December 25th, 2017 -
Camping seems simple enough — arrive at the campsite or RV park, sprawl out and enjoy a weekend, week or even months at your new destination. However, there are certain things that make campgrounds work, and many of those things involve the behavior of those who are camping there. This simple guide to campground etiquette will help you and your fellow campers enjoy each camping experience to the fullest.
Leave Nothing Behind
The first part of enjoying the great outdoors is doing as little harm to it as possible. Always pack up your campsite, then double and triple check that you haven’t left any items or trash behind. Leave your campsite cleaner than you found it.
Be Friendly
When you’re at a campground or RV park, you know you have a common interest with everyone else there. Invite your campground neighbors over for snacks or drinks and encourage your little ones to make new campground friends. Often times, the people you meet at the campsite become lifelong friends.
Time your Awning and Outdoor Lights
It can be easy to forget to turn off your awning, porch or other outdoor lights. Set your lights on a timer, so they never use excessive power and keep your fellow campers up at night. Your outdoor lights may not seem bright to you, but the camper next door may be staring at them all night long.
Leave Extra Wood Behind
Every camper has arrived at a campground late and endured the struggle of finding firewood at night. One of the best bits of campground etiquette you can practice is leaving some of your firewood behind for the next camper. They’ll be elated to be able to start a fire upon arrival, and hopefully the favor will be returned to you by someone else.
Find Your Dream Camping Vehicle
A happy camper makes a good camper, and there’s no better way to get excited about camping than to purchase a top-quality new RV. Stop in and see us at PleasureLand RV Center to find your dream RV today.
December 22nd, 2017 -
Minnesota is one of the country’s top winter destinations if you’re more into embracing the snow than escaping it. From skiing and sledding to snowshoeing and ice climbing, Minnesota’s got it all. And if you’ve got a snowmobile, you’re in luck: Minnesota caters to you every winter as well.
All told, there are about 22,000 miles of maintained, groomed, and marked snowmobile trails that are spread throughout Minnesota and her wilderness spaces. While riding your snowmobile, you’ll enjoy seeing Minnesota’s rolling terrain, hundreds of lakes, and sprawling forests.
Brainerd Lakes
The Brainerd area is popular in the summer for its lakes and those same lakes make it a great winter destination as well. There’s an intricate web of snowmobile trails that spread out between the frozen lakes, such as Pelican Lake, Gull Lake, Crosslake, and more. The area is interspersed with villages and towns that are more than happy to have snowmobilers stop in for a bite to eat and to rest. If you don’t own your own snowmobile, you can also rent one from a number of local businesses.
Voyageurs National Park
The park and the land surrounding it are more than welcoming to snowmobilers. There’s that great mix of established trails and a support network from local communities that make riding in the region a joy. As you move through the park and the surrounding wilderness, you’ll not only enjoy the natural beauty and solitude, but you’ll also encounter small towns that offer shopping, dining, and more. The best part is that the area has few roads that you’ll encounter between stops, so it feels like one continuous journey.
Visit PleasureLand RV Center
Stop by PleasureLand RV Center to tour a motorhome or travel trailer and find an RV that’s right for you and your family. Stay out longer on your snowmobiling adventures by traveling in an RV. With the warmth of an RV to return to at the end of the day, you can stay out as long as you want and not have to worry about a trek back home.
December 5th, 2017 -
Minnesota’s more than 11,800 lakes make it a hotspot for ice fishing. However, having so many places from which to choose can make planning your getaway more difficult. These three places to ice fish around Minnesota are some of the best of the best for catching fish and enjoying your stay.
Mille Lacs
St. Paul residents don’t have to travel far to find some of the country’s best ice fishing. Minnesota’s second largest lake, Mille Lacs, offers 74 miles of coastline and numerous access points to make your fishing excursions more convenient. The lake’s more than 130,000-acre size also means fishermen have plenty of room to spread out. The lake is known to be home to an abundance of rock bass, walleye, northern pike, small mouth bass, jumbo perch, tullibee and muskie, so bring a large cooler for your catch.
