Free and Easy Down the Road We Go....(June 19)

Mornings like this one is why we love camping. We woke up around 8 and had a yummy camping breakfast--our favorite: egg eyes, bacon, and sliced tomato for me. Had to forgo that yesterday since it was raining (HELLO, Cap'n Crunch!) and it tastes best when cooked outside. We were in no hurry, so we got the dishes done, made the bed, showered and I made us some sandwiches for todays adventure (that has actually worked out really well so far and saved us some $$, too). We headed for Tawas Point State Park. It was only a couple of hours drive, so getting a later start really didn't matter, and the weather was absolutely beau-TI-ful! I think it got up to 86 but we both commented it didn't feel like 86 in SC by any means (the humidity came on a bit later though). We drove through the Gladwin State Forest Area and headed straight for Saginaw Bay on Lake Huron. Kind of an uneventful ride, except for seeing a dead porcupine in the road. Steve even turned around so I could get a closer look! C'mon people! A PORCUPINE for Pete's sake!!! Passed through a cute little town called Standish and drove along the Lake Huron lakeshore noting how much it LOOKED like an ocean but didn't feel like one (that heavy air ocean feel and smell). There were lots of pretty houses along the shore and every once in a while we'd catch a look at the water. Tawas was a popping little town and looked to be quite the summer place. Lots of little parks along the waterfront, and there were a lot of people in the water, especially for a Tuesday. We drove through town and made our way to the State Park. The park was nice, but we were surprised that there were no sites with water there either. C'mon people!!! How do you use your camper bathrooms and showers, let alone do dishes, etc.? Nice looking park but not for this girl. I like my own bathroom! Something the park DID have? BLACK SQUIRRELS. Yep. Black. Never saw one of those before and we saw THREE in our ride around the park. Even took a picture or two (or three). On our way back to Harrison we took a detour when we saw a horsedrawn Amish wagon on the road. Seems there are several Amish family farms around the Clare area. We had fun riding down some of the side roads seeing Amish men plowing the fields with horsedrawn plows, and learned to spot the Amish homes by the black, blue, and purple clothing hanging on clotheslines. There was one line that was attached from the house to very high on a telephone-like pole and worked on a pulley system. We got a big laugh out of that. We stopped at a roadside shed and bought some homemade blueberry jam (hoping it will be tasty) and found a bakery on the backside of one of the Amish homes. Steve bought a few baked goods (the cinnamon rolls are delicious!) and has decided we need to go back in the morning since they'll have MORE goodies first thing. Came home and after dinner, struck up a conversation with some neighbors (Bill and Rose from Chesaning (Saginaw)) who are camping behind us with their two grandsons. Steve tried to help her get her laptop on the internet to no avail, but we had a great time trading adventures and stories. Fun stuff. Good day and even better night. On to Traverse City tomorrow.