Camping Disc Golf 2017

Uh. When the going gets rough, the rough roughs it! And off we head to Michigan for our annual camping and disc golfing extravaganza.

We are last minute campers and it worked to our advantage this year. As everything else was booked, we ended up at a little "secret" campsite we know of in western MI called Timberview. The nice old man that runs it got sick of loud campers, so he pulled all listings off of the internet. It's not on google maps. We were lucky enough to drive by one year and just stop in. And now that we have a kid, he set us up in the nicest secluded campsite, of which we took two pictures (we're bad at this sometimes.) There was wonderful hiking, an assortment of mushrooms to discover, and a giant hill of majestic old-growth pines that Brock aptly named "pine tree heaven." It's also quite refreshing to be in a site where you are actually allowed to gather your own firewood, and it's low-traffic enough that there is plenty. We started a roaring fire from a single match for what I think was my first time since boyscouts.

Holly insisted that this was pic was included.

Anyways, that fist night Brock got his first glimpse at a real starry sky. He still talks about the big dipper. (yeah we can't see it in Chicago.) He got tired and asked to go to bed about 15 minutes before the milky way came out, so he saw more than he's ever seen, and still missed the big show. We'll be back.

The next morning we drove up to Luddington to tackle Mason County Beauty. This picture and the following were taken in succession and undoctored. Brock found himself deep in the rough on hole 2.

 And he's on the green...

Lining up the putt...

 
It's looking good...

Drains the two-putt!!

...and leaves mommy hanging.

We found a tart cherry orchard after hole 3. Can you find Brock? Lake Michigan? An awesome blue house we'd love to vacation in?

Cherries!!

 Why are they so tall?

Brock and his first slime mold. He could not be stopped from touching it. It was slimy. 

He thought this was a good hiding place.

...but we found him.

Disc golf can get tiring. It's ok. Naptime was only 4 holes away.

After a short drive, we ended up at Lewis Petting Farm. Brock spotted their sign the day before on the drive to our campsite (it was a giant apple) and begged to go. It wasn't on the agenda, but it looked like a great idea. Brock was right. We started off by elaborately feeding the goats. These goats had quite the playground.

Next stop at the farm was the bird aviary. It closed early, and we got there for the final 10 minutes. Brock was in birdy heaven.

Look, I got one!

Inspecting...

Gentle touching...

A new friend!

Mommy even got in on the action.

We then headed straight for a giant jumping pillow, but got derailed by this awesome train.

And we made it!

They had two sizes of pillow, and this one was for little guys. No jumping adults. Brock didn't mind.

Then it was time for some slide races!! (That's animal feed in my hand, btw. Beer was the only thing this place lacked)

Spiders get tired too.

Feeding the prairie dogs. (note the pavilion in the background. that's the chicken show)

And here we are at the animatronic chicken coop show! It was pretty hilarious in a very dark way. Most of the songs were about being locked up and having your eggs stolen. But it was a private showing and it delighted Brock. This is a weird place.

Feeding the camels...

And the deer. At this point it was nearly closing time. We were one of the only groups left, the last chance for food, and the animals could feel it. While we were feeding these deer we heard the loudest most-shocking noises from behind us. It turned out to be a donkey yelling, "HEY! FEED MEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!"

We missed the bulk of the commotion before this video rolls, but it'll give you a pretty good idea of the excitement.

BEEEEES! A good end to a great day.

 The next morning we went to Flip City for more awesome disc golf. Brock loves this course because of the local culture of rock stacking.

Caught you stacking!

Brock climbs up to assist mommy with her last putt. What a view!

There are lots of resting huts that are heavily graffitied. We were lacking a sharpie, but Brock made his mark with a standard pen.

It's faint, but there. We'll check back next year...

Then it was off to the Dutch Village! Brock picked out his favorite bunny and fed him some straw.

 
Then he picked out his favorite chicken. So happy.

Our ex-vegetarian gets hungry...

Swings!

...get you tired.

The speedway

Brock helps to make a Dutch Waffle-cookie filled with caramel. It was delicious, but perhaps too gooey for the little man. (I think the fear in his face was when the assistant moved the finished cookie away from him. She was just putting it in wax paper before handing it to him, but the thought of toiling for disappearing cookies is no fun.)

Our last activity was relaxing with some beers and rootbeers to feed the ducks before the long drive home.

It was truly a perfect weekend. We saw amazing stars, had great weather, found new places, Brock fell deeper in love with animals and the outdoors, and I even set personal records on both disc golf courses. It's gonna be tough to top. Until next year...