Brighton, Michigan

Brighton Recreation Area Campground

August 26th through August 28th, 2011

Friday, August 26th, 2011 - 77/52°, Mostly Sunny

    We found out a few weeks ago that Samantha would be playing in her first soccer tournament on the weekend of August 26th-28th. Tara and I saw this as an opportunity to squeeze in another camping trip this year, which worked out nicely since I screwed up the last one badly. Plus, we will be missing our annual Labor Day trip due to a wedding that was scheduled for the holiday weekend. Since we aren’t familiar with any of the campgrounds in the Brighton area, we selected the Brighton Recreation Area, which is a state campground. There were two major draws to this campground… 1) it was situated between the various fields where the games were being held, and 2) it was cheap (cheaper than a private campground, anyway)!

    Just like every one of our camping trips this year, this one started with me coming home early after a half day at work. As always, I had a list of things to finish loading into the camper before we would be ready to go. Tara had planned on getting out at noon today, but was informed yesterday that she would need to meet with her boss before leaving, and that he wouldn’t be available until noon. By the time she finally managed to walk out of the building, it was 1:15pm. Thankfully we would still have lots of time to get to the campground, check in, set up, and then get Samantha to her soccer game at 5:30pm.

    We managed to pull out of the driveway at 2:30pm, driving two vehicles (Tyler and I have to leave for a football draft in Flint tomorrow evening). We were making good time heading south on US-23, until just after we passed M-59. What we learned after sitting in traffic for a while was that US-23 was down to one lane just past I-96. This backed up traffic for close to 5 miles, causing us to move very s-l-o-w-l-y for nearly an hour before we could get to our exit. If only I had followed the directions given by the GPS (which said to take M-59) versus the ones I got from Google Maps (which said to take US-23 to I-96). Damn technology! Too many decisions!

    By the time we finally got off I-96 we were rapidly running out of time to check in at the campground and still ensure that Sam would make it to the soccer field to check in at the required time. We decided that it would be best to park the truck and fifth-wheel at the Meijer on Grand River and head to the soccer field. This plan was working perfectly, as we arrived at the fields a few minutes before she was required to be there for check in. Perfectly, that is, until we realized that we had Tinkerbell with us, but dogs weren’t allowed on the fields. Crap! Tara walked Sam over to the team manager to explain our situation to her. With her assurance that it was OK, we left Tyler and Sam with her while we drove back to the truck. Tara then returned to the soccer fields while I took Drew and Jay (and of course Tinkerbell) with me to the campground.

    I managed to find my way to the campground (the GPS failed me this time by not taking me to the proper spot – thankfully I read the signs and made the turn where I needed to) and get checked in. Next, I pulled up to the dump station to fill the camper with fresh water and waited my turn. There was an open lane, which I took, but of course our water tank filled on the opposite side of the available water hose. Thanks to a suggestion from another camper in line, I ended up getting out our water hose, dragging it under the camper, and using it to fill the tank. Once that job was completed, we drove back to our site. For some reason I had site 144 in my head, so I circled around the one way street until I found it. When it was occupied, I realized that 144 wasn’t the number I was given; it was actually site 118. I circled around once again, found our site, and worked on backing in by myself. While doing so I almost hit the electrical box, and wound up missing it by pure luck when I stopped to check things out. I decided that where I was parked was a good enough location for now… Tara& I could move it later if necessary. I plugged the camper in to the near-miss electrical box so that I could turn the air conditioning on for Tinkerbell, unhooked the camper, and we were on our way to meet up with everyone at the soccer fields. Although we were going to miss half of it anyway, getting to the game was the number one priority right now!

    We made it to the soccer field at 6:00pm, just in time to watch the second half. By halftime the La Forza White Ice, Sam’s team, was already ahead 4-0. I got to watch the entire second half, which, with the way things were unfolding for us, I wasn’t sure would happen. The best part was that Sam scored her first ever travel soccer goal in the second half of this game! The final score wound up being a rather lopsided 10-0 victory.

    After the game ended we headed back to the campground. Tara and I went about the business of taking care of all the things that I didn’t have time for earlier, like leveling the camper and getting everything set up inside and out. While Tara & I were busy setting up, the kids got out the chalk and drew on the sidewalk that ran alongside our site.

