RV Camping with Leo and Kirby and A lot of Other People 2026

Friday August 14

Our annual RV camping trip with the boys began yesterday. Cathy and JA met us again, but this time their 3 kids, their spouses and alll their kids came too. That’s 10 adults and 11 kids! Two 14 yo, 2 11 yo, 2 8 yo, 3 6 yo, 1 almost 5 yo, and 1 2 yo! The nice thing this year is that since their parents are here we are only responsible for 2 of them.

Lee picked the boys up yesterday like a usual Friday and brought them to our house. They helped us make many many carrot and celery sticks, and load things on to the RV. They can actually peel carrots now! Big kids.

We left around 1:30. We had to stop at their house and get bunny and giraffe which they need for bedtime. Not totally big kids yet!

With a little bit of traffic due to an accident we made it to Father Hennepin State Park on Lake Mille Lacs. There is a small Indian reservation near here, one of the few created in Minnesota back in 1855. Like every Minnesota State Park we have been to, it’s a nice park with well maintained campgrounds, nice hiking trails, a beach, a fishing dock, a boat launch.

It took awhile for everyone to show up last night. We didn’t eat until after 7. Lee had made pulled pork so we had bbq sandwiches, and everyone else brought various sides so there were veggies, slaw, chips, rotel with cookies for dessert.

By the time the adults finished talking and the kids finished playing it was pretty late. Lee took the boys for a quick shower, and it was after 10 by the time we were all in bed.

Then the boys kept fussing at each other until I finally gave up and put Leo in bed with Lee and I got in bed with Kirby. The boys settled down and went to sleep but the mattress on the table bed is horrible. I’m definitely short on sleep this morning, even though I slept until almost 6. Leo slept until  6:30. Then Lee picked up Kirby and put him in our bed so we could set up the table and have coffee and breakfast. Kirby slept until 8!

We had cinnamon rolls for breakfast. Leo ate 2 and a half large rolls and a lot of strawberries and blueberries. Same with me.

There was also bacon!

Saturday August 15

After breakfast everyone except Cathy, Sophie and me went out on the lake in pontoon boats. We didn’t mind staying back at all! I worked on my latest crochet project. I’m making a puzzle ball animal, a giraffe, for Emi. Its fun! The yarn I chose is very colorful and that’s why I chose it, but, oy what a nightmare to work with! It’s single ply which I didn’t realize until after I ordered it. It’s very difficult to work with without snagging or splitting. I finally researched it and now I’m doing ok. I just have to take it slow. And you better believe from now on I will check the number of plys on any yarn I buy!

Then Sophie and I went on a nice long walk around the park. I chose a trail that went along the lake and then through the woods. It was quiet and pretty and we got some much needed exercise and fresh air.

Everyone came back around mid-afternoon. Then the boys were off playing with the other kids and riding their bikes.

We heard about the pontoon boats in bits and pieces. They had two boats. The younger kids and Kate, Danielle, Sam, and JA were on that boat. The older kids, including Leo and Kirby were on the other boat, as was Lee, Callina, and Andrew. From Lee I heard that they fished, but didn’t catch anything. I heard that the boats were old and not in very good shape. He said their boat was loud, and Callina said she got motion sickness on it, but it turns out that the older kids boat was pretty rowdy. The kids were running around the boat, trying to make it tip, which is pretty hard to do on a pontoon boat, although you can swamp them if you really try. Andrew was driving and he was making lots of twists and turns as well. Thank goodness I didn’t go! I would NOT have been happy. I’m glad I didn’t see it either. But it must not have been TOO bad or Lee would have said something.

Later in the afternoon some of the group decided to go to the beach. Neither Lee nor I wanted to go, but there were plenty of other adults so Leo and Kirby could go too. I drove them there (about 5 minutes away) so we didn’t have to move their car seats. 

Eventually it was time for supper so I went to go get them. They had been having a great time and it was hard to tear them away. 

They had also been playing in the sand, a LOT. In fact they had been burying each other in the sand. They were encrusted in sand and all there was to rinse them off was some very very cold water. What a nightmare. Leo was brave, but Kirby cried and fought. I told him he HAD to get that sand off! He has such sensitive skin and I didn’t want his eczema to flare up. Finally we got enough sand off that it was safe for them to get in the truck.

