Deckerville, Michigan

Lake Huron Camground

August 2nd through August 4th, 2013

Friday, August 2nd - 77/53°, Rainy

    This weekend marked the beginning of our camping season this year (due largely to time and financial commitments), and we were kicking things off with a trip to Lake Huron Campground to attend the annual Deckerville Homecoming activities. We had a pretty uneventful ride north today, after leaving home around 4:15pm (later than we planned, but not as late as we could have been!). Had I not worked today, we could have gotten a bigger head start, but sometimes the real world gets in the way of our best plans! We did make a couple of stops in Imlay City – on for some beverages at McDonald’s, and the other at Kroger for some gas. While we were at Kroger Tara headed inside to pick up an item that she had a free coupon for as well. Otherwise it was nothing but smooth sailing for all of us.

    We pulled in to the campground a little before 6:30pm, armed with the entry code for the gate and the site information, sent to us by Dad & Mom, who had arrived earlier in the day with our truck and their trailer. Once we parked the car, we unloaded some of the things that we brought along with us, put Jasper in his cage, and then climbed back in to the car to head out for dinner. Tonight we would be dining at “William’s Inn” in Harbor Beach, where everyone chose to get the all-you-can-eat fish buffet (except Tara, she ordered the smelt plate… and let me tell you – it smelt! Ha!). Like everything else, the prices here have gone up lately, and I’m not sure how many times we will be able to afford to return, despite the good fish on the buffet.

    After eating we made our way back to the campground. I suggested stopping at White Rock park for our pictures, but Tara decided that it was too late and wet (it had rained just before our arrival), so we said we’d make it here another day. Once we got back to the camper, we headed inside to relax for a bit before heading to bed for the night. It had been a long week for all of us, and our pillows were definitely calling our names. By 11:00pm, it was lights out.

Saturday, August 3rd - 74/50°, Partly Cloudy

    Today we woke up unreasonably early – 7:30am. This is only unreasonable because a) we had absolutely no reason to be up so early, and b) I really would have liked to have had the opportunity to sleep in at least another hour or so after a long week of early 3:30am wake-up calls for work. Needless to say, we were awake, so we did our best to make the most of it. We worked on making eggs for breakfast (we forgot to pack pancake mix, despite discussing it with each other earlier in the week) along with bacon and sausage, both of which were frozen and then reheated – not exactly the same as fresh cooked, I must say. While we were cooking and eating, we did our best to rotate through showers, making sure that there was enough hot water for everyone.

    Once we all were cleaned up and dressed, we headed into Deckerville for the Homecoming Parade, leaving the campground shortly after 11:00am. While we waited for the parade to begin, the kids headed across the street to enjoy a “free” (donations accepted) ice cream sundae provided by the church. When the parade finally got underway, the kids – Steven included – were all rooting and cheering on any float that threw candy to them. After the parade was over, we wandered into the downtown area to check out the cars that were lining the streets for the classic car show. Tara also took the kids inside a thrift shop – what, what, what (I know, nobody will get that joke in a few years, but now it is still relevant and slightly funny, so I am using it!) to help occupy them while Dad, Drew, and I wandered the street.

    Once we had completed the activities in town that we had wished to see, we decided to split up so that we could accomplish multiple things. Dad & Mom took Steve, Samantha, Drew, and Jayden back to the campground to go swimming, while I went with Grandma Parrott, Tara, and Tyler to Country View (the Mennonite bulk food store), with a stop in Sandusky for fuel along the way.

    When we returned to the campground we learned that those who were already here had ate hot dogs for lunch, compliments of a distant family member staying a couple of sights away. That meant that we were meant to fend for ourselves. It was getting fairly late into the afternoon, so we opted for a mid-day snack instead of a full blown lunch. When Tyler finished snacking he headed off to the pool to join the others. Unfortunately for him the kids were getting tired by that point in time, so he didn’t get to swim long (technically he could have stayed, but he decided it wasn’t a lot of fun to be swimming by yourself).

    Sometime around 4:30pm-ish we figured that it was time to start working on dinner. We had planned for tacos tonight, so Tara and Grandma Parrott started working on cutting the lettuce and tomatoes, grating the cheese, and all of the other things that needed to be prepped for dinner. Dad cooked the meat outside in the electric frying pan, and Mom helped out with a little bit of everything. Me? I did my best to recover from the early morning and lack of sleep for the past month or so…

    After dinner was over and cleaned up, Dad & Mom headed into town to visit the beer tent. They weren’t really excited about going, as less people they know are going, but my Aunt Connie, who was in town from Ohio, was supposed to meet them there, so they headed in to see her. Tara & I kept Steve and the kids at the campsite. We (eventually) got a fire going, and spent the evening roasting marshmallows to make s’mores as well as pepperoni (my personal campfire favorite).

