My hubby and I had bought a tent at Venture's going-out-of-business sale over a decade ago, vowing to some day "rough it" in the "wilderness" with our children when they were older. We both enjoyed tent camping while growing up, but trying to find a happy medium of where to actually pound our pegs looked dubious. That is, until we visited Hok-Si-La in Lake City, MN. 
"I like what I see!" said my hubby. I agreed. "Really? Do you really think this is doable for you? We can get you an air mattress, and a warmer sleeping bag. You really like this?" This doubt comes from a decade of declines partly due to my chronic (myofascial) pain, allergies, and fibromyalgia (all well managed, now), but more because of over-crowded, noisy campsites we had looked at in the past. In my opinion, when you're trying to get away to relax and unwind, you need more
nature and less civilization.
A week later, we were back at this beautiful park. The time had come! It was to be the first tent camping experience for our family of five, and we were all excited! Fido came along with us and was on cloud nine--he'd never gone anywhere with us, except to the vet's--oh,
and to puppy lessons (to train the kids more than the dog, mind you!).We had a beautiful view overlooking Lake Pepin (aka the Mississippi River). Gulls, bald eagles, and fishing herons entertained us while we ate at our campsite. There were lots of frogs, too, and fish were active and visible, as you can see in the top left photo.
The weather was warm, and even hot, in spite of it being overcast the first two days. The predicted thunderstorms were nothing more than a few distant rumbles accompanied by a light shower that lasted maybe an hour. The third day was absolutely gorgeous, and none of us wanted to leave. We can't wait to go back! --LKR
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