Truth: we don't go hiking/kayaking/exploring every weekend. We have a normal life where house chores and projects need to be done, we sometimes have to work at our jobs on weekends and we get sick. Sometimes there are outside requirements like family get-togethers, birthday parties and other social gatherings that keep us from doing the "Fun Stuff."
At times like those, the dogs get unlimited access to the backyard or we stop for a quick romp at a nearby park so they can get outdoors and run off some excess energy. This is one of those kinds of weekends.
Alan is just recovering from the cold he had while we were camping and I just started coming down with the same cold toward the end of last week. Head colds suck but you can usually navigate normal responsibilities around them.
So yesterday, Alan worked on painting the trim on the backside of the house in preparation of tearing off the roof on the kitchen addition so we can get that replaced before winter (better to have the ladders on the old roof than the new one!). We'll finish the trim painting on the other sides of the house in spring next year.
While Alan worked just outside my kitchen windows, I stayed inside and baked some sweet treats for him to take to his weekly poker night with the guys. He listened to classic rock on the radio outside and I listened to inspirational TED Talks inside. Every now and then, though, I could hear him singing along to the radio - swoon!
And the dogs ran to the window to watch him every time he passed by. Occasionally he'd take a break, open the kitchen window to chat with us and sip from his coffee mug.
Peanut Butter Caramel Toffee Chocolate-Chip Cookie Bars from MomOnTimeout.com
Cranberry-Orange Shortbread Cookies from MomOnTimeout.com
After the chores were done and the treats were baked, Alan headed home and the dogs and I snuggled on the couch to watch a movie for a bit.
Soon, we headed out with Grandma and Peanut to take a quick walk at a nearby county park. The drive there takes longer than our actual time at the park, but the drive is part of the joy of getting out. Leaves are beginning to change color and the scenery was beautiful. The dogs inhaled the scents from their partially open windows in the backseat while we cranked the heat in the front seats to stay warm.
It was a pleasant day where much was accomplished and we didn't over-do ourselves so I can continue focusing on staying hydrated and rested to get better soon!
Sunday will be spent much the same. Alan will be watching football, I'll be going into work to take care of month-end accounting tasks and Jake has a playdate scheduled at a new dog park. It's nothing super-exciting, but sometimes that's life. We take pleasure in the every day moments of just spending time together.
On an overcast, cool Tuesday in mid-September, we had the rare opportunity of having Spearhead Point Campground all to ourselves. By this time in the camping season, most campgrounds are empty mid-week but still get pretty good business on the weekends. We precisely planned our camping trip for Sunday-Wednesday in order to avoid crowds.
This experience allowed us the chance to wander through the campground with our dogs to do a review of the best sites available.
Mondeaux Dam Rec Area is in the Chequamegon National Forest and you can learn more about it by clicking this LINK. There are four campgrounds situated around the Mondeaux Flowage - Spearhead Point, Eastwood, Picnic Point, West Point - and the Ice Age Trail winds around the upper part of the flowage. There are tons of outdoor activities to be found here; we had a chance to hike, kayak, camp and fish during our trip.
This review focuses on Spearhead Point Campground since (in my opinion) it has the best campsites for the type of camping we like to do. There are Standard Sites, which are small basic campsites with a picnic table and fire ring. And then there are the Premium Sites, which are larger, more unique and come with waterfront access and their own little docks.
Since I think it's worth the extra $3.00/night for the Premium Sites, these are the only ones we would consider using if given the choice. Each of the premium sites is unique and offers a different experience. I'm not sure what the noise level would be like on a typical busy weekend since we were lucky enough to be the only ones in the campground, but the area seemed blissfully quiet - no traffic sounds or other loud noises. The only noise that kind of bothered me was from the apparent flight path over this region and the occasional rumble of jet planes going over... but nothing too terrible.
One of the things I didn't like about this campground were the high double-walled fire pits. I know they were probably installed with safety in mind, but it made it hard to enjoy watching the fire & coals flicker. You had to sit really close if you wanted to see any of the campfire.
We camped at Site P15 and you can see additional pictures and videos about that site HERE.
View of the steps leading up from our dock at Site P15.
Nice little sitting area on the landing between stairs on our site P15.
Some of the premium sites, while nice, had something that we didn't like about it so we didn't review all of them; we only reviewed sites that we would want to use.
In addition to Site P15, these are the premium sites recommended by our experience:
Site P4 - Roomy, open, private with good views. The water was a bit mucky since it's located in the back bay of the point, but still pretty decent.
Site P8 - Very private, located on a little side loop off the main camp road, had a bit of a steep stairway to the dock and water was a little mucky but not terrible.
