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chapel in the woods

Mason Chapel on the Au Sable River

One of the joys of kayaking is exploring along the river! Here is a short video from our visit to the Mason Chapel on the Au Sable River near Grayling, MI. This was a beautiful stop on our 5 day kayaking camping trip last summer. If you are going to be on the south branch…

Pstyle

Ladies Camping Bathroom Tips and Pstyle Product Review

Camping Bathroom Tips Camping bathroom tips for ladies only! Need some tips on bathrooming while out camping? Don’t let your need to urinate or poo outdoors be a barrier to enjoying your adventures in nature. Topics covered include Leave No Trace burying your poo and toilet paper, packing out wipes and menstrual products, and a…

Indoor hammock stand

DIY Indoor Hammock Stand and Tablecloth Hammock

Love using your hammock and wish you could sleep in it at home? Check out our DIY indoor hammock stand in this video from our family room. Also included is a tour of our tablecloth hammock. Well winter is almost here! When not out camping, we like to set up the hammock at home on…

an open magazine at a magazine rackopen to a North Manitou Island Story

North Manitou Island Story Published

New Article Published Want to know more about what is happening on North Manitou Island? Stacie has an article in the current issue of Michigan History Magazine, telling the story of the restoration of the Katie Shepard Hotel Project on North Manitou Island. We met on the project back in 2014, and have enjoyed volunteering…

Vince and Stacie in the car

Backpacking Trip Fall Weekend Packing

Vince and Stacie discuss fall backpacking gear – what to pack and what to expect when rain is in the forecast!

Vince in a field with a solar panel

Product Review: BigBlue 28W Solar Charger

Yes we really camp for two weeks at a time! One question we get asked frequently is how we keep our phones charged. We use a BigBlue28W Solar Charger, with two Xtreme 20,000mAh Power Packs. This is more than enough for our devices. We use our phones to navigate, record videos, take lots of pictures,…

Lochinvar label

Historic Presevation at Home: The Lochinvar Waterheater

If you know anything about us, you know how much we love historic preservation and old stories. When we had the need to replace our vintage waterheater, original to our home, we reached out to the manufacturer to see if they were interested in having this relic. They were! Company representatives came to our home…

Lake Manitou

The Invitation

The trees, rocks, shoreline passing by from the kayak on the river. The rise and fall of the canoe paddle in the lake to a four count rhythm, catching the beat of the universe, as old as time. The feel of the soft sticky mud as I get out of my boat and step into…

Coffee on the porch

Product Review and Demo: Jetboil Flash Stove with Java Edition Kit

Camping is a game of continuous improvement for us – we are always learning and adjusting! We love finding new ways to be comfortable, happy, and enjoy things that we love.Every camper has some luxury item they take on the trail. For us it is coffee! We make fresh ground French press coffee every morning…

Hammock gear in forest

DIY Hammock Camping Gear

Hammock camping is our go-to! We get a lot of questions about our hammock set up for camping. It is extremely comfortable, even with two people in it! Yes, we really both sleep in the same hammock for our long trips. While it’s not ultralight, splitting up the gear in our backpacks works for us.…