Grand Haven, Michigan / Municipal marina and area

June 2015, Saturday - Sunday

View behind slip 46

Grand Haven Municipal Marina floating dock #46 

Arrival and check-in experience

We arrived in Grand Haven by boat around 11:00 a.m. We called the marina on the radio to inquire about a boat slip for the night, and we were told that slip 44 would be available around 1:00 p.m., which is checkout time. Slip 44 is on the floating docks at the east end of the marina. The floating docks are barely long enough to accommodate a 30' boat unless you back in. We like to bow in because we prefer watching the water activity to the folks on shore. We have a 28' boat, with an overall length of over 30', so we asked about a slip at the west end of the marina. The female who had answered our call said that there was not anything available at the west end.

We idled past the length of the marina and saw that every slip had an "occupied" sign in the post. We made note of the boat in slip 44, and then departed to tie our boat up on the channel wall where we could see the boats coming and going.   

The boat in slip 44 was still there when we walked by around 12:30 p.m. After this, we stopped in the office to register for the slip and pay. The computer system was not working, so they were not accepting credit cards. We had to pay in cash or by check. Before we completed check-in, we asked again about the open slips with numbers in the 20s because there were still four of them open.

Last stationary docks #s 27 & 28

St. Ignace, Michigan / Straits State Park Campground

May 2015, Weekend, 2-nights, Lot #3

We initially thought we wanted to reserve a campsite directly on the water at Straits State Park; however, the waterfront sites do not have electricity, and generators are not allowed. We figured the weather would be cool at the time of our stay in the beginning of May, so we chose a lot with electricity, which does not have a camping lot across the street from it.

More photos for this campground and area can be found in the Straits State Park Facebook album.

photo taken from the beach access area across from lot 3

Arrival and check-in

There was not anyone working in the entrance booth when we arrived Friday afternoon. We found our name on the posted list of arriving campers before proceeding to our lot. The road splits after passing the booth, and the posted signs did not contain lot numbers or the campground section names. We should have looked at the campground map more closely before we arrived, because we turned the wrong way! The road that veers left goes to the lower campground, and the road that goes straight ahead/to the right goes to the upper campground.

Garden, Michigan / Fayette Historic State Park and Campground

May 2015, Weekday, 3-nights, Lot #32

water near campsite 32

Arrival and check-in

The entrance into Fayette Historic Park from the main road is paved and it is over a half mile long. Unfortunately, we did not see any wildlife along the way. There was not anyone in the office when we arrived, and I did not see a posting with our name or lot information. We had reserved and paid for lot 32 online, so we continued to our lot and settled in. 

There were two other campers in the park when we arrived, and a few more arrived during our stay. Every time guests arrived at a campsite, a campground employee stopped to see them a few minutes later. I assume, to give them their campsite documents and such. We expected someone to stop and talk with us; however, no one did until the night before we departed. At that time, someone drove by after checking with another camper who had just arrived. He asked if we had checked in, and we said that we had made our reservation online. He asked if we wanted him to bring us our check-in papers. We said that we had our online receipt, and that it did not matter since we were leaving in the morning. He must not have been concerned about this either, because when he returned with paperwork for the other campers, he did not bring us anything.

When we had walked by the Old School Site that morning, it looked like there was a sign in the window at the contact station that said something about checking in at 8:00 or 8:30 a.m. It seems like we were probably supposed to have completed our check-in at the office our first morning, and we did not realize it. Since we had not seen a sign about reserved lots, and there was not a cone on our lot when we arrived, we were glad that our lot had been open when we got there!

Paradise, Michigan / Tahquamenon Falls State Park, Campground, and Brewery

May 2015, Weekend-Weekday, 3-nights, Lower Falls - Portage Lot #11

I have shared a few photos in this post, and there are many more photos of the trails and the falls in the Tahquamenon Falls album on my Facebook page.

