Why Stay Home?

What do you do when you have a free weekend? Why you camp, of course! 

As I had previously mentioned, it is nearly impossible to make camping reservations at any of the state parks when we just want to sneak away for a weekend on short notice. We are super lucky that my brother has a piece of property at White Birch Recreation Area in Farwell, MI that is just right for a quick get-away. We headed out pretty spontaneously for the weekend of May 21.

They have had this property for almost a year and have done some amazing things to it. The surroundings are absolutely beautiful, and at night, it turns into a Christmas fantasy light show. They did an amazing job making this place an awesome, cozy place to be.

White Birch Recreation Area – Farwell, MI

 

Up close and personal with 
a Pileated Woodpeaker.
He's stunning!

Brother's New Sign.
It is perfect!

Christmas Fantasy Light Show 
from the driveway. This photos doesn't do it justice!
Nancy and Trina, you did a great job with all 
the lights this year!

On Saturday, we finally took the plunge and went out to eat. Jim and I haven't been inside a restaurant since Covid-19 started. We absolutely love going to different breweries when we are travelling and haven't done this in over a year. Four Leaf Brewing in Clare, MI was a great little spot. My brother had been raving about having the "best sandwich of his life" at this place, so I had to try it. He was right! It was the best sandwich of my life. It was so good that I ate it before I even thought about taking a picture of it. The Groope Turkey and Ham was layered with provolone cheese, tomatoes, cabbage, garlic mayo and ancho sauce. The bread was the freshest ciabatta that I've ever had. My mouth is watering thinking about this. I paired it with their latest summer beer, Strawberry Shortcake, which was so refreshing and very flavorful. If you're ever in Clare, please do stop by. You won't be disappointed!

Strawberry Shortcake Beer from
Four Leaf Brewing in Clare, MI

After a great meal, we strolled the streets of Clare (to walk off our dinner) and stumbled across some great murals. 

Downtown Clare, MI

Beautiful Mural in Downtown Clare, MI

So pretty...

We had an awesome weekend up north and are looking forward to return trips to come. 

As always, be safe and happy camping!

Hocking Hills Never Disappoints!

The 2021 camping season is well underway. I cannot remember the last time we got out so early in the season. We didn't do much camping last season due to Covid-19, so I feel that we have a lot of making up to do. 

Speaking of Covid-19,  it is unbelievable how busy and completely booked the campgrounds are already. It is going to be super hard to be spontaneous this year. I started looking back in March at the different state parks within a 4-5 hour drive of Michigan and it was crazy to see a majority of the parks already booked for April and May. 

We settled on our shake-down trip for this year to be to Hocking Hills, Ohio. We've been there at least 4 times that I can remember. Hocking Hills State Park was completely booked by the time I went to make reservations. Good thing we like trying different parks! 

We set off on April 28 for Lake Hope State Park in McArthur, Ohio. We stayed on site 76.  The best thing about Lake Hope State Park was we had some incredible neighbors. Most camping folks are super friendly people, but this couple was amazing! I don't remember ever inviting our neighbors to join us for a campfire. We enjoyed our night with them and the endless hours of conversations. We hope that our paths across again. Great to met you Kathy and Dick!

Lake Hope State Park - Site 76

First campfire of the season!

I've never really been a history buff, but I think as I age, I'm enjoying learning more about the past. We stumbled across the Hope Furnace which is a historic blast furnace that was constructed between 1853-1854. The Hope Furnace processed iron ore which was extracted from the sandstone bedrock. This mammoth rock structure still stands today right outside of Lake Hope State Park. It was amazing to me that these furnaces were tended to 24 hours a day and that hundreds of men worked countless hours to assist in the production of the iron. 

Hope Furnace

Hope Furnace

On Saturday, May 1, we moved to Tar Hallow State Park (site 67) in Laurelville, Ohio. Both of these parks were about 30 minutes from Hocking Hills. I was a little hesitant about Tar Hallow State Park, but it turned out just fine. We didn't have any cell phone service, so I was forced to unplug. The park had the cutest putt-putt course (see photos below) and a beautiful lake. Too bad that it rained a lot, but I did enjoy a number of hours lost in my Harry Potter book.  I am super glad that we picked both of these places as the Hocking Hills area, along with all of the attractions, were super busy. Being able to get away from that each night was so refreshing. 

Tar Hallow State Park - Site 67

The cutest putt-putt course ever!

We are pretty sure this was hand-made
putt-putt course.

The lake at Tar Hallow State Park.
Would have been perfect for kayaking!

Even though we have visited all of the area attractions before, we seemed to discover or see something new from a different vantage point. All of the hiking trails were designated one-way now, so that may have had something to do with it. Here's some photos from the various Hocking Hills Parks:

Cedar Falls

Ash Cave

Old Man's Cave

Old Man's Cave

Old Man's Cave

Old Man's Cave

Conkle's Hollow

Despite lots of rains, we still had a great trip and it was the most normal thing we have done in a while. Here's to more camping and returning to normalcy (or whatever that is)!

As always, be safe and happy camping!