator replacement.
It took days to get all of the stuff back in the trailer for the season. We were finding different locations for many things based on what has been working and what has been a problem. We also had a number of new items that needed homes.
At camp
At about 2:00 PM on May 3 we departed for Willow River. We arrived at about 3:00 PM straight up. My sister and her husband had arrived earlier and were all set up.
There were a few differences from last year and beginning of the season hiccups. I changed the shore power setup to use an extension so the surge protector could sit on the cord bucket and not strain the outlet.
As we tried to level the trailer, the Levelmate did not respond. Possibly, this is a battery issue. Time to add a battery change to the season startup checklist.
On the drive, I lost communication with the rear view camera. That was easy to fix — turn on the truck headlights. That provides power to the camera as they are tied to the running lights. Again, this is something I typically remember during the season, but it has been months.
Just a couple of days before departure from home, I made a modification in the bathroom. The towel ring is mounted by the factory at a ridiculously low level above the countertop. I moved it up on the wall and plugged the original holes with rosettes. Those will be hidden behind a towel anyway.
Dinner was fresh grilled salmon with Penzey’s Florida Seasoning, little Yukon Gold potatoes, and green beans. Served with a bottle of wine from the Finger Lakes region of New York. Although the cooking was on the grill, we ate inside due to the chilly temperatures.
After dinner, my sister and her husband came over to play a game. We played a card game — Golf. The intent is to score the lowest over 9 ‘holes’. I had 27, Lynn 96, the others in between. I think I like this game.
Bedtime was just before 10:00 PM with an extra blanket on the bed and the furnace running.
We woke about 6:30 AM. Crosby was ready for a quick outside excursion. Lynn set up coffee and we put the news on TV. After a couple of cups of coffee, it was finally warm enough outside to cook breakfast. I used the Coleman Grillin’ Griddle to make Eggs in a Frame and a slab of maple smoked ham. We were able to eat outside comfortably.
After getting cleaned up — ourselves and the dishes, we went on a short walk to empty our trash. We came back on the trail overlooking the valley.
I modified the Anderson levelers with 3M™ Safety-Walk™ tape. This should give them more traction. I had meant to do this before we departed home, but threw the roll of tape in the truck to take care of it during camp downtime, if we didn’t use the levelers. I knew the site was level and unlikely to need the Anderson levelers.
Lunch was simple — tuna salad sandwiches and potato chips. Following lunch, we struck out on a hike. We went down the steep trail that leads to the waterfall. Due to all the recent rain, the falls were running at a high volume.
We went back on the trail following the river and lake as far as the 300 campground. We walked through and to the Pioneer Trail. That trail goes back to the 200 campground (where we are camped) without the steep walk uphill.
We started a campfire and were joined by my sister and her husband. We played a game of Mölky. I seem to be doing well at games on this trip and won that game. We took a break to have dinner at our own campsites. We had taco salads. Typically this is leftovers from tacos but we decided to skip a step and the shells.
After dinner, more time was spent by the fire pit. Wine was consumed. Around 9:30 PM or so we went in and headed to bed.
Slept in to about 7:30 AM! As our usual routine, we had coffee and the news on for quite a while. Around 9:30 AM Lynn made breakfast. Cinco De Mayo today, so we had what was billed as Chili Queso Omelette. It was really more of an egg scramble. But, it worked as a Cinco De Mayo breakfast.
After breakfast cleanup, we started the packing process to go home. Bu the time we completed everything it was 11:58 AM and time to pull out of the site.
A quick stop at the dump station and the drive home commences. The trailer was backed in easily and unhooked.
Trailer mileage
| Date | Start Location | Start City | End Location | End City | Miles |
| Previous miles | 3,001.2 | ||||
| Various | Maintenance Trips | Trailer Dealership | 29.4 | ||
| 5/3/2022 | Home | White Bear Twp., MN | Willow River | Hudson, WI | 25.6 |
| 5/5/2022 | Willow River | Hudson, WI | Home | White Bear Twp., MN | 25.6 |
| Total miles | 3,081.8 |
Meals Planned
| Date | Meal | Menu |
| Tuesday, May 3 | Dinner | Salmon Little Potatoes Green Beans |
| Wednesday, May 4 | Breakfast | Eggs in a Frame Maple Smoked Ham Coffee V8 |
| Lunch | Tuna Sandwiches Chips and Dip Grapes | |
| Dinner | Taco Salad | |
| Thursday, May 5 | Breakfast | Chili Queso Omelette Ham Coffee |
Man of Wy 