What'd We Forget? Camping in Every State Park in Michigan

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Dr. Lunchables: Dec 27, 2012; IRL DEBUFFED KOBOLD

Dang, a trout farm? Double nice.

# ? Jul 25, 2023 20:54

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# ? Apr 30, 2024 05:57

Dr. Lunchables: Dec 27, 2012; IRL DEBUFFED KOBOLD

Double post (don�t tell the OP) but had anyone ever looked into getting a lighthouse stamp passport?

https://uslhs.org/passports

There are 129 lighthouses in Michigan, and there�s gotta be a few more in Wisconsin, Minnesota and Ohio. Dunno if Illinois or Indiana have any.

e: a quick view of their list says that both IL and IN each have two. Also just found out that Michigan has the most lighthouses of any state. P neat.

Dr. Lunchables fucked around with this message at 21:00 on Jul 25, 2023

# ? Jul 25, 2023 20:58

bagmonkey: May 13, 2003; Grimey Drawer

Dr. Lunchables posted:

Double post (don�t tell the OP) but had anyone ever looked into getting a lighthouse stamp passport?

https://uslhs.org/passports

There are 129 lighthouses in Michigan, and there�s gotta be a few more in Wisconsin, Minnesota and Ohio. Dunno if Illinois or Indiana have any.

e: a quick view of their list says that both IL and IN each have two. Also just found out that Michigan has the most lighthouses of any state. P neat.

I don't have that one but I DID get my hands on the State Park centennial stamp book for the parks and that's what I've been working on mostly

I'll have to grab one of those if I see it while out and about

# ? Jul 25, 2023 21:08

Dr. Lunchables: Dec 27, 2012; IRL DEBUFFED KOBOLD

You have to ask specifically while at a lighthouse, there�s usually not a sign. Some places have extra passports available though for a couple bucks. They will also retroactively stamp your passport if you mail it with a clear photograph of yourself and the lighthouse to discourage fakers and cheaters.

# ? Jul 25, 2023 21:19

amenenema: Feb 10, 2003

bagmonkey posted:

Does anyone have experience with camping at State Forest campgrounds? I think next summer I'm gonna try and do that more because they are cheap as gently caress and easy to find everywhere

If you don't need a proper bathroom/shower and electric hook up I would absolutely recommend them over State Park campgrounds. Quieter, less "party crowds", more scenic in a lot of cases, etc.

Anything in particular you want to know?

# ? Jul 26, 2023 18:45

bagmonkey: May 13, 2003; Grimey Drawer

amenenema posted:

If you don't need a proper bathroom/shower and electric hook up I would absolutely recommend them over State Park campgrounds. Quieter, less "party crowds", more scenic in a lot of cases, etc.

Anything in particular you want to know?

Mostly curious about the experience, anything I need to know that might not be obvious, unwritten "rules", etc. I'm one of those types who loves knowing way too much about stuff before diving in

# ? Jul 26, 2023 18:55

amenenema: Feb 10, 2003

bagmonkey posted:

Mostly curious about the experience, anything I need to know that might not be obvious, unwritten "rules", etc. I'm one of those types who loves knowing way too much about stuff before diving in

Word! Some general overview at: https://www.michigan.gov/dnr/things-to-do/camping-and-lodging/state-forest-campgrounds

I'll go through our typical steps chronologically.

Arrival (say, Friday afternoon/early evening): Drive in, grab a permit from the entrance kiosk as you pass, pick your site. Most SFCs have somewhere around maybe 20 sites, some more, some less. They are all first-come, first served. Honestly I've never been to one that was full, even in peak summer season. The permit you grab will have an envelope for your payment and a spot to write in your stay length (to correlate with payment). You tear off a matching tag from that envelope and put it on a little clip that's on a post at the front of each site. Put you money in the envelope and take it back to the kiosk where there's a metal cylinder or other lockbox to put the fee inside. BRING A PEN OR PENCIL!

