Camping Pics

Fred, aka Bob, the Chipmunk

Sunset through the trees over the water... from our campsite


Me...

Me again


Kristin








One more of K-to-the-ristin

I've got an hour...

So, I'm going to recount some camping adventures.

Kristin had reserved a campsite for us but when we got to the campground it turned out that there had been a mistake and our site wasn't actually available. And the campground was booked for just the second time this summer. After being assisted by a sweet female DNR officer who, when she found out I had a disability, asked, "Are you mental?" we settled down. Now, normally that might be offensive, but you can tell it was an honest question and, after further reflection, I think it makes sense. How many physically disabled people do you see wandering around a rustic (read: no electricity, running water, bathrooms = small outhouses) campground? Juuuuust me, usually. So, long story short, we ended up with a campsite nestled quite beautifully in the woods and above the water, facing west. They told us they never "rent" that site out. We felt blessed. It was gorgeous. And they didn't charge us extra. Also cool.

Kristin went to get ice and I sat on a little hill, stick in hand to beat away the 8 different species of daddy-longlegs we discovered on our site (I don't like arachnids). I watched the water lick the shore methodically and unrushed. Soon another DNR officer walked up to empty our firepit. He and I began talking and I discovered he's a social worker for a local ISD and had been a houseparent in Grand Rapids for a while. He also calmed my fears about the overabundance of arachnids; "a normal, healthy crop," he said. I tired quickly of fending the eight-legged beasts off and relocated to the picnic table where I was soon joined by a very friendly and tame chipmunk Kristin and I named Fred. Several times Fred came right up to my shoe and sat there and stared at me. He also loved to entertain us by running in and out from underneath our tent.

When Kristin returned started grilling dinner. But we had neglected to bring spatulas, so Kristin flipped our burgers with spare stakes... I think the count was four for how many times a burger but the sand. (Don't worry, we rinsed off the meat). We made our way down our private path towards the beach where we watched the sunset. Stunning. Then we built a fire. Last time I had gone camping my friend Alex had taught me the offical way to make a fire and I am glad to report that it worked! We didn't have a lot of wood, though, so it was short lived.

We packed away the food and retreated to the tent. Occassionally we heard a rustle here and there but chaulked it up to Fred scurrying about. When we awoke in the AM we discovered that 1) it was not Fred that had visited our site the night before and 2) Raccoons had done away with our breakfast, even though we had stored it away. Oh well, we decided. We accounted for all the food containers that we brought... except for the cream cheese. No word on what the raccoons did with the cream cheese... I busted out my reserve of Clif Bars and we partook.

We took down camp and packed up the car. And there we were stopped by another DNR officer who wanted to make sure our stay was good. He thanked us again for our flexibility (Kristin and I decided it was goofy to be stressed about it all when we were getting away to destress) and was talking to us about the site and the spiders when all of the sudden I see Fred scurrying behind him. So I point him out and explain our experiences with Fred and the DNR officer says, "Oh, yeah! That's Bob. He's way more tame than the other animals around here. I think he's still mad at me. He likes almonds and a couple days ago I gave him a spicey almond. He didn't come see me for a couple days." hehehe. Oh, Bob. Apparently he follows the officers around and gets scared if he gets left behind. Now that is a domesticated chipmunk if ever there was one!

Kristin and I have concluded that the people of Charlevoix, especially the DNR officers, are incredibly nice. And I think God had a hand in us getting that super sweet site. Pics of the weekend to follow.