Vagabond photographer fulltiming in an Alto travel trailer
Between Michigan and Minnesota on the south shore of Lake Superior is a tiny sliver of Wisconsin. Mostly, it’s all at Saxon Harbor Park, so that seemed a perfect halfway spot between the Porcupine Mountains (my previous stop) and the trip-ending destination of Duluth. The view of the lake was pretty good from here, too.
[Read more…] about Review: Saxon Harbor Park, WI
Back to one of my happy places on this earth, the Porcupine Mountains of far west Michigan, right at the shore of Lake Superior. Honestly, this was the place I’d planned my whole Great Lakes/UP trip around. I had such a magical time here in the fall of 2017 that I’ve wanted to come back ever since.
And this is why. Look at that campsite right next to the lake. There aren’t many of these spots, but it’s worth the time and effort to score one. [Read more…] about Porcupine Mountains, MI
As I drove from Pictured Rocks to Baraga, I realized I was retracing the route I had taken on my very first Alto trip, way back in May of 2016. And I’m pretty sure I found the same rest stop on Lake Superior, too.
That Alto looks pretty good after 5 years on the road. On to Baraga, and new adventures…
[Read more…] about Review: Baraga State Park, MI
One of my fears is crossing bridges in windy weather, an artifact of the sway accident last year. Which did not happen on a bridge, but try telling my lizard brain that. Bridges + wind = nervous me. So we changed plans to stay a night at Petoskey State Park and wait out the windy/stormy weather one more day. The Mackinac Bridge is one to respect: five miles long, crossing the straits between Lake Michigan and Lake Huron, looking on the map like a funnel for any winds in the area.
As it turned out, the crossing was (whew!) uneventful. Except for the construction, which stopped me dead in the middle. So I took a photo since I was literally in Park mode with my rig.
[Read more…] about Review: Straits State Park, MI
It was not a promising start to my stay in Holland. I was trying to beat the rainstorm that I could see on the radar, but I didn’t quite make it. Just as I entered the city limits, with a mere eight miles to go, the heavens opened up. And stayed open till just *after* I unhitched and set up at my new campsite.
Timing is everything in camping and I definitely missed it this time around. But not to worry…
[Read more…] about Review: Holland State Park, MI
When I made some changes in my early summer plans, Delaware State Park popped up as a nice bolthole of a place to go for a few nights. That it was close to Columbus, Ohio, where I know a few people I hadn’t seen in a long while added points in its favor. There was also a lake but it wasn’t till I showed up that I realized it was a big lake, surrounded by trails that provided different views, like this one.
[Read more…] about Review: Delaware State Park, OH
Ohiopyle is kind of in the middle of nowhere when you look at it on a map. But, and this is huge, it is a watersports paradise for adventure junkies, from kayaks to big rubber boats running the rapids. And then there is the Great Allegany Passage (GAP) from Pittsburgh to Washington, full of bikers of all levels. When I drove through on a Sunday, the town was wall-to-wall people and traffic. Never would I imagine this peaceful sight from my first experience of the place!
[Read more…] about Review: Ohiopyle State Park, PA
A few years ago, I spent a night at Laurel Hill and decided it was worth a longer stay at some point. When I had to do some last minute rearranging of my June schedule to deal with some truck work that needed to be done, Laurel Hill popped up on my AllStays search as being on the way from Lancaster to Columbus, my rough trajectory. Surprisingly, the park had a lot of availability so I booked myself in for five nights.
[Read more…] about Review: Laurel Hill State Park, PA
You might think twice about staying at a place called “Hungry Mother.” I sure did. Turns out it’s a local legend involving the original settlers (Native Americans) vs. newer settlers (white people taking the land) and somehow a child saying “hungry, mother.” Sure, let’s go with that.
Meanwhile, the park itself is yet another jewel in the crown that is the Virginia state park system. A lake, hiking trails, cabins, two campgrounds, fishing, swimming, this place has a lot going on. Two fun facts about this park: it is one of the six original Civilian Conservation Core (CCC) parks that opened in June 1936 and in 2007, it was added to the National Register of Historic Places.
[Read more…] about Review: Hungry Mother State Park, VA
One thing you learn quickly as a full-timer is to make sure you’ve got a solid plan for each of the big summer holidays. Memorial Day kicks off the summer camping for many people, so it’s not the weekend to wing it. I’d reserved at Black Moshannon almost six months out because that’s about how fast campgrounds are filling up for the holiday weekends in 2021. And sure, enough, the campground was completely booked, except for one sweet spot. Which wasn’t where I landed when I arrived…
[Read more…] about Review: Black Moshannon State Park, PA
