What better time to think about summer adventures than while temperatures are dipped  lower than jeans waistlines in the late 1990s so as to show off tramp stamps and whale tails?

While you all are thinking about that time in fashion (whether you loved it – or not), I’m right here waiting patiently for you! Just like I waited patiently for that fashion trend to pass and give way to cargo pants and other pants sitting at the waist or just a little lower 😄 😂

Around Halloween, 2025, I had to do something that I’d never done before – cancel a camping reservation while in the ER of a hospital! 😲 😳

In 2026, I’m hoping that medical emergencies don’t ruin any of my outdoor adventures!

I’ve already set some recreation “goals” for 2026:

Choose one or more of the following line items to complete goal –

• Camp in a park that we (my husband and I) have never camped in – or haven’t done so in 15 years or more
• Try a different type of lodging we’ve never tried
• Go on at least one tent camping trip
• Bring fewer items on every trip – simplify
• Read and finish at least one book on a camping trip
• Plan a U.P. camping trip (Upper Peninsula of Michigan)
• Plan a trip during a full moon 🌝
• Try walk-up camping for a weekend

I know a lot of things really well about camping in Michigan. One, camping in the summer at any of Michigan’s state parks can be quite…competitive!  Especially in really popular parks such as Ludington, Wilderness, Holland and Muskegon.

Sites along shorelines are especially hard to score. On holiday weekends, it’s even harder.

I may be competitive when it comes to pub trivia, but when it comes to booking camping trips, I prefer a path of least resistance! Which means…

Don’t try booking in the most popular parks, be willing to forgo modern amenities like running water, flush toilets, showers and electricity, try booking during the week instead of weekends, avoid holiday weekends and choose spots just enough out of the way from the beaten path to discourage the laziest of tourists. Also, avoid Lake Michigan in the summer (unless you go totally rustic, like Fisherman’s Island State Park).

Campers can book sites at Michigan State Parks up to six months in advance.

In 2025, I woke up early six months ahead of when I wanted to book a cabin trip. Both cabins in my first choice park were booked immediately, so I went with our second choice spot, which worked out fine!

Looking back though, I don’t think that I’ll be booking a camping trip in the latter part of June ever again! Too many flies 😯

This year I’m looking at the latter part of July. Even in the U.P., bugs should not be too much of a problem by then.

I already have my eye on checking a few line items off my list!

We’ll see what happens the day I am able to book my trip!