In the same area, we wanted to do the Pierce Stocking Scenic Drive, but unfortunately, it was closed. We explored the area a bit and discovered another beautiful overlook to make up for it!
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Our Visit to NW Michigan
When I started planning our first trip as full timers, we were originally heading to Maine. We had never been to Maine, and I wanted to experience the fall colors in the New England area. A couple of weeks before we were heading out, we were told Maine wasn't allowing visitors without a two week self quarantine because of COVID.
We learned a big lesson that most FT RVers have to learn at some point, to roll with the punches. The best laid plans aren't always going to work out as expected.
With that said, we quickly changed gears and decided to spend the first couple of months right here in our own beautiful state of Michigan! And, as you will see, it actually worked out for the best, because we got to hang around long enough to great my second grand baby, Blaine.
I knew I wanted to head to the west side of the state, close to Traverse City. The campground I ended up booking was centrally located to all of the great things to do in the area, and it was an awesome price with FHU! It was also right on the lower Platte River. Click here
for my review of that campground.
We stayed here for about three weeks and got explore a lot of beautiful places!
Crystal Lake
This is a cute little town with a gorgeous lake. The sunsets over the water were stunning! There is a nice little produce market there with an amazing selection. They even have a couple of food trucks right in the area.
Kayaking The Lower Platte River
We definitely wanted to try kayaking for the first time on the Lower Platte since it is nice and slow-paced. We have a lot of experience canoeing, but we didn't want anything too fast-paced until we got the hang of it.
This river was amazing! It was the perfect weather and a very relaxing, enjoyable afternoon on the river. The water was clear, we spotted a ton of wild life, and you finish up right at Lake Michigan. It was the perfect ending. We actually loved it so much, we went again the next week!
On our second trip down the river, it was the beginning of salmon spawning season and the DNR had the weir closed and we got to see HUNDREDS of salmon swimming past us up stream. SUPER COOL!
We rented our kayaks from the Honor Trading Post. They transport your kayaks, carry them down to the river, help you get into them and then pick you up at the end and take you back to your car. They charge a very reasonable fee. Click
here to visit their website.
Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore
What can I say? Besides ABSOLUTELY GORGEOUS!
Most spots here will require either a day or yearly pass to enter / park. We decided to hike the Sleeping Bear Point Trail and it didn't disappoint. The hike wasn't too long to the top to see the amazing views. It is definitely a challenge hiking in the deep sand, but the reward is well worth it!
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Arcadia, Michigan
Over and over again, I read about this spot in Arcadia that was a must see. Arcadia was a little bit of a drive from us to go see just a scenic overlook, right? HA! It was totally worth the drive off the scenic highway M-22.
Also known as "Inspiration Point", the views from the parking lot are amazing, but they don't compare to what you will see after climbing the 120 steps (80 vertical feet) to the top. These are some of the most picturesque views that total say Pure Michigan! And now that we went, I TOTALLY agree, this is a must see.
While we were in Arcadia, we decided we might as well see what else is in town. The saying "don't blink" applies when driving through, but we did spot something interesting. It was Arcadia Marsh, an over-water boardwalk that is almost a mile long. It is over diverse wetlands with a ton of wildlife to see. We were so surprised to find this little hidden gem! It was pretty amazing.
Frankfort, Michigan
Frankfort is a beautiful destination with beach views that would rival any ocean front town. The town is lined with quaint little shop to stroll through and plenty of restaurants to choose from. We had a quick lunch at Stormcloud Brewing Company.
The road through town ends right at Frankfort Beach with magnificent views of Lake Michigan and the North Breakwater Lighthouse. It was a beautiful sunny day and the wind and waves weren't too bad, so we walked the pier out to the lighthouse. There were plenty of people fishing off the pier and we sat and watched a couple sailboats go by. The lighthouse itself needs a new paint job because of all of the graffiti, but it was still cool to see it up close and to look back at the beach and the beautiful coastline.
Lake Ann, Michigan
We wanted to do a nice, leisurely hike and had heard about the Lake Ann Loop Trail and decided to give it a try. We didn't do any research about it, so we didn't know much about what to expect.
GPS didn't really give us the clearest directions, but we finally figured out that it is in the State Park campground, and since it is a State Park, you do need a day or yearly pass to park. It was a nice wooded trail and was easy to walk. We were TOTALLY surprised when we came to a clearing and saw this beautiful lake and the scenery it gave us.