Site P12 - Low and wide with good tree spacing for rigging stuff like tarps or laundry lines. There's an "unofficial" trail that winds along the shoreline of the sites on the point and over to the mainland sites along the water (looks like a small deer trail, but people may use it for exploring?).
(Somehow I managed to not take any pictures of this site! It was right across the loop from our site and I suppose I figured I'd get some pics before we left and then I forgot. Rest assured this was a good site and probably the one I'd choose to stay next time)
Site P14 - Looks small at first, but goes deep into the point. There are trails leading back into the point with an extra picnic table and sandy beach area by the shore, great views from the point, lots of room for kids to play or dogs to run around, very private.
Downsides: in addition to the steep stairs leading down to the main dock, the firepit is located right at the top of the stairs going down to the dock and site P13 is in fairly close proximity near the front of the campsite (but when you figure in how much room you have going out to the point, not so bad).
Firepit at top of stairs leading to dock down below.
Steep stairs leading to dock below.
Additional (old) picnic table near shoreline and small sandy beach area toward point.
Wide open space at end of point to play and explore, including shoreline!
View toward main shoreline with other Premium Site docks.
Great views from the point!
. . . .
This campground also has a day use picnic shelter with steps down to a wide dock that can be used by anyone and there's a small, shallow boat launch on the opposite side of the campgound that would really only be good for launching a canoe.
Day Use Shelter looking up from shoreline/dock area.
Dock at the Day Use Shelter.
Boat launch area - very shallow water.
The Mondeaux Dam Lodge at the top of the flowage near the dam is currently closed due to needed repairs (so there's no access to hot food or showers), but there's a small shack in the parking lot that sells some food and drink items as well as firewood. Be sure to check the hours of operation to make sure you can get firewood before they close. We drove into Medford (the nearest town, about 30 miles away) one night to get burgers & fries and to use our phones (cell phone reception is spotty or non-existent at the campground).
One of the other cool things about this campground is that on the side of the road before you get to the entrance of the park, there's a "Nature's Faucet"... clean, cold, fresh water flowing from a glacial spring at the rate of 4.5 gallons per minute. You can fill up your water jugs there or just stop by for a quick drink. We used this water for all our cooking, drinking and washing while we were there. I even used some of this water to take back to camp and wash my hair with; it was heavenly!
Sorting through the photos of our camping trip, I can't help but smile and occasionally laugh out loud. The dogs enjoyed themselves so much and it makes me wonder... do I do these outdoor activities for their pleasure or mine? I guess the fact that I'm smiling and laughing at the dozens of photos I took of them is my answer... their joy brings me joy.
This was Jake's first camping trip. At 11 months old, he's still a puppy at heart even though he gains a pound a week and is at least 8 lbs heavier than Charlie right now. He's a big goofball. Pure love muffin. He makes me laugh constantly. Seeing him experience camping for the first time was so much fun. Everything was new to him and all of it was exciting. He radiates joy every minute of every day.
I love how Jake's little head is peaking up behind the dock watching Charlie.
We arrived at the Mondeaux Dam Recreation Area in Taylor County at the Spearhead Point Campground within the Chequamegon National Forest on Sunday at noon. All the weekend campers were packing up and heading out and soon we had the place to ourselves.
We chose campsite number 15 based on another blogger's previous review. After quickly scanning the other available campsites, this one seemed to suit our needs the best, so we parked and started unpacking the camping gear and setting up camp. In addition to standard campsites, this campground has premium sites with waterfront access and their own little docks - we chose one of those sites since our dogs are pure water dogs and we planned on using our kayaks during this trip.
Jake and Charlie immediately headed for the water - which they do whenever it is available. They scrounged up sticks and explored the vicinity while also taking time to swim in circles around the dock. The afternoon light reflected off the leaves which are beginning to change color and everything glowed yellow and orange.
Alan and I got to work setting up camp; both of us doing our own tasks without assigning who would do what. We just did what needed to get done and within a short time, we were able to sit back and relax. I love how we're able to almost read each other's minds and are always on the same page - true partners. We work very well together and we share so much love for each other (and our dogs!).
Alan appointed himself in charge of collecting wood and making fire, while I took over cooking and dishes. Alan and the dogs headed into the woods to find small sticks and branches to use as kindling for our bigger firewood and Jake quickly became Al's little wood-collecting helper. It became a joke over the next few days because every time Jake would head into the woods to chase a squirrel he'd come back with a stick or piece of wood. Soon enough, Jake and Alan had their own separate piles and we took bets on whose would be bigger. It was so adorable.
Jake was almost always down by the dock... here he is waiting for Charlie to join him.
That first afternoon/evening was spent enjoying our lake view from the dock and sitting around the campfire making steak fajitas and s'mores, while settling into a slower mindset and absorbing the complete silence of the forest. There were no sounds of traffic, no music, no people talking or laughing, no noise at all. Just complete quiet.