Gull Lake
Gull Lake is known across Minnesota as one of the best fishing spots. It’s home to the annual Ice Fishing Extravaganza event, which is the largest ice fishing event in North America. This fishing spot in the Brainerd Lake Region offers great water quality, which sustains huge populations of northern pike, bluegill, walleye, rock bass, largemouth bass and crappie. Park your RV in nearby Nisswa or Brainerd to enjoy a little bit of off-the-ice action during your stay.
Upper Red Lake
Red Lake is the largest lake in Minnesota, and it’s a hotspot for world-class fishing conditions. Head to the lake’s upper region to enjoy the best walleye fishing in the state. However, don’t be surprised if you reel in some crappie and northern pike too. The entire lake is 288,000 acres in size, so you’ll never feel like you’re fishing in a crowd.
Stop and See Us
Minnesota’s PleasureLand RV Centers are located near some of our state’s best ice fishing spots. We’re offering a huge selection of ice houses on sale for the holiday season, so log online or stop in and see us today.
November 21st, 2017 -
Winter doesn’t have to end your RVing for the year, especially if you find yourself in Minnesota. Minnesota offers RVers plenty of things to do until the spring thaw, so don’t stop exploring yet!
Escape the Cold at a Water Park
You read that right: Minnesota, in a bid to extend its swimming season, has many indoor water parks scattered across the state. Some of these are deluxe resorts that offer something for all ages.
Check out Edgewater Hotel and Waterpark in Duluth, Arrowwood Lodge in Baxter, or even the water park right next to the Mall of America.
Learn Something New at a Museum
Get inside and out of the cold and learn something new while you do it. Minnesota is home to many extensive museums covering many different subjects. Some of the best include the Science Museum of Minnesota, the Minnesota History Center, and the Minnesota Marine Art Museum.
Explore a Nature Center
Okay, this one isn’t indoors, but Minnesota’s natural places are mostly open year round, and the winter sights are just as wonderful as any other time of year. Minnesota is renowned for owl watching, and two of the best places to see them are at Agassiz Audubon Center and the International Owl Center.
Nature center trails are threaded through with numerous trails and make great places for recreational sports, like cross-country skiing, snowmobiling, and snowshoeing.
Visit PleasureLand RV Center
Before you head off to enjoy the winter in Minnesota, drop in at your RV adventure headquarters at PleasureLand RV Center in St Cloud, Brainerd, or Ramsey. PleasureLand RV Center can help get you into the RV of your dreams, keep your RV running smoothly (even through the cold of winter), and get you outfitted with quality accessories to make your RV living easier and more convenient.
November 17th, 2017 -
When you go RVing for the long term, it often means spending holidays on the road. Even if you are on the road, you can still have a traditional Thanksgiving Dinner with all of the “fixins.” Because of space limitations, you’ll just have to plan it a bit different.
Stop by PleasureLand RV Center to pick up any accessories you may need to help you with cooking Thanksgiving Day dinner on the road.
Make Things the Day Before
If you are using fresh vegetables, parboil them the day before, then keep them in the fridge or a cooler until you can heat them up for the meal. Parboiling the veggies means that you don’t have to use valuable stove space on the day of the Thanksgiving meal – you can just pop them in the microwave to heat them up.
Make the mashed potatoes the day before. Again, all you have to do is heat them up on the stove or in the microwave. You can even boil the potatoes and mash them without any milk or butter, then when you heat them up for the meal, add the fresh milk, butter and seasonings.
If you were cooking Thanksgiving dinner at home, you would most likely make the desserts the day before. You can do this, too – that way you have the oven for the turkey. If your RV doesn’t have an oven or a convection microwave, you can still “bake” pies and turkey on the grill. Simply set the grill to the proper temperature using only one or two burners. Set what you are baking on the side with the unlit burners. Skillet cornbread comes out great when done in this manner.
Thanksgiving Day
About 15 minutes before the turkey is done, you can start heating things up that you made the day before. Since the turkey should sit at least 10 to 15 minutes before you carve it, you should have plenty of time – and things will be hot.
