Teardrop Travel Archives - Big Guy Tiny Trailer

Minnesota Camping in a Pandemic

Minnesota Camping

Our Minnesota camping trip included two state parks, Interstate Park, which is near Minneapolis, and Mystery Cave State Park in southern Minnesota.

Interstate Park

We had three nights at Interstate Park, which is just across the Minnesota border. There is also a park on the Wisconsin side. We had a nice shaded electric only site.

Interstate Park is a great campground if you enjoy canoeing or kayaking. They have a large number of each for rent. Also, you can take long trips down the St. Croix River. Because the trips last several hours, they will bring you back to your starting location. Lastly, there is a large paddle boat that provides rides on the river.

We planned to do a little time in a canoe on the river because it looked like so much fun. However, the more I thought about it, I feared it would make my bad shoulder worse. So, we reluctantly abandoned that plan. I really wish we had begun this traveling when we were younger!

We planned to ride the paddle boat trip on our last full day at the campground and also drive into Minneapolis, but it rained all day. So, we stayed inside and binged Netflix, except for a trip to nearby St Croix to do laundry.

Canoe and Kayak Rentals on the St. Croix River

Interstate Park Hiking Trails

Interstate offers some amazing hiking trails, including a rather short one that features over 400 ancient glacial potholes.

Glacial Pothole Trail Interstate Park — Glacial Pothole Trail

Below is a photo of the deepest known pothole, which is sixty feet deep.

We also did a large portion of the River Trail. The day was relatively cool and most of the path was shady. It was a pleasant afternoon.

Hanging in the Campground

We spent several hours at our campsite and some little red squirrels entertained us. That is, until we discovered after some time away that they had eaten a hole in our rug. My husband thinks they were attracted to something below it.

We enjoyed our Leinenkugel’s beer, purchased in Wisconsin. I liked the Grapefruit Shandy the best.

Minnesota Camping at Interstate Campground — Wisconsin Beer

Meals in Minnesota

Our only meals at restaurants on this trip were takeout or at places where they offered outdoor seating.

While at Interstate, we had takeout at Juneberry Cafe and an outdoor meal at the Drive In Restaurant. Both of these Taylors’s Falls restaurants were good, but we really appreciated the outdoor seating at the Drive in. The seats were in the shade and the food was very good. I had very crispy sweet potato fries with a marshmallow dip. Decadent!

Outside Seating at the Drive In Restaurant

Lanesboro

I wanted to stop in Lanesboro because it looked like an interesting place to visit. So, we took a little detour before going to our next campground. It is a pretty 19th century town known for the Root River Bike Trail which runs through it. They have an extensive number of bikes for rent. People come from all over to visit and participate in the trail. Much of the town’s shops, art galleries, and restaurants were closed because of Covid-19.

We had an outdoor lunch at Pedal Pushers Cafe and ice cream at another shop. It was a pleasant stop.

Mystery Cave State Park

Our last Minnesota Camping was one night at Mystery Cave State Park. The campground was very nice with a better than average bathhouse for a State Park. It was a peaceful and relaxing break in our trip.

Forestwood Pioneer Village

Neither the Mystery Cave nor the Pioneer Village was open while we were there. We checked out the Village, but you could not get close because of construction. However, we met a nice lady from Oregon at the village and had a nice discussion.

The Minnesota Countryside

We saw lots of the Minnesota countryside. It entailed cornfields and lots of barns like the one below. It was quite picturesque.

Conclusion

We loved our time in Minnesota. The State Parks were great and the countryside was beautiful. We experienced several small towns, but sadly no larger ones. Considering the pandemic, our Minnesota camping was a good experience.

If you would like to see posts from other states we have visited, check out States Visited, a Campsite Resource.

Happy Camping and stay safe out there!

Skidaway Island State Park, One of Georgia’s Finest

Skidaway Island

My bucket list has included Skidaway Island State Park in Georgia since we first began camping. We were eager to visit because it’s so highly rated and near the beautiful Savannah. So, it seemed a logical stop on our way home from our winter trip along the Florida coast.

At the campground, there was a handy map of all the Georgia State Parks. I took a photo because I think it might help future trip planning.

