ESCAPE from Tahquamenon

Friday June 13, 2014
Woodland Park
Grand Marais, Michigan

 

 

OK that’s it!

Thursday night was the worst night we have ever spent in Winnona in four years. David gave up at 11:00 but I swatted mosquitoes until 2am trying to get the numbers down so I could sleep.  All night long I hear that high pitched ehhzzz (is that how you spell it)  in my ear all night.   When we wake up we are more tired than when we went to bed.  That’s it, we’re out of here.

We hadn’t really set up much . Our slides were already in so it was a cinch for us to just get up put a few things away, pull up the jacks and leave.  EXCEPT that the main cancer drug David is now taking is being delivered sometime before check out at 1:00.  We will have to wait for that.  We have two more nights on our reservation.  Where are we going to go? ON A FRIDAY???

 

None of that matters.

Neither of us ever wants another night like last night. With the slides pulled in, no doors, no windows and no vents open, how are so many of them getting in? We can’t figure it out. 

 

 

Before we pull out, I do some quick research on areas around Pictured Rocks National Seashore which was to be our next stop after the week-end.  There are a few totally dry docking campgrounds in the National Lakeshore.  No water, no electric, no dump station.  Nothing.   Not sure that will work with the potential for mosquitoes.  There is also a city owned no reservations park in Grand Marais so if I hop in Winnona and buzz the 90 miles over there perhaps I can check them all out.  David can join me after his medicine is delivered.

 

We have a plan.

On the way out I stop by the campground check in station to ask about a refund for the nights we won’t be here.  I’m third in line with that request.  They are nice about it and put as the reason we are all leaving early “too many bugs”.  I would have preferred he put “mosquitoes so thick they are in the RV” but I take my money and run.

 

 

I drive straight through Grand Marais to look at two of the Lakeshore campgrounds.  Only one is actually on the lakeshore. Quite a few of those sites are taken.  The other is deeper in the woods. Very secluded and not one soul is there.  They are just gorgeous and under most circumstances I would jump at a chance to stay there.  BUT we would have to find a place to take on water before and to dump after.  In addition, that they are wooded which means no solar gain and increased the chances for mosquitoes.  PLUS the low tonight is predicted to be THIRTY NINE, in mid June.  So unless we want to run the generator we can’t use our electric space heaters.  We don’t use the furnace, too noisy, too smelly.

 

Found it!!

 

So with the Lakeshore campgrounds probably not what we want, I drive back the 12 miles to Grand Marais and find the city owned Woodland Park.  They do not take reservations and but several sites to choose from.  I sign us up for site 5, water and electric for $27.  Seems high. But it is right ON the lake.  We should be able to see it from the front window.  There is a stairway down to the beach.  I’m sold.   The temperatures here are cool, the breezes are high and the mosquitoes are no where to be seen and because of those two things the mosquitoes are nowhere to be seen. 

 

 

I call David, his medicine was delivered at 12:30.  He’ll be on his way after going to the dump station.

He finds his way here and we can pull into site #5 and have plenty of room for the dolly and Ruby.   PLUS we have a Lake Superior view.  The Duckies love it.

 

 

 

Definitely the right choice.

 

 

I know we’ve made the right choice when we just walk out to the edge of the campground and look out over the sunset.  I think we are going to like it here.   We’ll save the trails and paddling at Tahquamenon Falls for another year in  late August or early September and advise you to do the same.

 

 

 

 

 

Great luck on Friday the 13th.

The clouds cover up the full moon but it manages to reflect itself into the lake.  Seems like a very good omen to me.  It may be Friday the 13th but everything has gone very right today.

 

 

Many many thanks to all of you who shared your mosquito riddance suggestions with us.  This is why I just love my commenters.  We are much more ready to take them on in the future because of you.  For now we’re going to enjoy Grand Marais, fewer bugs and then move on to Munising, Porcupine Mountain State Park and perhaps Copper Harbor if you really think we must go there before we leave Michigan.