St. Joseph Peninsula State Park
2/1/2010 – 2/4/2010
After the forest, we headed to the Gulf coast and out onto St. Joseph Peninsula. This narrow spit of land is nearly 30 miles long, the last 7 of which are a protected wilderness preserve. Arriving in a slight drizzle, we chose a site in the second campground, Shady Pines, which was much less crowded and more treed than its sister, Gulf Breezes. After putting up a tarp (a first for us and we didn’t even argue…much), we dug into some wine and cheese. Soon, however the rustling in the bushes became a raccoon trying to jump up on the picnic table to eat our food – while we were sitting there! Many attempts to run him off, including shouting, chasing, throwing pinecones resulted in…nothing. We stayed at the ready, shooing it away, through the rest of our meal and then retreated to the van only to hear the raccoon attempting to open our cooler. Ha ha, the trusty latch on our old steel-belted Coleman is raccoon-proof! Warnings out to those of you with the “pop-up” style lids though, which would clearly be no match for these aggressive campground dwellers.
Campsite #65
Raccoon
Closer!
The next day, the weather turned to sunny but chilly days which we spent exploring the beaches and trails. Beachcombing is terrific on the Gulf side, with lots of excellent finds and the trails are teeming with birdlife including several kinds of woodpeckers. The St. Joseph’s wilderness preserve is truly a respite from the world. However, I was disappointed each morning to hear the campground host busily using a leaf-blower to round up the smattering of pine needles around the sites. It is unfortunate to pay to camp among nature and wake not to the chirping of birds but to the pesky sounds of suburban lazy-man gadgetry. I think a rake and a broom would be quite sufficient and less disturbing to the wildlife and the guests.
Sand dunes and the beach
Gulf of Mexico
Bayside
Wilderness Preserve Trail
Shhhhh!
Anyway, back at the campsite we soaked up some sun and watched the various squirrels and cardinals try to find bits of food off our table. In the evening, we built a fire and cooked a delicious sweet potato, carrot, squash and orange pepper soup on the firepit grill. We had the raccoon visitor again, who this time did make it onto the picnic table since we were sitting near the fire. Arrghh! Jess managed to chase him off, with wild antics, a high-powered light and a fiery stick although he simply ran up a tree at a nearby campsite to wait for us to go to bed. This time we cleared all items, including the cooler, so we wouldn’t have to listen to the night time rustling. What a cheeky little guy!
Despite the small bothers, the setting at St. Joseph’s is really spectacular. The fabulous star-viewing along with the hooting of the owls makes the nights a treat and the daytime hikes along the beach, bay and inner peninsula make the days an adventure to remember. Just remember to put away all your items and watch any food – day or night!
St. Joseph Bay Trail
Gulfside
Beautiful!
After the forest, we headed to the Gulf coast and out onto St. Joseph Peninsula. This narrow spit of land is nearly 30 miles long, the last 7 of which are a protected wilderness preserve. Arriving in a slight drizzle, we chose a site in the second campground, Shady Pines, which was much less crowded and more treed than its sister, Gulf Breezes. After putting up a tarp (a first for us and we didn’t even argue…much), we dug into some wine and cheese. Soon, however the rustling in the bushes became a raccoon trying to jump up on the picnic table to eat our food – while we were sitting there! Many attempts to run him off, including shouting, chasing, throwing pinecones resulted in…nothing. We stayed at the ready, shooing it away, through the rest of our meal and then retreated to the van only to hear the raccoon attempting to open our cooler. Ha ha, the trusty latch on our old steel-belted Coleman is raccoon-proof! Warnings out to those of you with the “pop-up” style lids though, which would clearly be no match for these aggressive campground dwellers.
Campsite #65
Raccoon
Closer!
The next day, the weather turned to sunny but chilly days which we spent exploring the beaches and trails. Beachcombing is terrific on the Gulf side, with lots of excellent finds and the trails are teeming with birdlife including several kinds of woodpeckers. The St. Joseph’s wilderness preserve is truly a respite from the world. However, I was disappointed each morning to hear the campground host busily using a leaf-blower to round up the smattering of pine needles around the sites. It is unfortunate to pay to camp among nature and wake not to the chirping of birds but to the pesky sounds of suburban lazy-man gadgetry. I think a rake and a broom would be quite sufficient and less disturbing to the wildlife and the guests.
Sand dunes and the beach
Gulf of Mexico
Bayside
Wilderness Preserve Trail
Shhhhh!
Anyway, back at the campsite we soaked up some sun and watched the various squirrels and cardinals try to find bits of food off our table. In the evening, we built a fire and cooked a delicious sweet potato, carrot, squash and orange pepper soup on the firepit grill. We had the raccoon visitor again, who this time did make it onto the picnic table since we were sitting near the fire. Arrghh! Jess managed to chase him off, with wild antics, a high-powered light and a fiery stick although he simply ran up a tree at a nearby campsite to wait for us to go to bed. This time we cleared all items, including the cooler, so we wouldn’t have to listen to the night time rustling. What a cheeky little guy!
Despite the small bothers, the setting at St. Joseph’s is really spectacular. The fabulous star-viewing along with the hooting of the owls makes the nights a treat and the daytime hikes along the beach, bay and inner peninsula make the days an adventure to remember. Just remember to put away all your items and watch any food – day or night!
St. Joseph Bay Trail
Gulfside
Beautiful!
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