Here’s a quick recap of our Spring & Summer travels so far. After visiting family in Alabama for over a month, we’ve traveled from the Gulf Coast, around Lake Michigan and finally to South Dakota.
1. Lake Payne Recreation Area / Moundville, AL
This was the first stop after a 6 week visit back home. Our campground hunting skills were a little rusty and we found ourselves in this National Forest Campground with no reception through any of our cell services.
We stayed here only overnight and continued our journey the next morning.
2. Oak Mountain State Park / Pelham, AL
This was another overnight stop. The park had dated facilities and offered only water & electric – they charged over $30 a night. We enjoyed hiking one of their many trails, but it wasn’t enough to fork over extra cash to extend our stay.
3. Noccalula Falls / Gadsden, AL
Finally we settled in for a slightly longer camping experience! Noccalula Falls had a great hiking trail and provided a relaxing environment for us to chill out for a few days.
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HMePx8OjNGA&w=560&h=315%5D
4. Salacoa Creek Campground / Ranger, GA
We were glad to exit Alabama and set up camp in Northern Georgia. At Salacoa Creek we met fellow YouTubers, Exploring the Local Life. While the park wasn’t ideal, it was great to socialize with like-minded RVers.
5. Hiawassee, GA
Hiawassee was the only predetermined location on this stretch of our adventure. We signed up for the Eggs on the Hiawassee camper rally and were looking forward to touring some molded fiberglass campers and meeting new folks. During our time here we rotated between local campgrounds, and stayed a few days longer than expected to repair an issue with our truck.
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WYhd5qikj2Y&w=560&h=315%5D
6. Ohio County Park / Hartford, KY
After leaving Hiawassee, we were ready to get out of the southeast. It was time to explore some uncharted territory and follow the cool weather. We stopped into Ohio County Park for one night to expedite our journey north. The park had a great Passport America rate and we ended up paying less than $10 for hookups.
7. Saddle Lake Recreation Area / Tell City, IN
Saddle Creek was the first great boondocking site during this leg of the trip. We stayed here over the Memorial Day weekend.
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pqBMRjuAkt0&w=560&h=315%5D
8. Blackwell Horse Camp / Norman, IN
After Saddle Lake, we followed up with more boondocking at Blackwell Horse Camp. The grassy fields were great for playing with our pup.
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AhITQUOUBvQ&w=560&h=315%5D
9. Campers Paradise / Grand Haven, MI
Campers Paradise was an overnight site using the Passport America rate. We ended up staying there due to a boondocking site bust. The site we wanted to camp at turned out to be a little too sketchy and have no cell reception.
10. Harvest Host Location / Sparta, MI
We had a great time camping at this quaint goat farm in rural Michigan. It was close to Grand Rapids, so we decide to explore the city one afternoon and make a stop by Trader Joe’s.
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VXuFS8kUJ4c%5D
11. Enchanted RV Park / Irons, MI
This was just a “hold-over” site we used for hookups and to plan out our next few stops. The park was dingy, but that gave us reason to get out and explore the area.
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2Pgraqb0Big&w=560&h=315%5D
12. Betsie River Campsite / Frankfort, MI
We loved this campground & the town. It was our first experience with beautiful Lake Michigan beaches. The town was super dog-friendly and had well developed walking trails.
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AAti4qmBlC4%5D
13. Indigo Bluffs / Empire, MI
Sleeping Bear Dunes was breathtaking. There were many dog-friendly hiking trails with gorgeous overlooks of the Lake Michigan Coast. We also made some new friends while camping at Indigo Bluffs!
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uQgC_2rpIsk%5D
14. French Farm Lake / Mackinaw City, MI
French Farm Lake is an amazing boondocking site near Mackinaw City. The spaces are large & private and the cell reception was lightning fast!
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_fbwNk0F9qA%5D
15. Waterways Campground / Cheboygan, MI
Waterways is a beautiful waterfront campground. The town of Cheboygan is just a few miles away. During our stay, we were able to catch a weekend craft fair and car show!
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GvaBMfcO6A0&w=560&h=315%5D
16. Country Village Campground / Ishpeming, MI
We camped here for a week and explored the area in depth. Lake Superior was beautiful and the town of Marquette has miles of coastal walking trails.
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yLaJjSFqNRI&w=560&h=315%5D
17. Tranquil Timbers / Sturgeon Bay, WI
Door County is a long peninsular that jets north up Lake Michigan. Sturgeon Bay is located smack-dab in the middle of it, making it a great launching point for exploring.
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wkshyUQWqTI&w=560&h=315%5D
18. Harvest Hosts Farm / Calumet, WI
This was another quick overnight stay during the Independence Day Weekend. It was essentially “parking lot camping” and left us with no desire to stick around.
19. Jamieson Park / Poynette, WI
Jamieson Park was a great free-camping site. We had so much space to soak up the rays and play with the pup.
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5bIzWOobplo%5D
20. Buckhorn Campground / Necedah, WI
The summer heat finally caught up with us – but, fear not, Buckhorn Campground had a big pool to cool off in!
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N_CNfDR28CA%5D
21. Peaceful Valley Campground / Le Sueur, MN
Peaceful Valley really delivered on its name! We enjoyed peace & quite during our entire stay here. We also stocked up on some specialty health food items at the local co-op.
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4lOI0eadI0M%5D
22. Hieb Park / Marion, SD
Hieb Park offers free camping with electric & water hookups! The town has a population under 1000, so don’t expect many tourist activities.
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