Lake Erie Love

I've always been a fan of Lake Erie. It is probably because I grew up on its shoreline in Monroe, MI.  I have very fond memories of perch fishing with my dad, taking long walks at Luna Pier to clear my head or just sitting on the beach at Sterling State Park. This past weekend (June 6-8) we ventured to Maumee Bay State Park in Oregon Ohio located on the opposite shores of Lake Erie. 

Have you seen Ohio's newest marketing campaign, "Lake Erie Love?" Here's a link to their new music video....https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=el_wvc3X7p4. They nailed it. This song gets stuck in my head so bad and ironically, everything that they mention in music video happened this weekend.

We....

... "woke up with the sunshine on my face"

.... "had no troubles anymore"

... "laughed until we cried"

... "light up the summer skies"

...."had the time of our lives"

We were on site 132 and we couldn't get over how much room we had. We didn't have much shade and it did get pretty warm in the afternoon, but we survived. We have camped at this park once before and thought it was nice, but this time we walked away with a new appreciation. There's something here for everyone from nice sandy beaches, to walking trails, to a paved bike path, activities from ice cream socials to movies on the big screen at the outdoor amphitheater and we even enjoyed a professional fireworks display over Lake Erie on Saturday night.

We camped with three other couples and had such a great time together. We got a few hands of euchre in, plenty of hillbilly golf and a newer lawn game called "Can Jam." We cooked an outstanding dinner over a charcoal fire on Saturday night. We also spent a few hours at the beach working on our tans. Once again it was another stellar weather weekend in Northwest Ohio. We woke up to rain on Sunday morning but its getting pretty dry around here, so it is much needed. 

Site 132 at Maumee Bay State Park

The back of our site lead right to a little pond.
We didn't even think about bringing our kayaks, but we will next time.

A beautiful sunny day at the beach.
The top of my feet will never be the same.

Our next camping trip isn't until the middle of July to the thumb area of Michigan with all of my cousins. I know we have to stay put for the next couple of weekends for family and work commitments, but something tells me that we will have a couple of spur of the moment trips pop up before the middle of July. In the meantime, the Pod got a good cleaning yesterday once we got home. We will be ready to roll in a moments notice.

Until our next podding adventure...

Holy Mosquitos - Pokagon State Park

Site 452 at Pokagon State Park in Angola, IN

Our next weekend (May 30, 31, and June 1) adventure took us to Pokagon State Park in Angola, Indiana. We planned this weekend back in January with some of our oldest friends. This trip is the third time we have camped at this park and we were able to get our favorite spot again. Site 452 is located in campground #4 on its own half circle with just a half dozen sites on the entire loop. The site itself is located on a small hill that overlooks the rest of the sites and has good morning sun, but plenty of afternoon shade.

There are several activities at this park. We spent Saturday at the beach on Lake St. James which is located within the state park. The weather was beautiful and even warm enough for a little swimming. I wasn't really planning on swimming but the water was really nice. We took our bikes but didn't take them out

Lake St. James at Pokagon State Park

of the truck. The park does have a nice paved bike path but we never tried it out.

On Saturday evening, we headed to Clay's Family Restaurant in Fremont, Indiana. We had eaten here the last time we camped at Pokagon. It is only a couple miles from the park and the food is really good. What's even better is that on any given day they have at least 10 homemade pies on hand for dessert. I had the best peanut pie EVER! I had ordered it to go as I was pretty full from their fish fry but as soon as I saw it I had to at least try one bite. Well, one bite turned into several more that just melted in my mouth. It was delicious!

My only issue the whole weekend were those pesky mosquitos, but I guess that goes right along with camping. They must grow them big in Indiana because these mosquitos could carry a small person away. They were huge. My ankles have never had so many bites. I applied and reapplied bug spray at least a dozen times each night, but that didn't seem to slow them down. I finally just held a citronella candle and that seemed to do the trick. Mosquitos have always loved me and I think they always will.

