That’s about as exciting as this campground gets. Of course Banjo’s all over that. These ducks are used to being fed by campers so they creep up to our lawn chairs as we’re having coffee and tea, and then, explosion! when they flutter away from Banjo. Her favorite morning activity, no matter where we are, […]
Why I Do This
This is where we live this week. It’s just a site by a lake, in the woods, on the upper peninsula of Michigan. Nothing exotic: it’s not the Keys or the Utah Arches, just a lake. But reflecting on this spot this morning once again confirmed why I’m living this challenging lifestyle. Travel days are […]
A Couple-hour Vacation
Here’s how I enjoyed this campground the most: by packing as if for the beach and driving through the campground—a full five minutes—to a pull-off by the lake, then setting up for just a few hours. Like a mini vacation inside a vacation. I floated in slow circles on the blue water and watched a […]
Banjo Special Edition II
(This edition is brought to you by our new weekend neighbors who come out to the middle of the north woods, where people seek the delicate sounds of nature, and run their generator for six hours at a time. Hence me sitting inside on a lovely evening.) It’s time for another focus on our rootin’ […]
Downtime in the Woods
I’ve described the campground where we decided not to stay and even the one we stayed at last, again, but I haven’t said much about this campground, and we’ve been here for five days. It’s peaceful here, so there’s not a lot to shout about. Biking Back Roads All the land around this lake is […]
Choosing Solitude
Or: Luckily Missing Out on a 1980s Dead Show When Jerry Wasn’t All There We’d had that campground at Ontonagon, MI, on our summer to-do list for quite a while due to its rave reviews online and the waiting list for campsites directly on Lake Superior. If so many people love the place, surely it’s […]
I Need a Pith Helmet
Instead of this floppy gardening hat I bought back in Bethesda at the overpriced hardware store. I’m not sure what a pith helmet is exactly, but if it’s rigid and has bug netting, I’ll take it in trade. Seems like the hat you want for adventures. First Adventure: Finding a Place to Live We’d kind […]
Goodbye Premium @ Superior!
Today’s our last day camped directly on this little bay (you can see the thin peninsula that forms it in the photo above). Here are my straggler photos from the final few days. Landscapes/Lakescapes Blueberry Picking Complex Problem-solving Using the Propane Firepit in the Tent You Were Good to Us, Washburn Campground! Tomorrow we’re heading […]
A Shortcut to Mushrooms
You Tolkien people must’ve known I would eventually use this title for an entry. Turns out it’s a pretty good descriptor for the long hike we had on Tracy’s birthday, with a couple of shortcuts that turned into trouble. Well, the good news is that we didn’t run into a Nazgul, plus we didn’t see […]
Our Third Week Here—What Are We Up To?
Just this morning I filled out the little campground form with our vehicle info and length of stay, folded a check into the envelope, and dropped it in the “iron ranger” at the entrance to the campground. Then I clipped my reservation to the post in front of our site. So it’s official: I’ve paid […]
