October in Jay Cooke State Park

We went camping for the last time in late October at Jay Cooke State Park, it was actually the last weekend of October.  Daily high temperatures were somewhere in the thirty degree range, while the nightly lows were around twenty degrees.  It was cold.  Good thing we were not sleeping in a tent.

At the state fair in August, we walked through the DNR's camper cabins that are available at select state parks.  Sarah suggested that we should camp in one sometime this fall.  When we got back home one of the first things we did was make a weekend reservation in one of the cabins.  We reserved the 'Shale' camper cabin at Jay Cooke.

This particular cabin had heat and electricity, not all of them do, all the cabins provide the basics for sleeping.  They have a small table and a couple of bunks that sleep 4-5 individuals.

Once we all were settled in, it was time to explore the park.  Of course the feature is the St. Louis River and the swinging bridge.

The bridge had been swept away during a massive flood in June 2012.  A new bridge was built, but it would not open until a week after week left.  It was a sort of 'look, but don't touch' experiences.

But there was still plenty to explore....

We got pretty close to the river....

But were safe the whole time...

We even found a few places where the boys could throw rocks...

We would stay in a camper cabin again, during the fall or winter.....we hope we get the chance.