Legalectric

Minnesota has many state parks open for winter camping — Frontenac State Park, where we are now, is one:

We’ve not done winter camping, and I’ve been watching videos about tent camping to get the hang of it before we try tenting in earnest. A 3 week trip is planned, but NOT in winter.

EEEEK, I’ll pass on a tent in that weather.

So far, we’ve only taken three cold weather trips, all around Halloween to get away, and both were pretty cold. The worst was in Minneopa, 2017, above, where the temp was 20s to low 30s, but the wind was just awful. We had propane heat, and a little space heater because we had an electric site, and the pup held heat pretty well:

Little Sadie would beg to differ:

Took maiden voyage in the Starcraft hybrid to Wisconsin, Potawatomi State Park and Pt. Beach Forest, and the van kept having severe problems, and it was no fun at all. First it was stalling and dying, took 2 days to figure it out:

… then electrical problems:

But the weather was PERFECT!

This year for Halloween, we went to William O’Brien State Park, and it was chilly, but not bad, because it was SUNNY, which always helps.

I’d looked about a month ago for Minnesota camping, and yes, I know that Halloween is NOT “winter.” Google found a DNR “Winter Camping” page but “404,” so I shot off an email, and now the page is working. Here’s the map with winter camping in Minnesota State Parks:

And the DNR page on “Winter Camping” here.

From the looks of Frontenac today, we’re the only ones here, and I’m thinking reservations in winter aren’t anywhere as difficult to get as in summer, particularly in COVID. On the other hand, Tettegouche does show reserved sites, so book way in advance if you’re wanting a site.

I just can’t see winter camping in a tent, unless it’s a “4 season” tent with an electric heater inside, just no way!

Time to fire up the stove out there, I hear turkey soup calling!

Greetings from my office in Myre-Big Island State Park!  It’s the perfect place for a client meeting, and a meeting with a local attorney, drafting a Petition for Reconsideration… nothing like having a fully equipped office with wheels!  The downside is that there’s a season where it works, and a season where it doesn’t — for sure it does not work in the dead of winter.

We’re getting to the end of the season, it came to an end too quickly.  There was about an inch of snow here, it rained/sleeted/snowed all night Friday and all day Saturay.  Sunday morning people cleared out of here like it was on fire.  Our furnace and little heater kept up well, and one down comforter was sufficient!

Cooking was kinda rough the first two days, but washing dishes was worse!  Then today arrived and the sun was out and it was beautiful!

Sadie got to play with her “cousin” Sandie at the dog park two days running, and she was a happy, pooped, and socialist puppy!  They’re getting along quite well, but Sandie is… well… a PUPPY!  She’s now bigger than Sadie, plump and jiggly, whereas Sadie is for sure greyhound style.

Got to see little bro’s “new” house, and, well, it’s a good thing he didn’t get the first one he told me about down there, Hwy 13 in Hartland, right near Bernie and Cheryl Hagen and right in Bent Tree!  DON’T YOU DARE!  I sent Alan and Sadie out to play while I was writing, and there was some serious bonding going on the first day at the dog park and Home Depot.  A few mods to the camper, we now have two more stable tables, and a new outlet where the camper was designed for an air conditioner plug, so running little electric heater and oven or tea kettle at the same time is no problem.  One less thing to think about.  It was odd, there were two circuits, everything was on one, and nothing on the other, but all set up and ready to run, just needed an outlet. Who needs an air conditioner, particularly in a camper!  But we all need another outlet, eh?

Only one more meeting to go, and then homeward bound!