Monday, April 3, 2017

C is for Camping


During our vacation, we will be camping in three different locations.  My original plan had four, but then I decided we would probably need a hotel day in between the camping days.  I have done a lot of camping and I love it.  The kids have a lot of camping experience and also love it.

Our first camping destination is in the Badlands National Park at the Sage Creek Campground.  It’s free and looks amazing.  I found this blog that tells about one family’s experience and also give a few tips and tricks for this campground.  This campground does not allow open fires, for obviously reasons.  A camp stove is a must if you want warm food, which I do.  I will share more about my camping recipes later on this month. 
The temps in the Badlands during May average around 72 degrees Fahrenheit during the day and lows are around 46 degrees Fahrenheit.
Some things you were specifically needed in the Sage Creek campground at the Badlands National Park:
Water - there is no place to get it, so jugs of water are needed for consumption and clean up of dishes.
Propane Camp Stove - otherwise it's a cold dinner kinda night
Donuts from Wall Drug -  To eat for breakfast and to share with new camping friends.  Because, who doesn't like a donut?!
Our second camping destination will be at Fort Welikit.  It's a family run campground right in the middle of the Black Hills.  We are making this our base camp for three days.  We only have one or two things planned for each of the days we are there, so it will be a nice relaxing time.
I sent them an email with questions before making my reservation.  They answered within a few hours.  I was trying to decide between reserving the tee pee and reserving a basic campsite.  I ended up going with the basic campsite.  I figured my tent would be more comfy and the tee pee is near the RVs and I didn't want to hear the low hum of their generators all night.
I love reading reviews on places.  I always start off with the bad reviews.  I like to see how their customer service responds to them.  Their customer service is always prompt and most of the time the issues were things that could have been fixed if they were addressed at the time of service.  People just need to speak up. 
They reserved an excellent campsite for us.  Far away from generators but close (but not too close) to the bathrooms and showers as well as the laundry facilities and water.  They have wifi hot spots.  So if we do need to use our phones or laptops, we can connect there.  I figured while doing laundry I can catch up on the interwebs and such.
We do get our own fire pit here and can use a campfire as long as there is not a burn ban in effect.  I have some great campfire food planned for this time.
Average temps in this area are around 65 degrees Fahrenheit for the high and 42 degrees Fahrenheit for the lows.  A little chillier than the Badlands.  We can throw on a couple of blankets and will be just fine.

The last camping destination will be Yellowstone Park!  What?!  Excited about this one much!
We are staying in the middle of the park, right by Yellowstone Lake and a stones throw away from the caldera rim with all the geysers and other hydro-thermal wonderfulness.

Yellowstone is unique though.  You have to lock all your food and anything that is associated with food or has other smells to it in a bear box.  They provide a couple per campsite.  Also, while hiking we need to have bear spray and make lots of noise.  Yellowstone will be colder than our first two destinations but we will for sure survive it.

Bear Spray is expensive....

I have attached a link to my Camping Packing List.  What do you suggest I add?  I'm a minimalist with packing.  

23 comments:

  1. Wall Drug is a fun place to visit! I still remember going there when I was 13 years old...and I'm 50 now! The Badlands are amazing! Sounds like you have a wonderful trip lined up. Enjoy!

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    1. I am so excited to visit Wall Drug. My grandfather is a Wall and he gets excited about that stuff. I'm sure to pick up some nick nack of fun there.

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  2. I camped on one the most beautiful camp sites in the UK last July - my tent was at the waters edge a Loch Lommond in Scotland. All I wanted to hear was the rippling water. What did I hear? A generator, all night!

    About Amble Bay Church

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    1. I just looked up pictures of Loch Lommond! It looks amazing. But generators, ugh! They ruin the serene sounds of nature!

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  3. I used to spend most of my summers camping in the Rockies in Alberta. Loved every minute of it - even the bear encounters

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    1. I'm a little terrified of the bears. It made me a little nervous booking a camping reservation instead of a cabin or condo rental. I think we will have so much more fun camping though and definitely a lot less time driving around being right in the park.

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  4. Bears are the only reason why I won't go near Yellowstone or any other major National Park -- and I adore nature!! and have dreamed of going there for ages and ages!

    You're so brave! Happy camping!

    (PS - I do go local, though. Love the list! It will come in very handy for me!)

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    1. It looks like bear attacks are very rare. The humans seem to cause them. Bears are unlikely to attack on their own. I'm sure if we have all our food and smelly stuff put away we will be just dandy. :)

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  5. I enjoyed camping when I was a child, but can't bear it now. Prefer the comfort of hotels nowadays

    Absolutely Amazing Alliteration

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  6. We are planning camping in the Kimberley WA, Australia in June and July. Although we have a 19 foot caravan we don't want to take it on the really rough Gibb River Road. So we plan to leave it in a safe Caravan Park in Kununurra and take our Four Wheel Drive and a tent further into the National Park. It is a mammoth drive from where we live (like driving from Florida to Seattle) but the difference is it is really sparsely settled in between. I saw your blog and can't resist anything to do with camping.

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    1. That's a super long drive! But sounds totally worth it for the awesomeness~

      One day I hope to travel around Australia. There are a lot of roller derby teams there!

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  7. I love camping but it's been a while...last was in August. Your trip sounds amazing...Yellowstone will be beautiful. Not a fan of bears.

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  8. great blog. We are campers. We used to have a tent and camped with our 4 kids (we actually had 2 tents most of the time) and then went to a camper trailer and now have a caravan. We have some big trips planned in the future now we are retired. We went camping in Seqoia National Park and Grand Canyon in the USA. We saw a bear as we were leaving. We were really excited. It was far away and we were safely in our car and so got to watch it. Enjoy your time away with your family.

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  9. Hope the bear spray works. My parents live in the mountains of N.C. and have trouble with black bears wrecking havoc on their bird feeders.

    C is for Church Committee: Intelligence Abuses by the CIA

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    1. It seems to carnivore species seem to enjoy messing around in trash and bird feeders and all the other things.

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  10. My B entry was about the Badlands - amazing! And Wall Drug is a fun place for everyone. Be sure to try the ice cream.

    We have been full-time RVers since 2007 and my A-Z is about our travels.

    DB McNicol, author & traveler
    Theme: Oh, the places we will go!

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  11. Camping may be one of my favorite things. I always bring a bottle of Bailey's Irish Cream for morning coffee!

    When we return home, we don't wash our sweatshirts for at least a week, just so we can smell the campfire smoke in them.

    Sounds as if you had a fun trip.

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  12. Hot springs?! As I sit here with my achy bones, that sounds amazing. I actually just went camping over the weekend in Hawaii. I created a a video about camping for my YouTube channel.

    C is for Character

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  13. I grew up camping all the time but sadly haven't done it much as an adult. It sounds like you have an amazing trip planned. Have a great time! WeekendsInMaine

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  14. Yellowstone park would be amazing. I would be scared of bears though. Wifi hot spots sound very modern. It will be good to stay a bit connected. Sounds a marvellous trip. I think planning, looking at reviews and booking in advance is essential when travelling with children. Makes life much easier too when you are not moving around all the time.

    Visiting from A to Z and enjoying all your posts
    C is for caught in Caen during the Reign of Terror


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    Anne Young

    Anne's family history

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