Get setup: Put out your tent/deploy you camper/hang your hammocks/etc. Start eating and drinking LOL. Figure out if there is a trail/lake/river you wanna enjoy. Say hi to you neighbors if they're within view. One nice thing about SFCs vs State Parks is there's normally more privacy between sites (wall of vegetation/trees for example). At State Parks to make room for big RVs the sites are very open and cleared. If you're a tent camper this can make you feel pretty exposed.

Build a fire (obvious requirement of camping) and then relax. Note - firewood is typically not sold at a SFC itself, but there will ALWAYS be roadside stands somewhere nearby. Scope those on the way in and buy some wood if necessary. Don't scavenge wood from the site; that's all habitat for various critters. And please don't transport wood - not only did we lose all our ash trees to emerald ash borer, but we now have oak wilt, beech bark/leaf diseases, and hemlock woolly adelgid. Adding to the forest pest risk is the potential for Japanese longhorn beetle, which is not species specific and will basically kill all the trees in Michigan if it gets here. Consider decontaminating your clothing/gear/vehicle if you move from site to site if possible.

For the remainder of the visit, enjoy what's at the campground re: trails or boating/swimming or perhaps take a short bike ride or drive to whatever's nearby. Take every opportunity to go to the weird local stuff like shops/cafes. Even convenience stores out in the middle of nowhere can have a lot of character/charm, and you might find some tips on cool stuff to do. Take advantage of AllTrails to see if there's routes nearby.

Checkout is normally 1pm I think (it'll be posted on the ticket/kiosk).

There is also normally a camp host during peak season, and they can help/offer insight to the local area, show you how to drink 30 beers in a few hours and appear completely sober because they've been doing it every night for multiple months (but seriously they're great), etc.

Re: "rules" - just be chill, generally. Keep it quiet after 10pm and before 8 or 9 am (not sure if they have official quiet hours, it'll be posted on the kiosk if so). Take a walk through the whole campground loop and say hi to folks. Maybe make a new friend! If you can't pick out the site that's maybe a little too loud or a little too "much", make sure it isn't you! ;D

amenenema fucked around with this message at 21:09 on Jul 26, 2023

# ? Jul 26, 2023 21:06

Dr. Lunchables: Dec 27, 2012; IRL DEBUFFED KOBOLD

The rules for all the SF campgrounds ive been to is: enjoy being the only person at this entire place and having this whole lake to yourself.

This is generally accepted for most UP state forest campgrounds save one: Beaufort Lake. Luckily I�ve never had to camp there since we have a camp on the adjacent Lake George, but there are at minimum three campers there all the time.

Dr. Lunchables fucked around with this message at 01:48 on Jul 27, 2023

# ? Jul 26, 2023 21:19

Dr. Lunchables: Dec 27, 2012; IRL DEBUFFED KOBOLD

On the Fourth of July 2023 we went to Ludington State Park

^{*Campgrounds may be farther apart than they appear}

I've finally set up my computer some three weeks after the trip, and the first thing I'm doing with it is to type up this post. We bought a house (!) in mid-June and the trip to Ludington was smack dab in the middle of moving. It was incredibly stressful, but we're finally here, living out of boxes and making our way through our house via hoarder's paths. Thank god we had that beautiful trip to Ludington during the least stressful time to camp, the Fourth of July!

^{All pictures of fireworks look the same. Trust me, these are from Ludington.}

Ludington is a massive State Park, taking something like fifteen minutes to drive to the check-in booth that is situated another five or ten minutes away from the first parking lot, which is at the beach and not actually next to the campgrounds. There are three separate campgrounds, with Beechwood being the furthest back and something like a 25 minute walk away from the other two. The park is sandwiched between Hamlin Lake and Lake Michigan, covering 5300 acres and encompassing a full mile of the Big Sable river. For reference, only 10 parks and SRAs are bigger than Ludington. Did I write them down with their respective acreage? Of course I did:

Craig Lake (8,459)
Hartwick Pines (9,672)
Highland SRA (5,900)
Holly SRA (7,817)
Ortonville (5,400)
Pinckney (11,000)
Porcupine Mountains (59,020)
Tahquamenon Falls (46,179)
Waterloo (20,125)
Wilderness (10,512)

^{I'm a sick stats pervert and you know you love it}

We were there both for the park and also because Mrs. Lunchables' family hails from Ludington. We were camping with my in-laws in the very small, almost forgotten Tents Only section. It qualifies as "rustic" because it doesn't have electricity, but it's really just a hernia bulging off the main loop in the Cedar Campground. Due to family and holiday obligations, we didn't explore nearly as much as we probably should have, but that's life. It should also be noted that my wife had spent many many many childhood summers at this park, so I was the greenhorn, fumbling my way around the park, tripping on my dick, and generally being led by the hand from this place to that.

