Northwest Michigan’s Best Bear Lodge & Campground

July 1, 2015July 2, 2022 / Roadtirementvintage / 2 Comments

Matt and Carrie Bearup

We found a marvelous campground in the middle of northwestern Michigan after we had finished a large festival nearby. The Best Bear Lodge and Campground is a work in progress that is already gaining a reputation as a favorite spot to stay. Nestled on ten acres of beautiful woodland, this resort is located south of Travis City and north of Baldwin.

Right now there are seven pull through water/electric sites, tent camping, one cabin and a four room lodge/motel. The cabin has two sets of bunk beds, TV, fridge and coffee pot. Bring your own linens to the cabin. The lodge rooms are outfitted with full kitchens, bath, TV and includes daily room service. The TV service is satellite with 200 channels. Seperate rest rooms are sparkling clean as are the coin operated showers.

Our home for a few days

A beautiful setting

That is the overview. Here is the scoop: This place is one of the most peaceful, beautiful and nice parks you will ever find. The pull through sites offer plenty of room to run out your slides and/or awning. Between the sites there is a buffer with native oak, pine and other foliage giving the sense of privacy so often missing at most RV parks. Free pumpouts let you leave your sewer hose stowed. Bagged ice and cheap firewood is available.

We used our Verizon Jetpack for internet hookup. It went in and out, as did our phone service. This is not a good Verizon service area. The campground offers an ATT jetpack rental for a strong internet connection if you so desire.

Owners Carrie and Matt Bearup are just delightful hosts. They make you feel like family and will do anything to make your stay more comfortable. They know the area and can provide all you need to know about the hiking, ATV and snowmobile trails of the area. This area of the state is famous for the year round recreation opportunities.

The lodge building

The 1st of the cabins

Additional lodge rooms, cabins and RV sites are planned and will include 28 pulll through sites. The pads will be grass with paved roads for easy access to large rigs with towed vehicles or trailers. Right now the newly cleared and level sites are dirt as is the road. The sandy soil is well drained so mud is not a problem.

The $25 rate for an RV site is very reasonable and the best in the area. Be sure to visit the Best Bear Lodge website for all the information about this great campground. We will be back.

“Peter Pan” opening at Beef and Boards

May 15, 2015July 2, 2022 / Roadtirementvintage / Leave a comment

Jeff Stockberger and his bumbling pirates. Photo courtesy B&B media

The 2015 Family show at Beef & Boards Dinner Theatre in Indianapolis is the beloved musical “Peter Pan”. The show opened May 14th and will have 58 total performances.

B&B favorite Jeff Srockberger will play the role of that evil Captain Hook. The casting of Peter Pan will be by newcomer to B&B Phobe Taylor. This high flying show should be one of the best family shows yet.

Sher and I are thrilled to be able to take one of our grand-daughters to see the show with us. We’ll report back after we have seen the show.

Beef & Boards Dinner Theatre also puts on a great family friendly buffet with items that kids will love. Chef Odell Ward knows how to please the kids! Check out the B&B website for details, including discount ticketing prices for kids aged 3 – 15.

Check the dryer first

May 9, 2015July 2, 2022 / Roadtirementvintage / 1 Comment

Yes, those are leopard sheets…

There is something about coming off of a long weekend festival and heading to a campground for a little rest, relaxation and doing some laundry.

The campground was nice, great roads, only 15 bucks with the Passport America discount and the laundry was only about seven sites away. Ok, it was small, two washers and two dryers. One dryer had an “Out of order: does not spin” sign on the door with the coin slots taped shut. Ok, I got that. A couple of loads won’t be bad, waiting for the one dryer.

Two loads started, no sweat. First load into the dryer: coins in, heat level set for high, start buton pushed. Well, 30 minutes later the laundry is still wet. Long story short, this dryer had no trouble spining. It just didn’t provide any heat. The result was turning the Four Winds 22E into a clothes line.

When checking out that campground laundry, check the dryers first.

Tom Raper RV is now a Camping World dealer

April 25, 2015July 2, 2022 / Roadtirementvintage / Leave a comment

Our Four Winds with the new cargo trailer

Sher and I bought our Thor Four Winds class C motorhome from Tom Raper RV in Richmond, Indiana in December of 2014. We got a great deal, were treated well and very satisfied with the transaction. Tom Raper has been in the RV business for decades and most in the Midwest recognize ads for Exit 149A on I-70 in Richmond.