Skidaway Island listing of State Parks — Georgia State Parks

Skidaway has an abundance of gorgeous Spanish moss laden live oak trees which are such an iconic part of the Savannah area. We had site # 42; a lovely pull through with full hookups.

We arrived just before sunset and were able to set up ahead the rain. However, dinner out at a nearby Chinese restaurant involved torrential rain and wading through ponds of water. Also, it had gotten much colder! The rain did, however, sound good on our camper while we slept.

A Rainy Day Plan

Our first full day in the area was filled with cold and rain, so we sought mostly indoor things to do. Despite the weather, it was a memorable day.

Pin Point Heritage Museum

This proved to be an interesting place. The museum is dedicated to the Gullah/Geechee culture, of which I did not know anything. The people there harvested oysters and crabs for 100 years, starting during the time of slavery. There is a movie with interviews of people in the area and an excellent tour that takes you into the history of the life and times in the area.

Interestingly, a famous person hailed from the area. Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas was born there.

Mrs.Wilkes Dining Room

We were looking for lunch after Pin Point and literary stumbled on a very unique dining experience. I chose it because we wanted a nearby place to eat while it was raining. The address was in our GPS, but it it was not much for signage. I asked a man on the street about it and he said, “follow the smells.” You could tell there was food in the area.

At Mrs. Wilkes, there are large tables that seat ten people and you eat with those that arrive at the same approximate time as you. We sat with travelers from as far away as New York. All were friendly! One couple had traveled hundreds of miles to eat at this restaurant for his birthday.

The food was homemade, abundant, and delicious. Some of our lunch mates had been there many times before and they said that the line is typically around the block to get in. That day for lunch, the rain was our friend.

Lunch at Mrs. Wilkes — A feast at Mrs. Wilkes

Forsyth Park

After eating way too much lunch, we were in need of a little exercise. Nearby Forsyth Park was just the ticket. It is a beautiful park with a lovely fountain. However, we did not stay long because of the rain and cold.

American Prohibition Museum

This was a great rainy day thing to do. It is the only museum in America dedicated to the history of prohibition, which occurred from 1920-1933. Firstly, it features some excellent displays with realistic wax figures.

Most noteworthy, the museum also provides scads of facts about what lead to the 18th Amendment which banned liquor and the resultant times. Prohibition ended with the 21st Amendment.

The self-guided tour ends with entrance into a speak easy where you can have a cocktail reminiscent of the times. I thoroughly enjoyed the whole thing and learned a bit as well.

Skidaway Island and A Sunny Day

Our second full day was sunny and dry. Such a welcome sight! We rented bikes and explored the campground. It was a nice peaceful day.

Skidaway Island Biking — Biking the Campground

Lastly, we met friends who had moved to nearby Jekyll Island from our hometown for dinner. It was very nice to see them!

A Foreboding

The last few days of our trip, we were beginning to hear more everyday about a new threat, the Covid-19. As we were still traveling, we sought some hand sanitizer. Alas, none were to be had at the local Publix nor Walmart. Little did we know that most of the world would soon be on lockdown and future travel plans would be cancelled.

Wishing you well and safe from the virus! Hoping we can all go camping soon!

Second Year Retirement Highlights

Second Year Retirement

Our second year of retirement was wonderful, except for a couple of months which were quite difficult. We settled into a routine when not traveling that was comfortable and companionable. I can honestly say I do not miss working. We were also able to travel extensively and it was amazing.

I am writing this post primarily for my husband and myself. It is like a journal of our experiences. Because it will likely be boring for those who do not know us, it will not be posted on camping social media sites.

Our first year retirement summary, Retirement: First Year Highlights , is also a blog post.

Daily Routine

The time that we previously spent working is now being taken up by a slow, comfortable pace of living. We start our days later now, with ample sleep. Most of our meals are at home and are generally healthier than before retirement. We work out at the gym about four times a week, me with classes and my husband doing a combination of exercising and socializing. Our days start around 7:00 and we are usually asleep before 11:00. Sadly, we have officially become old folks!

Family Time

We now have much more time for family and we see them every opportunity, but we do try not to encroach upon their lives too much. It is great to know that we can be there for them if they need us without having to worry about working.

I have been working on a family cookbook since I retired and finally finished it. I gave family members copies of it on Thanksgiving. They seemed to like it and the personal notes in it. It is nice to have all my favorite recipes in one spot and on line.