Arrival and check-in

The online reservation system for Tahquamenon Falls State Park says that the lower falls portage campground is open year round; however, a post on their Facebook page said that the road to the lower falls had just opened a week before our stay. Initially, we were the only ones with a reservation the dates of our stay, and two more campsites had been reserved before we left on our trip.

upper falls

There was not anyone working at the entrance to the lower falls campground when we arrived. Our name and lot number were posted on the board for arriving campers, so we drove to our lot. There was an orange cone on the lot to designate that it was reserved. We moved the cone, and before we finished parking, a ranger drove by and stopped to greet us. She confirmed that we were the ones who had reserved the site, and she asked if we had any questions. She provided some information about the trails and such in the area, although she did not have any park or trail maps with her. She then departed to get our check-in materials. We were not on our site when the ranger returned, and when we got back later, we found that she had left our registration materials for us with a note.

Mackinaw City, Michigan / Tee Pee Campground, Wineries & more!

May 2015, Weekday-Weekend, 2-nights, Lot #27

Sunset from lot 27 at Tee Pee campground

I am sharing a few pictures from our stay in this blog, and there are many more in the Mackinaw City album on my Facebook page.

Arrival and check-in at Tee Pee campground

I made an advance reservation at Tee Pee Campground even though it was not likely they would be busy when we arrived on a Thursday night in early May. Looking at the campground map online, lot 27 looked like the best lot for us. We would be facing the lake with a view of the bridge, so I asked if we could reserve that lot. The person I spoke with said that lots are not pre-assigned.

We stayed in this campground in 2004 with a pickup camper, and we did not recall much about the lots. I did not keep this blog then, so I only had a few old photos to look back at. I could determine that we had stayed on a lot numbered in the teens at that time, and that the lot next to us had been empty.

online map

Camping on Gun Lake in Middleville, Michigan / Yankee Springs Recreation Area and Campground

April 2015, Weekend-weekday, 3-nights, Site 60 and 42

I have included a few photos in this blog post, and there are many more in the Yankee Springs Recreation Area album on my Facebook page.

We had initially planned to camp in Petoskey State Park the weekend of this stay; however, the temperature in Michigan dropped to below 40° (during the day) in the northern lower peninsula of Michigan this week. After researching several lower Michigan inland parks and towns, we decided on Yankee Springs Recreation Area instead. When we made our decision, four nights before our stay, site 60 was the only waterfront campsite left, so we booked that. We considered waiting before booking site 60, and we should have. Before our stay, and after we had made our reservation, two more waterfront lots became available from cancellations; site 50 and 78. Site 50 looked like a better site with more of a lake view instead of channel view, and it has a tar pad. There is a $10 reservation change fee online, so we decided to wait until we arrived at the park to ask about changing lots.

Arrival/check-in

We arrived around 12:30 p.m., and site 50 had already been filled by someone that morning, so we stayed on our original site for the weekend. The first entrance booth to the boat launch and campground was not staffed at the time of our stay; the campground check-in station was staffed, and staff members were also working in the campground during the days. It only took us a few moments to check-in.

view from campsite 60 toward Gun Lake

Campsite #60

This is a spacious site with full sun. We wanted the sunshine, since it was only 40° to 50° during the day, and the temperature dropped to around freezing overnight. Gun Lake was slightly visible from the fire pit looking behind our RV.

view from the back of lot 60

Even though all of the channel lots except 78 had been booked for the weekend, it was quiet because several people did not show up. Campsite 58, right next to us, and site 54, were both empty all weekend. Campers in a tent stayed on site 56 Friday night, and then they left on Saturday. This left all three lots between 60 and the lake open. Someone had taken lot 78, which is farther inland, after we arrived.

Grand Rapids, Michigan / Courtyard Marriott Grand Rapids Downtown

March 2015, Sunday night, 1-night, King Jr. Suite #542

The guestroom information for this post will be shorter than usual because this is the same guestroom we stayed in the last time we stayed at this hotel in July 2014. I redeemed a free night certificate for both stays. My status had been Gold in July, and it was Silver during this stay, although it had been Gold when I made the reservation.

Status perks and check-in

I have stayed in the Courtyard Marriott Grand Rapids Downtown a few times, with both Silver and Gold status; I did not stay in this hotel when my status was Platinum. Several years ago, when I stayed in this hotel with Silver status, I received an automatic upgrade to an executive suite overlooking the river. I have never received an upgrade since then without asking for it, and I have never received that kind of guestroom again, although I have received upgrades after asking.