West 40 RV Park

We had a bit of a predicament when we got to Minnesota. We wanted to use it as a home base for two parks: Voyageurs and Isle Royale. The problem is that the land between those two parks is a whole lot of nothing. Well, it's something — the Superior National Forest, to be exact — but it's nowhere we could successfully use as a home base for work and school.

That left us staying in Gilbert, MN at West 40 RV Park. Gilbert put us an hour and a half from Voyageurs and two and a half hours from the launch point for Isle Royale. Not great, but it would have to do.

The thing I'll remember most about this park doesn't actually have to do with the park: it's the wind. The weather was quite pleasant during our stay, so I took the opportunity to work outside. I spent much of the week at the picnic table at the park's pavilion. That left me exposed to the gusts that would whip up out of nowhere with little warning.

The park was pleasant. There were a number of other folks there, but we rarely saw anybody. It seemed like the type of park where most of the guests were long term residents. Folks at those parks tend to leave for work in the morning and go straight into their RVs when they get home at night. It makes for a quiet park.

We needed to be at the marina to leave for Isle Royale shortly after 8, and we decided we weren't up for leaving at 5 AM to pull that off. We ended up tent camping for one night at a state park near the marina. On the way to the state park, we played "I spy." Pro tip: Don't try to play "I spy" in northern Minnesota. If you need to find, say, a "person standing up" or a "red truck," it may take you an hour. Or two. Or you may just give up and play something else. But if you need "tree," you're in luck!

We did a waterfall hike at dusk at the state park