So much for saving money by playing in the sprinklers. We just returned from five days in beautiful northern Michigan. It has been a few years since we took a family vacation so it was a much needed break from the ordinary. On Tuesday morning we drove off in a drizzle of rain and headed for Mackinac City. Our only stop during the four and a half hour drive was Cross in the Woods at Indian River, just one half hour from our destination! That's pretty good for traveling with four children under the age of seven. By the time we got to Indian River we were all a little antsy:
It felt good to stretch our legs:
The highlight is supposed to be this impressive sculpture of Christ on the Cross:
But my favorite is Blessed Kateri Tekakwitha:
There is a small gift shop and museum at Cross in the Woods. They have many mannequins dressed in the habits of various orders of religious sisters. The one on the far right here was labelled "Felician Sisters - Livonia, Michigan." That's the order that runs my alma mater, Ladywood High School, although the habits were slightly modified by the time I attended in the mid-80's (but hey, at least they still wear one):
Then it was off to Mackinac City. We were very happy to arrive safe at the Econo Lodge Bayview:
Instead of staying in the hotel, we rented a three room cabin. Cute on the outside, it was.... ummm.... one step up from camping on the inside:
After reading Michelle's post about their recent hotel stay, I can certainly appreciate our cabin's good points. On our first night there, however, about 50 Harley Davidsons pulled in to the hotel parking lot all bearing leather-clad women. They all stayed in the cabins surrounding us. We were literally the only cabin-staying non-motorcycle riding people there. It didn't last long however. The next morning they all started their noisy engines, making the three year old cry, and took off for another day of hell-raising:
On our first night, we dined out for pizza and strolled along Lake Michigan. We couldn't tour the U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Mackinaw because it wasn't baby-friendly but we got pretty close:
Then Daddy took the kids to the park so Mommy could enjoy an outdoor concert:
When we finally returned to our cabin, the kids crashed as soon as they had their pajamas on:
There were two really good things about our hotel - a free breakfast bar complete with waffles, sausage, eggs, juice, coffee, and more and a waterpark that was perfect for the under-7 set. In fact, after going there once that was all they wanted to do:
We tried to entice them with nature's waterpark - Lake Huron. It was pretty amazing to see the calming effect the soft sand and rolling waves had on everyone. I think the three older kids could have played at the beach all day but the baby was unimpressed:
Then it was time for a drive across the Mackinac Bridge. Gulp. I have a true fear of heights so I was pretty nervous but the five mile drive went by surprisingly fast. The view from the bridge:
The side railing doesn't look very big, does it? It looks like our van could just smash right though it! I kept thinking about the Yugo that got blown over the side by high winds in the 80's. I felt a bit safer in our full-size van:
On the other side lies Michigan's Upper Peninsula and the town of St. Ignace. We were sure to get a picture of the three oldest by the St. Ignace Public Library which we turned in at our library today. In return the three children pictured each got to pick a free book and the photo will be included in a collage at the summer's end:
My husband remembers going to Castle Rock as a child. Back then you could climb all over Paul Bunyan and Babe the Blue Ox. This is no longer the case:
I made it up the steps to the top but I couldn't cross the catwalk to the top of the rock. I don't remember my acrophobia being such a bother before!
The next day was chilly, windy and rainy. Not a good day to spend in a city with so many great outdoor offerings. We went to Colonial Michilimackinac in spite of the weather and we got to see a six pound cannon get fired over the lake:
The next morning, our last in Mackinac, was beautiful. So we lingered a little longer than we had originally planned and paid a visit to Historic Mill Creek. After seeing a demonstration of hand-sawing techniques:
we watched a water-powered saw mill in action. It was interesting and picturesque:
Our children were a little young for this history lesson apparently. When we were leaving the four year old exclaimed, "Now let's go to the mill!" I'm not sure where he thought we were during the hour we spent at the mill. After lunch at the Mackinac Pastie and Cookie Company we headed for our last stop...
Honor, Michigan! The motel we stayed at is as American as a slice of apple pie. It was sparkling clean and comfy. We plan on staying there again someday:
In Honor, we went to a car show:
These people love their cars. Here is an engine clean enough to eat off of:
We had a delicious breakfast at Papa J's Pizza, had a nice visit with family, bought some wonderfully sweet, dark red cherries and then drove home.
Our vacation was great but it made us ever more grateful for our home and our own beds!
