Lake Hudson Recreation Area - August 16-18

Jim and I have had a super busy two weeks and decided it was time to "unplug" for the weekend and sneak away. Obviously, we didn't sneak too well as most everyone knew we were heading out. We wanted to go someplace close to home so we didn't have a long drive there and back.

Our travels took us to the Lake Hudson Recreation Area in the big town of Hudson, MI, which is located about 30 miles from our house. We didn't make reservation, but were told that the park very rarely is full on the weekends. They do not have water and only vault toilets, so I think that keeps a lot of people away. We selected campsite #5 which was really big and roomy. It was probably overkill for our small camper, but it was nice to spread out a little bit.

Campsite #5 at Lake Hudson Recreation Area

We didn't have cell phone service here and totally unplugged for the weekend. I actually turned my phone completely off and left it in the camper. I find that I'm far too dependent on my phone (and really electronics in general) these days and need to have more times like this to just be with Jim, enjoy our surroundings and the world around us. 

We had a true camping weekend. Jim cooked over the fire both nights. On Friday night we had pizza pies over the fire and on Saturday he cooked a steak dinner with all the fixing. He topped that off with one of my all time favorite campfire desserts. No, not smores! He took apples, cored them out, stuffed them with the Red Hot candy, wrapped them in foil, and threw them in the campfire for about an hour. They were delicious!!!!! 

On Saturday, we ventured into the big town of Hudson with our bikes and enjoyed a 10 mile bike ride on their  bike path. For such a small town, they really have invested in their bike paths. It was a beautiful day for a bike ride. We also have a spectacular sunset to watch on Saturday evening along with some of the most awesome stars I've seen in a while. According to park ranger, Lake Hudson has been designated a dark sky preserve for learning more about the night time sky. It has one of the best combinations of dark skies and clear horizons available in southern Michigan. Let me tell you....its dark and I mean really dark!

Sunset at Lake Hudson Recreation Area

The best thing about Sunday morning was being able to sleep in (until 9 am which seems late these days) and enjoy a cup of coffee and breakfast before we headed out. We usually are in such a rush to get home on Sundays. Since we were only a half an hour away, we were able to relax and take our time. We were still home by 1 pm and had most of the day at home.

We are already talking about a return trip to Lake Hudson and the possibility of this becoming our "go to" place when we want to be spontaneous.

The summer is winding down and so are our camping trips. We have 2 more on the books, but I sure hope we can squeeze a few more out of this season. 

Traverse City State Park - August 2-4, 2013

After taking a month off from camping, we finally hit the road once again. It seemed WAY overdue. It was just a quick weekend trip to Traverse City State Park but we packed a lot into a three day weekend. The state park itself was ok. A friend of ours told us what to expect, so my expectations weren't very high. This park has over 400 sites and they really pack you in. The staff was great and the people around us were very nice. We really just slept there as we had a lot of exploring to do. I was really surprised how quiet it got at night. I had figured with all those people it would be pretty loud, but it was a pretty mellow crowd. The whole weekend was perfect. At night it got chilly and we actually had to use a fleece blanket on our bed, but it was nice not to have to run the air conditioning.

On Saturday, we visited the Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore. We took a scenic drive through the park that had 12 or 13 different stops. The most impressive was the sand dune area. It was a beautiful day and I took well over 100 photos in our very short time there. We also watched the sun set along Lake Michigan both Friday and Saturday night, so I took several photos of that as well.

I'm still amazed at the beauty of our State of Michigan. I've been to Traverse City several times, but never to the national lakeshore. It was one of the most beautiful places I've been, yet. I still cannot comprehend where all that sand came from, though (LOL)! I think if I ever get around to writing my book, this is going to be the place to write it. There's nothing like sitting on a white sandy beach listening to the waves of Lake Michigan lap on the shoreline to provide me with the inspiration that I need to start writing.

We came home with 10 pounds of blueberries, 3 pounds of cherries, 2 bottles of cherry sangria and a bundle of home grown lavender. Love this time of year in Michigan!

Below are some of my photos.  Until next time....

Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore

Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore

Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore

Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore

Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore

Sunset on the shores of Lake Michigan

Sunset on the shores of Lake Michigan

Sunset on the shores of Lake Michigan