I won't bore you with the standard day to day breakdown of the... poo poo, did we spend five days there? Who fuckin knows, it was a holiday week, and those get pretty fuzzy in retrospect. The important thing is that we did take a hike, and we did kayak on both Hamlin Lake and the Big Sable, which is the epitome of a beautiful, lazy river.

It's been what, like six years since I made a post, right? So what am I doing blathering around and posting facts when I should be getting into the meat and potatoes of this thing.

Sites � As mentioned above, we stayed in one of eight Tent Only sites off the Cedar Campground. Pretty cool that they have tent only sites, and kind of a cool bonus that they still have access to modern bathrooms and the Camp Store despite being "rustic."

^{Our site, 206. No license plates will be blurred so as to fully incriminate those other filthy tent campers. Nahh, they were ok, but I'm not gonna open photoshop just for that}

Our site was a little uneven, but like most of the park, was pretty sandy. No gravel pads, no electric, just a little area to pitch a tent and a few trees for shade and hammocks. The interior sections varied a lot in size, and given that we camped on a holiday weekend, likely Ludington's most popular, they were absolutely packed, with upwards of a dozen people camping per site, multiple cars and tents and trailers, and everyone generally living as sardines die: mushed together, eyes glassy. This will be the first time I say it, but probably not the last: don't go camping on the Fourth of July, if you can help it. If you also happen to have married my wife and you have no say in the matter, try to get the tent only sites like we did, as they're much less stressful to deal with.

That said, there were downsides.

^{drat, I wasted a hernia analogy above and can't do it again.}

The local fauna was loving vicious about food. The tent only sites back up to a dune, and therefore were closest to the wildlife within the park. I was raised with a .22 in hand, so I've always been shocked at audacious squirrels, but this place was a whole other level. We had our trash secured, but the raccoons pulled the stakes out of the ground and ripped a hole in the side of the trash container just to get at the sweet fixins inside. Squirrels would walk up while you were cooking and mean-mug you while stealing food, not a lick of self-preservation in their eyes. Raccoons broke into our cooler just to eat our sour cream, leaving berry yogurts and other equally delicious items. Those fat fucks just wanted condiments for the tacos they stole from an adjacent site.

Secure your food in a yeti-style cooler and bring your trash to the dumpster every night. Some animals just act like animals out there.
Facilities � The water was a little hard, with an iron-metallic taste, but not enough to complain about, just to notice. The bathrooms were modern and pretty standard fare. Despite all the holiday traffic, everything was cleaned regularly and functioned as intended. I took a dump in one of those handicap accessible toilet/showers and just decided to shower afterward, cause why not? Why not live like a king does? The hot water was hot and the cold water was cold. That said, they probably could have used some updates.

I buried the lede because [dramatic sting] some of the bathrooms have been updated! Prepare your loins for a photoessay of probably the best looking and most appealing showers you've ever seen at a state park.

^{High ceilings and vents? This is pure luxury. This is Pure Michigan��.}
Amenities � There are Rustic sites, miles of trails, beautiful dunes, a huge kickass beach, my buddy Dan, a full mile of the Big Sable river, both Hamlin and Lake Michigan to kayak and explore, hunting areas, kayak rentals, cabins, fishing piers, on-trail bridges that lead to islands, ice cream at the camp store, and so much more. Again, this place is massive.

^{on the trail, freshly shorn, hairless like a baby's scrotum}

For the Fourth, they have all the little tikes get on their bicycles and do a parade for about an hour, directly in front of the only way out of our campsite, and the camp hosts definitely treated it like it was our fault that we had to go to town, and not their unannounced festivities that made it impossible to get into or out of the campground.

