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- Dec 11, 2006
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This is an open invite, and is already setup (not merely looking for input).
In the Waterloo Recreation Area, there are rustic bunkhouses available for rent. I have already reserved a cabin for the weekend of Feb. 6/7/8 (Fri/Sat/Sun). So, here is the deal.
Usually about this time of year, I try to break up the winter by getting the kiddies outdoors, and I usually stay in a hotel (not much fun). I think the winter camping would be a bit much for the young one, but dont want to exclude her either. This year, I decided to rent this rustic cabin.
Currently, the attendees are me, my son Brendan (age 6) and my daughter Madelyn (age 2 ½). The purpose for me is to get to do some outdoor stuff with them, and have a place for them to warm up. Therefore, there is no real set agenda for the weekend. I just want to spend some woods time with the kids. However, the bunkhouse will sleep 20, so I wanted to open it up for any and all that are interesting in showing up too.
I have been to this location before, so I know first hand what it is like.
Here are some details about the rustic bunkhouse.
- It sleeps 20, mostly bunk style.
- The bunks are single person, and not overly roomy (height-wise. Width room is fine). In the last cabin I was in, there were also 7 beds that were not bunks as well. I am not sure on this specific cabin.
- There is no electricity.
- There is a wood stove for heat, and wood for the stove is provided.
- There is no water. You can bring your own, or there is a hand pump close by. I have found the hand pump water very good, but I am not all that picky either.
- There is no lighting, but the cabin has several places for hanging gas lanterns. I will be bringing two lanterns, but this will be covered more later.
- There is a nicely kept outhouse right out the back door of the cabin, and is specific to the cabin.
- There is a large table and benches in the cabin for doing any type of talking/planning/games, whatever.
- There is a firepit outside the cabin, but the wood provided is supposed to only be for the stove. There are benches and a picnic table already there.
- There are no cooking appliances. More on this later too.
- The floor is wood/plank flooring. Generally shoes or slippers would be required.
Possible activities for the recreation area include:
- Small game hunting. Rabbit and squirrel is still open. I have not hunted the area, so dont know how good the hunting is. But, it is an option.
- Ice fishing. There are plenty of small lakes in the area.
- Hiking. Nice hiking trails.
- Land Nav. There are lots of good terrain features which makes this an ideal location for practicing feature recognition using topo maps. I can provide USGS topo maps of the area if they are requested.
- Tell stories and make up lies around the campfire!
- Anything else you would normally do in the woods (as long as it does not break any Michigan DNR rules)
Finally, there is a common yard area among two cabins. There is a small valley, and if there is snow, I am sure my son will bring his snow board and sleds. I am also looking to see if there is a suitable hill for sledding in the area as well. I am quite sure that there would be no issue with bringing archery equipment and targets too. Although there is plenty of space very close to the cabin (not in the common yard) for that to be done safely too.
Here is how I plan to run the event.
- The cabin is already reserved and paid for. It cost me $80 per night, $160 total (Friday night and Saturday night).
- I would simply like to divide the cabin costs among those attending. Very simple.
- Vehicle pass for MI State Park is required for each vehicle and you are on your own with this one. You can do daily permits, or yearly. The cost is $6 for daily, or $24 for an annual permit. Info on this is at the DNR website, and there is a drop box location near the cabin to get your permits (if you do not already have them).
- It is open to everyone. Obviously I am taking my kids, so it is a family friendly event. I make my kids behave as much as possible, but if you just can not stand kids, this may not be the trip for you : )
- It is bunk style sleeping. So, if noises, others snoring, etc bothers you, it might not be the outing for you : )
- In order to make sure everyone has a place to sleep it will be done on a first come, first serve basis. Send me an e-mail at briangandrews at comcast dot net and let me know you will be attending and how many people total.
- No money will be necessary, just bring it to the cabin. I will let you know the final amount a couple days before.
- Since I am being very laid back on the paying/reservations, please show up if you say you are going to. I would hate to have to tell someone they can not come, because the bunkhouse is full and then have people not show up. If you are not sure, you could always check availability right before the event weekend.
- I am already cool with the cost of the cabin, so if nobody shows up, I am fine with having the whole place for me and my kids : )
- Check in time is 3PM on Friday and check out time is 1pm on Sunday. Obviously that is the earliest and latest time and you can show up anywhere in between.
Again, there is no specific agenda to do anything. Once we get some attendees, I could see possibly organizing an activity or two. But, I would still like to keep things pretty loose because of having the kids and all. Of course, you are welcome to plan stuff without me as well : ) Basically, I am just offering up a place to stay to do stuff that we all like to do.
Here are equipment recommendations for those attending:
- Stuff to support any activity you plan to do (ice fishing, hunting, etc).
- Sleeping mat. The bunks have mattresses, but they feel like bags filled with sand. I bring my mat to this location.
- Sleeping bags and/or blankets. There is a woodstove, but it is best to plan on it not being a balmy 80 degrees in the cabin.
- Lantern for cabin light. I already plan on bringing 2. You might want your own as well, but keep in mind that if we have 20 lanterns, they obviously all wont be needed.
