Harvest Host: Bear Naked Wood LLC and Seven Lakes State Park, Michigan - September 2023, Episode 51

Our last stop on our 13-day trip to Michigan, September 5, 2023, turned out to be quite eventful! We were looking for a place to stop for the night that was halfway between Hartwick Pines State Park in northern Michigan and our home in Ohio. We selected a Harvest Host in Fenton, Michigan, very close to where I (Mary) was born and raised in Flint. Laurie and Chris, my sister and brother-in-law (who now live in Georgia) were with us, so for Laurie and me, it brought back lots of memories of growing up together in our hometown.

Before heading to the Harvest Host, our first stop was at a nearby Cracker Barrel to park the RV for a bit, so that Laurie and I could visit the grave of our parents. Neither of us get up there very often, so it was nice to be there together to clean up the headstone, lay some flowers, and just spend some time there, reminiscing, laughing, and crying. It was a special time for both of us. We miss you, mom and dad!

We then headed out to the place we planned to stay for the night, an awesome Harvest Host called "Bear Naked Wood, LLC." The owner, Mike, is a very talented woodworker, who makes incredible wood creations, from small candle holders to huge dining tables and beautiful custom furniture pieces. He and his wife, Becky, were very welcoming and spent a lot of time with us in the showroom describing many of the unique and custom items he had created! Laurie and I were also thrilled to have a friend from our hometown, Karen, meet us there, since she lives close by. I haven't seen her in 50 years, but it felt like yesterday! She joined us for dinner that evening, and we did a lot of catching up! We were also celebrating our 48th wedding anniversary that day, and we definitely indulged in some great food and desserts, courtesy of Laurie and Chris - thank you!

As it turned out, we decided not to stay the night at the Harvest House, only because we were expecting temperatures in the 90's, and we knew we would not be able to run the A/C in the camper. (We we did not bring a generator, which the owner would have allowed, and he has future plans to install electric hookups.) We needed to leave our dog, Hana, in the camper for a couple of hours, and it would just be too hot for her. Luckily, we found Seven Lakes State Park nearby, and since it was a Tuesday, we easily snagged a lakefront site! It turned out to be a hidden gem, and we wished we didn't have to get back home the next day - it is a really nice park that we may want to return to for a longer visit to do some kayaking and fishing!

We hope you enjoy our video, and we thank you for subscribing to our channel and following our camping journey! As always, we would love to hear from you in the comments below!

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