ramblingriggs: 2021

Sunday, September 26, 2021

A Family Tradition — Cousins Weekend 2021

For at least seven years now, my cousins have been camping at Stafford County Park in Port Hope, MI. Our first time there was in 2014. We may have skipped a year or two in between, but the tradition continued the weekend of September 17-19, 2021.

The weather was absolutely perfect for camping in September in Michigan. We had our normal block of campsites right on the shores of Lake Huron (Sites 12-17) which makes a perfect little compound for our family. I love falling asleep and waking up to the sound of waves lapping the shoreline.

We rode bikes, went for ice cream, visited the historical train depot, ate some great food, drank some great beer, and enjoyed each other's company over the course of our 4-day trip.

I'll let the photos below tell more of the weekend together.

Until next time, happy camping and stay stafe!

A beautiful moon and sky with our camping
compound. Thanks for the photo Cousin Mike!

Cousin Waylon
The next camper generation

The moon rising over Lake Huron.

Cousin Wyatt
The next camper generation too.

Back Row: Brother, Cousins Jason and Doug
Front Row: SIL Nancy, Cousins Jody and Becky

Jimmy is a "Happy Camper" and Cousin Mike

Cousins Angie, Pattie and Waylon

It wouldn't be camping without a friendly
game of Kan Jam with Brother and Cousin Mike,

Cousins John and Laura

Cousin John and Mike

Lake Huron from our campsite

The Pod on Site 15 at Stafford County Park
in Port Hope, MI

Sunday, August 29, 2021

Sunsets, Brewery and a Famous Boat Ride

Another Michigan State Park crossed off our list. We spent a long weekend (Thursday, August 26-Sunday, August 29) at Van Buren State Park (Site 96) in South Haven, MI and it didn't disappoint!

I got the last site in the park and I made reservations well over a month ago. The sites on the ends of each loop were nice and spacious and they were pretty secluded too, just like we like it. It was a short walk to the Lake Michigan, which provides some of the best sunsets you will ever see.

On Friday, we headed into South Haven to check out the sites. It was such a quaint town with shops, beaches, piers, breweries and the Michigan Maritime Museum. There was plenty to do and see.

We started with an early lunch at Clementine's. I'm pretty sure we found in the best onion rings EVER, along with an outstanding perch dinner. Since we were stuffed to the gills (get it? LOL!), we headed out for a leisurely walk around downtown to check out some shops. Since the past couple of weeks in Michigan have been unbearably hot and humid, we had to make a stop at Harbor Light Brewery to cool off and sample some of their brews. We had a nice chat with the owner and enjoyed sampling their IPA's (for Jim) and their Porters (for me).

On Saturday, we headed for the Michigan Maritime Museum. It was another hot one and figured this would be a good thing to tour while spending some time in air conditioning. Who knew that more than half of the museum would be outdoors! Oh well, at least there was a decent breeze coming off the Black River and we took a 30-minute boat ride out on Lake Michigan on board the USCG MLB 36460. This boat is famous as it was seen in the 2016 Disney Movie, The Finest Hours, starring Chris Pine.

Thanks to a couple of great friends for all their recommendations of things to do while we were in South Haven. It was a short 2.5 hour drive from home and made for a great weekend away.

I'm super thankful for air conditioning in my little Pod. I'm really looking forward to doing some fall camping in cooler temperatures, if it ever arrive.

Until next time, happy camping and stay safe!

Van Buren State Park • Site 96

The USCG MLB 36460

Aboard The USCG MLB 36460 with our
tour guide, Tara.

Jim and I
aboard The USCG MLB 36460.

The beach at Van Buren State Park.

Lake Michigan sunsets are the best!

and they never disappoint!

South Haven has some pretty
cool artwork!

This fish was made out of trash
that was picked up along the beaches
in South Haven.

Tuesday, July 13, 2021

All Good Things Come to An End

I thought being gone for 17-days would just seem like forever, but here we are at our last stop in Michigan at Bewabic State Park. We were only here for a couple of days before we headed to Wisconsin. Site 44 was huge and surrounded by trees. The park was fairly empty during the week but we could tell it slowly started filling up as we got closer to the 4th of July holiday weekend.

Bewabic State Park • Site 44

Great bonfire weather

A man and his Pod!

Since we were in a waterfall groove from our last stop, we figured since we were in Crystal Falls, MI, there had to be a waterfall, right? We found Chicagon Falls located not far from the State Park. I wasn't ready for what we stumbled across. The road started out as a normal dirt road. As we wound our way back to the waterfall, the road turned into more of a two-track. The last bit of the two-track got very dicey to the point that Jimmy stopped the truck and got it to make sure we would make it. His truck doesn't have 4-wheel drive but it handled pretty well. I should have videoed the experience but I seriously needed to hold on for dear life. I've never been off-roading before but I think this trip changed that. We finally made it to the parking area and it was only a short-walk to the fall. Our return trip up the two-track wasn't much better and even more stressful, but Jimmy and his truck climbed us out of there without any damage. It was worth the off-roading to the falls, but I wouldn't advise it in a car. You definitely need a truck!