Making Turkey without an Oven
If your RV doesn’t have an oven or a convection oven, you have a few choices. If you have a turkey fryer, fry the turkey. If not, but a whole turkey will fit under the grill hood, make sure you have plenty of propane. Set the grill at the appropriate temperature and place the turkey on the unlit side of the grill.
The third option is to cook turkey breasts. You can fry them, boil them or even cook them on the grill.
Visit PleasureLand RV Center
Stop by PleasureLand RV Center for any needed accessories for the kitchen and other areas inside or outside of the RV.
November 2nd, 2017 -
Minnesota’s more than 11,800 lakes make it a hotspot for ice fishing. However, having so many places from which to choose can make planning your getaway more difficult. These three places to ice fish around Minnesota are some of the best of the best for catching fish and enjoying your stay.
Mille Lacs
St. Paul residents don’t have to travel far to find some of the country’s best ice fishing. Minnesota’s second largest lake, Mille Lacs, offers 74 miles of coastline and numerous access points to make your fishing excursions more convenient. The lake’s more than 130,000-acre size also means fishermen have plenty of room to spread out. The lake is known to be home to an abundance of rock bass, walleye, northern pike, small mouth bass, jumbo perch, tullibee and muskie, so bring a large cooler for your catch.
Gull Lake
Gull Lake is known across Minnesota as one of the best fishing spots. It’s home to the annual Ice Fishing Extravaganza event, which is the largest ice fishing event in North America. This fishing spot in the Brainerd Lake Region offers great water quality, which sustains huge populations of northern pike, bluegill, walleye, rock bass, largemouth bass and crappie. Park your RV in nearby Nisswa or Brainerd to enjoy a little bit of off-the-ice action during your stay.
Upper Red Lake
Red Lake is the largest lake in Minnesota, and it’s a hotspot for world-class fishing conditions. Head to the lake’s upper region to enjoy the best walleye fishing in the state. However, don’t be surprised if you reel in some crappie and northern pike too. The entire lake is 288,000 acres in size, so you’ll never feel like you’re fishing in a crowd.
Stop and See Us
Minnesota’s PleasureLand RV Centers are located near some of our state’s best ice fishing spots. We’re offering a huge selection of ice houses for the holiday season, so log online or stop in and see us today.
October 17th, 2017 -
Looking for that fall color in Minnesota? Just look around you. If, however, you want to find some of the best fall foliage in the state, look no further than Maplewood State Park. The maple tree forest turns into brilliant shades of red, orange, and gold in the fall and the scenery is absolutely phenomenal when paired with the eight major lakes and dozens of ponds dappled throughout the park.
These lakes and smaller bodies of water make Maplewood State Park a prime location for fishing, boating, and swimming (though the water is probably a bit nippy in the fall!). Even if it’s too late in the year for jumping into the water, there are plenty of sandy beaches and expansive picnic areas that you can take advantage of on a lovely fall day.
The park is also home to an extensive trail system, perfect for hiking, horseback riding, and even cross-country skiing later in the year. There are also vehicular routes that run through the park that lead to scenic overlooks.
However you choose to see the park, wildlife is abundant and makes observation easy. From 150 species of birds that call the park home to the 50 species of mammals (including raccoons and beavers), you’re likely to encounter a few natives as you tour the park’s ten thousand acres.
Visit PleasureLand RV Center
Stop by PleasureLand RV Center before you hit the road for Grand Portage State Park or any other destination in Minnesota or beyond. Whether you need to shop for a new motorhome to take you to all of your favorite summer vacation spots or have an RV already and need it to be checked out before you embark, PleasureLand RV Center can help.
October 13th, 2017 -
Big Bog State Recreation Area has been called Minnesota’s last true wilderness. This two-part recreation area includes a northern unit and a southern unit.
The 500-square-mile peat bog, the largest in the lower 48 states, is located in the northern unit. A mile-long boardwalk, completed in 2005, enables visitors to get a first-hand look at the unique plant and animal life of this rare resource. The bog, which has long been a source of medicinal plants for the Ojibwe Indians, represented a barrier to European settlers who tried in vain to drain it. Today, many of the native plants, including yellow-eyed grass, bog rush and two kinds of sundews, are on Minnesota’s endangered or threatened species list. From orchids to carnivorous plants to rare birds, visitors will see a mixture of fascinating and rare resources.
