2009 Camping Opener
by Mary Lou Aurell
The fishing opener was our camping opener when we headed north to the 3,360-acre Scenic State Park that is about 30 miles toward Bigfork on Scenic 7. This was the first time we had camped in this pine-covered beauty that was the first state park in Minnesota. We’ll be back!
We stayed close to home because of fishing opener traffic and because there was a geocache* in the park.
However, finding the geocache was secondary to enjoying this handsome place.
Saturday morning we pulled our hard-side rig into an electrical site in the Chase Point Campground near the shore of Coon Lake where we met our camping buddies. We lucked out. Ours was a pull-through site, a major treat for two older ladies who have trouble backing up. The park has 69 drive-in sites at Chase Point, 40 sites at the Lodge campground, 2 packback sites, 2 canoe sites, a group site, and a cabin.
I know what you’re thinking. Why are you hauling around a 28-foot house? We enjoy its comfort and warmth after many years in a tent. And it’s big enough so an early riser will not wake the late riser who gets very crabby when her sleep is abbreviated.
Believe it or not, we had the campground all to ourselves. The ranger on duty told us that Coon Lake isn’t popular for the fishing opener, but that the campground will be full Memorial weekend. She also told us that there were wolves roaming the area.
Our Chase Point campsites were a short walk from the hills that overlook Coon Lake, a lake that has numerous points and bays to explore in a canoe or boat.
However, we enjoyed the tranquility of our campsites and walks down lake-side and land trails. These pathways are fairly tame for old legs. They wind through spectacular pine settings, punctuated by aspen, birch and hardwoods. There is also a ‘boardwalk’ near the waters along Chase Point.
Saturday was a quiet, misty, chilly day in the mid-40s. The moderate, shifting wind kept us on the move to avoid campfire smoke. When we weren’t walking we sat around the fire and listened to the woods, to the birds, the ground squirrels and the breeze moving through pines and budding trees. Lulled by the peace of this place we quickly pushed away the work-a-day world.
Lunch was brats and salad by the campfire. Dessert was the caramel-covered corn puffs we found in the office when we checked in. Oh my, yummy, yummy.
Then it was time to geocache. A half-mile hike following our GPS coordinates led us to the park’s picnic grounds atop rolling hills, with a swimming beach and boat launching area below. We were looking for a multi-cache, meaning it had multiple clues to follow to its treasure. When someone asks us to explain geocaching, we say it’s using a satellite to find Tupperware in the woods. It’s also healthy exercise. The Scenic State Park Wildlife Safari geocache was our 190th find. Appropriately, the card we collected was a picture of a gray wolf.
We marveled at the virgin pines that dot the picnic area and the fascinating pine lodge that sits on these grounds. Inside we found furniture made of naturally bent and twisted wood and a mammoth stone fireplace. The lodge also features numerous interesting wildlife displays.
When we returned to our campsites it was time to build up the fire for supper. Brent cooked mammoth t-bones on a grill over coals and, inside their camper, Robin turned out twice-baked potatoes, cheesy veggies and a berry crisp. This was our 2009 inaugural dinner. Simpler fare is ahead.
We were early to bed and rose to a beautiful sunny day. Patty and I spotted a bird we had never identified before, a Myrtle Warbler. Scenic Park is popular among bird watchers and, according to its literature, they may see eagles, ospreys or the shy pileated woodpeckers, and hear choruses of songbirds and loons.
Time for breakfast! In his monster frying pan Brent combined eggs, sausages and bacon, and potatoes to cook over a camp stove. He burned the potatoes and I burned the muffins.
Sunday we strolled paths among rows of campsites or just lazed in camp chairs to enjoy the sun, listen to grouse drumming and watch robins cavort and ground squirrels skitter through the dry leaves, looking for a bit of people food.
This is camping! It was hard to pull out at 4 p.m. but we drove home smiling, rested, and anticipating our next adventure in a wonderful Minnesota State Park.
(*)The cache is part of the new Wildlife Safari Geocache Challenge sponsored by Minnesota’s State Parks and the state geocache association. It was put together after the 2008 sesquicentennial Minnesota State Park Geocache Challenge became so popular.
Stay tuned to Northern Community Internet for a series on caching: its history, how to, and the Minnesota State Park challenge!
