Needing Nature

This was taken at Guernsey State Park in Wyoming. We pulled in to a deserted campground. Never having been here, we were pleasantly surprised to find a very unique and beautiful spot.....almost like an oasis in the desert. Guernsey Reservoir is in the background surrounded by cliffs. Amazing and breathtaking. This was one of my favorite camping "surprises." Some of our surprises haven't been so pleasant, but this one I'll always remember.

Answer: When noone else is. We went to New Salem State Park for a few days on a Spring Break one year. That was the extent of us heading south: Springfield, IL. Hoping it would be warmer (It wasn't) and hoping we wouldn't get the rain that was in the forecast (rained a lot), we somehow had great fun on this trip where high temps were in the 40's. There were maybe 2 other units camping while we were there. A recent ice storm gave us an endless supply of firewood which was great since we had a fire burning almost nonstop, except for when the downpour drove is into Springfield to hit all the museums. Had we been at home we probably would have been outside only briefly going from house to car, car to building, etc. but when you're camping you're outside almost every waking minute. Rain? No problem. That's what ponchos are for. Actually it is a problem, but part of camping is making the best of things and turning whatever you're dealt into an "a

A couple more shots of Little Bay De Noc, taken right behind our campsite. It was strange because there were so few people there, odd considering what nice large private campsites there were, right by the bay and beach area. I guess the U.P. is pretty much off the beaten path, but I still expect pretty full campgrounds just about anywhere mid summer. Later I was doing a little internet research and found out that this area had been cleaned up after toxic chemicals had been found. Could this be why noone was there???????? It's sad when you think of the widespread damage manufacturing companies can do to beautiful areas of our world.

As we hit the stretch where summer still seems so far away, I try to imagine myself anywhere but where I'm currently at! Thoughts of summer, thoughts of vacations, thoughts of sand, beaches, sunsets, water. This is a campground we stumbled on as we were heading up to Lake Superior. This is in Michigan's upper peninsula where our campsite was right off Little Bay De Noc which is located on northern Lake Michigan. It's part of the Hiawatha National Forest. On the other side of the bay is Escanaba. I just like saying "Escanaba" and there's something about this town that I really like, but I can't quite pinpoint it. Maybe it's just the name! Our first time to Escanaba we arrived at 2 a.m. in dense fog and ended up by a lit up gazebo in a park we later in daylight saw was beautiful and right by Lake Michigan. It was eerie driving into what seemed like a totally deserted town, after driving through dense, dark, foggy forests. Very little traffic is

Look at this water!!! This is truly not your typical lake, which is why it's almost impossible to get a reservation to camp here. But I'm trying. I'm also trying to figure out how to get my favorite song on here, the ONLY one I know that has the sound of loons............

The upper midwest is dotted with crystal clear lakes. Driving north from Illinois up into Wisconsin, after about 4 or 5 hours of driving the landscape changes. Lakes, pine trees, and the atmosphere of VACATION prevails. A trip up this way is not as spectacular as a trip out west to the mountains, but it certainly has its own unique appeal. This particular lake is almost "muck-free" which is amazing. Even people who prefer pools to lakes would be tempted to swim in this crystal clear lake, which is aptly named Crystal Lake. There are several lakes I've noticed with the same name, but in my mind this is the only true "Crystal" Lake. You can literally walk around this entire lake without encountering any lake muck yuck stuff. It's a supreme swimming lake, clean, quiet, and with a minimum of "critters." From our stay here, I only have a couple pictures, only one that's being posted, unlike our Wyoming trips where I have hundreds of picture