    While we had the fire going, we also worked on setting up our old tent for the night, as the kids have been asking to use it for quite some time now. Tyler and Sam wound up being the only two adventurous to try it, as Jay said no because the last time she slept in a tent she was ate alive by mosquitoes. I think that Drew was just too scared, but he would never admit it and we didn’t push it with him. Steve would have slept outside too, but Mom had already told him no, and he didn’t put up a fight about it.

    Around 11:00pm it was cooling off, and we were getting tired, so we decided to call it a night. Our timing couldn’t have been better, either, because as we were inside making beds Dad & Mom returned to the campsite, disappointed that Aunt Connie never made it to the beer tent to visit. After talking for a few minutes, it was time for lights out once again.

Friday, August 4th - 68/52°, Sunny & Windy

    Somehow, miraculously, we managed to sleep in a bit today. It was almost 10:00am before my eyes were fully opened (I say fully, because I tossed and turned all night on the crappy mattress/fold out bed combination). We had a family reunion scheduled for this afternoon, and lots of food to prepare, so that left little time for breakfast today. We wound up eating cinnamon rolls, which suited me just fine. They were cooked perfectly, in my opinion – slightly doughy, and still warm. Perfect!

    Like yesterday, we worked on cycling everybody through the showers while Mom and Tara worked on their dishes to pass for the reunion. Aunt Connie arrived before noon with her husband Randy, and she too helped cook.

    We all managed to find our way to the campground pavilion, where the reunion was being held, between 12:30 and 1:00pm. The kids were good today, helping carry food over to the pavilion, and collecting the $5 per family donation to help cover the costs. Dinner started at 1:00pm, so we headed right to the food tables to fill our plate. Everyone except picky ol’ me, that is. I did my best to find things I could eat, settling on a sandwich that Tara made special with me in mind, and a cake that Mom made. Mmm… filling!

    Shortly after 3:00pm Tara & I headed back to the camper to do some cleaning and packing, knowing that we both had to get to work tomorrow. We picked up the inside of the camper as best as we could, trying not to leave the big mess of toys and stuff that the kids had left behind for Dad & Mom to deal with. We loaded up everything that we thought we needed for tonight and tomorrow into the Enclave, and then did our best to round up the kids.

    We said our goodbyes, and Tyler, Samantha, and Jayden climbed into the car. Drew asked to stay, and after he gained the OK from his grandparents, he was left behind to hang out and help them for the night.

    It was around 3:45pm when we finally left the campground. We made two quick stops in Sandusky – one at the Dairy Queen for food, and the other at McDonald’s for drinks. Although we probably could have waited a while for dinner, I can honestly say that I wasn’t too excited for another McDonald’s Burger (which is likely where we would have stopped if we had continued on into Imlay City), so it was now or never for variety’s sake. We made one other stop, along M53 at a farmers market. I must admit that I wasn’t too impressed with this place, and that we won’t be rushing back here anytime soon. Oh well, you never know until you try, right?

    We arrived home around 7:00pm. We all helped to empty out the car before heading off to tackle separate chores. I headed outside and pulled some of the massive picker bushes from our flowerbeds while Sam mowed the front lawn. Tara worked on putting some of our stuff from the trip away. Tyler and Jayden… well, I’m sure that they did something productive. For them, anyway!

Trip Summary

    Despite not doing a ton of things on this trip, I think that we all had a great time. Or, perhaps the fact that we didn’t rush around to fit a lot in was the reason we enjoyed ourselves. I do know that we definitely needed some time away from the reality that awaited us upon our return.

    I don’t have much to add about the campground that I haven’t already said in the past, so I will pretty much skip that part of my summary.

    I do have one bit of sad news, however. When Dad & Mom were leaving the campground Sunday night, the trailer hitch wasn’t completely hooked, and their trailer slid off and onto the rear of our truck. There was a slight bit of damage (at least visually) to the fifth wheel camper, but nothing too serious (in fact, Dad said that he would fix it himself). And although the bed sides are slightly dented at the top, likely due to the tonneau cover rails, the majority of the damage was concentrated to the tailgate. I’m pretty certain it’s a goner. Now to deal with the insurance company!

    On the plus side, nobody was hurt, so it isn’t like this is going to be the end of the world for any of us…