When we got back to the RV, we could take a washcloth to them and get more of the sand out of their ears and hair. And then, even though I had rinsed their privates too, or so I thought, when they took off their bathing suits a whole other region of sand appeared. It was crazy. But we got through that too and then we could go over to Cathy’s RV and eat taco salad with lots of condiments, with s’mores and cookies for dessert.

I forgot to mention the rain. We had mostly beautiful weather for the entire trip. It was cloudy, fairly cool, and although it threatened rain on Saturday, it didn't appear at the campground, although Lee said it rained briefly, twice, on the boat.

But during dinner it DID rain hard. Cathy and JA have an awning, and it kept most of us dry, although I managed to sit at first right where there was a crack, oops!  Also, although we had most of the RV windows open, they didn't let any rain in. But we also had the skylight open. Uh-oh. I saw it, and ran over as soon as I noticed it to shut it, but the blanket had already gotten wet. Fortunately the sheets were still dry and the blanket was mostly dry by bedtime. We put a towel over the wet spot and it was fine.

Once it had stopped raining Lee took the boys to the showers. It managed to start raining just when they were walking back to the RV, so they got a little wet.

Then last night Lee slept with Kirby and I slept in our bed with Leo. I was so tired!

Sunday August 16

This morning we had pancakes for breakfast with strawberries, syrup and whipped cream. And more bacon. There was some time to visit  and for the kids to play before it was time to pack up the RV and head back home.

It was another very successful camping trip with the boys. They had a great time and so did we. In a couple years they are going to get too big to fit in the table bed anymore, or at least for two of them to fit there. Then I guess if they still want to do it we’ll have to get a tent. 

RV Camping with Leo and Kirby August 2025

 Well oops! I forgot to post about this year's RV camping trip before I started posting about California! So you'll have to wait a little bit before you can read about LA and the wedding we went to.

-------------------------

L to R: Owen 10 yo, Leo 7 yo, Kirby 5 yo, Lula 5 yo, Jack 5 yo, Grace 7 yo. Not pictured: Henry 12 yo.

This year we decided to try a different state park. The boys are older and they have done this before so we were ready for a new adventure. Minnesota has really great, well maintained state parks. We decided to try Whitewater, in southern Minnesota. It is close to where Cathy and JA live so they have joined us, with 5 of their grandkids.

We left on Friday. It’s over 2 hours to Whitewater from our house. I’ve been working on a baby blanket to sell at the Arboretum Auxiliary sales and I got a lot done while we drove. The boys were very good in the car, even though they got bored, of course. At some point I showed them on the google maps display where it showed us how many minutes we had left to drive. “20 minutes!” “10 minutes” “5 minutes!” We got a play by play for the rest of the drive.

It is very warm and humid this weekend, unfortunately. Thank God for RV’s and air conditioning! Cathy and JA only have a little Scamp RV, no room for 5 kids, so their kids slept in a tent. I hope they had a fan last night.

We found our campsite and fortunately for us we have good shade in the afternoon. While Lee got us set up, Cathy showed up and the boys and I walked with her to the beach. We brought Sophie too but left Harper in the aircon.

It was only about .6 miles to the beach on a trail through the woods, but it seemed a lot longer because we didn’t know where we were going, also it was beastly hot. Finally there it was, a wide sandy spot along the river. The water was brown, but cool. I waded in but not too far since I didn’t have my bathing suit on. The other kids were there with JA. At first everyone was kind of shy with each other; it had been a year since they had seen Leo and Kirby, but that didn’t last long.

The walk back to the campsite didn’t take nearly as long. We just hung out at the campsite, eating snacks and eventually dinner. Those kids were hungry! They ate almost 2 hotdogs apiece, a half of a watermelon, lots and lots of chips and veggies. The adults had bbq’d pulled pork sandwiches, slaw, watermelon, veggies and a beer (or two). We were all tired. Kids have so much energy, though! Besides the long drive, and hiking back and forth to the beach, they also played impromptu games of soccer and baseball.

By eight pm we were all ready to turn in. While Lee took the boys to the showers I took a sponge bath in the RV and got the dogs ready for bed. We made the table into a bed, and just like last year, asked the boys if they thought they could sleep together and not bother each other, otherwise we would have to split them up. They promised they would be quiet and surprise! They actually fell right asleep. They WERE tired!

In the morning I slept until almost 6, yay! I tried to be quiet when I got up but the boys were awake soon after me. I had a cup of coffee in bed and once the boys were up we made their bed back into a table and ate lots of banana bread, nectarines and bananas. Eventually the other kids came over; they wanted breakfast too. We had a lot of frozen pancakes and bacon, with strawberries and whipped cream too. Easy to make in the microwave. Leo and Kirby both had second breakfasts!

