Hey blog readers! Thanks, as always for continuing to visit this blog site! Just wanted to give y’all a heads up that I’ll be on a rustic camping trip this weekend, so you won’t see too many new posts from me over the next three days or so. If I happen to pop into a WiFi “hot spot” on my travels, I may do some type of “photo blog,” or something!

I’ll be camping at a state park called “Fisherman’s Island” in Charlevoix, MI. Fisherman’s Island used to be an island, but now is more like an extension of a peninsula. Mother Nature can be quite fickle!

 

Fisherman’s “Island” now, seen below, this photo is from 2011

Fisherman’s Island in 1993 (above), when it was still an island. I used a manual film camera for this shot, which I later used in a journalism photography class.

I first visited this state park in 1993, when my (then) boyfriend Mike and I went on our first camping trip together. We had started out camped at Petoskey State Park, which was north of here, but we stumbled upon this park/campground and decided to move camp because it was only $6 a night! Yes, that’s how much a rustic camp site cost back in the early 1990s!

Fisherman’s Island State Park isn’t the best state park we’ve ever visited.  The beach is decent, but the swimming conditions aren’t the best. Hiking trails are pretty minimal, and buggy in the summer. But if you want a cheap way to be able to take in some lovely Northern MI scenery in towns such as Charlevoix, Bellaire, Petoskey, or you want to head south and check out the views of Torch Lake? The location can’t be beat! The beach at Petoskey State Park is one of the best in MI (imho). If you’re a beer lover, you’re going to want to check out Short’s Brewing Company in Bellaire. There, you can try plenty of beers that aren’t bottled and distributed. Petoskey Brewing Co. is also worth a visit!

Our beach setup at Petoskey State Park in 2011.

The rustic camp sites at Fisherman’s Island are actually quite spacious, giving campers plenty of privacy. Paying $17 a night for a camp site (vault toilets, hand-pumped water, no electricity) certainly beats paying $100 or more a night for a motel/hotel room in the area…

This is what our camp site (#19) looks like per the Michigan DNR reservations web site:

It will look a LOT different once we put up our tent ‘n stuff!

The beach at Fisherman’s Island is nice enough for hanging out with some drinks at sunset, or even chillin’ during the day. Radio reception is pretty good – we used a solar radio when we visited in 2011, and just hung out drinking some canned Leinenkugel brews and listening to a classic rock station. The fact I mentioned “canned” Leinenkugel is an important plot point! Check out this sign leading to the beach as recently as 2011…

Being as literal minded as I am, signs like this drive my brain CRAZY! All I can think about is not being able to bring my collection of glass animals to the beach (LOL)!

And to bring this blog to a close, let’s take a look at what I looked like when I first visited this place in 1993!

Me at Fisherman’s Island State Park in 1993. I was quite the…”Grunge Princess!” Note the RBF, Doc Martens and sweat pants! I am also wearing a tank top from a Depeche Mode concert, which I still have – and still wear! I LOVED that flannel shirt, it actually had a zipper!

And here’s a picture of me in the same place in 2011:

I don’t like drinking out of cans, so I used a travel coffee mug for my hooch! Hey…I’m allowed to be a LITTLE girly, aren’t I? 🙂

My next blog post will be a recap of tonight’s trivia game, which should be posted by Friday morning. I’ll catch y’all on the rebound!