We are spending a few days at Van Buren State Park after the Mini Lite Rally. We needed to get some work done. Since we are already here and Starlink is happy, it’s a good place to do just that.

We had already made one extension in our reservation. The original plan was to leave here Sunday. Then we found out how many people were staying until Monday, and we wanted to be part of the cool group. So we booked Sunday night as well. Our weekend spot was booked, so I found another site. It turns out that our Sunday site was booked over the weekend by Tina and Tony from TNT RVing so they swapped with us for the whole weekend so we wouldn’t have to move on Sunday.

On Sunday we booked through Thursday, and we did wind up having to change sites on Monday.

Move Monday

We got ready for one of the shortest moving days in history! Even on easy days, checklists make for StressLess Camping. Of course some checklist items must be done no matter how short the ride is. Other items I skipped, or tossed things on the bed to be moved again later. 

We had set up a lot of outdoor living stuff, like chairs and the griddle. We loaded those on the tailgate of the truck and Tony drove them to the new site before we hooked up. That was easier than actually packing them, just to unpack them again.

Work Monday

When we were set up, we got some work done. We also took a few breaks to say so long to our friends that were leaving. We are trying to get a feel for this work-life balance we keep hearing so much about. 

One of the most annoying parts of outdoor setup is hooking the propane line for the griddle onto the Mini Lite propane connection attached to the frame. The connection is quite far from the edge of the trailer, and is a quick-connect which can be sticky. I literally cannot reach without lying on my back on the ground. I honestly think we would use the griddle far more often if this was not such a pain.

Friends Monday

We wanted to set up the griddle, though, because our friend Steve Comstock was joining us for dinner. We cooked lemon pepper chicken. Steve brought fresh Michigan asparagus with olive oil, which Tony also added to the griddle. 

We cooked and ate outside. The day had been chilly and windy all day, and we all were freezing. So we went inside to visit in comfort. Steve also brought fresh berries and whipped cream, and we enjoyed those for our dessert. 

Before he headed back to his trailer and his little pup Rosie, Steve made good on his promise and autographed the books of his that we had won in the raffle. They are really beautiful photo logs. You can check out Steve’s work with this link. 

A work and life day

This morning, we knew that we would get a lot of work done. But we also knew that we wanted to check out the town of South Haven. As I said, one thing we are trying to explore is finding more balance between working and having adventures. 

We took a short break when Steve came by with Rosie to say he was getting ready to head out. We look forward to seeing Steve again in August for the Forest River Owners Group, or FROG, rally in Goshen, Indiana. 

Coffee in town

For lunch we warmed up the chicken leftovers from last night. We checked our shopping list and headed into town to find some coffee and then hit Aldi for the few groceries we needed. I saw a coffee place right in South Beach near the pier. We drove into town and parked, though we sort of chose the wrong area to park but we were ready for a walk, so we headed toward the pier. When we arrived, we discovered that what I hoped would be a nice coffee house was a snack bar, though they did serve coffee drinks. Tony also ordered a soft pretzel. We sat at at a picnic table and watched the boats come and go through the harbor to Lake Michigan. 

We walked through South Haven and wandered through some of the cute shops. When we got back to the truck, we went to Aldi and picked up our groceries then went back to camp.

We worked for a while longer, then Tony mentioned that he would like to try Three Blondes Brewery in town for dinner. So, we hopped back in the truck and headed back into town. 

Dinner in town

Being Taco Tuesday, I ordered the chicken tacos. Tony got nachos. He tried a couple of the beers, including the peanut butter porter. It’s good, but not quite as good as the peanut butter porter he loves from Saugatuck Brewing Company. He said that one made it to his top 10 beers of all time. I had a blueberry wheat beer that was really tasty.

A more balanced day

We balanced the evening with sitting outside enjoying the end of the daylight. It seemed like we were going to get a little rain, but just a few drops fell and then it cleared up. 

We feel good about our balance of work and fun today.