Category Archives: Camping

Camping, Parks

Full campgrounds and amazing waterfalls ~North Shore, MN

Leave a comment

After Nick got home from Poland, we left for the North Shore in Minnesota.

Lake Superior is one of my favorite areas.
We were getting there at the end of a holiday weekend so we thought we might be able to find a spot without reserving but I called on our way just to be sure.

They were booked.

And furthermore, it costs $10 to reserve a spot which bumped up the price quite a bit.

The Eckbeck was in the perfect location and the price was great($14 a night) but it did not have water or electric.

We were borrowing my in-law’s camper so we did not have are usual setup which meant no heat at all while we were there.

Since the boys were staying in a tent I thought we could tough it out at least for a night.

It poured our first night.

The boys ended up getting soaked and bailed out to the vehicle.

We ended up getting them a new tent that was hopefully a little bit drier.

Our first hike was in Tettegouche State Park to High Falls.

It was a pretty hike and brought back all the memories of when Nick and I backpacked in this area several years and kids ago…

Tettegouche is a beautiful state park! All of the kids wanted to see a cave down below so Nick held onto them just to be safe.

It made for fun pictures!

I opt for easy one pot meals while rving.

We went down to Gooseberry Falls and Split Rock Lighthouse State Park the next day. Nick is great at the technical shots like water blur on this waterfall!

After a very rough first night, Nick suggested that I go to the lighthouse alone since there is an entrance fee.

I did not stay long but it was a nice quiet look at the lighthouse and the view from there.
Afterwards we all went to a spot in the park you can go down to the water and see the lighthouse. The kids saw a scuba diver and decided to try out the freezing cold water… I got a lot of video of screaming kids when the cold water touched them. We were gearing up for a big day the next day and hoping we would get more sleep for it!

We paid one night at a time for our camping spot because we were not sure we could do 4 nights with so little sleep!

Camping

Marval RV Resort! ~Gore, OK

Leave a comment

Marval RV Resort is a blast for the kids but a bit overwhelming for an introvert like me.

Chocolate pudding slip n slide!

I did figure out to just wait a bit to go to events like the slip n slide and the crowds went away.

This bubble machine was crazy at first but cleared out towards the end.

Walking in the evening was calm and peaceful.

They have a lot of spots and even cabins if you would like to check it out.

I

decided it was like a summer camp for families.

So if that sounds like something you would like, you should look into them next summer!

The river was by far my favorite.

It changes each day when they release water from the dam and the kids had a blast.

Make sure you bring something to float on!

I was thinking it was a one time deal that I survived but my kids are already asking to go back…

Camping, Museums/Events, Parks

Plans change again, last stop.

Leave a comment

Okay, last vacation post!

I have been slow in sharing because, well 5 kids but I love to look back on these so I was determined to finish.

Our last stop was also one of the last State Parks we needed to visit to see them all!

We stopped at one more on the way home and now I have officially been to all of the Oklahoma State Parks!

This one was the Great Plains State Park. And it was so beautiful!

The flowers were all in bloom while we were there! I had not planned to camp at this park but learned my lesson from getting turned away from Palo Duro and called ahead to Wichita Mountains(where I wanted to camp).

They were full so we stayed at Great Plains State Park.

There is more to do and see at Wichita Mts. but I enjoyed our stay at this park.

One of the few downsides was that the bathhouse was not open yet at our campground so we had to use porta potties.

 

They also have a pretty large trail system but it is not well kept.

This part of the trail looked promising but was pretty flooded so we ended up not going on it. It is not too far from Wichita Mts. so we drove over there.

I decided to give Nick a driving break and drove.

Which means we took the scenic route and stopped every few miles so I could take pics 😉

I love all of the wildlife in Wichita Mts. Even though we had seen a lot of prairie dogs while out west my kids still loved watching them.

We stopped at the Nature Center/Museum while there. We went ahead and stopped at the Holy City while there.

I guess they hold an Easter Play there every year. It was interesting but not really for me. Next up we went on the short hike to the Jed Johnson Tower.

We had never been before and Little Bit was convinced it was Rapunzel’s tower.It was a bit muddy on the trail.She was so excited.No Rapunzel.Next stop was the Museum of the Great Plains.

It is a part of the Oklahoma Museum Network so we get in on our pass.

I love how kid friendly it is now.So much to see and do.They love the store.They have a fort outside and the people in it love to share their love of history.

We decided to give the trail system another try at Great Plains State Park on our last night there. I was giddy happy to be hiking in a field of flowers. It might have difficult to follow the trail but it was breathtaking and one of my favorite moments of the trip. Thoughtful people had left rock stacks to help you find the trail. Sometimes you are just too short to get through the cactus and yucca without the help of a big brother. Beautiful view from the top.

It was a great way to end our trip!