While we were hanging out after breakfast it started to rain. Not a surprise, we knew there was a chance today. It didn’t last long and we have the awning up and the food tent over the picnic table as well. It’s kind of gloomy out right now. Lee and the boys and Sophie have gone up to the Visitor’s Center to check the weather because we don’t have any connectivity at the campsite. I’ll have to do that later so I don’t break my Wordle streak!

We have a couple of possibilities for today. The boys want to go fishing, of course. JA and Henry want to go climb the fire tower. I’d like to go do that too, but my knees have been bothering me on stairs so I don’t know if I can. I might go with them and see how far I get.

Well the lull in the rain didn’t last long. Without internet we had no idea that a HUGE band of thunderstorms was headed our way. It started to rain again, hard. In fact it poured, off and on, for about 3 hours. There was so much rain that the RV awning would start to buckle and we’d have to roll it up for a while.

I thought the boys would be bored but they did a great job of entertaining themselves. They played cards, mostly crazy eights. We started killing flies and they really got into it. They worked on murdering flies for a couple hours. I taught them how to play concentration and they thought that was really fun.

Eventually the rain let up. Everyone except Cathy and I went fishing. I took Sophie for a short walk and then Cathy and I hung out together for a while, knitting and crocheting, respectively.

Fishing didn’t last too long. The river was flooded and muddy and the fish were nowhere to be found. After lunch and snacks Lee and I decided to take Sophie for another walk. Leo and Kirby stayed behind with Cathy, JA and the rest of the kids.

We mostly walked around the different campsite loops. Lee went back but Sophie and I walked some more. I’m not used to sitting around so much! As Sophie and I start heading back we see a little boy sitting by the side of the road. It’s Kirby, all by himself! I’m pretty shocked, and confused too. I can’t get two words out of him about how he ended up there. I make him take my hand and we start heading back to the RV. Before very long we run into Cathy and Lula, going the other way, on their way to the beach. Now I’m even more confused, and Cathy is upset because she thought Kirby was with JA and the rest of the kids. Neither of us can understand how Kirby got left behind without anyone noticing and he’s still not talking.

Cathy takes Kirby and they go on to the beach and Sophie and I head back to the RV. I’m getting more and more upset. How did Kirby get separated from the others? What could have happened?

Cathy is back before too long and she has an explanation. Apparently as Cathy, Kirby and Lula were walking here comes JA and the rest of the kids, looking for Kirby. JA is visibly relieved to see Kirby. “There you are!” he exclaimed. What happened was they were walking to the beach and Kirby took off running ahead of everyone and didn’t stop even though everyone was yelling at him. The road curves to the right and Kirby was soon out of sight. The trail to the beach heads off the road to the left at the curve. They didn’t know if Kirby had run ahead on the trail or continued on the road.

To Kirby’s credit once he had realized that he had lost everyone else he stopped and waited. And this is why I couldn’t get an explanation out of him. He knew he had made a bad decision and he didn’t want to own up to it! The scary part is that he was past the turnoff on to the trail to the beach so it might have taken them a little while to find him. But now that we know what happened Lee and I need to have a talk with the boy. Oh Kirby, I love you so, and sometimes you really scare me.

Cathy made chili mac for dinner. It was delicious! The rest of the evening was uneventful. The kids played some complicated game that seemed to be a combination of tag and hide and go seek and involved a lot of running and laughing. We made a fire and the grownups sat around chatting and occasionally yelling at a kid or two.

I went to the showers before bed. Lee said they were nice but I thought they were kind of marginal. The water came in 5 minute intervals and the first 5 minutes it was cold. I braved it because what else could I do? The second 5 minutes it warmed up, thank goodness. 

The boys fell asleep while Lee was reading to them. I slept until 6:30 and Lee slept until after 7! I guess we were tired!

In the morning Cathy brought over breakfast - cinnamon raisin bread, yogurt, granola, bananas. We had strawberries and the peaches were ready too. Great breakfast! After that it was time for us to get ready to go home, and it started to rain again too. We managed to get everything taken apart and stored in between bursts of rain and before too long we were on our way.

It was a great camping trip. I’m so glad Cathy, JA and their grandkids were able to come. It was fun to watch them all play together. I’m not even sure I minded the rain very much. It was awfully hot that first day, and the rain cooled everything off.