The southern unit includes a campground with 31 campsites (26 electric sites) winterized camper cabins, a sandy beach, picnic grounds, and great fishing.
The park offers a rare opportunity to check out a landscape you’ve probably never explored before. Learn more about the bog, the plantlife that resides there, and the history of the region when you visit.
The park comprises over 9000 acres and receives close to 100,000 annual visitors.
Visit PleasureLand RV Center
Stop by PleasureLand RV Center today before you hit the road to any destination, such as Big Bog State Recreation Area. Tour a motorhome or travel trailer and find the one that’s perfect for you or schedule some maintenance service with our PleasureLand RV Center technicians.
October 3rd, 2017 -
Named in honor of President Theodore Roosevelt, who founded our modern national park system, Theodore Roosevelt National Park is located in the badlands of North Dakota.
Teddy Roosevelt had an intimate relationship with the land that would one day bear his name. He came to the Dakota Territory in 1883 when he was a skinny young man and left a little older and a lot tougher. His adventures in the rugged landscape of North Dakota forever altered his life and, ultimately, the course of the nation.
The park offers visitors scenic drives, over 100 miles of foot and horse trails, wildlife viewing, and opportunities for back country hiking and camping. There are three developed campgrounds for use: Juniper Campground, Cottonwood Campground, and the Roundup Group Horse Campground.
Wildlife viewing is especially popular, as the park is home to many native species, including bison, coyotes, cougars, feral horses, badgers, elk, bighorn sheep, white-tailed deer, mule deer, prairie dogs, golden eagles, sharp-tailed grouse, and wild turkeys.
The park also preserves the history and artifacts of Roosevelt’s time there, including the cabin he lived in and the lands his ranch occupied.
Visit PleasureLand RV Center
Stop by PleasureLand RV Center today before you hit the road to any destination, such as Theodore Roosevelt National Park. Tour a motorhome or travel trailer and find the one that’s perfect for you or schedule some maintenance service with our PleasureLand RV Center technicians.
September 19th, 2017 -
Looking for a nearby spot to camp and enjoy some outdoor recreation, perhaps for spring break? If you’re centered in Minnesota or plan on passing through soon, check out Lake Carlos State Park.
Sculpted by ancient glaciers, Lake Carlos State Park contains a tamarack bog, marshes, woodland ponds, and lakes.
A variety of recreational activities revolve around the lake. Clear and deep, Lake Carlos offers visitors a perfect setting for swimming, fishing, boating, camping, hiking and horseback riding. In the winter, ski from the tamarack bog to a maple-basswood forest.
Away from the lake, hiking is an especially good activity. Trails lead through Lake Carlos’s tamarack bog, which is carpeted with showy lady’s slippers, pitcher plants, dragon’s mouths, grass pink, and insect-eating sundews. Most flowers start to bloom in the bog between late spring and early summer.
Birdwatchers will also love the lake, as it offers a unique ecosystem with eagles and ospreys. Other common birds in the spring include the red-eyed vireo, tree swallow, red-breasted nuthatch, American robin, yellow-rumped warbler, indigo bunting, swamp sparrow, blue-winged teal, ruby-throated hummingbird, and many more.
Free WiFi is available at the campground and Visitors Center. The park’s hours are from 8am to 4pm daily.
Visit PleasureLand RV Center
Stop by PleasureLand RV Center before you visit Lake Carlos State Park or any other destination in Minnesota. PleasureLand RV Center offers RV sales, service, parts and accessories in Minnesota. See us in St Cloud, Brainerd, or Ramsey today!
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About Me
Hi, my name is Dan Pearson and I am the Owner of PleasureLand RV Centers based out of St. Cloud, MN. We have three other Minnesota locations to serve all of you RV needs. I look forward to providing you with all your RV information from buying an RV to tips and maintenance. If you would like to contact me, be sure to leave a comment.
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