Just another day in paradise

We just returned from a long weekend in Michigan where we visited Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore. It's a beautiful park right on the shore of Lake Michigan. Surprisingly for mid-September, we got one of the last campsites in the park when we arrived on Friday afternoon. After we got settled we took a quick hike down to the beach where Finn was beside himself watching those little sand piper birds zip by him on the sand. The park was very dog friendly and we were allowed to have Finn on all trails and even on certain parts of the beach. http://www.nps.gov/slbe/

It was gray and cloudy during much of our drive across the upper peninsula of Michigan and down the eastern shore of the lake to the park on Friday. Unfortunately, the weather only got worse from there. Saturday we were able to do some hiking in the morning but a light drizzle turned to a pretty heavy downpour for much of the afternoon. We tried to do the scenic drive up to the dunes but it was foggy, overcast and we couldn't see much from the overlooks.

Despite the weather, my hubby and I always return from these trips more determined than ever to figure out a way to retire early, buy a roomy RV, and travel around the country. When we're on the road we meet many couples in campgrounds who are full-time road warriors and I always find them fascinating. It's addictive to look out your camper window and see a mountain, a lake, a forest or a moose in your backyard. My husband and I love the idea of waking up every morning and saying, "Where should we go today?"

My sister bought us a doormat for our camper with a picture of a trailer on it and the words, "Just another day in paradise." That's how I feel every time we hit the road, no matter where we end up and no matter the weather.