What a beautiful state we live in! For me, I sometimes forget the beauty that is right here close to home with how busy our daily lives are. So, our last minute change of plans wasn't so bad after all!
Thank you for following along with our adventures! Let us know if you have a favorite spot you would like to suggest we search out on our travels through this great country of ours.
All the best,
Tammy & Judy
Thank you for following along with our adventures! Let us know if you have a favorite spot you would like to suggest we search out on our travels through this great country of ours.
All the best,
Tammy & Judy
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Are you ready to hit the road full-time in an RV? Use these tips to simplify your life and make the process of purging your belongings easier. From setting up donation, selling, and giveaway boxes to getting rid of items that don't fit or are broken, we've got you covered. Plus, we've included advice on purging clothes, closets, the kitchen, and electronics, as well as tips on how to sell items and recycle responsibly. Follow these tips to make the process of purging for RV living as stress-free as possible.
How many times have you gone on an RV or camping trip and spent most of your time preparing and cleaning up after meals? I’ve been there too and while I have no problem thinking about food, I don’t want to spend my entire vacation preparing meals. I do a lot of cooking in our RV and learned a trick or two when it comes to preparing meals in a tiny kitchen. A few things I keep in mind when meal planning while RVing in remote areas are, keep it simple, the Instant Pot is my best friend, foil packet meals are also a huge help and not to plan any meals with exotic ingredients. Why? Because sometimes you find yourself in the mountains, shopping at an itty bitty grocery store and there’s a good chance they won’t have chia seeds or if they do, they will be super expensive. With that being said here are 30 easy RV meals that I hope will help you with your meal planning. And some of these might even work well as camping meals too.
We spent a little time in northern Alabama this past spring. We were totally shocked at some of the cool things we got to see while we were there. I can't wait to go back and visit again.
Our visits to some of Florida's beautiful springs
Incorporated in 1925, the city of Jupiter is in northern Palm Beach County, with just under 65,000 residents. Ranked as one of the country’s most pleasant and livable coastal towns by a well-known travel magazine, it’s full of beautiful beaches, cultural and natural attractions.
Savannah is one of my favorite cities, so far. I spent one afternoon there a few years ago, just on a whim, driving home from Florida. Ever since then, I have dreamed of the day I could go back and spend a little more time exploring. We were booked in Savannah for 7 days over Christmas. The weather was a little chilly and rainy, but we got 3 really nice days to get out and about and see as much as we could. On a side note, we stayed at a really nice RV park called Creekfire Motor Coach Resort. I wish I would have remembered to take picture of our spot and all the amenities, but of course, I thought about that as we were driving down the road leaving. It was a little more spacious than a normal RV parks, and there were a ton of amenities from tennis courts to large lawn chess set to a heated, winding pool and hot tub. The "office" was more like a lodge and was very inviting and cozy. We would definitely stay there again. We were also able to use our Passport America discount to make this stop pretty affordable. Forsyth Park On our first day out, we headed to Forsyth Park. We strolled through the 30 acre park located in the historic district of Savannah. It has a nice sized cafe with a large outdoor dining area, a few tennis courts, spacious open grassy area and a large play area for kids. I was excited to see the large fountain, added to the north end of the park in 1858. It was a little crowded with people taking pictures, but I was able to snap a couple pictures of my own without a bunch of people in them. There are also a couple of monuments in the park as well, The Confederate Monument and the Spanish-American War Memorial. The history in this area is just amazing.
Travel and vacations can get expensive. When you are in a new area, you want to see and do everything so you can experience every little thing the town has to offer. As we all know, that can add up quickly. I always start out by searching for the things we can do and experience in each area that are free. If we can fill up time with cool stuff to do and see that doesn't cost us anything, then we can really pick and choose what we want to spend our money on. Also, if you get to know the area a little better by experiencing the free stuff, you might run across things to do that you weren't even aware of. We had very limited time in Charleston, unfortunately, so we had one day to pack in as much as we could see. Here is our free tour of the charming city.....
We spent about two weeks on the eastern side of South Carolina and most of our adventures revolved around the beach, or close to it. Shocking, I know!
As we quickly learned, good trip planning can make moving day relaxing and enjoyable or totally stressful. Driving a large RV is already a little more mentally stressful than a car, so you sure don't want to add to it by having issues with your route. These tools help us with our budget, route planning, fuel stops and overnight stays.
Our visit to the Smoky Mountains National Park
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