June 5-11
This trip served its purpose as our first travel adventure since way back in the pre-pandemic times. We were – well, John was – able to plan a trip to somewhere new-to-us without worrying that it would end up being yet another trip we'd need to cancel. And while John and I were fully vaccinated by the time we left, our oldest had only had his first shot, and our youngest two are not yet vaccinated, at all, so it was comforting to know it was pandemic-safe – no public transportation, no public restrooms, no hotels rooms, no indoor restaurants.
In this respect, the trip was a success. And I appreciated it for those reasons. I also loved that I discovered a place I so instantly felt a connection to at Jay Cooke State Park.
However, I'm gonna just say.. RVing is not my thing. I know this for certain now. It was loud (the tires on the road, the rattling and shaking, the AC unit). It was uncomfortable (the small foam-on-plywood beds, the tiny shower and bathroom). It was more work and less comfortable than just about any other kind of vacation. And RVing during a heat wave certainly only made it even more uncomfortable.
To be honest, this experience in an RV has got me more than a little concerned about our upcoming campervan trip around Iceland. There is no changing that plan, so I just have to hope that the situation will be so different (no kids, cool temps, and being in ICELAND) that it won't be at all like this RV experience. But we have reconsidered a future RV trip we were planning. So, this trip served another purpose, I suppose.
In all, Minnesota has some great state parks and, while I don't usually like to revisit spots – there are too many new places to experience – Jay Cooke State Park is one place I'd go to again.. just not in an RV.