- A way to cook. There is obviously a firepit outside as one possibility, but I am bringing one dual burner cook stove. You are welcome to bring your own, but there will not be room for 10 stoves to be spread out. Anyone is welcome to use any of the stuff I bringing along.
- With respect to lanterns and cook stoves, it is my opinion that it is best to bring it and not use it than not have it, and wish you did.
- Food!
- Water is up to you. You can bring it, or get it from the hand pump as necessary.
- Toys! Anything you want to play with or show off.
That is a lot of words, but hopefully it is pretty straightforward!
Please ask any questions you have here, so that everyone else can benefit from the question and answer.
Final Note - If you are in the area, do not want to stay the night I don't see any problem with showing up for the day. You would obviously still need the day or annual park permit and I would appreciate a heads up (in email) just as a warning : )
If you want to read about Waterloo Recreation Area, there is more information here along with directions and maps of the recreations area. (http://www.michigandnr.com/ParksandTrails/Details.aspx?id=506&type=SPRK)
Here is the description of the cabin from the DNRs website:
Burns Rustic Cabin (Cabin #2) Description
GRASS SURFACE/THIS BUNKHOUSE IS LOCATED ON THE SITE OF THE JOHN BURNS HOMESTEAD, ONE OF THE EARLY SETTLERS IN THE WATERLOO AREA. LOCATED ADJACENT TO THE HORSMEN'S EQUESTRIAN CAMPGROUND. THE BUNKHOUSE WILL SLEEP 20 PEOPLE. THE BUNKS ARE BUILT IN, ALL SINGLE SIZE, AND EACH HAS A MATTRESS. THERE IS NO ELECTRICITY AT THE CABIN. LIGHTING IS NOT PROVIDED. THE CABIN IS HEATED BY A WOODSTOVE. THE WOOD IS PROVIDED FOR THE WOODSTOVE. THERE IS A SMALL KITCHEN COUNTER BUT NO COOKING FACILITIES ARE PROVIDED INSIDE. DISHES AND COOKING UTENSILS ARE NOT PROVIDED. THERE IS A GRILL AND FIRECIRCLE LOCATED 35 FEET FROM THE CABIN. YOU MUST PROVIDE ALL FIREWOOD FOR THE FIRECIRCLE &/OR CHARCOAL FOR THE GRILL. WATER MUST BE CARRIED IN AND IS AVAILABLE FROM A HANDPUMP APPROXIMATELY 350 FEET AWAY. AN OUTSIDE VAULT TOILET IS LOCATED BEHIND THE CABIN. THE NEAREST TRASH RECEPTACLE IS 100 FEET. DISTANCE
In the Waterloo Recreation Area, there are rustic bunkhouses available for rent. I have already reserved a cabin for the weekend of Feb. 6/7/8 (Fri/Sat/Sun). So, here is the deal.
Usually about this time of year, I try to break up the winter by getting the kiddies outdoors, and I usually stay in a hotel (not much fun). I think the winter camping would be a bit much for the young one, but dont want to exclude her either. This year, I decided to rent this rustic cabin.
Currently, the attendees are me, my son Brendan (age 6) and my daughter Madelyn (age 2 ½). The purpose for me is to get to do some outdoor stuff with them, and have a place for them to warm up. Therefore, there is no real set agenda for the weekend. I just want to spend some woods time with the kids. However, the bunkhouse will sleep 20, so I wanted to open it up for any and all that are interesting in showing up too.
I have been to this location before, so I know first hand what it is like.
Here are some details about the rustic bunkhouse.
- It sleeps 20, mostly bunk style.
- The bunks are single person, and not overly roomy (height-wise. Width room is fine). In the last cabin I was in, there were also 7 beds that were not bunks as well. I am not sure on this specific cabin.
- There is no electricity.
- There is a wood stove for heat, and wood for the stove is provided.
- There is no water. You can bring your own, or there is a hand pump close by. I have found the hand pump water very good, but I am not all that picky either.
- There is no lighting, but the cabin has several places for hanging gas lanterns. I will be bringing two lanterns, but this will be covered more later.
- There is a nicely kept outhouse right out the back door of the cabin, and is specific to the cabin.
- There is a large table and benches in the cabin for doing any type of talking/planning/games, whatever.
- There is a firepit outside the cabin, but the wood provided is supposed to only be for the stove. There are benches and a picnic table already there.
- There are no cooking appliances. More on this later too.
- The floor is wood/plank flooring. Generally shoes or slippers would be required.
Possible activities for the recreation area include:
- Small game hunting. Rabbit and squirrel is still open. I have not hunted the area, so dont know how good the hunting is. But, it is an option.
- Ice fishing. There are plenty of small lakes in the area.
- Hiking. Nice hiking trails.
- Land Nav. There are lots of good terrain features which makes this an ideal location for practicing feature recognition using topo maps. I can provide USGS topo maps of the area if they are requested.
- Tell stories and make up lies around the campfire!
