This is Alpha, the first-born, when he was 2YO.
This is Beta, the second-born, when he was about 2YO.
This is Gamma, the third-born, when he was about 18MO.
Vacation II Photos
Aug
21
2012
Some of you may be thinking “Hey, we already had a round of vacation photos from 2012!”
You are correct, but we took another vacation so now you must endure another set of photos and recap.
I suppose you don’t have to, since you are free to browse to another blog instead of reading this one.
Day 1: Going UP
We drove to the Western Hemisphere’s longest suspension bridge:
Then we drove across it:
Then we stopped, just before reaching Canada, at the vacation house we had rented:
Not much – 3 bedrooms, 1 bath, 1 kitchen, and 1 living room. It was remote:
So remote, in fact, that we had neither internet nor cell coverage. We were off the Net for a whole week.
Here is the view from the beach behind the house. Note that you can see some land across the lake. That land is Canada.
Clarification: we could get a cell signal, but it came across the water from Canada. My phone informed me that international roaming charges were $15.36/MB! Since that is ridiculously expensive, we kept our phones off for most of the time. On the couple of days that we drove the 30 minutes to the city, we could get a non-roaming signal then. Rather, my wife could. I was driving, so I left my phone off.
Day 2: Free Day
This was going to be a stay-at-the-house-and-relax day, but by the time 9:30 rolled around we knew the kids needed more direction than just “stop annoying your brother!”
So we drove to the closest city – Sault Sainte Marie.
We saw the ships going through the locks.
We wandered around downtown, stopping in trinket/souvenir shops and also buying some fudge.
The rest of the day was spent in the backyard, throwing rocks in the water.
Day 3: Tahquamenon Falls
We drove just over an hour to see the second-largest waterfall east of the Mississippi River.
The older two boys liked hiking on the trails and wanted to do more. The 3rd child wanted to be carried everywhere. We kept the baby in the stroller so we wouldn’t have to dive in the river to rescue him.
Travel Tip: They have a lot of paved trails (or boardwalks), so you can take strollers to all the important spots.
The Falls had the best gift shop of the whole week. The best part was that the ice cream shop (right next to the gift shop) was very reasonably priced. Since it was the only show in town, I figured it would mark up the prices.
Day 4: Bad Bug, Bad Bug
This was the day described in yesterday’s post. Since you know the story (and if not, you should follow the link to read the story), let me show some photos.
Putt-putt:
Lunch (the decor does not let you forget that you are up north):
A tour of a freighter (long since decommissioned):
And then we drove back to the vacation house.
Day 5: The Great Turtle
We drove about an hour to the ferry dock. Then we rode on a boat for about 25 minutes:
Then we toured Mackinac Island – the land of fudge and the fort and no cars.
That took all day. The fort was a great place for the older 3 kids – they all enjoyed it. The thing that captivated them the most was when the soldiers demonstrated some battlefield maneuvers that involved firing their guns.
Day 6: Nothing
At the house, inside and outside, for the day.
In the afternoon, we took a 2-hour break from the house to drive to a nearby state park. The activities there were pretty much what we could do in the backyard of the vacation house, but it was something different so it occupied the boys’ attention.
Day 7: Whitefish Point
Another hour drive.
The Great Lakes Shipwreck Museum is small. It’s just one large room. The displays are interesting enough, but the boys spent more time walking on the shore and throwing rocks into the waves. Don’t expect the museum itself to take much time.
What I didn’t realize beforehand is that the museum is only one part of the admission price. You also get to visit the lighthouse keeper’s house, see a movie about the Edmund Fitzgerald, and visit the Coast Guard boathouse thingy.
Parts of it were interesting, but I don’t know that it was worth the drive. If you want to tour one museum in the area, I’d recommend the old freighter (Valley Camp) in Sault Ste. Marie over this one.
Day 8: Drive Home
After an hour drive, we stopped at Castle Rock. It’s only a dollar per person, and the kids had been asking to do it, so we stopped. I went up with the older two, so it cost us $3 total. There were about 170 steps, but the view was decent. If you like watching freeways, then the view was awesome.
Then we drove some more.
Then we stopped for a potty break.
Then we drove some more.
Then we stopped for dinner.
Then we drove some more.
Then we got home.
Other than a mouse that got caught in a trap earlier in the week and so by the time we got home it was very dead and also smelly, the house was fine.
The End.
To whom I gave the wilderness for a home
And the salt land for his dwelling place?
Job 39:6
This little article thingy was written by Some Guy sometime around 6:41 pm and has been carefully placed in the Travel category.
August 22nd, 2012 at 9:27 am
We had no cell coverage or internet either for our vacation. It’s a little disconcerting, but then you get used to it. Looks like you had a great beach. Was it warm enough to swim in?
August 22nd, 2012 at 12:16 pm
It was warm. Warmer than I ever remember Lake Michigan being. Warmer than the Maranatha pool. Or maybe it just seemed warm because I was expecting Lake Superior to be in the 40s. But it wasn’t just me – the boys would willingly go into the water and play there for a while.