Vanderbilt, Michigan: Pigeon River State Forest Campground

October 2024, weekend - weekdays, 3 nights, campsite #1

View of campsite #1 in Pigeon River State Forest from hiking trail across river

We stayed in this campground April 2023, and you can find more information about the area in that post. I am sharing just a few photos in this post, as there was not much that was new this trip.

Campsite #1 in Pigeon River State Forest
Below: river behind campsite 1

Campsite 1

We again chose campsite 1, as it was the best river site available when we arrived on a Saturday. The campsite view to the river was a bit more overgrown that it had been in spring 2023. Other than that, and the rocks someone had piled up in the river, this campsite was pretty much the same as it had been then. 

Recreation: Discovery Center, hiking, kayaking, elk viewing

The Discovery Center next to park headquarters has a lot of great information inside. This is a short hike from the campground, and is also along the southern loop of ShingleMill Pathway. You can find hiking photos and a map in my previous post. The center had not been open last time we camped here. Fresh water is available at the ranger station, and we observed people filling their jugs when we passed by. A large portion of the trail on the west side of the river had been updated with new boardwalk since our last visit.

Above: Beaver Pond in Pigeon River State Forest
Below: pathway signage in Pigeon River State Forest

Seney, Michigan (upper peninsula): Seney Township Campground

September 2024, 3 nights, weekend

Fox River in Seney Township Campground in Michigan's upper peninsula

We found this campground, between our primitive campground stays, as we were looking for an inexpensive place to stay for a night or two with electricity. We liked this campground so well, we stayed for three nights.

Arrival experience

This is a small township campground on the Fox River with self-registration. Two campsites were taken when we arrived on a Friday. Only one campsite is river adjacent, and the camper on that site looked like he was staying for awhile. We parked, and walked around the park on foot, before we decided to go with campsite 14. The senior rate for a site with electricity was $18 a night. This campground does not have a sanitation station.

 View from campsite 14 in Seney Township Campground 

Campsite 14

This campsite overlooks an artesian well and a small creek. Tent sites, and Fox River Road are visible on the other side of the creek. Since there were no tent campers during our stay, we had a great view. The only vehicles were observed on Fox River Road were ATV type trail machines, and a couple off vehicles camping at the State Forest Campground down the road.

Above: Seney Township Campground artesian well and campsite 14 beyond
Below: campsite 14 from tent area in Seney Township Campground

People often stopped at the well to fill water containers, which did not cause us any disruption. In fact, when we returned one day from our hike, someone had left us a box of firewood. 😊 No campers had departed the campground that day, so we assume it was from someone who had stopped for water.

Campsite 14 in Seney Township Campground

Honor, Michigan: Platte River Campground in Sleeping Bear Dunes National Park

July 2024, nine nights, campsite 114

We have camped in this park a few times, and visited the general area many times. You can find more info by clicking on labels of interest at the bottom of this post, or via the following links: Platte River Campground September 2023, and Platte River State Forest campground July 2016. 

Campsite 114 from road in Platte River Campground

Campsite 114

Although campsite 114 was not our first choice when making our reservation, this turned out to be a great site. It is a spacious site, with good privacy compared to some of the campsites in this campground. The space between the fire pit on this campsite and campsite 116 is partially open, and the rest of the sides are blocked by trees and hills.

Campsite 114 in Platte River Campground

Before we arrived, we were a bit worried about the amount of tent room on this site, as the online photos looked like it might be boxed in by hills without much ground area. We have a trailer; however, we had two tent visitors for a couple of nights during our stay. We had also hoped to be able to put our screened in tent over the picnic table. The space worked out perfectly! We were able to put one tent on each side of the screened gazebo. The rules for this park do not say anything about the number of tents on a site; it only says no more than 6 people, only 1 trailer type unit, and only 2 vehicles per site allowed.

Platte Beach

Richmond, Kentucky: Fort Boonesborough State Park

May 2024, 2 nights, weekdays

Campsite 137 in Fort Boonesborough State Park

Reservations, arrival, campsite 137 and more

We made an online reservation at this campground. The cost for electric and water hookup was $33.30 a night after the 10% senior discount. There is also a $6 reservation fee.  I completed the pre-arrival email I received, and the check-in process at the camp store when we arrived, was very quick. I inquired about wifi during check-in, and the staff member told me not to buy it; she said it would only send text messages.