Chicagon Falls

We had worked up an appetite after our off-roading and settled on The Curious Pig. It was another gorgeous day and we were able to eat outside. Jim had the brisket chili to start that was out of this world. I had the the Pigs Grilled Cheese Sandwich which was pulled pork topped with macaroni and cheese, BBQ sauce and pimiento cheese spread on Texas toast that was toasted and grilled. It came with a side of homemade Cole Slaw and Pickles. The sandwich was literally to die for and the cole slaw and pickles were different. It was a different combination of sweet and spicy. It was an outstanding lunch all around set on a beautiful front porch on the perfect day.

The Curious Pig

Brisket Chili -- O---M----G!

The Pigs Grilled Cheese Sandwich

This concludes our road trip around the upper peninsula of Michigan. We hit all the destinations that we set out to see and then some. We had some wind and rain to contend with but that's part of camping. Our weather ranged from hoodies and coats to shorts and t-shirts with everything in between. More memories were made and bucket list items were achieved!

We came home through the beautiful state of Wisconsin and around Chicago. We (ok.....Jimmy) had never pulled the camper through Chicago and we (ok...Jimmy) was a tad nervous about it. Google sent us right through downtown Chicago on I-94. We are super glad that we asked around and took the outer loop around the city. It was a little hairy and slow in spots but we made it just fine.

Thanks for following our trip across the upper peninsula. We really do live in a beautiful state!

Stay safe and happy camping!

Monday, July 12, 2021

The Porkies, Lake of the Clouds and Waterfalls...Oh My!

The next stop on our road trip is Lake Gogebic State Park in Marensico, MI. We did good at selecting another home base to visiting all of the attractions that were on our list. So many people had highly recommended this state park and I see why. Our campsite rolled right down into Lake Gogebic. Even though the site was super small, and once again we were greeted by giant mosquitos, the lake breeze, waves and view were totally worth it.

Lake Gogebic State Park • Site 51

Lake Gogebic from our campsite

Such a great view

Right before the rain at Lake Gogebic

I was super excited to check off one of my bucket list items by visiting the Porcupine Mountains (commonly referred to as The Porkies) and Lake of the Clouds. We visited on a super cloudy day and my pictures aren't the best, but it was still spectacular.

Truly God's Country!

A river runs through it.

Lake of the Clouds

Jimmy at Lake of the Clouds

We were so high up. It was awesome!

The uphill climb at Porcuppine
Mountains to the summit.
I definitely got my steps and workout in
and another hundred mosquito bits!

They next day we really didn't have plans and just wanted to wing it. As much as I love to plan, I also like to just go with the flow and be spontaneous. It was forecasted to rain so we really weren't sure what the day would bring.

We decided to head over to Bond Falls in Paulding, MI. Rain or not, we decided it wouldn't matter. These falls are a must see if you are ever in the area. They had a great boardwalk and sitting area to take in the view (even in the rain).

The boardwalk at Bond Falls

Jimmy always supports Siena on our travels

Bond Falls

Since we were in a waterfall groove, we continued our day and visited Agate Falls. This wasn't as spectacular as Bond Falls, but it was easy to get to. It was right off the road on MI-28 but the views of the actual waterfalls were hard to see.

Ontonagon River

Agate Falls

After our waterfall adventure, we finally were able to stop for an early dinner at JW's BBQ and Brew and I'm certainly glad we did. I had some of the best brisket ever! It melted in my mouth. They also had 3 different kinds of homemade BBQ sauces that were all outstanding. Our waitress was adorable and talked to use all about the winters in the upper peninsula. I think it takes a special type of person to endure all that snow and cold, but the summertime is absolutely gorgeous (minus those darn mosquitoes of course!)

Our adventure will continue as we travel to Bewabic State Park in Crystal Falls, MI.

In the meantime, stay safe and happy camping!

Sunday, July 11, 2021

On the Road Again

Our journey continues northwest to Hancock, MI and McLain State Park. We had a pretty decent travel day and seemed to dodge the rain and storms with every turn. I'd highly recommend this park for anyone wanting to cover numerous destinations across the western, upper peninsula of Michigan. It was a great basecamp for all the places we wanted to visit.

The park sits right on the shoreline of Lake Superior and the sunsets were fantastic. Even though our campsite wasn't right on the water (site 65), we could still hear the waves crashing on the shoreline every night. My only complaint were the black flies and mosquitoes. They sure do grow them big in the UP. We had three different kinds of repellent and nothing seemed to work.

We visited the towns of Hancock, Houghton, Calumet, and Copper Harbor, MI. On the way back from Copper Harbor we took the scenic drive of M-26 (Lakeshore Drive) to take in the many different beaches and small towns of the Keweenaw Peninsula. We ran across a roadside waterfall, Jacob's Falls, and the Eagle Harbor Lifesaving Station. These two attractions were an added bonus to our day up to Copper Harbor.

I have so many photos from our trip, I'll let them speak for themselves.