Summer Camping, Planning a Long Summer Trip

Summer Camping

We have attempted camping in the south during the summer and were uncomfortably hot because my husband and I are very hot natured.   After some very hot days last year, I vowed that we would always travel north for the summer.  This will be our first long summer camping trip and we are very excited about it.   We took our first long trip last winter out west.  It was for a similar length of time, but we traveled many more miles in that first trip.

This summer camping trip will last twenty-eight days covering 2,773 miles in fourteen stops.  It includes approximately forty-five hours driving time.  This trip is much more leisurely than our first long trip with longer stays and fewer miles between stops.

We expect to see three of the Great Lakes and two larger cities, Cleveland and Indianapolis.  Our most anticipated area is Michigan’s Upper Peninsula.  It is our understanding that it is incredible.

Goal:  Camping in Each State

Teardrop camping became a major activity for us nearly two years ago,   when we first retired.   Our camping retirement goal is to camp in each state in the United States.   So far, we only have fourteen states, but this trip will get us four more:  Kentucky, Ohio,  Michigan, and Indiana.

Kentucky is pretty far south, so we will still have hot weather, but are counting on the other three states to be more comfortable.  July average high temperatures are around 90 degrees in our state, with lots of humidity!   Not much cooler, the average high temperature for Kentucky is in the high 80s.  However, Ohio highs are in the low to mid 80s and Michigan highs are around 80.  We will be on the road for twenty-eight days, so we are really hoping it will not be miserably hot.

Visiting with Cousins and Friends

Our trip has two stopovers, one with cousins in Kentucky and one in Michigan with friends we have traveled with in the past.

One of my husband’s favorite cousins lives with his wife in Kentucky and we will be staying with them a couple of nights.  While there, we will have all the comforts of their home and our teardrop will be parked at their house.  The stop is early on our trip and we are really looking forward to spending time with them!

The visit with friends in Kalamazoo is nearer to the end of our trip.  We will be camping in our teardrop on their property for a couple of nights.  This would be a first for us as we have only camped at campgrounds in the past.

uCamp 18

The second annual rally hosted by nuCamp is the cornerstone of our trip because we have their T@G MAX XL camper.  The rally is held in Sugarcreek, Ohio, near the factory where all nuCamp campers are manufactured.  They also produce a larger camper we are considering, the T@B 400.  Owners of their campers come from all over to attend this rally, which includes a tour of the factory.   We missed the first rally, but it looked like a great time based on the feedback we have seen.

The dates for the rally were set, so we planned the remainder of the trip around it.

Reservations

We have reservations at every stop on this trip because it is a popular time for camping in the areas we are visiting.  Four nights are with friends/ relatives,  five are at the rally, and four are in National Forests.  Also, we were fortunate to book a good bit of time at State Parks:  one night in Ohio, five nights in Michigan, and three nights in Indiana.    We only have four nights at private campgrounds, this is to be near the two larger cities we will be visiting.  Lastly, we have two nights at a National Park.

I love that we know where we are going and that we are staying at desirable places.   However, we could not stay everywhere we wanted.  Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore was already fully booked, despite the fact that I was booking about four months in advance.

Unfortunately, there can be a downside to prior reservations.  If something happens and you need to leave early or stay longer,  it can create problems.

Dry Camping

We have booked three nights at campgrounds with no electricity.  This will be a first for us.  Our most recent camping purchase was solar panels and we hope they will make it a pleasant experience.  We have read posts from many campers who seem to manage well without electricity provided at campsites.  I really hope we can join their ranks!   If we can do this successfully, it opens the door to all kinds of boondocking options!

Packing for Summer Camping

As it will be summer, we do not need to pack any heavy clothing, but we might need a light jacket for a cooler evening.  I plan to take more changes of clothing than on our prior trip because I do not anticipate as many opportunities to do laundry.

We have a standard camping checklist, but some optional items are needed.  From the optional category, we will take our smaller side tent on this trip and, of course, the solar panels.  We will also need the awning,  porta potty,  and privacy tent.  We will pack using our typical packing method.

I also anticipate more cooking on this trip than our first long trip.  However, I really want to keep it simple.  More planning is needed in this area.

Conclusion

This summer camping trip will indeed be an adventure for us.  We have never before spent any time in these four states and everything will be new to us.  The rally should be a lot of fun and the dry camping will be a challenge.  Can’t wait for it all to begin!

Update

Our summer camping trip was wonderful!  We saw some amazing sights and met lots of friendly people.  If you are interested in reading how the trip went, below are links to posts for each area.

Kentucky Camping, Start and Finish of 2018 Summer Trip

Michigan Camping, the Lower Peninsula

Ohio Camping: Rally, Big City, and State Park Campsites