~Thursday, July 15, 2021~
Day 396 (Travel Day)
Thankfully, we’re still in the U.P. since we haven’t quite gotten our fill of this area. We’re headed northwest, only about an hour and a half drive from St. Ignace, MI to a remote section in Curtis, MI (close to Germfask). Our lodging…...Log Cabin Resort & Campground. As we drove the long stretch of Highway 2, to our left was the upper portion of Lake Michigan, but you’d swear you were in the Caribbean with the bluish/green waters, waves lapping up on shore and sand dunes that came right up to the highway. This is a lake? Then before you know it, you’re back in the forest. Love it!
We arrived to a very inviting entrance in a beautifully forested setting. When we first drove in, the premium pull-thru sites were to the left, a wide distance apart, with a more secluded vibe. I’m sure those get snatched in a flash. The tent sites also appeared to be very nice, and include electric hookups. Our site #3 is adjacent to those tent sites where we’re lined up along with everyone else, but with a fair amount of spacing between each. What’s nice is we’re all backed up to a forest with grass all around. Towards the back of each site, close to the forest, is your fire ring and picnic table. It’s nice to have our living side of the trailer back where it should be, not facing the road. We have a slight view from our spot of Big Manistique Lake, and just a 2-minute walk. The campground is full of amenities with laundry facilities, playground, beaches, boat rentals, as well as basketball & volleyball courts and horseshoe area.
While I got settled inside the trailer, Jeff took Sadie down to the water. Dogs are not allowed on the people portion of the beach, but are allowed at the boat area. After her frolic of a good time, Sadie unexpectedly scored with dog treats! Apparently, the owner is a huge dog lover and delivers treats everyday, via her golf-cart, to all the visiting dogs. Sadie scored with 4 because she’s so cute!
Setting up went pretty smooth. Having full hook-ups is such a rarity for us, so we’ll be taking full advantage of car washing, awning treatment, and window washing on the trailer. One of the workers, Wendel, stopped by with our firewood delivery, proceeding to tell us all about the surge in firewood sales. Since their cord orders have gone from 30 to 75 cords/year in the last 2 years, it wasn’t cost prohibitive for them to haul, chop and stack the firewood themselves. They now hire an outside company to handle it all so they can focus on all the other demands of the property. Jeff thought $50 for 90 pieces was a steal. Normal cost is around $1.00/piece. You can either buy a crate and spend more in the end, or buy a golf-cart size which is what we opted for. And we’re here for7 days, so it’s worth it! We really have not had many campfires the duration of our trip, though we did with Tim’s visit. So having a nightly fire will definitely be a treat!
Before dinner, we took a walk around the campground then down to the lake. With the campground being nice and quiet, it was a surprise to see how windy it was at the lake, and how churned up and choppy the water was. No boaters out today. While Sadie entertained herself with her leash, Jeff and I took advantage of an inviting bench swing right on the water. We’ll have to keep an eye for a calm day, when we can take advantage of their boat/canoe rentals. Looking forward to seeing what’s in store while visiting this part of Michigan. Pictured Rocks National Seashore is one destination we’ll be hitting, but we’ll have to do a little more research on the rest.