Why Everyone Should Take a Camping Trip to Door County, WI

Like many people who enjoy camping, we often find places to drive our RV that are close to home, maybe within a few hours. That way we can go for a weekend and not spend a lot of time driving. However, about once a year we decide to load up the motorhome and make the trek to a highly recommended location. This year, that place was Door County, WI.

Not everyone enjoys camping and it often seems that those who love it also have a desire for great scenery. That is exactly what we got when we went to Door County. From rolling hills, to tall bluffs, picturesque sunsets, and miles of trees, Door County has just about every type of landscape you could imagine. Since it sits on a peninsula between Green Bay and Lake Michigan it also has some fantastic views of the water along with tons of opportunities for recreational activities.

In addition to the scenery, another reason everyone should visit Door County is the atmosphere. While it is a tourist destination it never felt as if we were surrounded by the hustle and bustle of hundreds of people trying to be in the same place at the same time. Yes, there were times we had to wait for a table or had to go around several blocks to find a place to park, but it still always felt peaceful and relaxing. Everyone visiting was there to unwind and even the tour guides and shop owners seemed to take life at a slower pace.

While it is possible to visit Door County and not be on a camping trip as there are numerous resorts and bed and breakfast locations to choose from, our RV trip was the only way to go for us. Not only was the … Read the rest

With Winter Arizona’s Willow Beach Offers Mild Weather Outdoor Recreation

With year round good weather, interesting topography, colorful rock formations and much more, Northern Arizona’s Willow Beach, located along the Colorado River, is one of the best locations in Northern Arizona for wildlife watching, shore fishing, boating, and picnicking.

Even in summer the river will often only be 50 degrees and the water’s transparency four-feet or greater, but it is winter when sportsmen can best appreciate Willow Beach. If desert wildflowers interest you, late winter or early spring is the time to take in the floral displays near Willow Beach, where with little or no prodding whatsoever, wildflowers burst forth in riotous swaths of color.

Below Lake Mead, 14-miles south of Hoover Dam, Willow Beach is less crowded then many of the river’s other beaches. With its access to scenic Black Canyon, Willow Beach is a good location to launch boats or rent a boat. By the edge of the deep blue water, there are often boats, green and white, bobbing up and down. Below the canyon the river lessens in its ascent.

The Colorado River, below the dam is usually tranquil and the lofty canyon walls more often than not, protect visitors from the canyon’s sometimes excessive winds, allowing many happy anglers at Willow Beach to have reported catching rainbow trout weighing five-pounds or more.

If you watch closely, sightings of bighorn sheep are not unusual here. At dusk deer venture from thickets of grass and anytime ducks paddling leisurely in the water are a common sight and it is a sure thing you will attract them over to you are if you bring bread crumbs, crackers or popcorn for them to feast upon. A fun activity if you bring children along, too.

Thirty-four million people depend on the Colorado River and the water at Willow Beach is kept … Read the rest