Our first full day at Peninsula State Park was fairly low-key.  After breakfast we explored a bit, trying to get our bearings.  The first stop was Nicolet Beach, where the park's swimming area, concessions, camp store, and so forth are located.  From there we took an easy hiking trail across to the lighthouse which sits at the north end of Tennison Bay, then walked back to our site.  We enjoyed relaxing in the afternoon---still nice weather with sunshine and temps around 70 degrees.

This is really a beautiful spot: lots of birch trees and wildflowers.  The water is very clear and looks so blue from a distance.  The only negative is LOTS of poison ivy!

Heading northeast from Madison, then cutting straight east, we drove along the shores of Lake Michigan yesterday.  A lunch stop at Kohler-Andrae State Park allowed time to see the incredible white sand dunes along the shore and to give Ranger a walk along the marsh trail, where we spotted marsh wrens and dozens of red-winged blackbirds.  Back on the road again, we took route 42 along the shore and onto the Door peninsula.  The lakefront towns of Egg Harbor and Fish Creek are full of cute little shops that must be busy during the height of tourist season, but on a weekday in early June they were fairly quiet.

We arrived at our site in Peninsula State Park in late afternoon, allowing time to grill dinner and enjoy a campfire.  There are lots of trees and thick underbrush around the site, so it's fairly private.  Everyone here seems to be riding bikes around, and given the size of the park we may consider renting some at nearby Nicolet Beach in order to see more of the sights.  

Cell phone and internet service here are marginal, so I'm not going to try to post any photos for a few days, though I have been taking LOTS.  

Good weather continues:  low 50's this morning, going into the high 60's later, partly cloudy, no rain in the forecast.

 This is how we all felt after hiking yesterday in Devils Lake State Park.  Dan, Kak, Ranger and I left early for the drive up there.  We spent some time watching the young great blue herons in the rookery at the park, and then went to the main lake area for a hike.  Little did we know what we were getting into!

 This is Balanced Rock Trail, which climbs up the cliffs above the lake.  The rock steps were constructed by the CCC in the 1930's and they are smooth granite, very slippery in parts.

 The reward for all that huffing and puffing was a great view of the lake and surrounding area.

There were lot of dramatic rocks along the trail, and we passed many rock-climbers who were dangling out over the cliffs on their ropes. (Now there's an activity I have no desire to try!)  The middle section of the hike (East Bluff Trail) was smooth and gave many views of the lake, but then there was that harrowing trip DOWN the cliffside with Ranger in tow.  Actually he did well, listening to Dan's directions to go slowly and then WAIT for us all to catch up with him.  But he was one exhausted dog by the time we got down to the bottom, to enjoy a cold drink  and a picnic lunch.  He managed to recover enough to enjoy a swim in the cold  water.  Then I got to sit with a wet dog on my lap for the trip back to McFarland, but it was worth it to see him cavort in the lake.

Packing up this morning, Monday, to drive to Door County and four days at Peninsula State Park.

 We arrived in McFarland, Wisconsin, just south of Madison, yesterday afternoon after a relatively short drive north from Illinois.  We are staying in Babcock Park, a small county park sandwiched between Route 51 and Lake Waubesa.  It's a tiny park with only about 15 sites, but it's shady and well-kept.

Last evening Kak came over for a visit after she finished work and Dan grilled chicken.  Shortly before dark the sandhill cranes flew into the marsh just behind our site, making a racket!  In going out to watch them, we met our "next-door neighbors" who are the campground hosts for the park.   They are from Florida but spend the warmer months as hosts in a variety of parks in the northern part of the country.  They're here at Babcock for one month, then off to another local park for the next month, and so forth.  Sounds like a good life!  They have a small long-haired dachshund that got along well with Ranger; they clearly both wanted to be off-leash and playing hard!

This morning, Saturday we'll be preparing for guests, as we invited several of Dan's cousins for lunch and a visit.

No photos today---it's dark and damp and cold in Illinois!  We left eastern Kentucky early yesterday, drove through Lexington, Louisville, and Indianapolis, and then came to the rain.  The original plan was to stop for the night in Kickapoo State Park, just past the Indiana/Illinois border, but when we got to that exit, it was only midafternoon and raining steadily, so we kept on going.  We pulled in at Moraine View State Park, just east of Normal/Bloomington, where we spent a cold rainy night.  (Definitely one of those times when we are glad that we are not tent camping!)

The rain let up enough in late afternoon to get Ranger out for a walk around the campground.  It's a very nice park with huge old trees, lush grass, and lots of fox squirrels.  Ranger woke up early this morning (5:45); I think the time change has him confused.  So we went for another walk along the lake and around the campsites.  He seems happy to be outdoors, even with the cold and damp.

It looks like the weather is clearing in Madison, which is where we will be this afternoon.

Wednesday, May 30, 2012:  We left home in light rain, the remnants of Tropical Storm Beryl.  Heading west on I-64, the rain stopped by Charlottesville.  We stopped for lunch at the West Virginia welcome center and stopped for the night in eastern Kentucky.  It's a KOA: fairly generic, few trees, but clean and quiet.  Ranger seems to be happy to be on the road again.  Tomorrow will be another day of driving with plans to stop next in Illinois.

Home again

The past two days were long ones on the road, heading north.  The cold front that came through Florida on Saturday really chilled the whole east coast, so we had two mornings of low 20 degree temperatures.  After our night at Gold Head Branch State Park, we traveled around Jacksonville and back onto I-95.  We got as far as Dillon, SC on Sunday night and spent the night at a privately owned RV park just off the highway.  We had hoped for one last campfire, but there were no fire rings and it was COLD, so we had a quiet evening of reading and watching TV.  Another 6 hours of driving, with a stop at lunchtime for some good North Carolina pulled pork barbecue, got us back home.  Now....lots of unpacking and laundry to do before the return to work!