    When the site was mostly set up, Tara started making dinner. Tonight we ate spaghetti with muffins (even though we brought garlic toast with us – we had completely forgotten that we had packed it). The bad part was that we ate at 8:00pm. That, and the killer bugs that exist in Michigan this summer. We had hoped that we would be able to get the kids to bed early tonight, since Sam had a game at 8:00am tomorrow and we would need to get up early to get there on time. Another reason for our desire for the early bedtime was that the kids had been cranky all day long, pissing and moaning and fighting with each other over every little thing.

    It was 9:00pm by the time we cleaned up from dinner, picked up all of the toys outside and headed in. Tyler wanted to take a shower before he called it a night, and he offered to take Drew and Jay with him. Tara packed up a basket of supplies – soap, shampoo, body wash – that they would need to use and sent them on their way (the bathhouse was in plain sight from our camper, being only one street over). Sam graciously stayed behind to help with the dishes.

    By the time they returned and things settled down, we managed to get the kids in bed at 9:45pm. This was 45 minutes later than we had planned, but not entirely unexpected either. Tara & I weren’t too far behind them, shutting out the lights at 10:00pm.

Saturday, August 27th, 2011 - 79/57°, Mostly Sunny

    Samantha had two games scheduled for today, the first of which started at 8:00am this morning. Figuring that we had about a 20 minute drive to the fields and that she needed to be there 30 minutes early, we decided to set our alarms for 6:00am this morning. Who schedules games this early???

    Once we were all awake, Tara prepared to go take a shower. While trying to get her stuff ready, we came to the realization that while the three kids who took a shower last night remembered to bring back their towels and dirty clothes, they didn’t manage to remember to bring back the basket with the soap and shampoo items in it. Tara trudged off to shower with what we had left, but ultimately had no luck in her search for the basket.

    I worked on making sure the kids all were awake and moving so that they could get something to eat for breakfast before we left. Even though they always say they aren’t hungry first thing in the morning, you can bet that 5 minutes after Sam’s game started that they all would have been complaining about wanting something to snack on. And you can also bet that they wouldn’t be asking for something healthy!

    We did manage to get out of the campground a little after 7:00am and to the soccer fields by 7:30am. Samantha’s team was scheduled to play all three of their games on the same field, and during yesterday’s match the spectators faced into the sun. We figured that today we would get the sun to our back, but it wasn’t meant to be this morning. The teams set up their benches where we had sat the day prior, meaning that once again we would be watching the entire game looking straight into the sun. Thankfully it was foggy this morning, which helped block some of the morning sun while keeping it cool at the same time. Of course that meant that the dew was quite heavy on the field as well… I don’t know how the girls kept their feet dry. Come to think of it, Sam did have to lay her socks out to dry in the sun later on, so maybe they didn’t…

    The game this morning was another success, as it ended in a 5-1 score with the La Forza White Ice girls on top. That moved them to 2-0 in the tournament thus far, with one game remaining. Sammie didn’t score in this game, but she still played well. She did have two good scoring opportunities – one that she missed just wide to the left and another where the goalkeeper made a nice save. If she keeps up the hard work, more goals will follow.

    After the game we were making our way to the campground when we passed the Howell Big Boy. One longing look at Tara prompted her to say “I don’t care…”, so I turned the van around and we were off to breakfast. The restaurant was fairly busy, and apparently lots of other soccer parents had the same idea as we saw lots of girls in their uniforms eating there. Of course, after we had eaten and were on the way back to the campground, Tara realized that we had all of the necessary items in the camper to have made breakfast ourselves. Oh well, think of all the work we saved cooking and doing dishes this way!

    We made it back to the campground a little after 10:30am. I gathered up my items and headed off to take my shower while Tara stayed behind with the kids, who by now were engrossed in an episode of The Simpsons on DVD.

    Once I returned from my shower I took care of taking the pictures off of the camera and onto the computer. I was feeling a little lethargic by the time I had finished (I really could have used some more sleep last night, I guess), so I decided to try and take a nap. At this time Tyler was on his way to the fishing pier and Samantha, Drew, and Jayden were playing outside. Tara was basking in the sun while reading a book, so it seemed like a perfect opportunity to rest. Of course, things don’t always turn out to be as perfect as they seem. I didn’t watch to see who it was, but the door kept slamming open & shut and feet kept stomping up & down the stairs, rocking the trailer. I must not like to be rocked to sleep, because this didn’t help me at all. After I yelled for whoever it was to stop it, I finally managed to get a little bit of sleep.

