After 5 nights in Brighton, today is our day to pack up and leave this beautiful campground. It also happens to be our last morning in Michigan and we are sad to be leaving but glad to have spent nearly 2 weeks here.
Today is our last full day here at Bright State Park as we need to start heading south into Ohio. Yesterday’s trick or treating at the Harvest Festival here got Ava anxious for the real deal. She asked Marlene to make her a calendar so she can cross out each day as we get closer to Halloween.
A lot of people ask us how we manage three kids in such a small space. And I am not ashamed to admit this. They watch TV. Especially in the mornings when things need to get done. And what do they watch? Well, the girls both need to agree on what to watch. If they do not agree, then no TV. That is that. Mila is currently in love with all things Toy Story and Ava prefers Looney Tunes.
And the reason why I am not ashamed is because the kids get to explore the country. City by city. State by state. They walk, run, skip and whine their way across America. And it is exhausting at times, for all of us. So a little downtime is necessary, especially for the grown-ups. The thing I really miss on this trip is having babysitters. We get no break. No, I am not whining. Just telling it like it is. So, for some peace and quiet, the TV works while we are in the Airstream.
And how do I get some peace and quiet from Luka? Haha, good one!
Since we are staying a good 60 miles from the heart of Detroit, we have to make a trek in if we want to do any sightseeing in the city. We have heard from lots of people that camping in or near Detroit is not great and we would be better off finding a place on the outskirts and just drive in for day trips to see places like The Henry Ford Museum. That is exactly what we are doing today.
On the 1st day of our cross country journey, we were drenched in sweat as we crossed the Nevada desert. And on the 70th day of our cross country journey, we crunched the crisp leaves that had fallen from the trees surrounding our Airstream. Or as Mila our 3 year old jokingly calls it, our “car house”.
Last night at the Bay City Walmart was a cold one. Our 4-battery setup worked well the night before in Traverse City so we felt pretty good about using power pretty liberally. We still had a decent amount of juice left in the morning but the overcast skies are not really helping with replenishing our consumption.
Last night we spent the night at a Walmart in Traverse City. It is the first night of boondocking since we replaced our batteries in Grand Rapids just before we headed to Grand Haven. I also was able to charge up our pair of old batteries while we were plugged into power in Ludington and connected them via the umbilical cord for extra amp hours. They worked great. It is the first time for us to wake up in the morning after running the furnace off and on all night and still be in the green on the monitors. As we start to head south, we will be able to last much longer without having to run the furnace and get better charge from our solar panels.
Our weekend at Ludington has come to an end and this morning, we are all busy packing up our belongings and getting ready to hit the road again. The girls were sad that their new friends are leaving but we will see them again in a couple of weeks. We are planning to visit them at their homes in Ohio on our way down to Kentucky.
Last night we sat around the camp fire and chatted with our new friends until late even when the falling ice turned into rain. The fire inside the ring kept us warm on the outside while the beer and wine kept us toasty on the inside. As usual, we are getting a late start of our day and the campground was already looking deserted on this Sunday morning.
Our first morning here was great although all night long, the wind blowing on the tree tops made acorns fall and crash loudly on the roof of the Airstream. It sounded like the hail we got when were in Asheville, North Carolina a couple of years ago except it was more sporadic. Every time I hear the rustling of the leaves I mentally brace for loud bangs on the roof.
I can see how Grand Haven State Park can be really crowded during the busy season. Even though the campground is essentially a beach-side parking lot and the sites are small and tight, it is right on the water and is in a quaint and unique city for a relative bargain to locals at only $27 a night. Although when it is cold, wet and windy, it is much less appealing. Our 2-night stop here will come to an end today, not because we wouldn’t like to stay longer but because we have a date to keep at another great state park north of here near the town of Ludington.
The weather called for temperatures to be in the mid 70s today. We were really looking forward to a day at the beach and the beach here in Grand Haven is beautiful. Unfortunately, the wind is howling and does not look like it will let up anytime soon.
We are a young family traveling the country in our Airstream. To read more about us, click here.