The squirrels and chipmunks teased the dogs constantly and they were running into the woods on a chase every few minutes. By nightfall, after a full day of fresh air and exercise, we were all ready to crash in the tent.
Jake hanging out on a dog blanket outside the tent.
Years ago, on Charlie's first camping trip, she spent the whole night pacing and trying to dig her way out of the tent. She whined and yipped and neither of us got much sleep. She's gotten better over the years and easily settles down now. But I wasn't sure how Jake would do with his first time in a tent. Luckily they were both so tired they curled up on their shared dog bed and totally fell asleep. I was glad that they didn't try to get up on our air-mattress-bed because I figured all the air would leak out by morning with that much weight on it!
We purposely left the rain cover off the tent that first night because it was a clear night and I wanted to see the stars through the screened dome of the tent. It was hard to get to sleep because I didn't want to stop looking at the stars coming out as the sky got darker, but eventually I drifted off. Everyone slept well the first night and Jake was so happy that we were still outside the next morning! You could see the surprise on his face like, "I woke up and we're still here and we get to do this all over again?!"
Monday was a warm and sunny day so we decided to take the kayaks out on the flowage and see how the dogs would do on their second kayak outing of the summer. Jake, of course, did wonderful once again. But Charlie was her usual neurotic self and I quickly got frustrated with her. She hates when the kayaks get separated and she'll pace and whine and try to jump out to "herd" us up again. Only, as soon as she jumps out, she wants to get back in. It was impossible to steer the kayak with her crawling all over it and constantly falling off.
Alan and I took turns with the dogs, one on each kayak, and at times we each had both dogs in each of our boats, but nothing seemed to work just right. Alan and I both wanted Jake in our kayak and no one wanted Charlie. Poor girl. We were only out for about an hour before we got too tired of Charlie's antics and headed back to the dock.
Charlie is always ready for a game of fetch!
I took a break to read a book for a while and Alan got his fishing pole out to cast from the dock. We figured it was time for Jake to learn about fishing. Alan caught a few fish - northern and pike - but unfortunately Jake had wandered off during those catches and never actually saw what fishing was all about.
The afternoon was wonderful - sunny blue skies, a light breeze and beautiful fall colors emerging. Everyone got time to do their own thing - reading, fishing, napping, exploring, snacking.
Mamma's boy.
At dinnertime, we decided to head into town about 30 minutes away to get a burger & fries. We didn't have cell phone service at the campground, but in town we could upload photos to social media and Alan could check on his fantasy football standings. I loved not having cell phone service but by not having it, I was more aware of how much I use it and how unhealthy that can be. It was amazing how many times I had the urge to check my phone only to realize there was nothing to be seen. This is definitely something I feel I need to work on. When I upgraded my flip phone to a smart phone 3 years ago, I swore I would never become this addicted to it.
Doggie s'mores with peanut butter instead of chocolate. Yum!
After checking social media, we also checked the weather forecast. Strong winds and distant clouds were brewing and it looked like we might get some patchy rain that night. Tuesday night was also showing a high chance for rain. Back at camp, we put the rain flap over the screened dome of the tent and prepared camp for potentially bad weather.
But Tuesday morning came and there wasn't a drop of moisture anywhere... just grey skies and a little cooler temps. We decided this would be a good day to do some hiking, especially since the Ice Age Trail runs right through the campground. It would be great using the trails without anyone else around. While we're aware that dogs need to be leashed on the Ice Age Trail and in National Forest Campgrounds, because we were the only ones there, it seemed kind of pointless. The dogs agreed and enjoyed total freedom during our camping trip.
In addition to hiking the IAT, we explored the campground and made notes of which sites we'd want to use on another trip. I also plan on doing a separate blog post with details on the best sites so others can get an idea of what is available here.
After a dinner of steak & potatoes with more s'mores, light rain began to fall. We snuggled into the tent preparing for the worst. And yes, it rained all night. Unfortunately Alan started getting a cold earlier that day and was pretty miserable all night. The chilly dampness didn't help matters.
We had planned on staying as long as possible on Wednesday before checkout time, but with everything dripping wet and the sky still misting, we decided to pack up and head home after brewing our final pot of coffee over the campfire.
Jake was still bringing back pieces of wood every time he went into the woods and Charlie was still being vigilant about chasing the squirrels back up the trees (she loves having a job to do!). I know they were tired from three days in the woods, but I hated packing them up and leaving... they had so much fun while we were there!
The best parts of the trip were making morning coffee over the fire and lounging around with Alan for as long as we wanted while watching the dogs run in and out of the woods or down to the dock for a swim. Their complete freedom to do whatever they wanted was so joyful to watch.