- Anything else you would normally do in the woods (as long as it does not break any Michigan DNR rules)
Finally, there is a common yard area among two cabins. There is a small valley, and if there is snow, I am sure my son will bring his snow board and sleds. I am also looking to see if there is a suitable hill for sledding in the area as well. I am quite sure that there would be no issue with bringing archery equipment and targets too. Although there is plenty of space very close to the cabin (not in the common yard) for that to be done safely too.
Here is how I plan to run the event.
- The cabin is already reserved and paid for. It cost me $80 per night, $160 total (Friday night and Saturday night).
- I would simply like to divide the cabin costs among those attending. Very simple.
- Vehicle pass for MI State Park is required for each vehicle and you are on your own with this one. You can do daily permits, or yearly. The cost is $6 for daily, or $24 for an annual permit. Info on this is at the DNR website, and there is a drop box location near the cabin to get your permits (if you do not already have them).
- It is open to everyone. Obviously I am taking my kids, so it is a family friendly event. I make my kids behave as much as possible, but if you just can not stand kids, this may not be the trip for you : )
- It is bunk style sleeping. So, if noises, others snoring, etc bothers you, it might not be the outing for you : )
- In order to make sure everyone has a place to sleep it will be done on a first come, first serve basis. Send me an e-mail at briangandrews at comcast dot net and let me know you will be attending and how many people total.
- No money will be necessary, just bring it to the cabin. I will let you know the final amount a couple days before.
- Since I am being very laid back on the paying/reservations, please show up if you say you are going to. I would hate to have to tell someone they can not come, because the bunkhouse is full and then have people not show up. If you are not sure, you could always check availability right before the event weekend.
- I am already cool with the cost of the cabin, so if nobody shows up, I am fine with having the whole place for me and my kids : )
- Check in time is 3PM on Friday and check out time is 1pm on Sunday. Obviously that is the earliest and latest time and you can show up anywhere in between.
Again, there is no specific agenda to do anything. Once we get some attendees, I could see possibly organizing an activity or two. But, I would still like to keep things pretty loose because of having the kids and all. Of course, you are welcome to plan stuff without me as well : ) Basically, I am just offering up a place to stay to do stuff that we all like to do.
Here are equipment recommendations for those attending:
- Stuff to support any activity you plan to do (ice fishing, hunting, etc).
- Sleeping mat. The bunks have mattresses, but they feel like bags filled with sand. I bring my mat to this location.
- Sleeping bags and/or blankets. There is a woodstove, but it is best to plan on it not being a balmy 80 degrees in the cabin.
- Lantern for cabin light. I already plan on bringing 2. You might want your own as well, but keep in mind that if we have 20 lanterns, they obviously all wont be needed.
- A way to cook. There is obviously a firepit outside as one possibility, but I am bringing one dual burner cook stove. You are welcome to bring your own, but there will not be room for 10 stoves to be spread out. Anyone is welcome to use any of the stuff I bringing along.
- With respect to lanterns and cook stoves, it is my opinion that it is best to bring it and not use it than not have it, and wish you did.
- Food!
- Water is up to you. You can bring it, or get it from the hand pump as necessary.
- Toys! Anything you want to play with or show off.
That is a lot of words, but hopefully it is pretty straightforward!
Please ask any questions you have here, so that everyone else can benefit from the question and answer.
Final Note - If you are in the area, do not want to stay the night I don't see any problem with showing up for the day. You would obviously still need the day or annual park permit and I would appreciate a heads up (in email) just as a warning : )
If you want to read about Waterloo Recreation Area, there is more information here along with directions and maps of the recreations area. (http://www.michigandnr.com/ParksandTrails/Details.aspx?id=506&type=SPRK)
Here is the description of the cabin from the DNRs website:
Burns Rustic Cabin (Cabin #2) Description
GRASS SURFACE/THIS BUNKHOUSE IS LOCATED ON THE SITE OF THE JOHN BURNS HOMESTEAD, ONE OF THE EARLY SETTLERS IN THE WATERLOO AREA. LOCATED ADJACENT TO THE HORSMEN'S EQUESTRIAN CAMPGROUND. THE BUNKHOUSE WILL SLEEP 20 PEOPLE. THE BUNKS ARE BUILT IN, ALL SINGLE SIZE, AND EACH HAS A MATTRESS. THERE IS NO ELECTRICITY AT THE CABIN. LIGHTING IS NOT PROVIDED. THE CABIN IS HEATED BY A WOODSTOVE. THE WOOD IS PROVIDED FOR THE WOODSTOVE. THERE IS A SMALL KITCHEN COUNTER BUT NO COOKING FACILITIES ARE PROVIDED INSIDE. DISHES AND COOKING UTENSILS ARE NOT PROVIDED. THERE IS A GRILL AND FIRECIRCLE LOCATED 35 FEET FROM THE CABIN. YOU MUST PROVIDE ALL FIREWOOD FOR THE FIRECIRCLE &/OR CHARCOAL FOR THE GRILL. WATER MUST BE CARRIED IN AND IS AVAILABLE FROM A HANDPUMP APPROXIMATELY 350 FEET AWAY. AN OUTSIDE VAULT TOILET IS LOCATED BEHIND THE CABIN. THE NEAREST TRASH RECEPTACLE IS 100 FEET. DISTANCE
