We've been taking a page out of the Tioga George playbook. Anybody who followed Tioga George knows that his way was to find a great place to hang out with his RV during the day... and then around dusk go to his "Night Camp" that he would have already scoped out during the day.
At one point, Tioga George said that it takes intuition, skill, and years of experience to be a good stealth camper. I think he's right! But fortunately we have all of those things on our side.
It's not that easy to find good free overnight spots in this part of Minnesota. Many of the nice day use places here specifically say that they close at dusk...so while we could probably overnight in some of these places without anybody caring, we don't like to break the rules. I find that some of the sites listed on iOverlander are places where people have recommended despite the fact that they are closed at night!
So, we made our way to Veteran's Regional Park on the shore of Lake Koronis. This is a busy lake that is surrounded by both seasonal and winterized homes. Fortunately they set aside some park space for us! We got Sherman set up in the shade (it was hot and humid!) and got the kayak out.
We already in the water when we realized we had forgotten our life jackets! But, the water was fairly calm and we just stuck close to shore.
Lots of cottages.
People sure own a lot of toys.
We are headed to that island.
Birds.
The kayak is fun, and for the price... you can't go wrong! But, there is some work involved. It takes about a half an hour to get everything unpacked and pump it up. Then you do your hour or so kayak ride for the exercise... then it takes about a half an hour or so to dry it off and get everything packed up again! Three workouts in one!
We sat in the shade and did some reading and had supper at our "Day Camp"... then around dusk we drove back into Paynesville where we had scoped out a "Night Camp" which just happened to be within distance of the free WiFi from the local McDonald's!
They were calling for a big thunderstorm to go through overnight, and sure enough it did just that. At around 1:00am the wind picked up... we thought Sherman would blow over. There was hail and thunder and lightning for about an hour!
Usually these big storms signify a cold front coming through... but not this time. Still calling for a high of 86F (30C) again today.
We are heading northeast to avoid the big city of Minneapolis. We will stop at the Walmart in St. Cloud and do our weekly grocery shop, then carry on east from there.
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And in Canada...
I know I ask too many questions, but a little curious about the 2-week quarantine. Does it mean that if you stop anywhere on your trip after crossing the border, such as for gas, a rest stop or any stop, you have to go into quarantine right there?
ReplyDeleteThe problem is that the way the rules are written they don't take into account the special situation regarding motorhome travelers. The rules state that once you cross the border into Canada, you cannot stop... you must go directly to your place of quarantine. And we will do exactly that if we have to. But of course as motorhome travelers, we could do the drive in two days and never leave the rig. I will be asking about this possibility when we cross.
DeleteAnd of course the government can't make anything clear. On the one page at https://www.canada.ca/en/public-health/services/diseases/2019-novel-coronavirus-infection/latest-travel-health-advice.html they say "go directly to your place of quarantine, without stopping anywhere, and stay there for 14 days."
DeleteAnd yet they link from that page to another one that says...
"Do not make any unnecessary stops on your way to your place of quarantine.
Avoid contact with others while in transit:
Remain in the vehicle as much as possible;
Avoid staying at a hotel;
If you need gas, pay at the pump;
If you need food, use a drive through;
If you need to use a rest area, put on your mask and be mindful of physical distancing and good hygiene practices."
So... which is it??!
I phoned the Canada coronavirus hotline. They told me that I am okay to both stop for gas (providing I pay at the pump!), and to take a rest break. As for stopping overnight without leaving the motorhome, they suggested I ask the border guard when we cross.
DeleteYeah. I’m very curious what the Canadian border agent will say at the crossing. I think if you provide an address where you could quarantine for 14 days (like Bob and Denise) inside Sherman or at a dwelling, you ought to be able to transit in as per regulations. Good luck on the crossing.
ReplyDeleteWe will see what happens! We will cross there anyways, it will just make for a very long day's drive but we have done a long drive like that before and we can do it again, we just have to get ourselves mentally prepared for it.
DeleteThanks for all that information. I hope things work out okay for you. Take care.
ReplyDeleteWe do too, thank you! :-)
DeleteGreat to see you guys out on the water Ruth is looking very tanned.
ReplyDeleteIt was nice to be out on the water for a change! The picture makes me look more tanned than I am!
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