Pure Michigan #1

Jim and I had a week off of work and I had planned a trip to up state New York. We had a couple of things come up that forced us to cancel that trip. We were really looking forward to going, but life happens. We hope to reschedule for some time later this year. We were still able to get away later in the week and we headed up north to Tawas Point State Park. We had been to Tawas a few times but never had the opportunity to camp there.

The state park was beautiful. Our site (#44) looked right out of the bay. There wasn't many people there during the week but as we got closer to the Memorial Day weekend it started filling up. The weather was outstanding while we were there but the wind was crazy!! We needed to use the heater at night to take the chill out of the Pod. The park has a really cool lighthouse and a bike path that goes all the way through town. We rode 12 miles of it on Thursday. That was a long way considering it was only the second time we had been on our bikes all year. 

We could only get reservations through Friday as it was the beginning of Memorial Day Weekend. We moved across the state to my cousins place in Kalkaska. My brother and sister-in-law also joined us for the weekend. It was nice to catch up with our cousins over good food and some serious card playing. 

We loaded up the kayaks and took them with us hoping to break them out for the first time this year but it didn't happen. Once we got home we were able to take some time and kayak for a few hours on Lake Hudson which isn't too far from our house. Its a real nice lake that isn't too busy. I'm still not real comfortable in my 'yak but the more I do it, the more comfortable I get. My exit strategy still needs some work, but I think it will get there too. 

Here's some pictures from our trip....

Campsite #44 at Tawas Point State Park

The boardwalk to Lake Huron

The beautiful sunset over Tawas Bay.

Tawas Point Lighthouse

This is from our weekend in Kalkaska. I'm calling it Camp Latham.

Impromptu Camping Weekend (April 25 - 27, 2014)

We finally saw the light at the end of the winter tunnel and decided to break out the camper for the weekend. It was a pretty quick decision to head out and we didn't even have time to de-winterize the Pod, but we took our chances. I had been stalking the weather all last week, but never took into consideration that we were heading to Lake Erie, Sterling State Park to be exact, and the winds were forecasted to be out of the east around 25 mph off the lake. It was FREEZING cold and too windy to even have a campfire. I was surprised that there was about 40 other campers out and braving the cold winds. I was very thankful for the heated bathroom at the park and that our heater in the camper worked just fine too. We still had a nice time and since it is my hometown we spent Saturday afternoon with my parents watching the Detroit Tigers baseball game. 

So, this officially opens the camping season for 2014. We have trips planned to New York, Ohio, Indiana, and of course, around Michigan. I'm just hoping that this crazy weather will straighten up and we won't have to worry about freezing temperatures and snow in May!

Here's a couple of photos from our weekend!

The Pod on site 14 at Sterling State Park in Monroe, MI.

We had a nice view of Lake Erie.

Camping Fever

It's almost of the middle of February and we have five camping trips on the calendar. I'm counting down the days until I can get outside and enjoy the weather! This winter in Michigan has been something. I think we are making up for the lack of snow that we have missed over the last 20 years. We probably have a couple of feet on the ground and its not going to go anywhere, anytime soon. Not only have we had a ton of snow, it has been arctic around here too. We are running out of places to pile up the snow.

In the meantime, my solution to combat the winter blues is to plan, plan, plan. I always need to have something to look forward to. We are looking forward to camping at some of our favorite places again this season with family and friends. 

• Totem Pole Park in Petersburg, MI
• Pokagon State Park in Angola, IN
• Maumee Bay State Park in Maumee, OH
• Cousins Camping Weekend with my family someplace on the east side of MI
• Ludington State Park in Ludington, MI

We also hope to make it to Hocking Hills in southern ohio either this spring or fall. Last year we took at total of 14 trips between April and October. Not sure we will be able to do that many again, but I think I'm up for the challenge. I'm heading back to school in August to work on my Master's Degree in Strategic Communication, so I'll have to see how much work and time that will be before we figure out our fall camping possibilities. 

In the meantime, its back to winter in Michigan. Here's some photos of some incredible snowdrifts around our house. 

The snowdrifts almost look like waves coming across the field.

