"All Summer Long"

“All Summer Long”

It was summertime in Northern Michigan
Ahh Ahh Ahh
Ahh Ahh Ahh

Splashing through the sand bar
Talking by the campfire
It's the simple things in life, like when and where
We didn't have no internet

Singing Sweet Home Alabama all summer long
Singing Sweet Home Alabama all summer long

Now nothing seems as strange as when the leaves began to change
Or how we thought those days would never end
Sometimes I'll hear that song and I'll start to sing along

Hearing this song takes me back to my family camping trips every time I hear it. We go camping every year in Traverse City for a week and then do weekends up in Tawas, at the state park. The last couple years we have not been able to go as much because of all my graduation festivities and because of work.

                As far back as I can remember, we always went camping. It is something my family loves and it is time we can spend together. For me it is a place to relax and be away from the world for a while. It seems like we are always doing something though. We usually do a lot of biking riding, some years we have done a total of 50 miles. We ride into town and go to the little shops or get something to eat at a tiny restaurant, squeezed between two shops. We also go to the lake to go swimming, which is also fun. The water is usually very warm. Fishing is another thing we do. This past summer we took the boat up north with us and fished on a couple small lakes. If it rains while we are up north we go to the mall and play games in the arcade. That is a blast. The arcade is huge.

                My dad and I get up early every morning and start a fire so we can have hobo pies. Those are my favorite thing to eat while camping. We also make fires at night and have s’mores. Having campfires are one of my most favorite thing to do on our camping trips. We sit by the fire and tell stories. My dad talks about his own stories about being up north as a kid.

                Any time we would leave or come back to the park, my dad blares this song, All Summer Long. We have the windows rolled down in the truck and this song is blaring, while the four of us are singing our lungs out. It is more like a tradition to do this now. Being up north is my favorite thing to do and camping is something that is in my blood. This is my, “Summertime in Northern Michigan.”