I was surprised when I went to the Tom Raper website in the search for a cargo trailer and bam! there was the Camping World website! The deal was reported back in January by media. Sadly media also reported that founder Tom Raper passed away this April in Florida. Tom Raper RV is now a Camping World dealer.

We got another great deal on a cargo trailer, working with Mitch Crowe, our salesman from the Thor Four Winds deal. Once again Mitch took great care of us. Within a couple of hours we had purchased the trailer, had it correctly hitched to our motorhome and were on our way.

We went to Michigan to get some merchandise to sell at upcoming festivals and shows. The pesky April weather was chilly, and our furnace in the Thor would not work. Heading back south we detoured to the Tom Raper/CW dealership. Long story short, the service department with no hassel found the problem (a bad contact in the thermostat) and even took care of a couple of other minor issues. Hats off to technician Steve and Hank and Paul at the service desk.

I have talked to several Tom Raper employees from the sales, parts and service departments. All said they were pleased with the transition from Tom Raper to Camping World. This change sems to be a good thing for not only the staff but also the customers of this dealership. I was very pleased with the way they took care of our furnace issue and the help with the other minor issues.

Shady Trails Family Campground

April 13, 2015July 2, 2022 / Roadtirementvintage / Leave a comment

Entrance to the campground

Sometimes you find a campground that, for your use, just works well. Shady Trails Family Campground is near Hillsboro, Ohio and close to Rocky Fork Lake. You can see a portion of the huge lake from the entrance to the campground, and there is a public dock and boat ramps a half mile from the campground.. Primarily filled with seasonal campers, this campground does have several nice spots for transient travelers.

The owners are starting their first season as the new owners of the facility. The facilities are not fancy, but the rest rooms and showers are very clean as is the small laundry room. There is a nice playground for the kids and a large shelter house for picnics and other gatherings. Propane, ice and firewood are available.

The park is hilly with decent roads. Extra long rigs will have to be careful negotiating some of the turns.The sites are level and each has a nice concrete pad for the picnic table. Most sites also have a fire ring. This facility is very pretty with lots of trees. The campgrounds offer nice tent camping sites, too.

The rates are very reasonable and extremely reasonable ($12.50 a nite midweek) with your Passport America discount. Shady Trails is open from April through October. It features full hooks-up including 30 and 50 amp, some pull thru and some accomodate double slides. Check the Shady Trails website for the number and other information.

I would recommend this campground for its price, beauty, very nice and helpful owners and the peace and quiet. I have to also say that their free WiFi is very strong and fast. This campground is worth a look if you are in the area.

Short term sites on the right, seasonal on the left

The camp office

Zephry Palms RV Park

February 28, 2015July 2, 2022 / Roadtirementvintage / Leave a comment

Sher and I needed a campground for a one night stay near Zephryhills, Florida. I found a special rate listed for Zephyr Palms RV park, gave them a call, and booked the reservation.The park staff was very nice when we pulled in at noon. Our site was still occupied, even though check out is supposed to be 11. We waited a bit until the other unit moved, and went to our site. I just hooked up the electric to start.

With the laundry a ways away, we drove the rig and parked next to the very nice laundry. No problem to disconnect the shore power. Three loads of clohes later, we were back at our pull through site. The sewer connection was on the off side from the shore power and water both of which were at the far end of the site. Gladly our electric cable was long enought to allow connection and still be able to drain the black and grey tanks without having to move the rig.

Nice roads, level sites, friendly residents

This is a very clean campground, with pool and community room, and like I said the laundry has been recently remodeled. The special rate was for $18. We stayed just the one night. It is also a member of several associations including Good Sam and PassPort America. Call ahead for availability. This is the park website.

We used the laundry facilities.

Our only problem with this 55+ campground is one that plagues most RV parks these days. Free WiFi is advertised, however when we connected to the WiFi we got the dreaded “Limited Connection” which is the same as no WiFi.

This is a friendly, safe, clean and tidy RV park mid way between Tampa and the Gulf and the amusement parks in Orlando. There are plenty of golf courses nearby for those of you that like chasing a little white ball around. Weekly and seasonal rates are offered.

Orange Box Cafe in Frostproof, Florida has RV parking

February 10, 2015July 2, 2022 / Roadtirementvintage / 7 Comments

L to R: Nicole, cook Robert, and Libby in front of the salad bar with the Antique store in background

During our travels this winter in Florida we have been blessed to know a couple of couples who we met last year in Ohio during festivals. We have been in contact with them at some of the flea markets we have attended. They told us about a small local cafe near our next event.

