{Dates of Visit Aug 5-12, 2013}
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| Time for some RnR. |
Part of the problem with being full-time RVers who travel is that there is often "too much" to do in an area. On one hand this can be a positive, you're never 'bored' and every day is a new adventure. But, like many, we are on a fixed income...and sometimes, having too many choices means we overspend by eating out more, paying for admission to various attractions and making excessive purchases at stores because we've felt so isolated or have gone 'without' for a while.
There's a certain "Oooo...Awwww" factor the first time you step into a major department store, or even grocery store, after being in the more remote areas of the U.S. And for those of you who don't travel much, I can assure you that your favorite products and foods are NOT available throughout the states. Starbucks is as foreign to areas like the U.P. as fish boils and daiquiri drive thrus are to Los Angeles.
And God help us if we come across a Dick's Sporting Goods...
So, after the razzle dazzle of Mackinaw Island and Traverse City we needed a place to 'unplug'.
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| Out site...and remnants of the tree that almost fell on us our first night. |
We randomly chose Turtle Lake Campground in Beulah, Michigan. Although it wasn't on the beautiful coast line, it did have a wonderful lake, reasonable paddle boat, kayak and canoe rentals, huge wooded sites and lots of bike trails nearby. It was also in close proximity to Sleeping Bear Dunes National Seashore, which we had run out of time to visit when we were at Traverse City.
The campground was everything the website had promised. It was a perfect place to unplug, float on the lake and enjoy some quiet time. Unfortunately, on our first night we were hit with a rain storm accompanied by some high winds. Due to the very sandy soil and a recent scrapping of the top layer (I imagine the campground had leveled some new sites where we were) exposing many tree root, we almost lost the Mutiny.
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| Waking up to chainsaws and a tree just a foot or so from out home. |
I woke to the sound of chainsaws very early in the morning and was shocked when I peeked out of the front window and saw a huge tree had almost hit the Jeep AND the RV. It had fallen diagonally across the site next to us...a site we had almost chosen. We found out that several trees had fallen that night and one RVer wasn't so lucky. Thankfully no one was injured but we were surrounded by trees and had no idea how stable the rest of them were. The campground acted quickly and had someone come out, check the remaining trees that might be of hazard, removed several and had the whole mess cleaned up in a day and a half.
But the weather remained beautiful after that one awful night and we spent a few days on the water paddling and rowing and enjoying the sun.
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| He's fishing while I row... |
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| Paddling... |
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| That's his fishing gear next to him... |
And we explored the wilderness on our bikes...
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| Who needs Gatorade on a bike ride when you can have a Leine? |
We made our trek to Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore...
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| Those are people walking up and down this dune. This dune is about 450 high and there are warning signs about how strenuous the climb back up can be...but most people don't seem to heed the warning. |
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| People climbing on all fours to get back up the dune. It's all fun and games going down!! Hahaha. |
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| Gorgeous views of the Lake Michigan and the dunes. |
We also managed a side trip to a nearby ski resort for a little summertime alpine slide and at only $8 per person (including the ride up) it was a pretty great bargain for the thrill.
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| Alpine Slide! |
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| Awaiting our turn. |
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| Let's go!! |
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| Weeeeeeee! |
So, we'd a failed slightly in avoiding 'touristy' things to do but it was so worth it...especially since we stayed a full week at a very remote camping spot (no grocery stores or towns within 20 miles or so). But we still managed to do more resting and relaxing than we had previously.
Some of our Leisure Time Activities:
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| Fishing... |
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| Meditating... |
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| Rowing... |
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| Stopping to enjoy the flowers... |
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| And lots of yoga... |
It was a great stop that allowed us to enjoy our days to the fullest. This was back when we still did not have Mifi aboard the Mutiny...and I have to admit I miss being able to be truly 'unplugged'. As frustrating as it may have seemed at the time, some of our favorite and most enjoyable stops have been when our cell service sucked and we had to live without wifi. The issue nowadays (I'm currently writing this on Jun 29, 2014) is that the time flies by when we are researching on the Internet things to do in the local area or when I decide to do a little freelance writing (a side job I recently picked up to help pay for yoga teacher training). As much as we rely on , and enjoy, our Mellinicom Hot Spot we fall into the same trap as so many other people...the time suck that is the Internet.
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| Chair waiting for people to unplug and reconnect with the nature. |
Labels: Beulah, Michigan, Sleeping Dunes, Turtle Lake
