Savanna Portage has been the most challenging campsite so far to pitch a tent. I don’t think there were 2 square meters of level ground. Restrooms were so-so, everything was definitely on the older side.
Unfortunately, there were signs warning that the water contained coliform bacteria but supposedly no E. Coli. Water spigots were turned off except in the bathroom. They said water was safe to drink but we passed and made due with what we had left – just enough to drink in the afternoon and make breakfast.
It takes forever to get daylight in the forest and with daylight savings time ;-). Thankfully, the temperature was rather mild – we are guessing mid 60F (18C) since we had absolutely ‘No Service’ at our campsite. The sunrise over the lake was picturesque. We were in no rush to leave since it was another short riding day. We’re meandering because the earliest we could get a campground along the North Coast (Duluth to Grand Portage) was Wednesday. No available campgrounds mid-week, must be a popular place. Everyone we talked to said it was worthwhile to check out.
The gravel road we came in on wasn’t as dusty as when we rode out of the park. Both Diane & I commented that the ground looked damp. County must have come through with a water truck and sprayed things down to control dust. Fancy. Made it through the gravel again without incident but we discovered that once we had cell service again, the campground we had planned to stay at tonight (Bear Head Lake) was full :-(. Plan B, just across the way is another state park – Lake Vermilion. One spot left, so we reserved it though the MN website. It’s an electric site and at $35 I thought it was somewhat expensive as state parks go.
The ride itself was easy. Lots of straight-aways and minor turns, a pleasant ride through forests and lakes though I thought I noticed the trees getting smaller the further north we went. No gravel campground today. Paved all the way to the site. Very nice. Shower and restroom facilities are top notch and they even have free Wifi (Cisco Meraki if you care ;-)). Well worth the $35 and it makes sense since it’s one of the newest state parks. Arrived by 13:30 so we get to enjoy all afternoon.
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- sunrise by the lake
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- neatly maintained front yard
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- gentle curves in the morning
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- State highway 65 was our main route today
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- we passed a lot of these
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- mowing the ditch
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- sculpture to the regions mining history (Hibbing)
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- trees are getting smaller as we head North
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- paved campground road! Woa. What a luxury. Diane’s liking this
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- nice (level) campsite on top of that
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- yes, that’s all our riding gear splayed out on the table to dry
See, sometimes you get what you pay for and looks like a really nice campground with non-contaminated water 😟. Happy that you get to explore a lot in MN, looks very green and not too crowded on the roads. Diane definitely deserves a 🏅 for all that gravel riding. We loved that she was leading the way there for a while and thought maybe she was leaving 😉.
Yes, we like riding and exploring Minnesota a lot. Very cool state. It’s a nice break and different perspective for me when Diane rides out front – I don’t have to check my rear view mirror so much. Medal for sure!