Category Archives: Our Trips

Relaxing On Labor Day

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We got down here on Thursday night, and it was a pretty quick drive.  Sterling State Park is a little over an hour from our home so it’s not too long of a ride for me.  We had great weather for Michigan. It was hot and over 90 on Friday, and a perfect day for the beach.  The water was surprisingly warm; since it’s a great lake I expected it to be chilly.  Our warm summer has helped to make the water bearable.   The kids had a blast and could walk out 100 yds., with the water still below their bellies.

Hurricane Isaac stayed at bay until Saturday night, we got some light showers, which forced us to finish watching the Michigan/Alabama game huddled under our awning.

Sunday was much like the rest, beach time, bike riding, games, campfire and of course eating!  I made my camping staple, rice kripsy treats, but something went horrible wrong.  They we’re a solid rock and nearly broke a tooth trying to eat one.
We always bring glow sticks with us for the kids.  I originally started buying them to help keep track of the kids in the dark/dusk, but now they like to make crazy things.  Not sure what it was, but it was a full moon, so I guess we blame that for the crazyness.

How was your holiday?

Sterling State Park – Review

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This park is located in Monroe Michigan, about ½ hour north of the Michigan/Ohio border right off I-75.  The park is huge!  They have a boat launch that takes you out to Lake Erie, hiking/biking paths, Kayak rental, and large clean beaches.

They regularly comb the beach to help remove any seaweed and anything else that floats up.  There are two beaches, one for the state park area, and one for the camping area, but you can access both.  There’s a huge slide, and for $1 per ride, or $10 all day pass you can ride.  The kids took about 3-4 turns each and had a blast.

About 1/3 of the their campsites have full hook up, which is my preferred method.  No internet/Wi-Fi or cable so the kids we’re a little disappointed.  The sites are large and have a blacktop pad.  The kids had a ton of room to run, and play football.

We were on site 57, which is on the outside ring, on the main drag.  Everyone drives pretty fast through the park, even the park rangers which I was surprised to see.  I was nervous about the kids riding their bikes. The bathrooms and shower’s were pretty well maintained and clean.

What do you prefer, state parks or privately owned campgrounds?

Duck Creek RV Resort – Review

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My son turned 8 this year and to keep the birthday tradition alive we went west.  Duck Creek RV Resort is located right outside the gates of Michigan Adventures park in Muskegon, Michigan.  And it’s well worth the drive for our family.  It’s about a 4-5 hour drive (including bathroom and hungry machine breaks).

The park is beautiful, there’s a lot of woods surrounding the park, and there was even wild turkeys in the woods just on the edge of the park.  (Quite exciting for the kids!)

The pool is made for kids, there’s a zero entry wadding area for them and it’s only 1 1/2 ft deep.  There’s also a water fountain that the kids loved to play under.  That area opens to the larger swim area that goes from 3 feet to 5.  And they had a hot tub!  The first I’ve seen so far, and greatly appreciated!  That empties into the pool so that helps to keep the swimming area warm, and the whole pool is shaped like a duck!

Here’s our comparison list:

  • Activities for the kids – No
  • Pool – Yes and it’s heated!
  • Full Hook Up – Yes
  • Wifi – Yes
  • Cable – Yes
  • Playground – Yes
  • Grocery Store – No, but they do sell ice and firewood
  • Ice Cream – No
  • Paved Roads – Yes
  • Paved Paths – Yes
  • Grass Lots – Yes, and they have flowers
  • Shade Trees – No, there’s a few young trees around
  • Friendly Campers – Yes, and lots of kids and young families
  • Friendly Staff – Yes
  • Overall Clean – Yes

Our site was 40 right on the corner by the pool.  I’d say it’s one of the best sites, there’s another site, #82, is right next to and faces the playground and would be perfect for our next stay. We’re thinking Labor Day next year.  The staff seemed nice and pretty much left you alone.  There wasn’t any planned activities for the kids, but we had enough to do.  All the families and kids we’re very friendly, unlike some other west side parks we’ve been to (River Ridge).

Muskegon is centrally located on the west side of Michigan.  It’s about a 1/2 hour south to Grand Haven, which has awesome beaches by the way, and a great toy store for the kids.  You can also go north to Pentwater or Silver Lake for a day trip and to see the sand dunes.  And then there’s Michigan Adventures right outside of the park and is a theme park with rides and half water park.  We’ve been there 3 times now and it’s fun and not too big like Cedar Point.

Do you ever make it over to the west side of Michigan and where have you stayed? Where do you visit?

(Images: Duck Creek and myself)

Particular Girl Must Haves For Camping

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Yep, I’m a Glamper.  I don’t like to get dirty, overheated, and enjoy all the amenities of home when I’m camping.  So here’s my must haves for camping, Particular Girl style.

A Good Chair: I have this one, it’s extra tall and wide, that way the kids can climb on my lap and share their blankets with me as we snuggle next to the fire. I got it at Camping World and I highly suggest the extend warranty.  My last chair (not this brand) fell apart in 6 months and was expensive.  I’ve have no troubles with this so far.

Good Drink Glass: Every girl needs a cocktail by the fire and I have this mug from Starbucks.  My drink of choice is Raspberry Sky Vodka and Sprite.  This is double lined so your drink stays cold, and with the lid, keeps the bugs and fire ash out of your drink.

