Camping at Apple River Canyon State Park
For awhile, Steven and I have been discussing taking a camping trip to do some star photography, but we weren’t able to make it work with our schedule this summer. When I mentioned going to the Galena Halloween Parade this past weekend (more on that later this week!), Steven suggested making that our camping trip! The weather was going to be fantastic for October – sunny with highs in the 60s and lows in the 40s – so we were in!
We drove to Apple River Canyon State Park (in Millville, Illinois) on Saturday afternoon. Steven called ahead to make sure we didn’t need to reserve a campsite, and sure enough – plenty were open (although quite a few filled by the night!). It was fun driving around and picking out the perfect site for us. The campgrounds were on top of the canyon, so some butted up to really pretty trails and looked over the canyon!
Ultimately, though, we chose one that was next to a giant field, which we thought would be better for taking the star photos that night (fewer trees in the way).
We used a brand new tent that I picked up on super clearance at ALDI. Another dream camping trip, apart from the star photography one, would be to hike to our campsite, so we wanted a lighter tent than the behemoth we have. The new tent was super easy to set up and worked fantastically! Now all we need to work on is packing lighter, ha ha (<— will probably be easier without a zillion blankets to stay warm!).
After setting up we went to the parade and got back to our campsite just past 11:00 pm. We were still determined to set up a fire (to warm up and eat s’mores!!!) and take the photos.
Steven put his camera on the tripod and used his CamRanger (wireless camera control) to take the shots. We thought we’d take most of them in the open field behind our campsite, but actually really liked the way the photos looked with the trees in them! He played around with exposure time and some other settings, and we also did some light painting with our flashlights for fun.
By the time we moved the camera to field to take the more open pictures we were used to the warmth of the fire and it felt quite a bit colder away from it! We didn’t spend as much time out there, ha ha.
We went to bed a bit after 1:00 am, and it was 47°, with a lower real feel. The temperature definitely dropped over night. We were bundled up in several layers of clothes and blankets and didn’t feel too cold, but struggled to sleep on the hard ground! That is the nice thing about our other tent – it has a blow-up mattress built in to it! I remember both of us being awake in the very early morning and me telling Steven I was going to need to take a nap later in the day, hee hee.
We starting cleaning up the campsite around 9:00 am the next morning. The new tent was super easy to disassemble and put away. Yay! And I am happy to report that we used everything we brought.
After paying the $8 site fee*, we explored the park a bit more before we took off. The rock formations and river looked beautiful in the morning sunlight! We really liked camping there and if we go back, we’d like to take more time to actually hang out on the site. It’s not a huge one, but there are four small trails that I’d like to check out, and it would be fun to spend more time around the camp fire.
This is actually the first time that the two of us have camped together without other people and it was really nice. I’ve been in need of a quiet night away and this was perfect!
*We were interested to find out that payment was on the honor system. The park ranger seemed grateful that we paid. And laughed at camping in the “cold” weather.
Themocracy
A friend of mine recently told me about that place. It looks beautiful
Cool! Are you and V going to check it out?
Nice trip. I’m still trying to not bring tons of stuff but an air mattress is something I won’t compromise on unless I’m really heading into the wilderness lol. Last time I camped I looked pretty much the same as you..hat and sweater hood 🙂 must try some star pictures again. I’ve been to lots of suitable places but never think of it.
I think that needs to be on our no compromise list! 😀
I hope you share some pics if you get them! I love reading about the camping you do before and after your races. 🙂
What beautiful photos!! We’ve been wanting to buy a new tent and start camping again. I haven’t camped since I lived in Alaska!
Ooo, I bet it was amazing there! I hope you get to go this upcoming year!
Great camping trip. Nothing better than being away from city and actually being able to see the millions of stars in the sky.
Sounds like an adventure! I haven’t camped in a tent since I was a kid. I need to do that again. 🙂
What a great camping trip – and photos are really amazing!
Looks like a lovely spot! I’m trying to warm up to camping. I don’t mind doing it for one, maybe two nights. Unless we were heading somewhere worth camping for more than two nights (like a hiking trip or something).
Yeah, I doubt I would plan many trips with is lasting longer than that!
This camping trip looks so fun, and the photos of the stars are beautiful! I keep meaning to go camping because reading posts make it seem really awesome!
I don’t like being cold, but I kind of like waking up all snuggled in a hoodie and sleeping bag in the morning. It’s kind of rustic and charming…? Also, I’m super-amused that your tent came from Aldi.
I hope you guys get a chance to go and have fun!
It’s funny, I was saying we should watch for a tent on sale since it was the end of the season, and the next day, I saw this one at Aldi. And it’s a nice Coleman 🙂
Looks like a great camping experience. Mike and I have never been camping with just the two of us either, it’s always been with a bunch of friends. We may have to make that a goal for next year. And I love the photo of the trees branches with the camp fire.
Your star photography photos are beautiful! I’m not really one for camping, but the idea of seeing starts like that almost makes me want to change my mind…but only almost 😛
You don’t have to camp to see them like this 😉 We were actually inspired to take these pics because we can see the stars so clearly where my Grandma lives in IA 🙂
Wow, so awesome! I haven’t camped since I was a kid. I have some friends here that do so every once in a while and then run trails in the morning. Need to join them.
Those stars. I’ve always loved stars – even took an astronomy class in college. We don’t get to see those with all the lights in the suburbs now though.
Glad you had fun and weren’t eaten by a bear!
Isn’t it crazy how much even the suburban light washes out the stairs? It’s amazing when you get a chance to see them like this!
Beautiful! It almost looks like fun…all except the part where you slept in a tent. LOL I will be in Galena on Saturday for the Lead Rush 1/2! 🙂
Yay! I am happy you decided to do it! Have fun! 🙂
My kids have been on me about camping. Something I definitely need to research more. I love your pictures (and the thought of an entire evening of quiet with John sounds like heaven).
I hope you guys get to try it out! Even somewhere close with them, to practice.
When will you get that quiet evening? Did you ever do anything for your anni?
Who knows? Nope, not just the 2 of us (unless you count grocery shopping haha!)
When I was younger there is NO WAY I would have enjoyed camping. But now the idea of backpacking to a camping spot and pitching a tent sounds fun. Too bad I think Jason went the opposite direction in terms of feelings on camping!
The star photos, though, might be enough to get him to go out there for a weekend…
This place looks gorgeous! I have a backpacking tent that is bare bones, but when we go car camping, watch out! We bring the kitchen sink and it is so cozy and comfy 🙂