It had been difficult to choose a campsite online, as there are over 150 campsites in this park. In hindsight, we should have waited until we arrived, since we were staying mid-week in early May. When I viewed the campground map and photos online, I had thought site 138 would be a nice site; however, this campsite is not listed as one that can be reserved (at any time). Campsite 138 is a nice site, and the camper on it looked like it had been there for a while. There was nothing to indicate this is a host site, so I do not know why it is non-reservable.

Facing road from campsite 137 in Fort Boonesborough State Park

Campsite 137 is level and grassy. It is not too bad of a site, since there is a lot of space between sites 137 and 138, and there is a fair amount of room on the other side, next to site 136. During our stay, however, people arrived on site 136, and set up their tent with the door next to and facing our fire pit and trailer. 😳 This made it difficult to have a fire, and the view when sitting inside our trailer, was directly toward their tent door.

The section of the campground we stayed in was probably a bit quieter than the main middle area, as it is farther away from 627 with thick trees between the road and the campsites. We liked site 161, and would have chosen that site, if we had waited until we arrived to choose a site. When I looked at the campground online, it looked like that site would be close to the playground; however, it is not. It has trees along the sides, and is a good distance away from the play area. 

We were surprised that we had no TV reception in this campground, since it is pretty close to a few good-sized towns (Richmond, Lexington, and Winchester). I had Spectrum cell service, and my husband did not have any reception with Mint/ T-mobile. 

Fort Boonesborough State Park map

Recreation

We did not know the fort is closed on Mondays and Tuesdays when we made our reservation for those days. I realized this when I looked at the park again after completing our online check-in. Entrance to the fort is not included with the campground stay, and the folks in the camp store did not have much information. I was told they do not sell tickets, which they think cost $6, and that they think there is a senior discount. My husband had planned to visit the fort Wednesday morning before we departed, since I had some things to do; however, he did not end up doing that. We did view the fort from the outside, and we read the history placards posted outside the fort when we hiked the trails in the park. 

Site of Fort Boonesborough 

Great Smoky Mountains National Park: Cades Cove Campground, Hiking, Biking, and more

 May 2024, 6 nights

Cades Cove loop in Smoky Mountains National Park

We had originally thought we would stay in Look Rock Campground to visit the Smoky Mountains because it is the only National Park campground with electricity, and we wanted to stay for about a week. After more research, we decided to go with Cades Cove Campground instead. One reason we changed our minds is because there is more hiking directly from the campground in Cades Cove, and we had read there is a lot of vehicle noise by Look Rock from Foothills Parkway.

Above: Abrams Creek across from campsite
Below: campsite 68 in Cades Cove Campground

Cades Cove Campground, campsite 68 and more

I had about six campsites as top choices in Cades Cove. Campsite 68 was on this list, although it was not near the top of the list. Some of the other sites on our list were 21, 42, 69, 70, and 79. Lucky for us, most of the other sites had been reserved by the time we could make our reservation (6 months in advance). After we got to the campground, we decided campsite 68 is one of the best sites in loop B! 😄

Above: view of campsite 68 from road in Cades Cove Campground
Below: looking toward campsite 69 from campsite 68 

San Antonio, Texas: Hampton Inn & Suites Riverwalk, Dining, Attractions

October 2023, weekdays, two nights, king suite 727

Reservations, arrival, diamond perks

I had two reservations for this stay, because one night was a paid stay, and the other night was a points redemption. The same guestroom type was not available both nights, so I had to reserve two different room types. I wanted to reserve a [king] balcony room; however, since a balcony room was not available, I reserved a Jr. suite with a king bed, and a Queen double. I called the hotel a few days ahead of time to make sure the stays were linked together, and to check the availability of a balcony guestroom. Although there were no balcony guestrooms available, the agent told me she could assign us the same Jr. suite for both nights, so we would not need to change rooms. She said this would probably be on floor 3. 

Hampton Inn San Antonio Riverwalk guestroom diagram;
star is location of guestroom 727

When I checked in on the app the next day, the only available guestroom choices were as the agent had stated; guestrooms 320 and 321. On floor 3, guestroom 320 overlooks the roof of the building next door, and 321 sets back in the building corner. I chose guestroom 320 to complete the check-in process. We had to go to the front desk when we arrived to complete check-in, because we needed an elevator key. The agent did not say anything about my guestroom location or type, although she did say something about it being the room I had chosen when I checked in on the app. Imagine my delight when she handed me a key for guestroom 727! We had been upgraded to a one-bedroom suite in a much better location. I also received bottled water and snacks.