The Orange Box Cafe is a favorite of the local residents, and our friends have been here before. The cafe is not only a restaurant, but also a produce store and antique store as well. There is live music on Tuesdays, Fridays and Saturday nights.

All six of us had supper there last night. The salad bar is small, but has fresh ingredients including marvelous home made cole slaw. The soup of the day was potato and it was delicious.

Sher and our friends ready to enjoy supper

Sher enjoyed the soup and salad bar and I had the same plus the evening special: meatloaf and mashed potatoes. The serving of meatloaf was huge and very tasty. The slice was about 2 inches thick and covered half of the plate, smothered in gravy. One of our party made a special request on the preparation of a Reuben sandwich. No problem with that, the cook will prepare about anything you want.

The service was excellent and we had fun talking with the waitresses. We enjoyed the meal and the company. In addition, this place has a large parking lot for truckers, and they also had six sites suitable for RV’s. So we stayed there overnight and were able to plug into the electric service at the picnic shelter for no charge. This is one of those interesting places you find when you are on the road.

Nice parking spot at the Orange Box Cafe. No charge but be courteous and patronize the cafe.

Red Oaks Carefree RV Resort is a top RV stop in Florida

February 3, 2015July 2, 2022 / Roadtirementvintage / 2 Comments

Te 10 o'clock shuffleboard games in full swing

The 10 o’clock shuffleboard games in full swing

Steam coming off the heated pool at the main office complex

Several friends of ours who are traveling in Florida recommended Red Oaks RV park in Bushnell, Florida. Both a Good Sam Club and Passport America park, it has exceeded our expectations. This park is part of the Carefree Resorts chain.

A feathered friend strolling down the street

Starting with the exceptionally friendly office staff and including the escort to our site we knew that we were in good hands at this RV park. Our site is close to the main office, one of the heated pools, laundry and the largest community building. Full hook-ups including a great line up of cable TV stations and a level site made our parking and setup a breeze.

This morning it is rather chilly, but the sun is out and temps are on the rise. I took a stroll to the shuffleboards court where the 10 o’clock games were in full swing. Sher and I are going back for the 2 o’clock games. Horseshoe pits and bocce ball are available and I spotted some corn hole games near the pool. There are some fishing ponds

This park has over 1000 full hook-up sites. The park is one of the cleanest that we have ever seen, and the seasonal residents have been very friendly to us. Any RVer looking for an RV park in central Florida should consider a stay at Red Oaks. Unlike most Florida RV parks, Red Oaks will give the Passport America discount during the “peak season” months. This is one of the few PA member parks that we have found that will honor the discount rate in the winter months.

Our site

We like and would recommend this RV park for a short or a long term stay. Our only complaint is the slow and sometimes intermittent WiFi through the paid Tango Internet service offered at the park. We might just take a break from blogging and go to the karaoke tonight.

1952 Ford truck on an ’87 Ranger frame with a 302 with a C4 tranny: parked across from our site

This guy was about 3 feet away from me

Main Office complex

Stokes Flea Market in Crystal River, Florida

January 28, 2015July 2, 2022 / Roadtirementvintage / 2 Comments

Our RV parked adjacent to our vendor booth at Stokes Flea Market.

We spent a couple of days at a long running flea Market in Crystal River, Florida. Open Tuesday and Wednesday each week, we set up on Monday night. The way the vendor spaces were set up allowed us to park the coach right next to the two spaces we needed to occupy.

Tuesday was kind of slow, but we did have some sales. Wednesday was much better, not only because there were more people, but also because the strong winds from Tuesday were gone on Wednesday. It is fun at the markets, because you always get to meet new people, or like today, even see some old friends.

2015 is here

January 1, 2015July 2, 2022 / Roadtirementvintage / Leave a comment

Our new FourWinds 22e

2015 is now officially here. I know because I saw the ball drop. As Sher and I look forward to the new year we are excited about our new RV, a Four Winds 22e motorhome. We have had it a couple of weeks and are still getting things organized the way we want them. Changing from a truck pulling a travel trailer to a self-contained Class C has been a change as you can imagine. The coach will fit into our travel life a lot better than the trailer.

We are planning on heading south from Indiana, maybe towards Florida or maybe towards New Orleans. That is the fun of the RV lifestyle: you can go where ever you want.