**Do you have a favorite camping spot in northern Minnesota? Click on "Submit Comments" below and share your thoughts.
COMMENTS:
The fishing opener was our camping opener when we headed north to the 3,360-acre Scenic State Park that is about 30 miles toward Bigfork on Scenic 7. This was the first time we had camped in this pine-covered beauty that was the first state park in Minnesota. We’ll be back!We stayed close to home because of fishing opener traffic and because there was a geocache* in the park.
However, finding the geocache was secondary to enjoying this handsome place.
Saturday morning we pulled our hard-side rig into an electrical site in the Chase Point Campground near the shore of Coon Lake where we met our camping buddies. We lucked out. Ours was a pull-through site, a major treat for two older ladies who have trouble backing up. The park has 69 drive-in sites at Chase Point, 40 sites at the Lodge campground, 2 packback sites, 2 canoe sites, a group site, and a cabin.
I know what you’re thinking. Why are you hauling around a 28-foot house? We enjoy its comfort and warmth after many years in a tent. And it’s big enough so an early riser will not wake the late riser who gets very crabby when her sleep is abbreviated.
Believe it or not, we had the campground all to ourselves. The ranger on duty told us that Coon Lake isn’t popular for the fishing opener, but that the campground will be full Memorial weekend. She also told us that there were wolves roaming the area.Our Chase Point campsites were a short walk from the hills that overlook Coon Lake, a lake that has numerous points and bays to explore in a canoe or boat.
However, we enjoyed the tranquility of our campsites and walks down lake-side and land trails. These pathways are fairly tame for old legs. They wind through spectacular pine settings, punctuated by aspen, birch and hardwoods. There is also a ‘boardwalk’ near the waters along Chase Point.
Saturday was a quiet, misty, chilly day in the mid-40s. The moderate, shifting wind kept us on the move to avoid campfire smoke. When we weren’t walking we sat around the fire and listened to the woods, to the birds, the ground squirrels and the breeze moving through pines and budding trees. Lulled by the peace of this place we quickly pushed away the work-a-day world.
Lunch was brats and salad by the campfire. Dessert was the caramel-covered corn puffs we found in the office when we checked in. Oh my, yummy, yummy.
Then it was time to geocache. A half-mile hike following our GPS coordinates led us to the park’s picnic grounds atop rolling hills, with a swimming beach and boat launching area below. We were looking for a multi-cache, meaning it had multiple clues to follow to its treasure. When someone asks us to explain geocaching, we say it’s using a satellite to find Tupperware in the woods. It’s also healthy exercise. The Scenic State Park Wildlife Safari geocache was our 190th find. Appropriately, the card we collected was a picture of a gray wolf.
We marveled at the virgin pines that dot the picnic area and the fascinating pine lodge that sits on these grounds. Inside we found furniture made of naturally bent and twisted wood and a mammoth stone fireplace. The lodge also features numerous interesting wildlife displays.
When we returned to our campsites it was time to build up the fire for supper. Brent cooked mammoth t-bones on a grill over coals and, inside their camper, Robin turned out twice-baked potatoes, cheesy veggies and a berry crisp. This was our 2009 inaugural dinner. Simpler fare is ahead.
We were early to bed and rose to a beautiful sunny day. Patty and I spotted a bird we had never identified before, a Myrtle Warbler. Scenic Park is popular among bird watchers and, according to its literature, they may see eagles, ospreys or the shy pileated woodpeckers, and hear choruses of songbirds and loons.Time for breakfast! In his monster frying pan Brent combined eggs, sausages and bacon, and potatoes to cook over a camp stove. He burned the potatoes and I burned the muffins.
Sunday we strolled paths among rows of campsites or just lazed in camp chairs to enjoy the sun, listen to grouse drumming and watch robins cavort and ground squirrels skitter through the dry leaves, looking for a bit of people food.
This is camping! It was hard to pull out at 4 p.m. but we drove home smiling, rested, and anticipating our next adventure in a wonderful Minnesota State Park.
(*)The cache is part of the new Wildlife Safari Geocache Challenge sponsored by Minnesota’s State Parks and the state geocache association. It was put together after the 2008 sesquicentennial Minnesota State Park Geocache Challenge became so popular.
Stay tuned to Northern Community Internet for a series on caching: its history, how to, and the Minnesota State Park challenge!
**Do you have a favorite camping spot in northern Minnesota? Click on "Submit Comments" below and share your thoughts.
COMMENTS:
posted by Katie Carter at
7:14 AM
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