^{Stearns Park for the fireworks, with the SS Badger out to sea (lake?)}

Look, if you want it, Ludington's got it. You just might have to wait for the parade to clear to actually get it.
Don't go camping on the Fourth of July

^{this is a duck some lady in a parade-decorated Jeep tossed to us on our drive out. Mrs. Lunchables named him Captain Quack Sparrow.}
The Area � The park is, predictably, in Ludington. You can either head up 31 or take US-10 West from 127 to get here, but its kinda hard to miss, as it's one of the biggest cities on the shoreline north of Muskegon. This was one of those little sawmill towns that popped up late in the lumber boom roughly (or in the case of Ludington, exactly) 150 years ago. The main drag is now populated with palatial manses from some long-dead lumber barons, showing off all kinds of architecture and filigree that you really only see north of Saginaw, as well as the small shop manufactured "charm^[1]" of a lakeshore town.

^{You can actually see how far the park is from town here. It's a hike}

^{I've also fallen back in love with my stupid labels}

Anyway, there's two places in town called the Timbers. DO NOT GO TO THE TIMBERS. We waited for an hour to have our reservation denied at the fancy one, walked to the bar/grill one to wait two hours for them to serve me raw loving chicken. We ordered burgers and a chicken sandwich, waited two hours in a very not-busy bar/restaurant, and still my chicken was raw in the middle. An absolute travesty.

Oh yeah! There's no cell service in the park, so go gently caress yourself amigo.
Who is it best for? � I almost can't say who this is bad for, save those who don't want an incredibly populated park. There's no horse trails or dedicated bike trails, but Nordhouse Dunes is just to the north if you really need to shred the gnar. Lake Life^[1] is very much in vogue here, but don't let that stop you from enjoying the town, the ice cream, the fireworks and the beaches. It's also open in the winter, so we will definitely be coming back for a follow up, when we can hopefully explore more of the park.

^{Fire-bristled sunsets are surely not a dark portent. They're just pretty.}

Ludington: if you can possibly make a reservation ever, it's worth checking out^[2].

^{I'm clearly having fun in this picture}

[1] - The "charm" I mentioned derisively is usually imparted by a million gift shops selling poo poo about "lake life" or "beach what-have-yous" in the Live Laugh Love font, sold by incredibly lovely white women to incredibly lovely white women. The actual soul and character of Ludington kick rear end. poo poo, its where my buddy Dan is from.
[2] - Ask us how we actually got the reservation. It's an incredibly long con to manipulate a reservation system.

Dr. Lunchables fucked around with this message at 19:52 on Jul 27, 2023

# ? Jul 27, 2023 01:45

Gravitee: Nov 20, 2003; I just put money in the Magic Fingers!

Did you stay up to 12:01 am six months prior to your camping date to reserve it? That's what my FIL does to get one of the premier sites at Straits State Park for the Labor Day bridge walk every year.

Also I forgot how bold the raccoons were there. They are BOLD.

Solid write up as usual Dr. L.

# ? Jul 28, 2023 00:14

titties: May 10, 2012; They're like two suicide notes stuffed into a glitter bra

Earlier this month on the Manistee we had a raccoon stroll up, climb on a table 8 feet away, steal a bag of hot dog buns, and slowly back away while maintaining eye contact like a real gangster

# ? Jul 28, 2023 10:15

Dr. Lunchables: Dec 27, 2012; IRL DEBUFFED KOBOLD

Gravitee posted:

Did you stay up to 12:01 am six months prior to your camping date to reserve it? That's what my FIL does to get one of the premier sites at Straits State Park for the Labor Day bridge walk every year.

Also I forgot how bold the raccoons were there. They are BOLD.

Solid write up as usual Dr. L.

We gamed the system even harder. You can only book six months in advance, right? But you can book two weeks in a go. So rather than wait until 12:01 January second, we booked two weeks, at 12:01 December 22nd (or 23, or 24th, I forget). We could then guarantee we had all the time we were actually planning on attending and didn�t have to try to beat the crazy rush of only booking the four or so days that we and most other people would actually be there.

