We spent three nights on South Bass Island, in Lake Erie. It was an interesting time, with both positive and less-than-positive experiences…
Our Thursday-Sunday island time began with a 3-mile, 18-minute ferry ride from the mainland at Port Clinton to Put-in-Bay on the north side of the island, through the calm lake waters. After exiting the ferry, the State Park campground is quite close, allowing us to set up camp early in the day so we could explore. Evident immediately was that while there were a few of us riding bikes, the dozens of golf cart rental places offered the mode of transportation favored by nearly all of the island visitors. As well, the ~175 year-round island residents favor the golf cart mode of transportation. Little did we know that by Friday afternoon, literally, hundreds of golf carts would rule the road! The island hosts a public square, a monument to a fellow who fought a battle in the War of 1812, a few T-shirt shops, and numerous bars, restaurants, and wineries. The island pretty much closes up from October through April until tourist season begins anew. May through October is party time.
The island itself is 4.45 square miles–we rode our bikes all over during the course of our stay, for a total of 28 miles. One of the cool aspects of this island is that there are several small nature preserves throughout, some that include Lake Erie shoreline and some that took us through luscious forests. We went to each one, looking for migrating birds. While we did find several colorful migrators, the island is largely populated by very common robins, red-winged blackbirds, tree swallows, and chimney swifts. Most of the small preserves offer historical signage to help visitors better understand the original homesteaders from the 1800’s versus the total party island that South Bass has become…
Thursday eve, the campground was half-full and relatively quiet, in spite of each site being close to the next one over. [NOW is the time for me to write about our having embraced camping in county, state, or national park campgrounds. When we began this glorious vanlife, 18 months ago, I thought we would primarily boondock — that is parking in open space down a dirt road or in a field, near a place of natural beauty, but lacking hookup to electricity and having no access to water. We have nearly unlimited electric power from our solar panels and lithium batteries, not to mention that every time we drive, we are charging the batteries; it is the water access about which we are mindful. We use ~ 5 gallons per day preparing meals and washing the dishes; Vanda’s water tank holds 20 gallons and we carry an additional 5-gallon jug in the van’s garage area. So…we could conceivably boondock for 4 days without concern. Indeed, we have spent several nights out of a campground or in a primitive campground with no services, and still have all of the resources we need to be comfortable. BUT, it turns out that I like a hot shower every day. I like topping off the water tank each time we pull out of a campground on the way to our next destination. I like having access to a trash bin for wet or odorous trash that I do not want to store in the van, and to recycling for glass or aluminum. Mostly though, John and I both like the predictability of having a campground reservation. I once thought that being close to a neighboring camping rig would be awful and impersonal, but in reality most campgrounds are thoughtfully laid out, with ample green space between sites, allowing for a sense of seclusion in the forest. We know where we will be sleeping every night, without having to find a pullout on a dirt road in the middle of nowhere, with nighttime approaching. Most campgrounds are on a lake or river, offering John the photo ops he cherishes as well as hiking and biking trails for us to enjoy. Since you are wondering about our outdoor shower, which is a delight to use in the summer during warm weather — We have not had warm weather camping for since last September. So, for us, dear reader, we are perfectly ok with planning our trips with reservations in campgrounds along the way. Explanation END]
This particular campground is actually a party destination — unbeknownst to us! It is a boater/fisher person paradise, apparently! Our camping neighbors hosted large groups of people in one site, playing loud music and drinking (cheap) beer while they sat around the campfire into the wee hours. So, Thursday eve was quiet, but Friday and Saturday evenings were not. Many folks ignored the posted 10 PM Quiet Time rule. We were able to sleep but not as deeply as we usually do, because of the ruckus. Geez, do I sound like an old person?! I’m not! Yet! To prove it, I will share that we rode from camp into town in the afternoon, just to have a margarita at Rita’s Cantina! While technically this led to drinking and riding, we made it back safely to camp with no mishaps!
This is before the afternoon drinks!
And, we got this at the end of each day…
We are not likely to return to South Bass Island, but if we do it will for sure be during the week!
