Day 5: Monday and On the Road Agin

182 miles: Camped at Ludington State Park, Michigan

Well, the weekend's over and it's time to move on. My brother-in-law Eric took me to see the Michigan State Gardens. I have seen them before, but they are always a joy to visit. They have a Childrens Garden that is outstanding.

I packed, had a final lunch with family, and was on the road by 1:00 PM. Interstate 96 to 31 and I arrived at Ludington State Park about 4:00. I had no reservations, but hey, it's a Monday. The park has 354 sites, and the check in girl told me there were only 2 empty ones. Yikes. I almost had my first Walmart parking lot night. Now for those of you familiar with camping in Northern NY, camping in this State Park is completely different. $35 instead of the usual $18 or $20 at Blake or Cranberry. And the sites are absolutely on top of each other with no tree or shrub barriers. But the the families here are happy and really enjoy themselves.

On the plus side, the park is right on the shores of Lake Michigan. The campsites are not, but the park is. The beach is only 100 yards away, and you can walk it for several miles. The sand dunes are amazing. Zoey and I hiked to a lighthouse 2 miles away that is listed on the National Register of Historical Places. Oh, I found the dream job. Non paying, but heaven. The lighthouse is staffed by a volunteer husband and wife who get to live in the lighthouse. So between 10 in the morning and 5 in the afternoon they are on duty hosting tours and running a small gift shop. But then they have the place to themselves the rest of the day. Like having your own private camp on the ocean that is surrounded by state land.

Tuesday morning we take the car ferry across lake Michigan and I hope to be at Dave and Ann Wright's place in Amherst, Wisconsin by 2:00 PM.

See ya tomorrow.