    I woke up around 1:30pm, and a few moments later it was time for us to start working on the big meal of the day. We decided to eat our “dinner” in the afternoon since Tyler and I needed to leave the campground around 5:00pm for our fantasy football draft later that evening in Flint and Sam’s second soccer game of the day started at 6:00pm. Today we were making canned beef and potatoes, corn, and muffins. We sat down to eat around 3:00pm. We ate outside, but under the tent since the sun was much too intense for us to keep our eyes focused.

    After eating Tyler and I headed out. We left a little early, at 4:30pm, since we were going to stop at home to pick up some items that were forgotten and subsequently lost in the showers. We only stopped for a few moments, just long enough to pick up another pair of clothes for Drew and some replacement shampoo and body wash. After our chores at home were complete, we headed off to the draft for an evening of food and picks. Thankfully nothing too exciting happened to us on the way there or back!

    Tara and the kids weren’t too far behind us in leaving the campground, heading to Sam’s soccer game around 5:00pm so that she could arrive the required 30 minutes early. In what Tara said was the toughest game of the tournament so far, the La Forza girls pulled out a hard fought 4-0 victory. The win capped a perfect 3-0 tournament record and placed them in the finals at 2:15pm tomorrow. After the game the girls all received miniature soccer balls with the logos of the tournament sponsors on it. It is a neat souvenir, one that I am sure Sam will appreciate well into the future (assuming she can stop kicking it around in the grass). I surely missed seeing the action from this game, but I am very proud of the effort Sam has put into all of the games so far, as is Tara. Great job, Sammie!

    Tara had promised Sam a frozen ice treat after her first game, but told her that she would have to wait until today to get it. Unfortunately, the truck that sold this particular delicacy had left before the completion of tonight’s last game, so Sam missed out. Tara offered up ice cream or a shake as a replacement, and Sam decided to go with the shake from McDonalds. Drew and Jayden also got to enjoy the benefits of this promise.

    Once they were safely back at the campground, Tara started a fire. The kids and her dined on popcorn while they talked and enjoyed the evening together, reliving the excitement of Sam’s day. Drew and Jay (and Sam) were worn out from their long days, which allowed Tara managed to get them to bed between 9-9:30pm tonight.

    That was also about the time that Tyler and I were making our way back to the campground after the completion of our draft. Since Tyler and I were a little hungry, we too stopped at McDonalds for shakes (after consulting with Tara, of course) and a medium fry, which we split. We made it back to the campground around 11:00pm, and Tara was outside waiting for us as the last of the logs burned down. Tyler was pretty tired himself, so he was off to bed shortly after we returned. Tara and I weren’t too much further behind, only staying outside another 30 minutes or so as we talked and picked up. We watched TV for a few moments before decided that we were too tired to last any longer.

Sunday, August 28th, 2011 - 73/54°, Mostly Sunny

    With the only game of the day scheduled for the early afternoon and checkout not until 1:00pm, we were able to sleep in a bit this morning. We didn’t wake up until 9:00am this morning, although I bet we could have slept longer and nobody would have complained. We made eggs and cinnamon rolls for breakfast before going about preparing for the day.

    Tara took Drew and Jay with her to the showers, but I decided to hold off on mine until we got home. I knew it was going to be fairly warm, and I would wind up hot and sweaty from loading the trailer and connecting it to the truck.

    We worked on packing up everything while watching as the campground emptied out around us. Tyler took advantage of the empty sites to wander around and collect cans – he even managed to get a decent sized bag handed to him from one of the other soccer campers who were packing up to go (and who we later saw at the soccer field where Sam’s game was played today).

    At 1:00pm, almost on the nose, we drove off our site. We left the truck and camper in the visitor parking area, since we didn’t know what the parking situation was going to be like at today’s game location, which was different from where Sam’s previous three games had been held. Without being able to guarantee that we’d have room to park the truck and camper, we just decided that it would be best to leave it behind.

