I went up north (michigan) this weekend, near Sleeping Bear Dunes. My plans didn't exactly turn out the way I expected, so I ended up going with my brother to Traverse City and dropping him off at a friend's house. Thus, I was camping alone. I set up the tent by myself, as you can see. I did a pretty bad job, but it was dark while I was doing it. A skunk sprayed near my tent in the middle of the night, but I just stayed inside and suffered out of fear that it would spray ME if i came out. I stayed at D.H. Day Campground, it was very nice, very rustic, and right on Lake Michigan. I woke up every morning and took a "bath" in the (very cold) water. Camping by myself was a good experience; I never would have chosen to do it like that, but I'm glad I did. I'm starting to remember how much I like being alone. I had only myself to rely on, but only myself to please.

Saturday I met up with Sean and his friend Jessica and we went to the beach. Not just any beach, but the one at the bottom of a 468 ft (i think, if not more) dune. Going down was fun. Going up was not. It took me almost an hour. But the beach was beautiful and mostly empty, the water was nice, and the weather was perfect. A lot of people don't realize what amazing beaches Michigan has, plus you can't beat fresh water that is as big as an ocean, but with no scary jellyfish or sharks.

Sunday we went tubing down the Platte River. It took a looong time, as you can see from my sunburn. It was fun, although 4-5 hours of floating gets kind of old, especially when you're tied to a group of drunk 18 year olds.