Let me just say that we haven’t gone tent camping in YEARS! I forgot what a pain in the arse it was. Here’s what the van looked like when we finally got it all loaded. Mind you, this is what I considered the bare essentials (tent, bedding, clothing, food/water) and it still took every inch of space we had. This photo was taken BEFORE the bedding was added. Had to wait to close the hatch and load that from the front….
Getting closer to having everything.
Here’s one after I squeezed the kids into the car (the boys wanted nothing to do with having a photo taken, but Emma says hello)–now remember, all the stuff has to be unpacked when we get to the campground and packed back up when we leave 3 days later (oh the agony)
Since we couldn’t get to the ocean this year we stopped at Sea Shell City just south of Mackinaw City to get our sea shell fix.
Emma was feeling pretty punchy and let me take all kinds of goofy photos of her…loved it!
Our destination was Muskallonge State Park–beautiful location along the Lake Superior shoreline.
In order to get there we had to cross the Mighty Mac (Mackinaw bridge) I was driving so the next two photos are courtesy of Alan :
Have I mentioned that I’m not a huge fan of bridges? The Mac is quite the bridge to drive across. The inside lane is a grate for a majority of the bridge. I hate the grate—Alan took this photo just for me. The green you see is grating. I’m quite convinced my car will fall through that grate if I drive on it. I KNOW, I KNOW completely illogical and it makes no sense whatsoever, but there you have it. 
I’ll share a few more photos later this week. I’m still looking through the images…
Do you tent camp??? If so, any tips you want to share to make it a less painful experience.
We have always "tent camped". There is no getting around all the stuff that is needed but I invested in multiple Roughnecks (plastic containers) and while I admit that it is mostly an illusion, you feel more organized. Plus they are helpful when bringing home all that wet soggy stuff, which happens to us more often than not.
Still, I do love camping!
Looks like a fun time, Deb!
I hate driving across the Mack, too!
You are a brave lady! Our little family never went camping (except when invited by my uncle who has a HUGE 5th wheel) until this summer when we purchased a camping trailer… and THAT is quite enough work for me for a 3 day trip! Hope you had a GREAT time once you arrived!