Boyne City, MI

Tuesday, September 9, 2025

Last night, we camped at Magnus Park in Petoskey, MI. We didn’t have nearly as nice of an experience as the evening before — Laura and Shaun said campfire smoke from their neighbor’s site billowed into their windows all night long which gave Laura a headache. Our campsite, a few sites down, smelled like sewage. There’s a wastewater treatment plant next to the campground, and Andi thought maybe the plant was processing something? Either that, or the wind was blowing in our direction. It reeked! We didn’t notice this at all yesterday.

Around 7:00am this morning, Andi and I borrowed Shaun’s pickup truck once more & drove to the Petoskey Anytime Fitness. It’s been such a treat to go to the gym to workout while we’re traveling in our RV. Not only do we get to use a variety of exercise equipment, but we also get to shower afterwards. That’s a luxury for us while camping.

Back at our campsite, Andi setup a make-shift office outside the RV and conducted several conference calls for work while Tory, Aden, and I did schoolwork inside the RV. Late morning, Laura came over to our camper to use our internet so she could do a little work of her own.

At 11:00am, we packed up our campers and hit the road. We didn’t go far; we drove to Young State Park in Boyne City, MI about 20 minutes south. Young State Park is located on Lake Charlevoix — the third largest lake in the state of Michigan, known for its crystal-clear water and sandy beaches. From our vantage point, it was pretty spectacular!

This was a huge state park with three different campground loops, modern camping cabins, a park store, and a swimming beach. And, it was surprisingly busy on a Tuesday afternoon in September. Andi snagged the first spot by the water we saw & Laura and Shaun pulled into the site directly across from us.

One thing we didn’t notice until after we set up camp was our neighbors. Originally, it looked to be a pair of women and a dog, but later several more people showed up and pitched a tent beside the women’s campervan. They traveled with a storm trooper, too, which was also kind of weird. Andi feared we were in for a long, noisy night of sleep — they had a huge pile of wood and already had a campfire going by late afternoon.

For lunch, Shaun grilled marinated italian chicken breasts for our group while Andi and I made steamed corn on the cob and asparagus. Laura contributed a quinoa salad & it was probably the tastiest meal we’d eaten all week. Sometimes, the best food we eat are the meals we cook at home.

After lunch, the six of us considered going for a hike on one of the many trails in Young State Park, but none of us could get motivated. It was a gorgeous day in Northern Michigan with temperatures in the mid-70’s and full sunshine. “Sometimes, you’ve just got to sit and enjoy days like this,” Laura said. We agreed, and set up several camp chairs on the beach at our campsite. The sun felt glorious on our faces! Today’s weather felt a world away from the rain, wind, and cool temps we experienced on Sunday at Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore.

“OK, we’ve got to move our bodies,” Andi encouraged after an hour or so of sitting around. He doesn’t sit idle well. So, Andi, Laura, Shaun, and I went for a walk around the campground while Tory and Aden stayed back at the camper and played Roblox together.

We’ve hit that sweet-spot of travel when Tory and Aden have become best friends again. When we’re at home, those two have nothing to do with each other, but when we’re traveling, they get along fabulously. It always takes about a week for their friendship to click back into place.

Early evening, our group decided to drive into Boyne City about 10 minutes away to see the town. Shaun offered to unhook his truck from his camper, but Andi said it was just as easy to drive our RV. With the push of one button, our slide pulled in and we were ready to roll.

Like neighboring cities Petoskey and Charlevoix, Boyne City is a popular lake community in northern Michigan. Nearby Boyne Mountain Resort makes this town a popular year-round destination for visitors. Andi parked our RV on a side-street, and the six of us walked through Boyne City’s downtown district together. The town was picturesque with beautiful garden beds of flowers planted along the shores of Lake Charlevoix, and many vibrant shops and restaurants.

We considered having dinner at one of Boyne City’s many restaurants, but Laura suggested we go back to camp and cook there. “On a beautiful night like this, wouldn’t we rather have dinner by the lake?” she asked.

Everyone agreed, and we returned to our campsites at Young State Park. Shaun grilled sliders and Laura made brussels sprouts while Andi made crispy french fries in the air fryer. It was the perfect temperature outside for a picnic dinner.

After we ate, the six of us played the Dutch Blitz card game at the picnic table until it was so dark we couldn’t see the cards anymore. Tory and Aden were at an extreme advantage with their young, fresh eyes!

Tomorrow, we’re planning to make our way to Charlevoix about 20 minutes away.