Here�s the downside: you can�t cancel dates off your trip for like 1.5 months, so we had hundreds of dollars tied up in this system for a while until we could whittle the trip down to the actual days we�d be there. There�s some kind of cancellation fee as well, I think like $45.

Either way, it�s a nightmare. Don�t go camping on the Fourth of July.

# ? Jul 28, 2023 13:21

Dr. Lunchables: Dec 27, 2012; IRL DEBUFFED KOBOLD

titties posted:

Earlier this month on the Manistee we had a raccoon stroll up, climb on a table 8 feet away, steal a bag of hot dog buns, and slowly back away while maintaining eye contact like a real gangster

I�ve had to push one of them off a tree next to our picnic table with the bottom of a white claw can. I just mushed the can bottom into it�s face until it finally gave up, but it took like five minutes of mushing.

# ? Jul 28, 2023 13:23

mercenarynuker: Sep 10, 2008

Straits State park has nicer bathrooms than that, incredibly. We went last year and I was positively agog at how goddamn nice they were. Best bathrooms of any park I've been to. Those reinvestment funds starting to pay off for the park system

# ? Jul 28, 2023 15:50

Dr. Lunchables: Dec 27, 2012; IRL DEBUFFED KOBOLD

Well that�s going on the �visit soon� list then. Got drat. The Ludington ones were new as of this year (though it might be a different shower house than the one I visited)

# ? Jul 28, 2023 21:56

mercenarynuker: Sep 10, 2008

The park itself felt like it basically only existed to cater to people going to Mackinac Island. There are a couple of trails, technically, but they're basically paved bike trails that go out onto nearby roads and continue/end. Beach is a bit too rocky to be fun. There is a grocery store and Dollar General like RIGHT outside the campground if you forgot something, and the main town isn't too far away either. But aside from the bathrooms, I thought Brimley just a little further north was a lot better holistically

# ? Jul 29, 2023 05:01

amenenema: Feb 10, 2003

Brimley is where I'm pretty sure I saw a divorce happen.

Great beach too!

# ? Jul 29, 2023 15:09

Dr. Lunchables: Dec 27, 2012; IRL DEBUFFED KOBOLD

Man, Brimley rocks. I went there when I was a kid and watched the ships roll in. Never saw a divorce though.

# ? Jul 29, 2023 15:16

amenenema: Feb 10, 2003

I mean, I don't know for sure , but it was an argument on the beach that escalated to cops coming so...??

# ? Jul 30, 2023 03:13

bagmonkey: May 13, 2003; Grimey Drawer

Interlochen is outstanding, just a heads up. There are a bunch of sites that suck but overall it�s amazing. Listening to loons yell at each other while I get settled in for the night. I�m gonna try to do a full inventory of Interlochen and a write up since this is my third multi day stay here since the pandemic (location location location!)

# ? Aug 7, 2023 05:13

Dr. Lunchables: Dec 27, 2012; IRL DEBUFFED KOBOLD

bagmonkey posted:

Interlochen is outstanding, just a heads up. There are a bunch of sites that suck but overall it�s amazing. Listening to loons yell at each other while I get settled in for the night. I�m gonna try to do a full inventory of Interlochen and a write up since this is my third multi day stay here since the pandemic (location location location!)

It is about time you start pulling your weight around here

# ? Aug 7, 2023 05:42

mercenarynuker: Sep 10, 2008

What site you at, bagmo, that view looks great

# ? Aug 7, 2023 12:41

bagmonkey: May 13, 2003; Grimey Drawer

mercenarynuker posted:

What site you at, bagmo, that view looks great

385 South Loop! The waterside campsites aren�t tough to get when the 6 month window opens up. Plus there are regular cancellations, our first time here in 2020 was a waterfront last minute book.

