non-modern camping

rob and i spent saturday night at lake macbride state park and gave our new tent an official test run. we had hoped to camp at maquoketa caves, but apparently you need to reserve those sites more than a week in advance, especially if you want to stay there over one of the busiest weekends of the season. oops. next time we'll know better.
as midwestern readers know, last weekend was record-setting hot, which did not bode well for a peaceful night's sleep in the tent. nor did the dogs, kids, radios, fireworks and other noisemaking entities that populated the "non modern" campground (aka "primitive" campground according to the park map). next time we'll also know to try for a little more seclusion. we hightailed it out of there not long after sunrise and headed home to turn on the AC. i have a feeling that our next camping go round in the boundary waters in august will be a bit quieter and more restful. still, the time we spent hanging out, walking around with oscar, knitting (me) and reading (rob) was really nice. and you can't beat camp cuisine--la crosse lager in cans, koolaid, beans and franks. that's good eatin'!

i just had to get a shot of this. apparently non-modern means getting by without electric hook-ups, flush toilets and showers, but not without an ice cold mountain dew!