So - we decided to head out around lunchtime from the hotel towards the U.P. It was long drive - but one I didn't mind too much - because the sites were incredible! Saw much of Lake Michigan on the trip to Escanaba. Beautiful weather, easy traffic and country tunes crankin'! :) Doesn't get much better! (Did I mention that the ONLY 3 channels we got for 3 days were country stations. I learned how to appreciate country music all over again!)
We ended up in Escanaba at around 5. Nice little town. Checked into our hotel room and then headed to the lake for some pictures. Got some really cool lighthouse pics and scenery shots (all on Trev's camera of course). Nice, relaxing night.
Went to dinner at a place called Hudson's. Cool little burger joint - kind of like a greasy spoon-type place. After dinner, visited their Wal-Mart (guess this is just a must on vacation) and got some things we needed and then it was back to the hotel for the night.
End - Day 4.
Thursday morning we woke up early and headed toward Mackinaw City. It was a gorgeous day! We stopped a couple different times along the water to stop and look and of course, take pictures. Trevor loves the water and HAS to be as close to it as he can be when he can be. :)
Arrived in Mackinaw City in the mid afternoon of day 5. Weather was PERFECT - about 70 degrees! I'm just gonna say right now that it could never get a degree past 75 and I would be ONE HAPPY person! :)
Ate lunch in Mackinaw City and then did some shopping. Played putt-putt in the early evening. Trevor won. Of course he did! But only by one stroke! It was funny - Chloe had forgotten that the LOWEST score wins and so was happy each time I told her daddy got a 2 and she got a 5. Needless to say, at the end hearing she got a 60 and daddy got a 42 and that daddy one, it did not make her very happy. She did get 2 hole-in-one's, though, so I was very proud of her! :)
Walked through downtown, Mackinaw Crossing, in the evening. Got Ice Cream and then watched a pretty cool laser show before heading back to the hotel for the night.
End - Day 5.
Friday morning, Trevor and Chloe headed to the hotel's continental breakfast while I stayed back and took my shower and got ready. Pretty crazy - while they were gone I set-off the fire alarm with my hair dryer! (Now maybe Trevor will believe me the next time I tell him that I literally SWEAT getting ready in the morning because that darn dryer is so hot!) It did finally go off by itself, but it was a little scary there for a moment!
Took the Ferry to Mackinac Island on Friday. Another BEAUTIFUL day! Literally - not a cloud in the sky! The Ferry Boat to the Island was very fun. Windy - but fun. Here's a picture of Chloe. She didn't much care for all the wind.
Got to the island and did lots of walking. Took a pretty cool Horse Carriage Tour that took us all around the Island - including a stop to Fort Mackniac a stop by the Butterfly Conservatory. Trevor got some AMAZING pictures at the Conservatory! I'm not kidding - some of these pictures need to be in magazines! (Insert: Bragging up my hubby here!)
Ya'll have to ask Trevor about the Haunted House that we toured while we were there, too. Talk about scary! I did learn that my family and I are all whimps! Big barks, with little bites! :)
Learned some really interesting facts about the Island. VERY imformative Tour Guides. Check this out for a a little more touristy stuff about Mackinac.
Got back to the main land about 6. I had a pretty intense migraine so I went back to the hotel to lay down while Trevor and Chloe went to the beach just outside of our hotel. They were able to get KILLER seats for the fireworks, too!
Decided on pizza for dinner. Pizza on the beach was pretty sweet! When I came back down from resting from my headache - this is what I saw...
Sweet set-up. My hubs rocks!
We did get yelled at by some guy who accused us of stealing "his chair" from his room (the one with the cooler on it). It was pretty interesting since all Trev had done was get it from the beach when he first arrived and no one was around. We told him he could have it - but he just said, "N0 - whatever!" Guess he was pretty mad. Oh well. We didn't let it ruin our evening.
Fireworks on Lake Michigan were incredible to say the least. They were literally setting them off just a piers-length away from us. It was pretty increible. They also lasted longer than any I've ever seen.
Here's some pics of Chloe's time splashing around in the lake...
We even did some sparklers. Everyone loves sparklers, right?
Ended the day about midnight. Got to bed late, but it was good. Well worth it for all the fun we had! :) Great memories!
End - Day 6.
We took our time getting up on Saturday. The last day of vacation is never fun - so we just took it slow. Checked out of hotel and grabbed a bite to eat at a really cool family-style restaurant before getting on the road again.
Filled gas tank - $4.27! WOW!
We decided to stop at West Branch at the Outlet Malls. Now my husband is one heck of a guy. He only stops at these places for me. Isn't he the best? He even did some shopping with me in Bath and Body Works. Now that's love, right ladies?
Ended up texting my friends of ours who were staying in a cottage up in Hale, Michigan, near Tawas. Knew we were pretty close - so called to see if they wanted to come over and shop with us. They ended up inviting us over - so we decided to make a "pit stop" for a little bit to hang with them. Ended up eating dinner and before you knew it - it was late. We still had 4 hours of driving home to do. So... we did what any sane person would do - - we stayed the night - adding ONE MORE night/day to our vacation. It was unexpected - and very fun! We laughed with friends, watched a movie and was able to spend some extra down time relaxing before heading back the next morning at 8 a.m.
Overall - it was a wonderful vacation! Expensive - yes. Longer than we had planned - yes. Well worth it - ABSOLUTELY! I love getting time like that to unplug and connect with my family. They are THE BEST and I am one blessed wife and mother!
Days 4-7 Highlights
~ Singing country tunes in the car with Chloe.
~ Driving across the bridge in Mackinaw (SCARY!)
~ Laying on grass next to Lake Michigan on the Island.
~ Fireworks on the beach.
~ Sharing some unexpected time with great friends!
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