Millersburg, Michigan: Ocqueoc Falls State Forest Campground, the Falls and Hiking

May 2023, weekdays, 3-nights

Ocqueoc River

We drove through this state forest campground when we visited Ocqueoc Falls in June 2017 from P. H. Hoeft State Park. This time, we stayed in the state forest campground across the street from the falls. We had planned to arrive a few days earlier than we did; however, shortly beforehand, we discovered this campground does not open until May 1st. We arrived May 1st, and were the only campers all three nights of our stay.

View from campsite 3 in Ocqueoc Falls State Forest Campground

Ocqueoc Falls State Forest Campground is a primitive campground with vault toilets and a hand pump for fresh water. The water we pumped out was brown, and we did not use it. I am not sure if it is always like that, or if this was because we were apparently the first ones using the pump since the previous fall.

View from campsite 3 in Ocqueoc Falls State Forest Campground
Below: from back camper window

Campsites

We stayed on campsite 3, which is an amazing site. Campsites 1 and 2 are also on the river; the view is just not as open as on site 3. Campsite 3 is the most open riverfront campsite. It is a bit tricky to back into, as the road in front of it has a slight incline.

Above: View in front of campsite 3 in Ocqueoc Falls State Forest Campground
Below: Another view from campsite 3

Vanderbilt Michigan: Pigeon River State forest Campground

April 2023, campsite #1, weekdays-weekend, 4 nights

Picnic area in Pigeon River State Forest Campground

Arrival and registration

This campground could not be found on google maps or on our GPS, although the Pigeon Bridge State Forest campground showed up. We arrived from the south, and entered the Discovery Center/ranger station (both in the same location; next to each other) into our GPS. The river state forest campground signs were visible after we passed the ranger station. This campground is about 5 miles down a dirt road after passing Pigeon Bridge Campground. It is a state forest campground with self-registration and payment by cash or check. The cost was $20 per night.

Campsite 1 in Pigeon River State Forest Campground

Campsite #1

Two riverfront campsites were occupied when we arrived on a Wednesday. We gladly snagged spacious and grassy campsite #1 on the river. The two occupied sites have a bit more open river view than site #1; however, campsite 1 is the only roomy site. All of the other riverfront sites are very shallow, and the trailers were parked parallel next to the road.

Campsite #1 in Pigeon River State Forest Campground from across the river
Below: The beavers were busy behind campsite #1!

When you enter the campground, campsite 1 is straight ahead, and most of the other sites are down the road to the left. There are only three campsites to the right at the bottom of the entrance road--one shallow site on the river, and two across the road. We observed many beaver downed trees, although we never saw any beavers.

Artesian well in Pigeon River State Forest Campground

Petoskey, Michigan: Hampton Inn & Suites

View from guestroom 304 Hampton Inn Petoskey

 March 2023, Sunday-weekend, one night

We previously stayed in this hotel in whirlpool guestroom 120 in January 2019. You can find details from that stay in the following link. The guestroom photos on the website were a bit incorrect before that stay, and it looks like some of those errors have now been corrected. This time we reserved a king bed studio suite with sofa bed. 

Guestroom diagram from Hilton Honors app

Arrival and diamond perks 

When my check-in notification arrived a couple of days before our stay, we were being assigned an odd numbered guestroom on floor three. Odd numbered guestrooms face the parking lot, so I ignored the check-in notifications. When I checked the app a few hours before our arrival, we had been assigned guestroom 304, which is on the side of the building facing the water. If the room we received was an upgrade, then some guestroom photos on the website are still incorrect. A king study suite shows a balcony door in the photos, and the guestroom type I reserved is $10 more than a king room that says bay view. None of the guestrooms actually say they have a balcony, although you can see the balcony door in the photos. The two even numbered guestrooms at each end, on floors two through four, have a balcony. The front [odd-numbered] guestrooms, like the room initially assigned to me through the app, do not have a balcony. I confirmed that our guestroom had a balcony when we completed check in at the front desk. The clerk was friendly and professional. She recognized my status, and provided waters and a snack.

Hampton Inn Petoskey guestroom 304

Jackson, Michigan: Hampton Inn & Suites

 March 2023, weeknight, one night, king guestroom 315

We stayed in the Tru by Hilton in this area in November 2022; however, I neglected to write a blog post after that stay. I am disappointed I did not complete one, because I could not remember the details of that hotel when I was trying to decide which property to choose. The Hampton Inn was $5 more a night than Tru by Hilton. Tru by Hilton is a newer building; however, that type of property does not provide in room coffee, or a seating area in the guestroom (only a desk work area and desk chair). I figured I would have remembered if there had been anything exceptional or horrific at the other hotel, so we decided to go with the Hampton Inn. 

