It's always this time of year that my wanderlust really kicks in. I find myself thinking, "where I can go next" and "when will it be warm enough to go camping?"
This spring, we have two trips in the works.
The first is our first camping weekend. It will most likely be at Sangchris Lake State Park, which is between Springfield & Taylorville in IL. We've never camped there, though we've checked out the campsites and found the sites right next to the lake to be maybe picturesque. That will most likely happen near the end of April with some friends.
I've also been wanting to plan a camping visit to Starved Rock State Park in Utica, IL. I have fond, yet fuzzy, memories from hiking around that area as a kid and I want to revisit and get a better feel for the place as an adult. That's a 2 hour drive so it will probably be a smaller camping group, possibly just Andriy and me. We want this first camping trip to be a friendly affair, so the closer destination seems ideal. Check out the Starved Rock website though, it's nice.
Over the past few years, we've had 2 great camping trips with larger groups of friends that really stick out. The first was at Schuy-Rush Park near Rushville, IL. We camped for one night and, I'm going to admit, it's a bit of a blur because 1, we weren't there for very long, just a short night and 2, we mainly just drank beers.
The other camping trip that I remember fondly was at Pere Marquette. We camped for 2 nights, did some hiking, played some badminton, made some great food over campfire/camp stove (Ladd made steaks!), witnessed the destruction by rain of a borrowed canopy (sorry J Bird) and slept in tents while it poured outside. That was a great trip because we didn't just sit around drinking beers and, therefore, walked away with great stories and a song about a rock toilet.
Our other big trip for spring will happen over Memorial day weekend. We're planning on this one being a camping road trip that will take us through Indiana and Ohio, stopping somewhere in Pennsylvania the first night, then on to Boston for two nights, then up to Stowe, VT for two nights, then up to Niagara Falls for two nights, then shortcut through Canada (mainly so Andriy can use his passport for the first time), then through Michigan and back home. It will be Andriy's first trip to New England. Not my first, but it will be my first time to Boston. We're actually talking about staying in between Boston and the Cape Cod area. I'm looking forward to lunch at a seafood shack. It sounds so Cape Cod-y. :)
I've been to Vermont and Niagara Falls before as well, but I was younger and the memories are fuzzy. I remember the unspoiled green beauty of Vermont and I know Andriy will LOVE it. And Niagara Falls is simply an amazing power to behold. We're trying to decide whether to stay at Niagara on the NY side or the Ontario side. My vote is for the Ontario side, just to say we stayed in Canada. And I will try poutine while I'm there. I've wanted to try it ever since the boys from Park and Moneen told me about it.
This trip is panning out to be another KOA adventure, since we enjoyed these campsites on our big West Coast vacation and they're super easy to book. We're probably going to enjoy the comfort of their camping and deluxe cabins at Boston/Cape Cod, Vermont & Niagara, and probably tent camp in Michigan. Our initial stop in Pennsylvania will be at one of their many state parks and we will be staying in our trusty Kelty tent again. Here is our proposed route.
I'll post photos from both spring trips, so be ready for that.
This spring, we have two trips in the works.
The first is our first camping weekend. It will most likely be at Sangchris Lake State Park, which is between Springfield & Taylorville in IL. We've never camped there, though we've checked out the campsites and found the sites right next to the lake to be maybe picturesque. That will most likely happen near the end of April with some friends.
I've also been wanting to plan a camping visit to Starved Rock State Park in Utica, IL. I have fond, yet fuzzy, memories from hiking around that area as a kid and I want to revisit and get a better feel for the place as an adult. That's a 2 hour drive so it will probably be a smaller camping group, possibly just Andriy and me. We want this first camping trip to be a friendly affair, so the closer destination seems ideal. Check out the Starved Rock website though, it's nice.
Over the past few years, we've had 2 great camping trips with larger groups of friends that really stick out. The first was at Schuy-Rush Park near Rushville, IL. We camped for one night and, I'm going to admit, it's a bit of a blur because 1, we weren't there for very long, just a short night and 2, we mainly just drank beers.
The other camping trip that I remember fondly was at Pere Marquette. We camped for 2 nights, did some hiking, played some badminton, made some great food over campfire/camp stove (Ladd made steaks!), witnessed the destruction by rain of a borrowed canopy (sorry J Bird) and slept in tents while it poured outside. That was a great trip because we didn't just sit around drinking beers and, therefore, walked away with great stories and a song about a rock toilet.Our other big trip for spring will happen over Memorial day weekend. We're planning on this one being a camping road trip that will take us through Indiana and Ohio, stopping somewhere in Pennsylvania the first night, then on to Boston for two nights, then up to Stowe, VT for two nights, then up to Niagara Falls for two nights, then shortcut through Canada (mainly so Andriy can use his passport for the first time), then through Michigan and back home. It will be Andriy's first trip to New England. Not my first, but it will be my first time to Boston. We're actually talking about staying in between Boston and the Cape Cod area. I'm looking forward to lunch at a seafood shack. It sounds so Cape Cod-y. :)
I've been to Vermont and Niagara Falls before as well, but I was younger and the memories are fuzzy. I remember the unspoiled green beauty of Vermont and I know Andriy will LOVE it. And Niagara Falls is simply an amazing power to behold. We're trying to decide whether to stay at Niagara on the NY side or the Ontario side. My vote is for the Ontario side, just to say we stayed in Canada. And I will try poutine while I'm there. I've wanted to try it ever since the boys from Park and Moneen told me about it.
This trip is panning out to be another KOA adventure, since we enjoyed these campsites on our big West Coast vacation and they're super easy to book. We're probably going to enjoy the comfort of their camping and deluxe cabins at Boston/Cape Cod, Vermont & Niagara, and probably tent camp in Michigan. Our initial stop in Pennsylvania will be at one of their many state parks and we will be staying in our trusty Kelty tent again. Here is our proposed route.
I'll post photos from both spring trips, so be ready for that.
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