We might as well enjoy these trips while we can. Before we know it the boys will be too busy with their own activities, and we’ll be too old. 

The Apostle Islands and Porcupine Mountain, September 2024

Cathy and Me

Our seemingly annual RV trip with Cathy and JA.

Monday Sept 23

This year we are exploring the South Shore of Lake Superior. Cathy had this fantasy of doing a circumnavigation of the lake, until she realized just how far that is. It could easily take a month, or more! Then we thought we’d visit 4 or 5 different places on the south shore, but that was still a lot. So we chose 2 places to visit in a week.

Our first stop is the Apostle Islands. It was about a 4.5 hour drive from the cities, not too bad. I’d never heard of it, but I think it might be semi-famous. Lots of islands and lighthouses.

We pulled into our campground around 3:10, at almost the exact some time as Cathy and JA. It’s a nice campground. We have full hookups for the first time in a while. We haven’t done anything yet except eat dinner (Cathy made fish tacos, very good) and sit around and talk. We stayed outside chatting until almost 7 pm, until it got too cold. Tomorrow we’re going on a cruise to visit some of the islands and learn more about the area. We’re getting some beautiful weather for this trip. No rain, cold at night (40’s and 50’s), 60’s and 70’s during the day.

Tuesday Sept 24

It got pretty cold last night. I was glad I had long pj pants! It was 39F when I got up at 5:30.

In the morning I ran 3 miles around this very hilly campground. Then I took a shower and before I knew it, it was time to feed the dogs, eat lunch and bike into town. We were going on a boat tour of the Apostle Islands. It left at noon and we needed to get there a little early to be able to get a seat outside on the boat.

We also had to figure out how to get to town on our bikes. It was only a little over a mile, but confusing. We had to get on the main highway for a little while but it had a broad shoulder so it wasn’t too bad. There was supposed to be a bike/walking trail but we couldn’t find it and ended up just using the streets of the town. It was downhill all the way there. 

Finally we found the dock where the boat was tied up, and just in time. There were still some seats on top upstairs too. Lucky us!

It was a beautiful day, calm and sunny and not even very chilly. It reached 70 by the end of the tour. I needed my layers, and sometimes my hood, but it’s the end of September in northern Wisconsin on Lake Superior for heaven’s sake!

Lighthouse

The Apostle Islands were an important source of sandstone before steel was invented so the town of Ashland was a major port before Duluth and the rise of steel. So there are a bunch of lighthouses on the islands. Each island has its own personality. They are almost all part of a National Lakeshore Park, but there are a few private homes left here and there. There’s lots of wildlife, including bears. We saw quite a few bald eagles on the tour.

Sea Caves Devil's Island

We also saw the sea caves on Devil’s island. They were pretty cool! Most of the islands have a rocky side that faces the prevailing winds. The rocks erode and are pushed down the island to the lee side where there is a sandy beach.

The tour was very informative and it was just enjoyable being out on the water in the sun. I hope I didn’t get my face sunburned! It was really sunny.

The only downside was riding our bikes back to the campground after the cruise. Downhill all the way there meant UPHILL all the way back! Some parts were really steep too. I didn’t get off my bike and walk, but I sure wanted to sometimes!

Wednesday Sept 25

On the Ferry to Madeline Island

Today we took the ferry over to Madeline Island. We brought our bikes which was lots of fun. It is SO hilly though riding to Bayfield and back! Thank goodness the island itself is pretty flat.

I have a nice bike, a hybrid, but nice. JA has a nice mountain bike. Lee has his old Cannondale that he had rebuilt last year. But Cathy is riding a 35 year old 10 speed cruiser so the hills were just a killer for her. Plus she doesn’t ride that much and we ended up doing almost 20 miles total, which is a lot if you’re not used to it.

The ferry is a short ride, only 25 minutes at most. It was an easy bike ride out to the state park on the island. it’s not a big park. We went to the overlook, explored the campground and the beach and that was about it. You could take an RV on the ferry and stay on the island if you wanted. Maybe next year!

View From Madeline Island Across the Lake

We rode back into town and ate lunch at a place called the Beach Club. Checked out the little museum, which had a lot of information about the Native Americans that used to live in this area. Then it was time to catch the ferry and go back.

We tried to take a less steep route back to the campground, but they’re all pretty bad. I did walk my bike up one hill, but I think it was mostly because I was tired.

