ramblingriggs: Pure Michigan #14

I cannot believe it has taken me so long to get back to my blog. Life just gets so busy sometime. Maybe it is the fact that the camping season is over and winter in fast approaching. I feel if I write about my last camping trip, it is officially done! I really can't be sad that it is over as we have had one heck of a spring/summer/fall camping season. We hit a ton of places for long weekends, short weekends and even took a couple of week long trips. We explored new areas and visited some of our favorites along the way. I ventured out of my box and took up kayaking and most importantly we spent time with our family and friends and sometimes just each other. All in all this season rocked! We took a total of 14 trips starting the last weekend in April. I'm already looking at 2014 and starting to plan. Hopefully, it will be here before we know it.

So, our last weekend trip (the weekend of October 11, 12, and 13) of the season was to Walter J. Hayes State Park in the Irish Hills. Yes, it is only 30 minutes from our house, but it was still a nice get-a-way on the perfect fall weekend. The colors were just starting to change and it was perfect bonfire weather in the evening. Even though the state park was only a half an hour away, we had never been there. It was such a nice state park! Their online reservation system was a little different. We could reserve a campsite for the weekend, but not a particular site number. When we arrived we were able to drive around the park and pick the site that we wanted. We ended up on site 137 which was situated down in a little valley with only one other site next door. It was perfect!

Saturday was such a beautiful, sunny, fall day that we ventured down to Wampler's Lake with a radio and sat on the beach listening to WLEN radio and The Saints Football game. As we sat there, we watched a float plane land on the lake and beach on the shoreline. It was such a site to see considering I thought the plane was just going to land right next to where we were sitting...LOL!

We couldn't have asked for better weather and it was so nice to be so close to home, but still able to feel like we got away. This could very well become our "go-to" campground.

Now, the R-Pod is unpacked and tucked into the barn awaiting the winter season. We just received a notice last week about a winter camping trip in January to Pennsylvania with a group of other R-Pod owner. Is it crazy to think about camping in January? I guess we will wait and see!