Fall Camping

This past weekend, my 9-year-old son and I went camping at Ludington State Park on the shore of Lake Michigan. It was awesome. The whole experience was so darn much fun. We borrowed my parents' 1986 Toyota Mirage motorhome, which especially made the trip feel like an adventure. The motorhome is small and compact, but there was plenty of room for the 2 of us. We stayed warm and cozy in our little motorhome. It was a beautiful, blue sky sunny weekend, and the nights were cold. The days on the shore were cold, too, and windy. Lake Michigan had white caps each time we saw it. The campground is situated in the midst of pines and hardwoods, and between the camp and the lake are sand dunes. Lots and lots of sand dunes, with all kinds of grasses and other strange looking plants on them. There is no more difficult walking that I have experienced than walking up those sand dunes. And then when you run down the other side, it's like going really fast in slow motion. You feel like you're going to go head over heels, but the sand drags at you and you remain upright (well, mostly). And your shoes get totally filled with sand.

At this park, there are a lot of trails, and some you can take will lead you to the Big Sable Lighthouse. It's the only way to get there -- on foot or bike... us common folks can't use motorized vehicles on the access road to the lighthouse. It's not a very long walk, and it's so well worth the mile and a half.

This camping trip was kinda sorta spur of the moment, if one can think of a couple of weeks as a moment -- anyway, the 2 weeks of planning flew by and we really just threw everything together the night before we left. Then we snagged groceries on our way through town. Just the 2 of us. We've never done anything like this before, and that, too, gave it the feel of an adventure. I think my husband was just slightly worried... but a cell phone and a Visa card denote a decided seal of security-thus-approval.

This was one of those times that, for the rest of my life, will make me feel happy inside every time I think about it, and I know it was a high point for my son. My beautiful, wonderful son.