Arrival and diamond perks

As usual, the app did not show me any available upgrade options when checking in. I looked again after we got on the road, and it showed that there were no rooms available. We were not going to be arriving until after 7:00 PM, so I decided to call the hotel. It took me four tries to reach someone in the hotel. Every time I chose the option to speak with someone at the front desk, the phone rang 10 times, and then no one answered. The fourth time I called, I chose the option for sales. This time, that call was picked up after one ring. When I asked the person who had answered, if I had the front desk, she said yes. 😲 Hmm... I am not sure if their phone routing program had issues, or if calls were only being answered if they thought it might be important. Anyway, I asked the person I spoke with if she could help pick out a room for me to get checked in, since we were not going to be arriving until late. (I did not want to be worried, if rooms were not showing as available because the hotel was going to be full). She told me to just come to the front desk when we arrived. She had asked my name before this, and apparently, she then gave us an upgrade and checked us in after my call. A short time after I hung up, I received a text saying my credit card had been authorized, and then I received a Hilton notification saying we had been assigned guestroom 315. This is a king bed study with sofabed, which is an upgrade from what I had booked. When we arrived, I received bottled water and trail mix snacks.

View from guestroom 315 in Hampton Inn Jackson, Michigan

King study 315

This spacious guestroom is on the top floor at the center of the hall. We appreciated the extra space, and the field view from the window was much nicer than the parking lot view. 

Guestroom 315 in Hampton Inn Jackson, Michigan

Murfreesboro, Tennessee: Hampton Inn & Suites

 January 2023, weekend, one night

View of Tennessee River on our way north to Hampton Inn

Arrival and diamond perks

Our arrival experience was a bit exasperating; however, all worked out okay in the end. There were two or three guests at the front desk when we arrived shortly after 7:00 PM. One woman wanted to get into the fitness center, and her key did not work (the new key the front desk agent provided also did not work; apparently, the door keypad needed new batteries). Another guest was seated in the lobby while the front desk clerk was apparently having trouble getting her room for her (the clerk eventually called her up and provided keys), and I am not sure if the other group of guests actually needed assistance, or if they were just waiting for their dinner ride (they were waiting by the front desk, but then left when a ride arrived before it would have been their turn). I waited about 15 minutes for assistance, during which time, I wondered if I should have chosen the DoubleTree across the street instead. No one said anything while I waited, so initially, it was difficult to know who-all was waiting for assistance. Especially, since one guest was seated across the lobby while the clerk worked at her computer. When it was my turn, the front desk clerk apologized, recognized my status, and gave us an upgraded suite on the top floor. We received water and snacks. I would have checked in on the app, if rooms had been available, as stated in the Hilton Honors program. The program says that diamond members will be offered upgraded rooms up to three days ahead of check-in, if available; however, I rarely see upgraded rooms available when I look at the app before arrival.

King suite 303 in Hampton Inn Murfreesboro, Tennessee

King bed studio suite 303

This guestroom was comfortable and clean. It looked pretty much exactly like the photos on the hotel website. The spacious entry counter/wet bar area included a sink, coffeemaker, microwave, and small fridge.

King suite 303 in Hampton Inn Murfreesboro, Tennessee

Carnival Paradise 5-day Western Caribbean Ports of call: Mahogany Bay in Roatan, Honduras and Cozumel, Mexico

 January 2023

This is a brief post, as I have already shared information for both of these ports in several previous posts. I am sharing some new information here, and you can click on the links at the bottom of this post to find more details about areas you are interested in.

Mahogany Bay, Isla Roatan from Carnival Paradise

Mahogany Bay, Isla Roatan: 11:00 AM - 7:00 PM

We had a casual day at this port; we walked to the port beach after lunch for a few hours. We were the only ship in port, so there were plenty of loungers available in the shade without having to rent an umbrella. Wifi is available for the day for $5. You can purchase with cash at a booth, or online with a credit card. I suggest purchasing with cash, as the credit card purchases were not working correctly. After I agreed to the terms and payment, the page reloaded and told me to pay $5 [again]. When I went to the booth to get this corrected, I waited behind another passenger being helped who had had the same trouble. The staff member got her account signed in, and then she fixed mine. If you purchase wifi at the booth, you are given a one-time access code to sign in with (which is pretty much what the staff member did after confirming we had actually made the purchase). Local beers were available at the bars for $5. Wine and mixed drinks were available too; however, I do not know the cost, since we did not purchase any. We have previously gone on the Tabyana Beach shore excursion at this port, which I recommend, if you are looking to get away from the ship dock. 

Iguana in the Cozumel port shopping area

Carnival Paradise Cruise: 5-day Western Caribbean from Tampa, Florida

 January 2023

Tampa from Carnival Paradise

Arrival and check-in ~ Tampa

The check-in and boarding process in Tampa was not as efficient as most cruises we have been on. Our early arrival, because the hotel shuttle schedule could not meet our desired arrival time, did not help matters. When we arrived at the cruise port around 9:20 AM, people were still disembarking (passengers are usually off the ship by this time on most Carnival cruises we have been on). We found a place to wait out of the way until all the guests had disembarked, and porters were starting to take new guests' luggage, which was around 10:00 AM. We then walked up the stairs to the check-in lines. There is an escalator next to the stairs; however, it was still roped off when we ascended the steps. There were stations at the top where staff members viewed boarding passes, and then directed guests to the appropriate lines. Several guests were already waiting in the roped queues. A short time later, we were told there was a computer glitch. Around 10:45 AM, our VIP line started to move. We went through security, completed check-in, and then went to the platinum waiting area. We were on board around 11:30 AM.

View from Carnival Paradise heading out of Tampa Bay in Tampa, Florida