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Fabulous Camping in Michiana (Fueled by Delicious Amish Crack!)

| Updated Jan 15, 2024

Curious about camping in Michiana, on the Michigan/Indiana border? You'll love it! You will also love an awesome donut so good the locals call it Amish Crack…

We love camping in Michiana, a beautiful rural area of lush agricultural land, old hardwood forests, and sparkling blue lakes. We've passed through the Southwestern Michigan and Northern Indiana area many times before on our frequent visits to Elkhart, which is the RV Capital of the World and is home to many RV companies and RV suppliers.

But over several visits, we noticed lots of small camping signs along the two-lane M-40 highway leading to Elkhart. So instead of going straight to Elkhart, we finally decided one day to do a little exploring and spend a couple of nights camping in the area.

Camping in Michiana (& Trying Amish Crack)

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In this video, you can come with us to Southwest Michigan and Northern Indiana or “Michiana,” as it's called. We camped out at Goff Lake Campground and figured out a way to keep Bo from entering the cab area of the RV… luckily Steve at Organized Obe Co. had an easy solution.

Then we discovered an amazing taste treat the locals call “Amish Crack!” Boy, is it delicious!

By the way, Organized Obe will give you 5% off the cost of your order if you use the promo code RVLIFESTYLE.

Lots of Lakes and Places to Go Camping in Michiana

photo of goff lake in michiana
This is Goff Lake, one of more than three dozen little lakes near where we went camping in Michiana

The center of our exploration was the village of Marcellus, MI, population 1,200,  a half-hour north of Elkhart, and a town that proudly boasts 36 lakes within a six-mile radius.

We visited Fish Lake, Bair Lake, Corey Lake, Gravel Lake, and several more Michiana lakes before seeing a sign off the Marcellus Highway for the Goff Lake RV Campground. The campground has no website, just a phone number (269-646-1211). It's located a mile down a dirt road bordered by farmer's fields.

Goff Lake RV Campground Is in the Heart of Michiana

photo of the fishing docks on goff lake in michiana
The fishing docks on Goff Lake in Michiana

And it is a delightful place, quiet and clean and really peaceful. We spend two nights there, watching the campground fishermen putter off onto tiny Goff Lake (which connects to two other lakes) to fish for bass, crappie, and bluegills. Trails and quiet pathways let us get in two-mile walks with Bo. 

The site has 98 spots, but only six are available for overnight stays. The rest are occupied by seasonal campers, who come in May and stay through October. Many are snowbirds who head to Arizona or Florida in the winter, and Goff Lake for camping in Michiana in the summer. 

Fabulous Camping in Michiana (Fueled by Delicious Amish Crack!) 1
A resident of the Goff Lake Campground heads out fishing

Check out the video to see just what a delightful jewel this is for camping in Michiana. We would have stayed longer but it was filled up after our two-night stay.

To tell you the truth, we so enjoyed this campground that I hate to share it. Like a good fisherman never reveals his favorite fishing hole, I am reluctant to tell too many people about the Goff Lake RV Campground. Those hard-to-get-overnight spots might get harder-to-get. Oh well.

The Making of the “Bo Barrier” 

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Steve Hite of Organized Obie shows Jennifer the “Bo Barrier” safety net to keep Bo from crowding us in the cab

After our Goff Lake camping in Michiana, we headed 25 miles down the road to Elkhart and a visit to our friend Steve Hite of Organized Obie, the company that makes nets and organizing gear for RVs. We were last there back in June when Steve helped us find ways to improve the storage in our new 2020 Leisure Travel Vans Wonder RTB Class C RV.

CLICK HERE to read the article and see a video on our first trip to Organized Obie and all the cool things we installed

The problem we had is simple: Bo likes to sit in the front cab part of the RV, between the driver and passenger seats. On our previous RVs, built on the Sprinter chassis, there was room, though we found Bo to be annoying sometimes as he turned around and crowded us. But our new Lesure Travel Vans Wonder RTB model is built on the Ford Transit and has a much narrower space between the cab seats.

Bo keeps trying to push his way in and it is just unworkable. We want him to sit on the RV seat directly behind the driver's seat There we can hook him up with a harness and secure him much more safely. But you know that saying, “You can't teach an old dog new tricks?”

That's Bo. We need some help teaching him.

That's where Steve and Organized Obie came in. Jennifer sent Steve a video email explaining the situation and asking for advice. Steve pondered it a day or so and then invited us down.

His solution was a “Bo Barrier.” It's one of the Organized Obie safety nets that Steve hooked up between the seats. The video shows how he did it.

And it works!

Fabulous Camping in Michiana (Fueled by Delicious Amish Crack!) 2
The barrier keeps Bo from crowding us in the cab

We realize that after seeing this, probably a lot of you are going to be interested in it.

This link will take you to Organized Obie's Barrier Stretch Net page. Organized Obe will give you 5% off the cost of your order if you use the promo code RVLIFESTYLE.

