Our Travels, where they have taken us

In this section we are listing where we have stayed.  Not in depth reviews just some simple comments on what we thought.  Links will be included in case you want to check them out yourselves.  We are not getting any reimbursement or discounts for listing things here.  Should that ever happen, we would clearly state that up front.  Check back throughout the year as we will update it with our new stays as they happen.  Scroll down to see notes on our past trips.  

We spent three midweek days here and enjoyed ourselves as always.  The weather was very cool for a change as we have had a very warm September. It was hit or miss rain but we were able to avoid it with out activities.  We did miss out on riding our e=bikes bet still had a great time. We  a site at the bottom of the hill and closer to the water which was nice, but I think the view is just a little better on the upper levels.  We me some nice folks next to us and enjoyed conversing with them.  It was a windy week and being on the lower level kept us our of the worst of the wind.  We went into Duluth one evening and took in a movie.  The Blind, its the story of Phil Robertson, of Duck Commander fame.  A great movie with insight on what finding the lord can do for you.  We strongly recommend you see it if given the opportunity 

Burlington Bay Campground is one of our go to sites. 

We  spent a weekend at Eagle Cliff Campground.  A return visit for us as we love the area for bike riding and it is a very well kept campground. We rode the trails with Bob and Ricci, Pat's brother and his wife.  It was really good to get away for the weekend and spend some quality time with some fun people.  We all had e-bakes and due to chatting and not watching for our turns ended up riding about 40 miles that day.  Our butts felt it for sure. We got a good workout  and thankfully the e-bikes left us sore but not totally exhausted.   We tried some local restaurants berceuse that is what you do in Lanesboro as well as taking in a play at the local community theater.  It was interesting to say the least.  The actors did a good job but the play itself didn't give them much to work with.  We will go again sometime as it was good to remind ourselves that you can find good entertainment everywhere.    Eagle Cliff Campground is nice if you have family or friends that don't camp as they have hotel style rooms for rent as well as campsites.  

We  have always wanted to go to the Banff and Jasper area in AB, Canada.  We were in the process of planning a trip for the fall of 2023.  In going through the budget process we had to made a hard decision on how to make the trip work for us.  

Being retired, we are on a fixed income, inflation and high fuel prices we are experiencing  is having an impact on our travel plans.  We made the decision to forgoing using our 5th wheel and deciding to drive and stay in an AirBNB's.  We spent the first week of our trip in a AirBnb in Canmore, just 30 minutes from Banff.  It was a good base to work from as it was close to all of the sites we wanted to see, the cost per night was enough savings to cover the extra fuel to go back and forth to Banff with some left over.  Canmore has a lot to offer and we truly enjoyed our stay there.  Week two we wanted to stay in Jasper, AB but ended up getting another AirBnb in Hinton, AB.  I had done some miscalculations or was just having a bad day when I booked us there.  The home was fine, but it was an hour east of Jasper.  That explains the savings per night but it was a detraction from the trip.  The commute time to Jasper each day got to be burdensome.  Canada is going through major forest fires this year and the smoke lingering in the sky really was the only negative of the trip.  We would have some good periods of totally clear skies but the smoke was pretty constant and it felt like we were in the Smokey Mountains.  The sights were still spectacular but you always wondered what it would be like if it was totally clear. 

We truly enjoyed our trip here, and hopefully can come back.  Everywhere you look is a postcard shot waiting to be taken.  We saw a grizzly bear, Elk almost daily and numerous small animals and birds we have never seen before.  Truly an amazing trip and one we hope to be able to do again.  If we were to do it again, we will bring the RV and stay near Banff and use it as a base to go day trips.  We took so many pictures it was hard to choose a few to share so if you click on this link it will take you to our Shutterfly album of the trip and you can see them all. 

We spent three nights here as we had some tickets for a scenic tour on the  North Shore Scenic Railroad for a dinner excursion with some friends.  Rather than an up and back the same day we thought we would find a nearby campground and make a weekend of it.  We couldn't have been more pleased.  From a friendly greeting by one of owners, nice campsite and the various water views around the park it was all fantastic. 

Being so close to Duluth makes this a wonderful base for area sightseeing.  Its about a half hour drive to Canal Park, and about 45 minutes to Eveleth and access to the Range Cities.  

There are a mixture of seasonal and open sites for rent.  Most sites have water view and there are canoes and pedal boats for free use by campers.  They also have a small pontoon for rent to motor around the lake.  There is a play ground for kids, but no pool.  This place is definitely on our will stay again list.   Red Pine Campground in Saginaw, MN

We spent three midweek days here and enjoyed ourselves as always.  The weather was very cool for June but you come to expect that on the North Shore in Minnesota.  We tried a site at the bottom of the hill and closer to the water which was nice, but I think the view is just a little better on the upper levels.  We me some nice folks next to us and enjoyed conversing with them.  