    We arrived in plenty of time for the game, scheduled to begin at 2:15pm, at Scranton Middle School. We found a spot near the middle of the field and waited patiently for the game before Sam’s to wrap up so we could move our chairs ahead once those spectators cleared out. Sam’s coach was running behind, so two of the Dads (who both coached her indoor team this past winter) stepped up and took charge. We made ourselves helpful by providing the team with shade via our canopy. They were forced to make it work without the bench that the coach usually brings, however.

    The game today was a rematch of last night’s game, with the La Forza girls facing off against the Michigan Alliance 01 Grey team. Once again, the La Forza team played hard in all aspects of the game. The best part was the score, as they once again won by a 4-0 score. The victory made them the Powerade Invitational Tournament GU11 Bronze champions! It was great to see a group of girls that were playing together in their first tournament go out and win the entire thing!

    The coach was presented with a plaque for their hard work (which we later learned each girl will get a chance to take it home for a week). Before the team split off for the day, they gathered together to take a team photo behind a Powerade banner. This is the picture that will wind up being engraved on the plaque. The girls will also be receiving a medal for their efforts, but we won’t see those until they are back from the engravers as well.

    Once the team picture was taken, we made our way back to the campground to pick up the truck and camper. We had to stop at the dump station before leaving, which took quite a bit of time (I guess you tend to forget how long this takes when you are taking care of it as you clean up your site when you have full hookups). Once the tanks were emptied, we were on our way…

    I followed Tara out of the campground, and she chose to take the route towards M-59 that we had used to go to the first three of Samantha’s soccer games instead of heading into Brighton to get on I-96/US-23. This would have worked out fine, except we hit a little snag. And by little, I mean a gigantic snag, in the form of a train stopped on the tracks. We sat for 20-30 minutes, unable to do anything. Had we all been in the van, we would have turned around, but with the camper U-turns are much more difficult! Finally enough of the traffic in front of us tired of waiting and turned around themselves, so I was able to move the truck ahead and back into an industrial driveway and get us pointed in the opposite direction. Once we were headed back towards where we had came, we made our way home. This time we did go through downtown Brighton (stopping in town so that Tyler – who already took a leak between the truck and the fifth-wheel while waiting for the train – and Jayden could use the restroom) before getting on I-96 for the short distance to US-23 North.

    Thankfully our drive home was far less eventful than our drive down (meaning that we didn’t run into any traffic jams on our way), so we were able to make it home by 6:00pm. We parked the camper and unloaded a few items before heading inside to make dinner. Tonight is also the night that we start preparing for early bedtimes, as Tyler starts football practice tomorrow, and school is only a week away!

Trip Summary

    All in all, this was a fun little camping trip. We didn’t really plan too far in advance for it, choosing to go only a few days before the trip started. The campground at the Brighton Recreation Area is nice, located off the beaten path on a quiet road without much traffic.

    We didn’t get to spend much time exploring either the campground or the recreation area itself (which was actually down the road). I do know that Tyler made good use of the fishing pier, though I am not sure if caught any fish or not. He did end up reeling in a snapping turtle (not all the way… he cut the line before it got too close). The bathrooms here are almost identical to the ones at the Bay City State Park campground, which is to say that they are nice. I would guess that they were both remodeled about the same time.

    I don’t really have too many complaints about the campground. I did think that the campsites were much too shallow. Our little 28’ camper barely fit on the site with the truck still hooked to it – my bumper was hanging out on the road when they were connected. This was with the camper about 6” from the electrical box that marked the back of our site. There was also a scarcity of trees in the campground, but no worse than the open plain that is Lake Huron Campground.

    One nice touch, one that I’ve never seen at another campground anywhere before, was that the dump station had hoses already there for you to use – no worry about getting out your own hoses as you go. This was a nice touch, although I did miss the clear elbow that allows me to see when each of the tanks is empty.

    Of course the big part of this camping trip was centered on Samantha’s soccer tournament. Thankfully that went far beyond what we expected, as the girls went 4-0 and outscored their opponents 23-1. Nobody really knows what to expect when putting together an entirely new team, but I am sure that this exceeded anyone’s expectations. I also want to thank Grandpa Gary & Grandma Terry for making it to all of the games, as well as Great-Grandma Parrott and Uncle Steve, who made it to a few as well. Also, we need to say great job to all of the girls! And to our Samantha – we are so proud of you!