They come in different sizes. The one we got for our Leisure Travel Vans Wonder RTB  model on the Ford Transit chassis is the 20 x 24-inch net. The next size up is the 20 x 36-inch net. That would probably be a better fit for Sprinter RV vans.

Carabiners were used at the four corners of the net.  The top ones were fastened to the headrest metal posts on the driver and passenger chairs. To attach the bottom of the nets, Steve added two small hooks at the base of the step dividing the cab from the rest of the RV.

Meanwhile, with the Bo Barrier up, where does he sit? Right where he is supposed to! 

Fabulous Camping in Michiana (Fueled by Delicious Amish Crack!) 3

If you watch the video on camping in Michiana, you'll see the installation of the Bo Barrier….. and you'll learn of one more issue we have to make Bo completely comfortable!

Elkhart Discovery! Amish Crack!

Picture of Jennifer holding donuts so good they are called amish crack
Amish Crack donuts are available at Ekhart's Rise ‘N Roll Bakery, which was begun by a nearby Amish couple. The local favorite is caramel cinnamon.

Now comes the good stuff. Make that the delicious stuff.

After spending time camping in Michiana, we had some food to sample.

A donut so good that locals call it Amish Crack!

It's made at an Ekhart bakery called the Rise ‘N Roll. The bakery began in 2001 in nearby Shipshewana, Indiana. A young Amish couple began baking recipes handed down in the woman's family for generations. They sold baked goods from their front porch to be a blessing to their neighbors.

Over the years, they worked on perfecting the recipes until, in 2004, they opened the first Rise’n Roll Bakery in Middlebury, Indiana. The original bakery did not use any electricity, refrigeration, or modern technology. All of the mixing, sheeting, and prepping was done entirely by hand.

In 2009, the Amish owner sold the company to a non-Amish family. The new owners moved the bakery into a much larger facility. The original Amish owner stayed employed at Rise’ n Roll and franchising began. Now there are stores all over Michiana.

But the bakery is still doing things the “old fashioned way” and blessing customers, one at a time. The caramel cinnamon donut is the local favorite dubbed Amish Crack.

Jennifer bought some caramel cinnamon donuts, as well as three more donut varieties. She taste-tested them all back in the RV and you can see in the camping in Michiana video which one was her favorite.

amish crack donuts bought in elkhart in Michiana
Besides the caramel cinnamon donuts (being cut with knife) that is called Amish Crack, Jennifer found several other dount varieties to try on our trip to Michiana

And so ends our short camping getaway in Michiana. No longer will our visits to Elkhart during the year be strictly business.

The Rise N Roll will now be a required stop.

There's also an awesome restaurant in Middlebury that we have discovered that specializes in chicken and Amish pies. We'll have to tell you about that in a future report. But for now…

Our 13 Best RV Road Food Stops – So Far!

Now let us first say, that Jennifer and I are NOT restaurant critics or reviewers. We're customers. We eat the food. And we share the places you'll find below because we liked what we found there.

Are there better places? Sure. Other places we should have visited in the area? Absolutely.

But these are the best RV road food stops that left a lasting impression on us because of the combination of food, people, and atmosphere… Keep reading…

Finally! Mike and Jennifer's Michigan Bundle
(Michigan's Lower Peninsula AND Michigan's Upper Peninsula)

Fabulous Camping in Michiana (Fueled by Delicious Amish Crack!) 4

This Michigan Bundle contains our ever-popular Guide to the Upper Peninsula PLUS our newest Guide on the LOWER Peninsula! Here's a little on both ebooks (not a printed book):

Michigan's Upper Peninsula Adventure Guide: This ebook is a seven stop guided exploration of the Michigan UP. We provide a suggested route and itinerary, links to multiple campgrounds and boondocking spots, and the best spots to see along the way. Don’t plan your trip to the Upper Peninsula without it!

Michigan's Lower Peninsula Adventure Guide: This guide explores the Lower Peninsula, also known as ‘the Mitten.” You can easily spot its mitten shape on the map. Most of this guide follows the coast of Lake Huron and Lake Michigan, with a little bit of Lake Erie down near Detroit.

You are in for a HUGE adventure with this ebook bundle of the best of Michigan for RVers!


Mike Wendland

Published on 2020-09-12

Mike Wendland is a multiple Emmy-award-winning Journalist, Podcaster, YouTuber, and Blogger, who has traveled with his wife, Jennifer, all over North America in an RV, sharing adventures and reviewing RV, Camping, Outdoor, Travel and Tech Gear for the past 12 years. They are leading industry experts in RV living and have written 18 travel books.

One Response to “Fabulous Camping in Michiana (Fueled by Delicious Amish Crack!)”

September 15, 2020at12:04 pm, Kari Lindberg said:

Hi
Was reading about your barrier for your dog. When I travel with my 2 dogs I bought special harnesses for them that have straps that buckle into the seat belt. That way they don’t become flying missiles if we were to stop fast or have an accident (God forbid) It’s something that you might think about and also set an example for your followers. It’s a much safer way to travel with dogs. Thanks for all you great info and look forward to future trips!
Kar Lindberg
w/ Jackson & Charlie

Comments are closed.

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