This is our front porch and the snow is higher than the step.

One of the most incredible snowdrifts I've ever seen.
Notice it is up to the bottom of our garage window.

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!

Site 137 at Hayes State Park

Two of my favorite things...a good fire and pumpkin beer!

The beautiful fall colors just starting to shine.

Jimmy checking out Wampler's Lake.

The float plane landing on the lake right by us.

A beautiful, sunny, fall day at Wampler's Lake

Pure Michigan

It is hard to believe that today is the first day of fall! As much as I do love this season, I hate to see our camping come to an end. We were able to head out for another week long trip to Silver Lake State Park in Mears, MI and Ludington State Park in Ludington, MI. We have spent a lot of time on the west side of our beautiful state and still cannot seem to get enough. It is simply amazing from the pure white sandy beaches to the amazing Lake Michigan sunsets.

Our first stop was Mears, MI and we stayed at Silver Lake State Park. We arrived on a Saturday to find that we had the last spot in the park. This is the place to go if you have a dune buggy and want to ride the dunes. We definitely felt a little out of place with our bikes and kayaks. The park was nice. Our site (#33) was roomy but it backed up to a very busy road, so we had traffic noise to contend with at night. On Sunday, we woke up early and headed out for my maiden voyage with my new kayak across the lake to the sand dunes. Jim has had a kayak for years that I won at a charity auction. This summer I decided to try it out and discovered that I really enjoyed it. So, we purchased another one for me. I'm still working on my exit strategy and my paddling, but I'll get there. I don't have any photos from our adventure as I'm still not comfortable in the boat and wouldn't want to tip and lose my camera.

Half away across the lake, it started to rain. We decided to keep paddling. Once we got to the sand dunes, it really started coming down. I just wanted to turn around and paddle back, but Jim got out and did a little exploring. Thankfully, we headed back across the lake in the pouring rain and made it safe and sound. It ended up raining the rest of the day.

On Monday, we packed up and headed 30 minutes up the coast to Ludington. My parents said I was there when I was two years old. Needlesstosay, I don't remember a thing from that trip. This park was truly amazing! We were on site 264. This parks has so many things to do that we felt like we didn't have enough time to do everything. We hiked, biked and kayaked. Every morning Jim would make our coffee and then we would head out for a morning walk. We would end up on the broadwalk to watch the wildlife and enjoy the scenery of Lost Lake.

On our kayak adventure on Tuesday, I was able to witness my first ever bald eagle. It was so awesome to just sit, be still on the lake, and watch him soar. It is truly a moment that I'll never forget. We kayaked for over 2 hours that day. It was such a nice day and I really wanted to get a little more comfortable with my new ride.

On Wednesday, we connected with one of our former students that worked in our office last semester. She lives in Ludington and suggested we come to the restaurant that she works at for breakfast. Chef Johns Bakery and Cafe was the cutest little place I've been to in a while. I had "Eggs in a Nest" which was a "local favorite" according to their menu. It was probably one of the best breakfast I've had in a long time. It was a mixture of potatoes, sun dried tomatoes, prosciutto and parmesan cheese all "nested" together and baked. My mouth is watering just thinking about it. They also make their own breads and I had apple cinnamon harvest. Yumm-O!!! We also purchased some homemade cinnamon rolls to go for our Thursday morning breakfast. If you are ever in Ludington you should check this place out!

We had another awesome Pure Michigan vacation! As always, on the way home, we were talking about our next trip. Looks like we only have 2 more weekends open to squeeze in some camping. I'm hoping this beautiful fall weather holds for us to do just that!

Of course, I took well over 150 photos on this trip. Some good, some not so good. Below are some of my favorites...

Our campsite at Silver Lake State Park 

Sunset at Sliver Lake State Park

The Lighthouse at Silver Lake State Park

Our campsite at Ludington State Park

The boardwalk where we enjoyed our morning coffee

Me and my kayak on Hamlin Lake at Ludington State Park

The Lake Michigan Sunset

The first sign of Fall!