Sounds like we�re gonna be spending dinner at the camp site, I�ll prolly post a bit more then. Showers were clean but not the brand new reno ones unfortunately, Star gazing was amazing even with the TC light pollution

# ? Aug 7, 2023 13:58

mercenarynuker: Sep 10, 2008

Heading to Interlochen tomorrow. Can't wait to remember what I forgot

# ? Aug 11, 2023 00:30

bagmonkey: May 13, 2003; Grimey Drawer

mercenarynuker posted:

Heading to Interlochen tomorrow. Can't wait to remember what I forgot

That Tom�s right by camp loving owns, also the liquor store right by camp is decent!

Hello from Straits State Park, appears we�re playing goon musical chairs at the state parks right now

# ? Aug 11, 2023 04:48

Oracle: Oct 9, 2004

Dr. Lunchables posted:

On the Fourth of July 2023 we went to Ludington State Park

1. Awesome write up thank you

2. You are an absolute glutton for punishment

3. Those �tent only� campsites are exactly how I remember campsites looking from when I was a kid, multiple decades ago. The fact you got easy access to the nice bathrooms and not just a vault toilet makes me green with envy.

4. Yeah the wildlife gives absolutely no fucks. I was at Sand Lake a few years ago with the kids and watched a chipmunk work his little rear end off trying to somehow, someway get into my open hatchback where an open single serving size container of peanut butter was. I was like three feet away at the time and not hiding. In broad daylight.

5. I would also add �Don�t go camping on Memorial Day or Labor Day weekend either� but at that point you�re kind of out of three day weekends that work for everyone so I will just add a �DO go Columbus Day weekend� if you get it off.

# ? Aug 13, 2023 21:16

bagmonkey: May 13, 2003; Grimey Drawer

At Twin Lakes rn and it owns. Tomorrow Tahquamennon, next is Harrisville

# ? Aug 14, 2023 04:36

mercenarynuker: Sep 10, 2008

Just got back from Interlochen. It was nice seeing the old bathrooms and the new bathrooms more or less side-by-side and seeing just how much goddamn better they are now. We did tent camping, buddy did RV camping. I was not super impressed by their campsites as far as tent stuff went. The ground in our general section seemed either sandy and soft or (on my site) gravelly/sandy as all poo poo. I couldn't actually get a stake in all the way due to gravel and it proceeded to vex me the whole drat weekend. A lot of the sites for RVs also mostly seemed like they were absolute bastards to lever and finagle the trailers into. Still a fine campground, and I'm not opposed to going again, but kinda hit my second tier of preferences. Maybe if I had one of those super pretty lakefront ones that bagmonkey had...

Off site, that Tom's grocery store was great. There's also an ice cream place/mini-golf spot that we went to. Ice cream was good, but the course felt more like miniature golf than mini-golf, if that makes sense. I like my mini-golf to have some whacky luck-based shenanigans to it (give me a stone plinko, or loop-the-loop, or multi-level nonsense), and this place basically didn't have any of that. Also, be aware, you are directly across from Interlochen Academy, and evidently they had drumline going at 7:30am on a Sunday for some reason. Also, their poor crossing guard was there until like 10:30pm (why?!)

# ? Aug 15, 2023 00:05

Dr. Lunchables: Dec 27, 2012; IRL DEBUFFED KOBOLD

What�d We Forget? Perpetual Bagmo Site Envy

# ? Aug 15, 2023 02:41

bagmonkey: May 13, 2003; Grimey Drawer

Dr. Lunchables posted:

What�d We Forget? Perpetual Bagmo Site Envy

I feel hella called out also here was Twin Lakes camp

# ? Aug 15, 2023 06:04

bagmonkey: May 13, 2003; Grimey Drawer

I plan to do a very detailed write up for Interlochen and a mildly detailed pre-reno write up of Twin Lakes (very awesome btw but they close Sept 5th for renos so GET ON IT)

# ? Aug 15, 2023 06:06

amenenema: Feb 10, 2003

mercenarynuker posted:

Mini golf

You want Pirates Cove on 31 in Traverse City!