We rode our e-bike's on a trail along the waterfront in Duluth as we had a trailer tire issue that needed attention so while it was being fixed Pat found the trail.  It was a beautiful ride and we had lunch at Canal Park.  We also went up to Biwabik, MN and rode the Mesaba Trail.  Very nice ride heading east out of Biwabik.  We will definitely try other sections of this trail.   Burlington Bay Campground is one of our go to sites. 

We are now at our winter escape from the cold and snow.  We found a great place near Silver Springs, FL. We fell in love with our spot as soon as we got out of the truck.  I wrote a blog entry about this location so just click on this link to read about our stay.  The people we have met here are great, welcoming and fun to do things with.  The area is not as touristy as we are used to or expected but for our first snow birding experience we couldn't have asked for a better place.   

This was a random selection when planning our trip home from Florida.  The campground is just on the edge of Eufaula, AL There is a canal that you can get a boat onto the main body of water but you cannot see the lake from the campground.  It is heavily treed which provides a great deal of shade and a very serene atmosphere.  There are what appear to be seasonal sites and there were only a few sites occupied when were here.

A very quiet campground but the occupancy rate was very low on the day of our stay.   The ground is mostly dirt with some grassy spots but they seem to have the seasonal or long term people on them.  We have a 39 foot trailer and they did have a pull through site for us.  However, the sites are close enough together that I would not have enjoyed being here if they were all in use.  Just too close together and narrow roads. 

The location is showing some aging but the staff here was very pleasant and eager to help if we needed anything.   We would stop here again, but probably not if it was the busy season. 

There is a paved bike trail adjacent to the campground which we really enjoyed taking advantage of and Eufaula has a lot of history and fun places to explore and try out.  

Lake Eufaula Campground.  Eufaula, AL

We stayed a for two nights in Tupelo and so glad we did.  The campground seemed to be right in town but they did a wonderful job in laying out the sites.  You are pretty close together but with landscaping and it being a hilly location we felt more secluded that we have at locations with much larger sites.  The staff was friendly and informative if we had questions.  There was plenty of things to do in the area so we had a really enjoyable stay there.  if we pass this way again, we sure would make an effort to stay there again.    Campground at Barnes Crossing.  

We spent 4 nights at Catherine's Landing in Hot Springs, AR on our trip home to Minnesota. I must say that this is one of the nicest campgrounds we have stayed in. The entire grounds are clean and well maintained, the sites are large enough that you don't feel like you are on top of each other. All of the sites are paved, with picnic tables, standing grills and a fire ring.  

They have a wide variety of things for families to do. From boat and kayak rentals, zip lines, disc golf, swimming, small workout room with equipment and a wide variety of lawn games available for use. There is a pavilion for anyone to use that has a kitchen area with sinks and outlets so you can set up a crock pot and have a family or group meal under shelter. Its stocked with some basic amenities and is just a nice place for a family or group to have a meal together.  The boat rental fees are in the normal range for those activities. Another feature that was nice to see was the numerous seating areas scattered around the park.  Some had gazebos and others just a nice overlook of the water front or pond with a fountain. If its a rainy or cold day and you do stay inside they have free cable TV with about 30 channels to choose from.  

They also offer free wifi but we found the connection unreliable as it would randomly drop connections.  Once you had a connection the speeds offered are only good for checking email. Page loading was painfully slow, and our cell provider (ATT) had only 1 bar on the service strength so the Internet aspect of being here was a nuisance. The Internet, or lack of good service is my only negative thing about Catherine's Landing, so if you like being disconnected, this place is for you. 

I do wish this park was closer to our family home as it would be a wonderful place to schedule a family camping adventure as there is something here for everyone.   Catherine's Landing 

We spent 3 nights here in May.  Our grandsons Hockey parents do an annual early camping trip with their boys and we were invited along.  It turned out that one of our grandson's had a baseball tournament nearby this weekend so as much as we like ball it worked out well for us.  The first night was the best, the rain held off for the most part and the other families hadn't arrived so we got to spend some one on one time with our grandsons and their parents.  It was really enjoyable.  The next day the baseball started, the other families arrived, as did the rain.  We got to see one game, the rest were rained out due to the fields being to wet to play on.  They boys played with their teammates and the parents all hung out together.  We went into town, did some shopping and had a leisurely lunch before heading back to the rig.  I pretty much rained the rest of the trip.  The kids and parents were jumping from one camper to the other so we settled into the NHL Playoffs on TV to pass the time.  

The campground is a typical KOA.  The sites are a little close for our taste, but all KOA's are.  It is showing its age as the facilities could use some sprucing up.  It is clean, just very used.  The staff was pleasant and tolerant of the many kids running around the grounds late at night.  We are headed back here in June for another baseball tourney and what hopefully is a dryer weekend.