Sunshine, warm water, picnics, barefeet, lush green everywhere... it's time for another Campanoe adventure!

    Penninsula State Park is one of our favorite boat camping destinations. It's located in Door County, on Wisconsin's eastern thumb that juts out into Lake Michigan. The scenery here is spectacular and has inspired and drawn artists from around the world. The water surrounding it is clear, clean and cool. The water cools the air and gives you the feeling that there's a giant air conditioner hidden somewhere.

    There's so much to see and do in the area that it's hard to know where to start. Cherries, apples, fishboils, arts & crafts, ferry rides and much more bring mobs of tourists.

    In the center of all this commercial activity sits Penninsula State Park like an emerald green oasis of quiet natural beauty. It has its own unique style of outdoor fun. Polished rock and sand beaches, some of the finest hiking/biking trails, wildlife, camping, protected harbors, a historic lighthouse, two nice boat landings...Let's Go!

    If you're going to land camp you'll need to make reservations a year in advance. If you are going to camp on the water, all you need is a State Park sticker on your car to park and use the landings.

    Kim is a great organizer and had the foresight to make reservations for our party of four families and two Campanoes to share three adjoining campsites. This made for the best of both worlds...surf and turf. We could boat during the day and then return the Campanoe to the campsite at dusk for a group campfire and cozy sleeping in the boat on the trailer.

    After setting up camp and getting unpacked we all headed out to explore in different directions. Four of us adults decided the best way to start off was with a floating lunch and paddle in Tennison Bay. The water was calm, it was sunny and warm, good friends, a great lunch, what could be better?

    The bike trails are fantastic. Paved or hardpack trails wind around and criss-cross the entire park. We pedaled up and down the bluffs under a leafy green canopy stopping at the lighthouse for a history tour. Later we lazily pedaled along the shoreline trying our best to identify some of the trees, plants and birds along the way. They also provided great transportation to the showers, bathrooms, playgrounds and to and from the campsites to the boats hanging out in the water. There is a bike rental shop at the entrance if you didn't bring your own.

    There was usually enough of a wind blowing to make for fine sailing. We spent countless hours following the shoreline around the park and found that we could often sail north in the morning and the wind would shift later in the day so that we could sail back to our starting point without having to paddle or use the motor. I have to admit that to me there is nothing better than to melt away a sunny day trying to circumnavigate an island or sail up a river entirely by wind power. Campanoe sails surprisingly well and is easy to manuever. The standard bimini top provides plenty of sail area and all you need to steer is a paddle.

    How many people can a Campanoe hold? There's seven shown here by the main swimming beach in Nicholet Bay and me taking the picture makes eight with room for more. We took turns watching the kids swim and relaxing in the sun.

    The campsites we had were very nice. They were big and separated with enough green space to give us all a little privacy if we wanted it.

    Pennisula State Park is always a treat, especially with a Campanoe!

"Thanks so much. The Campanoe is really a nice piece of work. Thanks for letting us take it out. We ended up with 2 adults and 3 kids on Twin Lake in Goveror Dodge State Park and it was perfect. My 3 speed trolling motor pushed it fine. The cot worked great as well as the seat backs. The neatest thing for me was how slick and easy it was to load and unload. Much easier than taking my aluminum canoe on and off the top of my Jeep. Also loved and used the canopy for the little rain and then for shade. It would be great for 2 couples to float and relate and Joneen and I would love to take out some other freinds sometime. We'd also love to take it for an overnight sometime!