Orchard Beach State Park

This photo of Orchard Beach State Park is courtesy of TripAdvisor

Oh how I have been looking forward to this last weekend of camping. It seems like most of the trips we plan are scheduled around racing, mountain biking, exploring, and trying to cram in so many activities the weekend becomes a kaleidoscope of adventures. Which is awesome. But sometimes I just want to kick my feet up around the campfire and enjoy the view.

This photo of Orchard Beach State Park is courtesy of TripAdvisor

This was the view from the front steps of the Camper.

Orchard Beach is one of the smaller State Parks we've visited this summer. It's located in Manistee on Lake Michigan. There isn't a long list of amenities there, but who needs amenities when you have The Lake? That view? It's everything you need. But in case your eyes need a break and your legs become restless there are 2.5 miles of wooded trails to explore or long, hilly stretches of pavement to ride.

While Big M and NCT trails are just 25 minute drive from Orchard Beach this weekend wasn't about that. Not that we didn't ride, we did. We just rolled out from the campsite and headed North on Lakeshore to M-22 before circling back "home." 

We explored the beach every morning while still in our pajamas, in bare feet carrying a mug of coffee. The kids ran up ahead in hopes of finding the best "treasure." This trip didn't yield any Petoskey Stones, I guess we weren't Up North enough. But I did find a handful of beach glass.

4 pieces of beach glass

I made a large batch of Pumpkin Pancakes and topped them with Pecans. We also enjoyed omelets and sausage. Large, indulgent breakfasts are one of my favorite parts of camping. 

In the afternoon the men would suit up for their ride along the Lakeshore. I managed to find a few quite hours to draw in my sketch book. 

When I opened my sketch book I was surprised to see that the last time I had drawn anything was half a decade ago.

"8/18/07" was the last time I picked up a pencil and sketch book to draw anything.

It was an odd feeling, being still and quite for more than an hour. I was uncomfortable. But at the same time it felt good to be drawing again. Hopefully five more years won't have to pass before that sketchbook sees the light of day again.

Saturday night the families gathered around the campfire for songs and storytelling. I made hot cocoa for the kids and we topped them with chocolate mint marshmallows. 

The weekend was perfect in my book. 

p.s. Sorry for all the tripadvisor pictures. We "unplugged" for the weekend: no iPhones or iPods. The one down-side is that we don't have any pictures.