Returning to the USA
We entered the USA in from Tolstoi, Alberta. Customs was easy once the officer realized that we could not fit under their canopy at 13ft 6 inches. They had me open the lane and remove the cones. The officer was brisk and asked if we had any alcohol and fresh vegetables, yes or no! I said yes. He was done with us and let us pass.
The next overnight was in Benjie, Minnesota. We stayed at the Hamilton Fox RV Campground. It was a nice campground on the lake. There were mostly seasonal campers. This was a Passport campground and was about 7 miles from Route 2. The rate was ½ and was about $22.00 for a full hookup. We usually try to stay with 5 miles of the interstate.
We have become more adventurous using a back in site, boondock or use whatever is available. This has opened up more sites. Finding a 40-foot site is not as difficult as it used to be. The rigs have become bigger and the future is that big is the norm. We moved on to Duluth and on to Ashland, Wisconsin. A municipal RV campground showed up and was directly on Lake Superior. We arrived in town around 4 pm. The park was filling up and we got a good site with Electric and water for $25.00. We were able to walk around and found a historic mineral pier next to the park affording us a nice view so as to take some photos and enjoy the sunset.
In the past, this would have been a campground we most likely would have passed by. After driving this 5th wheel around for 2 seasons, it’s time to be more adventurous. In Alaska, it was easy to camp along the highway and off the grid. It is more difficult to do this in the lower 48. Walmart is not a good option for us. We are traveling to enjoy the journey and camping in a parking lot just doesn’t cut it. We decided to stay here for a couple of days and check out the Apostle Island grouping along the coast of Lake Superior. Lake Superior is big and we have enjoyed camping next to the lake. We drove up to Meyers Beach and hiked out to the sea caves. This 2-mile trip out was partly on a boardwalk for about a mile and then it became a hiking path. It was good to be walking in the forest with everything was green and in full bloom. The first sea cave was big and deep. We were able to look down into the front of a very deep cave with Lake Superior rushing in. It was difficult to photograph. Lake Superior is vast and the view across was beautiful. We finished our 4 miles and walked down to the beach enjoying the waves breaking on the beach. It is beginning to feel like fall. We were able to find a warm, sunny spot even though it was cool. Leaves are just beginning to turn. It is good to go slow and just feel the change.
Ashland is a nice lakeside city and we were able to do some grocery shopping and some laundry. We were very relaxed and spent time walking around the campground and looking over the lake. It was a good couple of days.
Moving day arrived and after driving a 4-hour day, we chose to overnight in a county fairgrounds. We have seen options for camping at fairgrounds, however, had not previously taken advantage. We easily found the fairgrounds. They had lots of space and we were one of 3 campers there with over 200 spaces. It was perfect and quiet, except, of course, the train. The rate was $20.00 for 30 amps and water. There was a dump station. Fairgrounds are now on our list of good places to stay. The challenge has become finding good uncrowded campsites for a low cost. They are out there. Our only issue is turning around with a 60-foot rig including our F350. Going forward is easy. Backing up is ok, but turning around take a lot of room.
