We started planning our Montana trip about a year in advance. First, we identified our key destinations that the trip would be based on. Then we set up a calendar to remind us when we could book each site. We would be camping in 10 states at county parks, city parks, state parks, national parks and US Forest Service locations. Each has a unique booking window and we wanted to be sure to get the best sites at each place. The more popular places fill up pretty quickly and we didn’t want to drive all that way only to miss out. Throughout the year we were booking campsites from Maui, Colorado or wherever we happened to be.
Starting August 1, we spent 3 final days and nights at our northern outpost in Frankfort, MI, hiking our favorite trails, visiting the local microbreweries and packing things up for winter. We hoped we would be back in the fall, but the weather is always unpredictable in October. From there we headed northeast to Burt Lake State Park, then through the upper peninsula and through Wisconsin and Minnesota.
As I write this, the first part of our journey seems like a year ago, because we have seen and done so much since then.
View from Frankfort Pier, Frankfort, MILast morning of the year at my favorite birding area at Betsie Bay, Elberta, MIWe had never been to Burt Lake State Park, so we decided to check it out, as our first stop. It is a very busy campground, with sites very close together. Our general rule of thumb, with a few exceptions, is to avoid camping in Michigan state parks between Memorial Day and Labor Day. During summer, Michigan campers tend to be noisy partiers, camping in large groups. We were happy to be there for only one night, as it is not our style of camping.Slushie enjoyed Burt Lake State Park more than we did. It was his first opportunity to show off his new hat and he enjoyed watching a large group of Texans chopping wood all day. We have never seen that much wood in a single campsite.View of the Mackinac Bridge, aka “The Mighty Mac”, St Ignace, MIIndian Lake State Park is in the Upper Peninsula, Near Kitch-iti-kipi, Ojibwe for The Big Spring. The spring has been on our bucket list for awhile. The campground was much more quiet than the last, with well-spaced sites.The Spring is up to 40 feet deep. The water is a constant 45 degrees throughout the year. It was sold to the State of Michigan in the 1920s. Kitch-iti-kipi, Ojibwe for The Big Spring, at Palms Book State ParkThe manually propelled observation raft, built by the Civilan Conservation Coprs in the 1930’s. It wasn’t terribly crowded because it is in the middle of nowhere and we arrived just before the park closed. There were some international travelers there and we are guessing that is how we got sick the first time, on the trip. Kitch-iti-kipi, Palms Book State ParkWe hiked to this overlook in 98 degree heat at Whitewater State Park in Minnesota.Our beautiful private campsite at Whitewater State Park. This was the only time, of 888 nights of camping, that we accidentally booked a site with no power in a park where no generators were allowed. Normally that would be no problem but it was 98 degrees that day, with overnight lows in the upper 80s. We wished we had our tent, as it would have allowed for more air flow. It was so hot, I slept (tried to sleep) on the sofa. Also, it was my birthday. In the morning, there was torrential rain and the campsite became a big, muddy puddle. I guess the tent would have been worse after all. Happy birthday to me!
