Always Remember to Look Up!

When we have a 70-plus degree weekend in Michigan in November, we should be camping. Since we are not out enjoying the last bit of this gorgeous fall weather, I thought I'd write about our second and last trip of the season.

With the pandemic, campgrounds are super busy and it is hard to get any reservations especially spanning over two consecutive weekends. We built our trip around staying at my brother's property again at White Birch Lake Association in Farwell, MI.  It was a no-brainer to book during the week at Ludington State Park in Ludington, MI. My brother's property is about 90 miles from Ludington so we could stay the first weekend at White Birch, shoot over to Ludington for the week, and then landed back at White Birch to round out our 10-day trip. 

During the first weekend at White Birch Lake, the girls had a craft day. Now, if you know me, you know that I don't craft much and it has been a super long time since I have done anything crafty. It didn't hurt that we made two of my favorite things...pumpkins and snowmen. It was so much fun and I happy to report that our craft-teacher, Chris, said that I was a good student!

We moved over to Ludington State Park on Sunday. This park is outstanding!  This is our third time camping there. There is so much to do from hiking to bicycling to kayaking. Since we aren't going out to eat, shopping, or visiting breweries, we knew the park had enough to offer to keep us busy. 

On Sunday night, it was super windy and cold. We decided to order a pizza from the Chuckwagon Pizza, which is not far from the park. Holy Moly!! Check out the pizza below. This was by far some of the best pizza I've ever had. Not to mention that I LOVE MUSHROOMS and look at how many were on this pizza. My mouth is watering again just thinking about it. 

We experienced all kinds of Michigan weather. We definitely needed a fire in the evenings to keep us warm and the heat on in the camper. The days were almost perfect for hiking and bicycling. We logged just over 25 miles of hiking for the week. 

One of my missions for this week was to try and photograph a bright red tree. Fall is my favorite time of year and I love to see the colors changing around me (especially the bright red ones). I probably took around 40-50 different photos and couldn't get it right. My photos don't really do it justice, but I'm happy with a couple that I finally took back at White Birch on our second weekend while sitting around the campfire. I'm usually mesmerized by the fire and watching it dance, but this time I decided to look up and I noticed this beautiful red tree. Just a reminder, don't forget to always lookup. You might be missing the beauty above you from the brilliant, blue sky to the beautiful fall colors. 

It's hard to believe we only made it out for two trips in 2020. This whole year has been one for the record books. I'm thankful that my brother and sister-in-law are very gracious to let us use their property. We have been super cautious with Covid and this way we were still able to camp and enjoy time well-spent with my family. We still enjoyed our time in Ludington too. As with everything this year, it has just been different and very strange. 

As for now, the Pod is all packed away in the barn for a long winter's nap. Let's hope 2021 brings more normalcy (whatever that is) and more opportunities to camp and travel. 

Be Safe and Happy Camping!

Craft Day!

Aren't they awesome? I can't wait to put mine
on my front porch soon.

White Birch Lake with
my Brother and Sister-In-Law.

Jimmy checking out Lake Michigan.

Chuckwagon Pizza in Ludington, MI.
Holy Mushrooms — Yummy!

Hamlin Lake from the Lost Lake Trail
 at Ludington State Park.

Site 289 at Beechwood Campground 
at Ludington State Park.

On our hike to the lighthouse...

We are getting closer...

We made it!

Trying to get the perfect fall color photo
at Ludington State Park.

Our return trip to White Birch Lake.

Beautiful vibrant blue sky against such
amazing colors at White Birch Lake.

Always remember to look up!

We got home and gave the Pod a good bath.
It's all packed away inside the barn 
for a long winter's nap.

COVID Camping

I cannot believe it has almost been a year since I blogged about any camping adventure — Thanks COVID! We had several trips planned for 2020 but like almost everything else, they were canceled. 

So here we are at the end of September and we finally made it out. Technically, we made it out camping in August but in my true fashion, I'm a little late in my blogging duties. 

COVID has my hubby and I being extra cautious and even though Michigan has opened up on several levels, we are still super cautious. Several sources have cited that camping is a very minimal risk activity with being outside and in our case, being self-contained in our RPod. Meaning, we do not need to use any public facilities.  It seems like several others caught on and campgrounds are nearly impossible to get into without planning ahead...WAY ahead. 

So, thanks to my brother and his wife, Nancy, we were able to enjoy a fine weekend of camping on August 28-30, 2020 at a little slice of heaven at the White Birch Lakes Recreation Association in Farwell, MI. It was an easy 3-hour drive up US-127 and they had the perfect camping spot all ready to welcome us and our little RPod. 

Nancy had coffee ready every morning and Brother cooked for us. He was also an excellent tour guide for the weekend. We visited Clare, MI (which is the biggest, closest town) and the White Birch area itself. We took a very long golf cart ride around the White Birch area. It offers three different lakes, a clubhouse with a pool, playground, and putt-putt. We were super impressed with the area and will definitely be back (sooner than later)!

The hubby and I usually average about 10-12 camping trips a season and they are usually planned-out well in advance. It has been difficult for all of us during this pandemic. We were so thankful to get out of the house, enjoy nature and the beautiful surroundings that the area provided. We had wild turkeys pay us a visit one morning, the squirrels were fun to watch, and I lost track of the number of deer we saw over the course of the weekend. It was a great reminder that no matter what we are dealing with there is always something to be grateful for! This weekend was about family, spending time in nature, and stepping away from technology while proving to ourselves that we can be extremely safe in this crazy COVID world. 

Be safe and happy camping!

Every road looks the same. 
Tree-lined dirt roads for miles!

We made it! Cell phone service isn't the best and
Brother and I were disconnected half-way in.

All set-up. Let the weekend begin!

It's like this spot was made for us. So cozy!

Once a farmer, always a farmer!

Always a very fine camp host — Thanks Brother!

Jimmy and his morning coffee — Thanks Sister!

One of the three lakes at White Birch. The water
level is super high!

Another one of the lakes. It was a beautiful day. 
We will have to bring our kayaks next time.