One of my favorite parts of camping
Whenever @mrsbozz and I go on a camping trip, one of the things that we really enjoy doing is going for a walk each morning. Sometimes it takes us down wooded dirt paths, and other times we simply walk around the "loops" of the campground. When our dog Jovi was with us, she would always accompany us on these morning walks.
It feels a bit emptier walking without her now, but it also gives us a little more freedom. Towards the end she wasn't able to go very far or we had to stop quite frequently for her. I'd do it again in a heartbeat to have her back, but it's also nice just being able to throw on our shoes and go.
In fact, Friday and Saturday this past weekend, we clocked in over two miles each day which honestly blew my mind a bit because it didn't really feel like that.
North Higgins Lake State Park sits along the north shore of Higgins Lake (surprise surprise). Higgins Lake is the 10th largest lake in Michigan. The park itself boasts 449 acres and used to be the home of the largest seeding nursery in the world.
A nursery still exists on the property, but it is no longer the largest in the world.
Given the size of the lake, you can imagine that Higgins Lake is popular with water sports enthusiasts. This is just a small look at the boat launch area of the park at North Higgins, there is also a South Higgins Lake State Park that @mrsbozz and I have never stayed at. I would imagine it has a similarly large boat launch area.
From what we have seen on line, the camping sites at the southern park are much smaller and less wooded. It looks more like a parking lot than a campground, something that appeals to neither of us. We want to be out in nature thank you very much!
This is another quick look at the boat launch area. As you can see, it can accomodate two or three boats at one time. If you have ever found yourself watching some of those "boat launch" videos on Youtube, you probably know how intense the boat launch can be when people are impatient. If you haven't watched any of them, go check them out. Some of them are quite funny, but they probably won't leave you feeling any better about humanity after the fact!
@mrsbozz enjoys doing the audiobook thing while she walks. That means I either walk along next to her in silence, or I take my own earbuds and I listen to something else. This weekend it was the 80's channel on my Sirius/XM app. It worked out really well. We have a whole hand signal pattern down so we know what direction the other thinks we should go next.
The park also has a paved path that takes you along the edge of the two camping sections of the park. We usually stay in the west loop, but there is also an east loop that we walked through for the first time this past weekend. Usually when we visit in the fall they have the east loop closed down already.
The path actually extends about two miles down the road and ends at a local gas station/party store/ice cream shop. We got passed by quite a few people walking, running, and riding their bikes up and down this path. On Friday the Michigan DNR (Department of Natural Resources) workers were mowing along the edge of the path and blowing the grass clippings off of it.
Just the other side of the path that ran along our campsite is private property with a small collection of cottages and homes that people own. I have a feeling many of the locals use this path quite frequently. I know I would.
I know he has been busy recovering from his surgery lately, but I am including this post as a #wednesdaywalk post for the initiative started by @tattoodjay. I hope he is recovering well!
As we were approaching our campsite along the trail on the first day I noticed these quite nasty looking plants sticking out along the path. Needless to say, we found a different way to get back to our site. I didn't try touching one of the thorns to see how rigid they were. They almost look like they might have been new enough to still be pliable, but I didn't want to risk finding out.
This coming weekend @mrsbozz and I are visiting another campground and I am really looking forward to seeing what kind of new and exciting things we can discover on our walks there.
Sports Talk Social - @bozz.sports
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Wow! For me, camping is really hassle and sometimes stressful. But with a view so peaceful like that, I bet I could really relax and enjoy reconnecting with nature.
I can't think of a time that I am more relaxed than when I am camping. It's pretty great. Getting there and back can be a bit of a hassle, but setting up only takes a short time. After that, it's all peace!
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Those long walks and views seriously make a difference for the mood of the day. Looks like it was a beautiful day for such an adventure.
It was an awesome weekend and it definitely set the tone for the rest of the day for sure!
The 80s channel sounds like a good one!
I love taking trails and so on. Definitely the best part of camping. I would say fishing too, but I haven't really gone fishing since college so I'm just going off memories there.
Fishing is one of those things I love to do, but I don't do it nearly enough. 80's on 8 covers a good range of tunes, you can usually always find something you like on there. We haven't done as many trails the past couple of years as the tick population has exploded in Michigan for some reason.
It is good you were able to get into the great outdoors, plus enjoy some walking. Looks like a wonderful place.
It's not as grand as some of the others, but it is one of our favorites. I think it's actually the first state park we camped at when we got our first trailer, so it is kind of special for us.
What a beautiful walk, that just looks peaceful. That is one of the bonuses of going camping isn't it? Still a shame Jovi wasn't there with you guys!
yeah, things are finally starting to get back to the pre-covid days. The last couple of years the parks have been packed. I think the appeal is wearing off now that people can fly and go back to their resorts again.
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That car park is absurd lol. So American to wipe out a giant chunk of the beautiful nature like that. BUT, the rest looks lovely. Can't wait 'til I can get within reach of such greenery again
It is a little sad, but I don't think people realize how much space we have over here in the US. That small section they cleared is dwarfed by all of the state and national forests that cover Michigan. In some places they are so dense that it takes them decades to discover aircraft wreckage (true story).
Yeah I don't doubt it. It's been a lifelong dream for me to visit but I never wanna go for like, a week, and just sit around New York. Main reason I never went so far is because I need like a 2 month stint to see the ridiculous amount of stuff going on there
You really do. I mean just my state alone I have lived here all my life and still haven't seen everything inside of it. It would take a lifetime just to explore all of the US. Your best bet is to just pick an area and go for it. States along the East coast are close enough you could do several at once. The further west you go the harder it gets.
Good point, I only recently found out that New York State is actually kinda beautiful!
Annoyingly though my wife, who has been to the USA, loves... shudder... California, and my friends are there and also in Texas, Wisconsin, and Minnesota. Gonna have to cut someone out from my future trip lol.
If you had to pick any one area to visit from that list I would encourage Wisconsin and Minnesota. The great Lakes are is beautiful and there are tons of forests and natural wonders to see there.
That sounds right up my forest! Completely noted ;) Cheers!
Getting out in nature is brilliant and I love to walk, although it is very rare I listen to anything. And when walking with Mrs T we never listen to anything. It's a great time to chat with no distractions I think.
@mrsbozz and I spend copious amounts of time together, so this is one of the rare occasions that we are not chatting. Actually, if you asked her, she would probably tell you I never shut up!
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I've never gone camping in urban areas before but just like you said, most likely I wouldn't enjoy them so much. For some reason when I think about camping, there is no way to do it other than in a forest, mountains, or literally away from urban life.
Most of the Michigan State Parks are right outside of cities. Some of the big, some of them small. They usually do a pretty good job ahead of time to let you know if it is going to be relaxing or bustling. Some people really enjoy those busy campgrounds.
A friend of mine recently asked me if I wanted to go camping with him and a few others in a forrested area of Vietnam that isn't too far away and since it is 100 degrees every day I questioned the man's sanity. I did not go but they came back 2 days before they had planned to for exactly that reason.
Where you are looks absolutely amazing. Did you bring some bicycles for those trails?
We don't usually travel with our bicycles. Occasionally we do. They are quite old and we don't have a great place to store them. Plus, unless the trail is relatively flat and smooth, we struggle a bit riding them. Definitely out of practice from when we were kids. I think I would hesitate to camp in Vietnam too. Besides the heat, there are probably dangerous critters out there too. There is only one rare kind of rattle snake in Michigan and pretty much everything else is harmless. Except bears I guess.
I didn't even consider the dangerous critters. One more reason to not go!