We were able to take a couple of road trips to Tampa to visit our son. Retirement has enabled us to have much more time for trips like those.

I am trying to keep my brain challenged, so I spend a good bit of time doing Luminosity games, Sudoku, and others. For some reason, I find them relaxing and somewhat addictive.

Planning trips and later writing about them is also something I enjoy. I know that one day, we will not be able to go like we do now and I am working to capture our memories. Also, in a small way, I believe I am helping some new campers navigate their way. I have received responses from several who let me know how much they appreciated the blog.

Yardword and housework also take up parts of our days and it is good to be able to devote more time to them.

Lastly, we watch way too much television. We try to limit it and honestly do get a little sick of it, but there you have it.

Our Big Event

Knee replacement for my husband is something we have been working on since we first retired. It was delayed by needed vein surgery that was done in our first year of retirement. Unfortunately, there were complications that resulted in pulmonary embolisms. Then, we had a period of time on blood thinners and testing to see if it was advisable to move forward. It pushed the surgery to August of our second year.

He got through the surgery fine. While he was at a higher risk for blood clots, thankfully there were none! However, his rehabilitation was harder than for most because he had significant swelling related to the vein issue. It was very, very painful for him and challenging for me as well because I helped him with his rehab at home. Wow, it was tough! It was scary too because I wasn’t sure at first that he would even get back to where he was before the surgery.

He is now much better and we are told his knee will continue to improve many months after the surgery. We are so glad to have this behind us.

The Inevitable Decline

We both are very aware of the effects of aging. My husband had the bad knee for several years and though older, I was much more active. Now, his knee is better and we are hoping he will be able to do more. It seems that now I am going to be holding us back. An orthopedist told me that I will eventually need shoulder replacement. Additionally, a hip that was only occasionally an issue before has become quite painful.

Not to be all doom and gloom, but these things make me acutely aware that we had better go and do what we want to do while we still can.

Recreation

Yes, we do have lots of fun! I think it makes it that much sweeter knowing that this is not something that is just going to go on forever.

Camping in the T@G

We have been camping for just over two years now and we both love it. I think we got along better in that small teardrop camper than we do in our very roomy home. There is so much beautiful country to see. There is also the feeling of overcoming obstacles and working together.

Our retirement goal is to camp in all fifty states. Toward that goal, we were fortunate to take two amazing month-long trips. The first west all the way to California and the second north to the Upper Peninsula. Both were incredible!

Retirement travel — Winter trip out West

Our summer trip included the nüCamp 18 rally in Sugarcreek, Ohio. We also attended the Key Lime Rally in Gulf Shores and the Tiny Christmas Campout in Pensacola. Lastly, we went camping with several friends at Stone Mountain. We have so many wonderful memories of those trips! I feel so blessed that we had this time together.

Next Level Camping

Our little T@G gave us so many wonderful days camping that we knew we were all in for much more. We had been looking for something that offered a few more amenities—a bathroom and a place to be comfortable when inside during the day. The nüCamp T@B 400 was our choice.

We loved it immediately, but felt that the tongue weight on our tow vehicle was under too much strain. So, we traded our tow vehicle for something bigger. Lots of changes in our camping world occurred that week in November!

Bigger SUV — Very much bigger tow vehicle

We were able to use our new toys on our last camping trip of the year to the Tiny Christmas Campout. We did some camping in South Carolina on the way. Another state for our map!

We made quite a bit of progress in our goal of camping in all fifty states. Still a long way to go though!

Big Cities

We were fortunate to be able to travel to two big cities during our second year, Los Angeles in January and Chicago in July. Both cities were exciting to visit—amazing food, interesting museums, and lots to see and do. We like to stay at hotels in the heart of big cities to be able to see as much as possible.

Couple outsid Warner Brothers Studio Tour — Warner Brothers Studio Tour

Dancing

Ballroom dancing has been a big part of our lives for several years. We are members of a dance club and two dance groups. From the sound of that, you might assume we are good dancers. That is not the case, but we do enjoy it and we get to spend time with some truly wonderful people.

The declining knee has resulted in declining dancing over the last few years, but I hope we can dance more in the next year.

Second year retirement was a great for us! We look forward to our third year of retirement and whatever adventures it may bring.