More Wind

As we made our way toward the Mackinac bridge connecting lower Michigan to the U.P. the winds progressively kicked up along the way. A few hours later and by the time we reached the bridge a storm was nearing the area with menacing clouds and winds gusting to forty knots. It was nearing dinner and the signs along the way advertising Big Boy Burgers did their job. My Bob’s Big Boy Nostalgia takes me back to Seventeenth Street in Costa Mesa where I spent a number of meals with good friends. Our kids have never been in a Big Boy. On the west coast it’s Bob’s Big Boy but they all have the iconic fiberglass Big Boy statue out front.

 

This one being in Moose country had a Big Boy Moose out front as well. When we entered I should have turned around and walked out sparing us all from a restaurant well past it’s days of glory. But the draw of the Classic Big Boy Burger the road signs had advertised was too great. Our host finally acknowledged us waiting at the door after an eternity and lumbered over at a snails pace to take us to our table. No thank you I do not want to sit next to the door since the wind is blowing forty knots outside. We strolled past the salad bar with a huge “no thank you” shouting in my head since we were here for the “Classic” burger. I’m a bit germ conscious anyway. Once seated we waited for a second eternity for the server to show up. I could understand if it was packed but we were five of fifteen people in the place. The kids eyes were growing larger with every glossy food picture on the menu. With the server finally at our table we wasted no time ordering the Classic Big Boy. Thankfully the food came out faster than getting to our table and ordering. The kids were super excited with the arrival of their first Big Boy encounter. So much that Gavin spent the entire time arranging his meal for the best photo.

We were all super hungry and cleaned most of our plates in no time. For me this recent meal erased all the wonderful Big Boy nostalgia I may have had tucked away. For the kids, they can’t wait for their next Big Boy. Perhaps we should have held out for Wienerlicious across the bridge.

It was getting late with the wind increasing as the storm neared. We made our way ever so slowly over the Mackinac Bridge to look for a place to spend the night.

With options limited we stayed at a massive RV park named Mill Creek. There were over six hundred sites and and a property large enough to get lost in. The large resort style RV parks are my last choice as they take away from the whole reason we took to the road in the first place. With their video game rooms, pools and mini marts all on site it’s not the experience we are looking for. State, County and National parks are our first choice. We had not quite gotten set up and the heaven’s parted, the rain began to fall, the skies grew dark and we were still setting up our rig. First light we were out of there to find a laundr-O-mat, catch up on school work and pepper in a bit of exploring.

South Higgins Lake is located smack dab in the middle of both coasts and in the top quarter of the state. It is large for a state park as it offers around six hundred sites. We arrived in the dark to a vacant campground. Evidently the lake is packed in the summer. After Labor Day most every summer destination on the east coast becomes deserted which is okay with us. Navigating the dark campground with only the light from our coach we landed a pull through site next to the lake. The winds had never let up and they blew a solid thirty to forty knots all night long. The air temp was in the forties which required us to stay bundled up.  Higgins Lake offers a unique coast line as you can walk out fifty yards in waist deep water around nearly the entire perimeter of the lake. The water is super clear and blue, think Tahoe.  I was looking forward to dropping the paddle boards in the water in the morning.

Early AM, I stepped out of the coach into a stiff and cold wind. My hopes of paddling the lake were quashed as I was not up for an arctic challenge. I have never liked paddling in a wetsuit and life vest. With a quick study of our campsite I realized it was actually two sites back to back. With a road on each end. I had taken up two sites with prime lake frontage. No worries as I could see a total of six other campers around. I would like to come back when the weather is more beneficial to fully enjoy all this lake has to offer. With school work taking up most of the morning we prepped the coach for a late start on the drive to Detroit.