Laura Ingalls Wilder and Pepin, Wisconsin

My husband had a week off, so we decided to go camping for a few days "up north".  We had a pretty tight budget, so camping and low-cost entertainment were on the agenda.  We had a great time--fished (caught enough to eat), boated (row boat), camped (yes, in a tent, and, yes, at a place that had flush toilets and hot showers--the kids just loved being in that tent), popped Jiffy Pop popcorn over the campfire (even though the label says not to), ate marshmallows losing a few in the fire, swatted mosquitoes, gold panned (didn't find any gold, but did find a few teeny, tiny garnets), picnicked, saw lots of wild life, and just relaxed!  It was fun.  The weather was good--thankfully not this hot, humid, stifling weather we are having this week.  One thing we did was visit the little town of Pepin.  We have read all of the Laura Ingalls Wilder books, and, well, being "Wilders" we thought it was appropriate to visit the reproduction of the home where Laura was born.  It was a lovely wayside in the hills outside Pepin (loved the blooming lilies against the weathered wood of the cabin).  It certainly didn't have any "big woods" around it.  It was on a hill surrounded by cow pastures, but the area and view were quite nice.  The drive into Pepin was scenic, and in town was an interesting little museum and gift shop.  It was all very nicely done, and we had a good time. 

Camping in Door County

Camping? Yes, camping...in a tent, no less. Since camping is one of the cheapest forms of vacationing, away we went for a few days. We figure it's better to go somewhere and camp for $15 a night and bring all of our food when money is a little tight then not go anywhere at all. Besides kids just LOVE camping! We went to one of our favorite places--Door County, Wisconsin--and stayed at Peninsula State Park (yes, it has hot showers and flush toilets!). It is a beautiful park and the whole area is quaint and pretty with little shops galore and gorgeous views of Lake Michigan. We saw plenty of sailboats and even visited a lighthouse--the Cana Island Light, pictured above. We had fun around the campfire at night where we popped Jiffy Pop popcorn and burned fallen cedar that we found in the surrounding woods (talk about good smells!). It was refreshing and fun...even though we got very little sleep...and a worthwhile trip.