07/06 to 07/08 - Camping in the Clouds, Florence, Wisconsin

  07/06 to 07/08

Camping in the Clouds

Florence, Wisconsin

Our journey westward continues. I've learned about the engineering achievement that was considered to be unattainable, I've sailed under it on our way to Mackinac Island and now I'm about to drive the 5.3 miles over the Mackinaw Bridge.

With Lake Michigan on my left and Lake Huron on my right, the trip takes me over the Mackinaw Straits.

Once over this magnificent structure with its impressive towers I will enter the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. The towers are 552 feet above the water and the roadway is 115 feet to allow the large ships to pass beneath it. The toll for my RV was $10.00.

I'll continue along U.S. Route 2 (US 2) to Grand Forks, ND. It's one of the longest highways in the United States, stretching 2,571 miles across the northern part of the country from Maine in the east to Washington State in the west. The terrain and scenery is constantly changing.

Sandy dunes lining....

...Lake Michigan

...through rolling hill of the Crystal Lake Forest Area. I included this photo of a "Christmas ribbon candy" terrain taken on one of my earlier trips to give you an idea of what "rolling hills" are like. Through Wisconsin however, the terrain/roadway is more spread out or stretched to the horizon. The forests on both sides of the highway seemed endless with no towns or villages and fuel stops few and far between.

In Florence, Maxsells Suites overlooking Fisher Lake introduced civilization once again.

But after passing through Spread Eagle (the subject of great conversations), we drifted back into the rural area of Florence and arrived at out campground, Camping in the Clouds. Check out the website. Looks pretty good, right?

The Office for registering was closed and we were directed to check in at the Mine Shaft Bar and Grill next door.

A garter snake greeted us.

To make a very long story short, this is one of those "gotta make the best of it" situations. And we did. With a four hour trip under our belt, planning campgrounds in this neck of the woods was difficult...there weren't too many to choose from.  In the restaurant we were greeted by Chris. He informed up that due to the change over from pen and paper to computers, their booking system double-booked/overbooked and the folks in our sites weren't leaving until the next day. They offered to put us together in another area then move to our original sites. As we were only staying two nights, we opted to remain in the sites he gave us. Then Shirley, the owner/manager, came by and profusely apologized for the mix-up. The sites we wound up in were adjacent to an unrented cabin with just water and electricity. She and Chris then worked to cut branches to accommodate our large rigs. They bent over backwards to make our stay pleasant; very friendly and accommodating. The campground was a haven for campers (and locals) to ride the trails in their ATVs.  These and snow mobiles are popular pastimes for the folks in these parts. 

I had to jockey into position first before Dan could maneuver his 34' fifth wheel into position. Photos below show the adventure.

Cozy and together.

Now this is rustic: "A rustic campground typically provides a back-to-basics outdoor experience, emphasizing natural surroundings and minimal modern conveniences." Yup.

About two hours later, we were settled.

The empty cabin whose site we occupied.

Today's key word RUSTIC

The intrepid travelers Dan and Melanie hanging in and coping quite well. Dan and I were still able to enjoy our morning coffee; the mosquitos were so big they needed clearance from air traffic control before landing on your arm. We had a breakfast at the on-premises Mineshaft Bar & Grill. Very good. Again, to their credit, Chris and Shirley went above and beyond to make it work. We were given a "discount" for our trouble; we paid $20/night.

Our reward, thank you, Carlo, and our thanks that we were there for only two nights. Sleeping in Wisconsin achieved, I was ready to move on to Minnesota.

Two down, seven to go. I hope to see you there.

"Life is 10% what happens to us and 90% how we react to it." — Charles R. Swindoll