Tomorrow it’s off to Porcupine Mountain in Michigan.

Thursday Sept 26

Another crazy hilly run, 613 ft of elevation gain in 4 miles. Very tiring!

It was only about 2 and a half hours to Porcupine Mountain, so we took our time and stopped a few times along the way. The first stop was a grocery store in Ashland, WI. Then we went down the road about a mile to a lakeside park for lunch. We had Lee’s delicious tuna sandwiches. They’re on a baguette and include hard boiled eggs, olives, capers and a lemon dressing. They are not your average tuna salad sandwich!

Then we drove for about 30 minutes to Interstate Falls for a very short hike (a third of a mile each way). Even Heather could handle it, although I did have to carry her up a few short steep hills. The falls were very nice, not huge but very pretty. And the leaves are starting to turn here. Some reds and yellows here and there.

Interstate Falls, WI

Then we drove the rest of the way to Porcupine Mountain, about an hour. We crossed the state line into Michigan and changed time zones too, although I don’t think I’ll bother to adjust unless we’re going somewhere. The cell phone reception was very sparse, even non existent in spots. Lee’s phone decided that our destination was up a rural road only a few minutes away but I was pretty sure that wasn’t right. Mine had us going to the Visitor’s Center at the park so we followed my phone until Lee’s phone could get reception again. 

We’re in Union Bay Campground in the state park. It’s nice, but we’re back to an electricity only campsite, no sewer or water. We filled our water tank and if we are careful we should be okay for 2 days.

There are all sorts of signs warning about bears here. No sign yet, but I’m apprehensive. I have no desire to confront a bear on a run or a hike, or while taking 3 little dogs to go potty at night!

Friday Sept 27

Everyone else wanted to go on a hike but I did not. So Lee took Sophie and I stayed at the campsite with the old lady dogs, Harper and Heather. We lazed around most of the morning. But around 10:30 I started to get restless and decided to go for a short bike ride. Lake of the Clouds is only 7 miles away, maybe I could bike there?

Well! Seven miles uphill as it turned out. I went around 5 miles, forced myself to keep going to the top of a steep rise and then turned around. It took me half as long to get back as it did to ride out. Down one of those long hills I actually hit 30 mph! It was kind of fun and kind of terrifying. At speeds like that my bike starts to shake a little and gets harder to control. I was definitely scanning ahead for any hidden bumps or gravel! But I was fine. 

I got back to the campsite, fed the dogs and myself and settled down to relax. I did a lot of crocheting and a little reading too.

Before too long the rest of the crew had returned. They had driven up to Lake of the Clouds and done a hike from there. Sophie had a ball and wasn’t at all tired.

We all took at easy in the afternoon. Late in the day I decided to take the truck up to Lake of the Clouds to see the view. I’m glad I turned around at 5 miles on the bike ride. The road flattened out until right before the parking lot but then it got REALLY steep! I would have been just trashed. And it was very narrow too, no shoulder at all.

The walk to the lookout  from the parking lot is very short, only 300 yards, but straight uphill. The view was beautiful though. Every day the leaves are turning more and more. The lake itself was way down in a valley. It was all very pretty!

Lake of the Clouds

Saturday Sept 28

Lake Superior

In the morning I went for a run, 5 miles along the shore of Lake Superior. I took a lot of pictures because it was just so pretty. And because it was mostly flat I was able to actually run instead of shuffling along, gasping for air!

Because we don’t have sewer access in the RV I used the camp showers. I’m not worried about using up the water, but I don’t want to fill up the grey water tank. We’re leaving tomorrow so as long as we continue to be careful we should be ok.

There were chair lift rides at the local ski resort so we decided to do that next. Wow what a view! We could see for miles out across the lake. So pretty! The sun was very bright and it was warm. It’s a very small resort, just one lift, about 10 different runs. 2 green, 2 blue and the rest black. The thing is, it’s probably bitterly cold, not unlike skiing at Bretton Woods. And it’s far away and we’re retired from downhill anyway.

Porcupine Mountain Ski Lift View

The rest of the day we just lazed around. I took Sophie for an afternoon walk. We went to see the boat ramp, the historic marker, the places where you can access the lake from the campground.  Its cooler this afternoon.

And that’s a wrap for RVing in 2024. When we get home it will be time to haul the boat, winterize the RV, and get ready for a Minnesota winter. Maybe this year we’ll actually have one!