It’s in the mid 30s this afternoon, with grey skies and a bit of a chilly breeze. Not weather that supports camping in a tent. Yet…it will not be long before I can be out in the woods in my little tent again.

In fact, if you want prime sites you have to book them as early as possible. Here in Michigan you can book a site online at our state parks, but only 6 months in advance. So right now, you can reserve sites for June 8th and before.

You probably aren’t surprised that so far I have two camping trips reserved. One is with a group of friends, at the end of May, in northern Michigan. I hope it’s warm enough up there by then!

And a couple days ago I booked 3 days at a state park with a view of the Mackinaw Bridge. This replicates what I had reserved for June of 2020 that got cancelled while we were all in lockdown. It makes me smile to know I’ll get there this year.

I checked a calendar and chose three days when there won’t be a moon, so, as long as there also aren’t clouds, I should be able to get some nice star shots with the bridge in the background. I have a site right on the water, so I’ be able to shoot pictures without even leaving my campsite.

That’s the plan anyway.

Now…as we move further into winter, I’ll have opportunities to make more reservations, but I need to be careful to leave time to be here at home, or better yet, time to spend in Alabama with my family, just as soon as it’s safe to do that.

Meanwhile I’ll dream about camping as the wind blows and snow floats down. It’s good to have something to look forward to during the long dark nights of winter.

What’s getting you through these cold winter days?