Beach/Pool Bag: We stay at RV parks that have pools, so you need a good beach bag.  I love this one by Kate Spade (found at Nordstrom)  because it’s not straw.  Made that mistake before, it starts to fall apart after it get’s wet.  And with 2 little kids, that’s going to happen often.  This is big enough for my keys, phone, book, sunscreen and the kids pool necessities (googles and diving torpedos)  I do wish it was a little larger to hold towels but that’s what hands are for, right?

What am I leaving off or have missed?

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Review – Frankenmuth Jelly Stone Park

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We had a great Holiday weekend in Frankenmuth this year at the Jellystone park located right out-of-town.  I wasn’t looking forward to going to this park, but it was the only place we could get reservations at, and I called back in January.  I was pleasantly surprised at everything.  The park, the town, the weather, and our neighbors.  Yes, the neighbors that live behind us ending up being next to us at the campground.  Everyone was friendly, the park was clean and had a good setup for kids – and bonus: Indoor Heated Pool!  (Because you never know the Michigan weather)

They had a large playground for the kids, newer cabins, activities during the day, ice cream cart that went around selling ice cream bars, putt-putt (but the greens were horrible, filled with pine needles) laundry facilities, and mostly blacktop roads.

The only downfall of the park was the extremely small lots. Our awning was literally hitting the camper next to us and our water hookup was at the base of our neighbors camper stairs. You would think when laying out these things, they would have took this into consideration. We had to bring our own fire pit due to a city ordinance, but that’s not the parks fault.  They do have community fire pits available.

What I Like What They Offered
Activities for the Kids •
Pool •
Full Hook Up •
WiFi •
Cable •
Playground •
Grocery Store •
Ice Cream •
Paved Roads •
Paved Pads
Grass Lots •
Shade Trees •
Friendly Campers •
Friendly Staff •
Overall Clean •

Frankenmuth was quite a surprise.  There’s a ton of little shops, all with unique things to pick from.  The doggie Olympics was very busy.  There was a pet parade, dock dogs (which is my son’s fav) and something that looked like an obstacle course for the dogs.  There were dogs everywhere, so if you don’t like them, like my hubby, you should stay away on this weekend.  He actually did quite well walking around there with all the dogs.

We stopped at Tiffany’s in town for lunch and I highly suggest the perogies.  They were awesome, and had to fight my son off the last one. If you don’t eat quick around the boy, you will starve :-)   I had the Ceaser salad and it was good.  My daughter got butter noodles and they were all homemade, and delic!

There also was a hot air balloon festival and topped it off with fireworks and a balloon glow on Sunday night.  The balloon glow was amazing.  They set up about 15 hot air balloons on a field, all tethered to the ground.  Then they would light up the balloons with their fire heaters, and take turns to make them ‘twinkle’.  So glad I made the fam pack up and hike up to town to see this.  (I’m a sucker for fireworks)

The weekend was a great time and we had fun. Have you ever stayed here before and what do you love about Frankenmuth?

(Images: Frankenmuth Jellystone Park, Tiffany’s Food & Spirits)

Boo Boo, Here We Come

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It’s finally here, the day the kids have been waiting for all winter, BC (Big Camper) is coming home. She’s sitting in the driveway, now cleaned and mice free (thank god!) It’s amazing how dirty something gets sitting in storage. The kids have ransacked their bedroom, found old toys from last summer and reliving those memories. And now the start of another season, and more memory building.

This year we’re headed to Jellystone Park in Frankenmuth, MI.


It’s our first time there and hoping for the best. There’s a Hot Air Balloon Festival, Doggie Olympics, and Fireworks on Sunday night. The kids will be in heaven.

What are some of your best Memorial Day vacation memories?

Review: River Ridge Resort – Stanwood, MI

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My son wanted to go camping for his birthday, and we’ve been wanting to explore the west side of Michigan.  Searching online brought me to River Ridge Resort in Stanwood.  The photos sold me:

Who wouldn’t love that pool!

Great landscaped sites with paved pad and firepits

Great new playground where the kids spent a ton of time.

When we got there, they greeted you at the gate to escort you to your site and help you back in, which was cool with me, I’m not the best with directing. It was the prettiest campground we’ve ever camped at and tt’s positioned at the top of a hill and overlooks a large river. There was plenty of fishing and boating happening in the river. They have golf carts for rent and we got our use out of it the day we rented.  I think my daughter loved it the most, she wanted to drive but at 3, we all figured that wouldn’t be the best decision.

There was a very nice club house that overlooked the pool, basketball court, shuffle board, and 78 steps down to the river – Yep we counted as we climbed.


We Like They Had
Activities for Kids
Pool (Heated)  •
Full Hook Up  •
Playground  •
Grocery Store  •
Ice Cream  •
Paved Roads  •
Paved Pads  •
Grass Lots  •
Shade Trees
Friendly Campers
Friendly Staff
Overall Clean  •

We only talked with a few other campers, most kept to themselves.  We joked with one at the pool, the water was really cold, but recieved strange looks.  Secretly wondered if it was a secret society ;-) Overall, it was a nice place, but wish the other camper’s we’re friendlier, they made us feel like we were very much outsiders.  His birthday was great by the way!  I’ll share the adventures of the electric scooter in another post.

You can learn more about River Ridge here and if you do stay let me know how it was.  Maybe it was just us.

(Images: River Ridge RV Resort)