Hampton Inn and Home2Suites San Antonio Riverwalk
Above, view from Hampton Inn guestroom 727 

I had a difficult time choosing a hotel and guestroom, so I am sharing a couple photos of the hotel and guestroom diagrams with labeled details. The Hampton Inn is located in the same building as Home2Suites. I originally chose Home2Suites, because we like the roominess and full kitchen that brand offers; however, I changed to the Hampton Inn, because it did not look like the Home2Suites guestrooms had balconies. Both hotels do have balcony rooms, although there are more balcony guestrooms in the Hampton Inn, and these rooms are also closer to the river.

King one-bedroom suite #727 in Hampton Inn San Antonio Riverwalk

Kalamazoo, Michigan: Markin Glen County Park

September 2023, 3 nights, weeknights, campsite 27

Overlooking playground and beach area in Markin Glen Campground

Reservations and arrival

It is easy to make a reservation at this campground via phone, and the cost to camp for a full hook-up site is fair. Our arrival experience was a bit unpleasant, as we arrived shortly before the 3:00 PM check-in time, and were told we had to wait in the parking lot, or return after 3:00. Since we arrived on a Tuesday, and the campsites had all been vacated and cleared, this seemed ridiculous. Another camper arrived at 2:55 PM, and also pulled into the parking area to wait 5 minutes. 😳 At least the staff member had processed our paperwork when we arrived, so we did not have to go back out and enter the check-in line at 3:00 PM. Apparently, a lot of people thought Tuesday was a good day to arrive, as we observed a couple of campers in line, when we drove from the picnic area parking lot to our campsite. 

Campsite 27 in Markin Glen Campground

Campsite 27

Campsite 27 is the very last site on the outer loop. It is a grassy, private, and beautiful site. We got some rain during our stay, and this site floods a bit on the cement pad. 

Campsite 27 in Markin Glen Campground

Honor, Michigan: Platte River Campground in Sleeping Bear Dunes National Park

September 2023, Sunday - Tuesday, two nights, campsite 221

This was a last minute stay for us, at the end of Labor Day weekend, so our campsite choices were limited. We were glad to have been a part of the trial group for the new notification system being tested, so we received an email when there was a cancelation. Campsite 221 is not a campsite we would choose again, if we had had more options to choose from. It is not an awful campsite; there are just many better sites in the campground.

Campsite 221 in Platte River National Park Campground

The area around the camper is somewhat private on this site; however, the main area where the table and fire pit are located is not the greatest. 

Upper Peninsula, Michigan: Recreation in Porcupine Mountains State Park, and Black River Harbor Recreation Area

May 2023, 8 days of hiking, waterfalls, rivers

Union Mine Interpretive trail sign and Union River
gorge overlook in Porcupine Mountains

Hiking

We hiked over 32 miles in the Porcupine Mountains! One of the hikes I enjoyed most is underrated, in my opinion; Union Mine Interpretive Trail. This is an easy trail along the river with some beautiful views.

  

Union Spring and Union Spring Trail in Porcupine Mountains

We hiked Union Spring Trail in this same area, which was a wet hike in May! Union Spring is a smaller version of Kitch-iti-Kipi Spring, and is just as beautiful. 

Government Peak Trail

We tried to hike Government Peak Trail one of the first days after we had arrived, and the bridge was out before Trap Falls. The bridge had been repaired a few days later, and we hiked the trail as far as Union Spring Trail junction. 

Union Spring Trail and Government Peak Trail connection
River crossing below

To get to Union Spring Trail from Government Peak Trail, you need to go through the river, as there is no bridge.

Upper Peninsula, Michigan: Recreation in Bond Falls and Sturgeon River Gorge

May 2023, 8 days 

Above: view from trail in Bond Falls West Campground--trailer and kayak on campsite 20
Below: trail sign next to Bond Falls Road

Bond Falls Flowage: hiking, falls, boating, fishing, swimming

There are a couple of easy hikes from Bond Falls West Campground. The hike from our campsite to the falls and back was less than 4 miles roundtrip. We walked past the boat ramp, Roselawn Creek, and along the snowmobile trails next to Bond Falls Road. A small portion of this walk was along the shoulder of Bond Falls Road. We turned back onto the trail beyond the signs shown in the photo above. When you get to the dam after passing campsites 24 and 25, there is no way out to the road (the falls are on the north side of the road) unless you walk across the stone spillway behind the Outpost.

The falls and river were raging when we were there! The video above is the river near the falls picnic area. This is just below the dam and up river from the falls.

Ontonagon River above Bond Falls May 2023