2020 Camping Retrospective

 Having bought our little camper last summer more or less on a whim, it turned out to be a total WIN this year. We had to cancel several trips we had planned due to the Covid-19 pandemic, but camping was still possible (at least after the campgrounds were permitted to open in June). So camp we did, with a total of 7 camping outings this season. We enjoyed some beautiful weather across a range of temperatures (hot days in July, then down to 31 degrees in Custer State park in Oct).

While it still takes time to plan and pack, we've gotten much faster. We left our camping gear out on the main level of the house so it was easy to pack for the next trip. Meal planning and prep still takes a while, but we got faster with that, too. We retained a number of the great foods we tried last year, and added a few more, including baking a from-scratch chocolate cake over the campfire. Andy's big discovery was skillet frying over the campfire (chicken, fish, fry bread). 

June

Lamb's Resort, Tofte MN

Spot 4A, right on the water

Andy loves pancakes while camping

Biking right by Blue Fin Bay

Fort Ridgley State Park

Our site backed right up to the creek

July

WI Dells, Door County (Peninsula State Park), Big Bay (Madeline Island)

KOA, Dells

Peninsula

Angus takes the ferry to Madeline Island

Big Bay

August

Frontenac State Park

September

Cascade State Park

Summit of Eagle Mountain, tallest in MN

Grand Portage Sate Park, High Falls

Cascade

Cascade State Park

Merrick State Park, WI

Pup in pup tent

October

Fort Abraham State Park ND, Sully State Park ND, Custer State Park, SD, Killen Woods SP, MN

Needle, Custer

The new hiking boots are wonderful

Sylvan Lake, Custer

Fort Abraham State Park, ND

Dropping Angus off for winter storage at the MN State Fair. He'll spend winter in the Education building.

A few things we learned this year:

• Don't leave home without 2-3 gallons of drinking water in the car. Store it behind the passenger seat so it doesn't get crushed when Andy rolls his seat back
• Double-bag all meat. Eggs travel in the car, not the camper
• The cooler needs ice every 2 days in the summer
• Don't put bikes on the rack on top of the camper (resulting in emergency bike repair)
• Start the fire at least 30 min before you want to start cooking
• Download your hiking map onto your phone while you still have a cell signal
• Plug the camper battery in to charge at least 24 hours ahead of the trip
• Heating water to do the dishes makes a tremendous difference
• If not a MN State Park, buy firewood before you arrive
• No matter how cold it is, open the top vent in the camper to minimize vapor build up