# ? Aug 15, 2023 15:03

bagmonkey: May 13, 2003; Grimey Drawer

I'm gonna do write ups on Interlochen and Twin Lakes on Sunday*. Interlochen's will be very detailed, this is my third multi-night stay there and I am gonna imagine we'll be going back again. Twin Lakes is closing on Sept 5th for renovations, and it sounds like they will be good ones. I will still do a write up as the park was great and unless they majorly overhaul the camp design, it's going to continue to be an excellent place to go

*edit, I am going to an anti-Dream Cruise party on Saturday so we'll see how I feel but I do want to sort through my vacation photos so that'd be a good time to work on some postin

# ? Aug 19, 2023 04:16

Dr. Lunchables: Dec 27, 2012; IRL DEBUFFED KOBOLD

We had originally planned to go to Sterling State Park, on the shores of Lake Erie, but a goddamn tornado (or six) happened to touch down in Michigan. One just a few miles from our house. Instead of lazing on the beach, we�re feeding a generator so that our fridge doesn�t die, wishing we could take a shower.

Consider this a conditional 0/10 for Sterling State Park. Absolutely terrible.

(We will reschedule some time soon. This whole year has been absolutely poo poo for getting out and camping. At least we are safe and the house is standing.)

# ? Aug 26, 2023 23:35

Oracle: Oct 9, 2004

Dr. Lunchables posted:

We had originally planned to go to Sterling State Park, on the shores of Lake Erie, but a goddamn tornado (or six) happened to touch down in Michigan. One just a few miles from our house. Instead of lazing on the beach, we�re feeding a generator so that our fridge doesn�t die, wishing we could take a shower.

Consider this a conditional 0/10 for Sterling State Park. Absolutely terrible.

(We will reschedule some time soon. This whole year has been absolutely poo poo for getting out and camping. At least we are safe and the house is standing.)

Holy poo poo glad you�re ok. Whereabouts?

# ? Sep 21, 2023 00:12

Dr. Lunchables: Dec 27, 2012; IRL DEBUFFED KOBOLD

https://www.pbs.org/newshour/amp/nation/7-tornadoes-confirmed-in-severe-michigan-storms-that-killed-5-people

https://www.wlns.com/news/path-of-destruction-tornado-damage-as-seen-from-the-air/amp/

The second link shows the tornadoes path as it reached EF-2. We were without power for I think four days, and in the time since I have bought a generator and the power company is coming out to bury our line.

This was only a few weeks after a tornado hit in downtown Perry, MI, about fifteen miles away. It seems like someone is triangulating our house :tinfoil:

We do have a camping trip scheduled for mid-October though, so hopefully we can finish off the year with three or four parks instead of� what, two?

e: research shows that we have done three this year, but hitting four means we will be keeping a good stride toward our 20 year goal from the OP

Dr. Lunchables fucked around with this message at 01:49 on Sep 21, 2023

# ? Sep 21, 2023 01:47

Cannon_Fodder: Jul 17, 2007; "Hey, where did Steve go?"
Design by Kamoc

Glad you're still updating :3:

I'm heading to wilderness st park this weekend to check out the dark park. I'll report back!

# ? Sep 21, 2023 03:25

Dr. Lunchables: Dec 27, 2012; IRL DEBUFFED KOBOLD

Wilderness is one of the ones we�re planning a three day for. I look forward to hearing about it!

# ? Sep 21, 2023 13:12

amenenema: Feb 10, 2003

Wilderness rules. Say hi to the friendly gang of 10 raccoons we saw there a couple years ago. They hang at the dumpsters on the way to the water from the inland sites.

If you're nice they might show up at your campfire and patiently wait for treatos.

# ? Sep 21, 2023 14:37

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# ? Apr 30, 2024 05:57

Cannon_Fodder: Jul 17, 2007; "Hey, where did Steve go?"
Design by Kamoc

amenenema posted:

Wilderness rules. Say hi to the friendly gang of 10 raccoons we saw there a couple years ago. They hang at the dumpsters on the way to the water from the inland sites.

If you're nice they might show up at your campfire and patiently wait for treatos.

They're not getting my white claws. Not now, not ever.

# ? Sep 21, 2023 17:25

The Something Awful Forums > Discussion > The Great Outdoors > What'd We Forget? Camping in Every State Park in Michigan

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