If you so inclined as to travel to the Upper Peninsula of Michigan to camp, or for that matter, participate in any outdoor adventure, the available opportunities will far outnumber the time you have to spend in them. My usual malady is deciding which adventure to embark on or which subject to photograph. In my near 13 years of living here (not including the decades of vacationing here), I have yet to run out subjects to photograph…..but don’t pass that on….we Yoopers like to keep this place sparsely populated.
Benny, my soon to be 14 year old Schnauzer and traveling companion decided to try a new (to us) National Forest Service campground about 1.5 hours from Rauhallinen Farm. Courtney Lake National Forest Campground is located in the Ottawa National Forest, a bit over thirty minutes from Ontonagon, and just a few minutes from Mass City.
The campground has 21 spacious sites, some which are designated for equestrian use. All of the campsites are well separated from each other by natural hardwood forest, and as a result, it is exceptionally quiet. The 33 acre lake offers fishing for Brook and Brown Trout which are planted by the Michigan Department of Natural Resources and reproduce on their own. We were fortunate when we arrived about 0930 to find a very secluded campsite located on a bluff, high above the lake. Fresh water and outhouses are available, but no electricity. The fact that most US Forest Service Campgrounds do not offer electricity, showers, and other amenities, usually results in tranquility and the absence of big motorhomes and hordes of campers.
Cooked Hobo Pie for dinner, consisting of ground beef, onion, green pepper, mushrooms, and diced potato, over the campfire, wrapped in tin foil. Enjoyed a few glasses of Traverse City Cherry Wine while waiting for our dinner to simmer.
Mr. B and I sat by the fire into darkness and then retreated into Viola, our Scamp travel trailer, and lit the propane heater. As it got down to 42F, the furnace was appreciated by both of us.
Hope to return here in the Spring with my son and my boat to camp and trout fish.
Have submitted my plan to retire from the Veterans Administration on March 31st of next year….making more time for photographic adventures and enjoying life at Rauhallinen Farm. Six months and counting.