Mackinac Day Two

Monday morning was rainy. Though we didn't get to the island as early as we wanted, I didn't mind the rain either. It gave us another slow morning and a chance to just sit in the hotel room and talk. At lunch time everything cleared off, and we headed over. Unfortunately, my bike had been outside during the rain, so I rode around the island with my seat looking like this.

 After getting off the ferry, we rode our bikes to The Grand Hotel. This probably doesn't mean much unless you are on the island. It has the world's longest front porch at 660 feet. It's kind of prestigious and has a lot of history. We decided it was worth the $10/person to have access to the hotel and grounds.

 We ate lunch at a little cafe in the hotel. It was yummy, and I loved looking out the window and watching the horse and carriages go by. And I admit I love to people watch. :)

 Here I am in one of the main lobbies.

 "The" front porch

 They are also known for all the geraniums they plant each year.

 Do you see this? It's my husband sitting in a chair and relaxing!  It's a rare sight indeed.

 Not so rare. :) We ended up finding two rockers at the end of the porch,  in the sun. We sat for 30-40 minutes and simply relaxed/dozed.

 I spy  my husband...

 At the other end of the porch was this chess game. We played and I promptly loss.

 After about three hours at the hotel, we went on some more "adventurous" bike rides. Some of the paths were really narrow and full of tree roots and plants. (This picture isn't one of those paths; it won't upload for some reason.)

 One of our views from a trail.

 

 

 After another good meal and some more shopping downtown (complete with a hot chocolate from Starbucks) we headed back. I was really sad to leave.

If the tradition continues, we will be back in about 4-5 years. And we can't wait for the day where the girls are old enough to be good bike riders so we can take them, too. It's really like leaving the country, without all the hassle.  Again I am so thankful that we went there. It will always hold a special place in our hearts.

Mackinac Island

Sunday morning I was determined to sleep in and get up when my body woke me up, not an alarm clock. (This never happens....) And so my body woke me up at 7:04. Nice. I refused to get out of bed until 8:00.

We took the 10:00 ferry ride over to the island, and this trip made a little excursion to go under the bridge. It was very interesting!

We sat on the top deck, so it was very windy. I finally put on my hood.

Pulling into the dock

Just a few steps off the ferry, and I knew I was where I needed to be. I took a deep breath and relaxed. The smell of horses and fudge; it's a beautiful thing. There are about 600 horses on the island, and you see many carriages as well. The only modes of transportation are horses, bikes or your own feet.

 We ventured off on our bikes and came across some beautiful scenery.

 This was the sidewalk entrance for some one's house.

 One of the many nice biking trails.

He didn't need the old fashioned map; he just used his phone. Something we weren't doing five years ago when we were here.

 Overlooking the dock; you can see the ferry we took.

I always love seeing the steeple for St. Anne's Church

 Some of the houses on the island are amazing; they make me think of doll houses.

We discovered there was horseback riding on the island! I was so excited and loved my ride on Ginger.

 After lunch we rode the eight miles around the island. Here  is Arch Rock.

And now looking down/out from Arch Rock.

 You can see the road that takes you around the island.

Another pretty trail....not paved this time.

 This at the highest elevation on the island, and this is my "I'm done" pose. After 20+ miles on the bike and climbing countless steps, I was tired.

We finished with a yummy meal and a little walking around downtown before heading back to the main land. It was a wonderful, fun day with my hubby!

Tequanamin Falls Michigan (Sat. part 2)

We took the scenic route to Tequanamin Falls, MI. It's a beautiful park with trees and hills. We hiked back to the upper falls, and it was worth every step along the way.

This moose was at the beginning of the trail; I had this picture taken for the girls.

 It was beautiful! I told Brandon it looked liked cola going over. It's a mineral that gives the water that color.

 Another picture for the girls. :)

We made the hour long drive back to St. Ignace and ate dinner back in town. We had a good day, but I will admit - I was tired ALL day. I think the last week of go, go, go caught up with me and once I finally slowed down, my body realized how tired I was. And I will also admit - I missed the girls. I knew they were having lots of fun, which helped me, but I was also sad I was missing out...thankfully the next day was much better for me.

Here is a little sample of what I was missing out on:

Aunt Peg started a tradition with the girls for their 3rd birthday. She takes them to Build A Bear. It was Sadie's turn - and she chose a chocolate puppy. With Peg's help, they named it Mousse. Here is a picture of Sadie with her new pet. (I hope to get more pictures...)

 From there Peg took them to Starbucks to get their first Frappuccinos. Fun times!

Later in the afternoon, Analise went golfing with Pops, Uncle Danny and Aunt Peg. She was so excited when she found out that U. Danny and A. Peg had bought her her own club. Thanks so much!  She got lessons on how to "whack the ball" from both golf experts - Pops and U. Danny. And she was in heaven driving the golf cart!

Friday and Saturday (part one)

Friday morning we had family pictures. I'm not sure if I can post those...hmmm. Anyway, it took awhile, but I thought it went really well. The girls cooperated and smiled and looked so stinkin' cute. :) What took so long was selecting the pictures we wanted. We then went and had a family meal at Q'Doba. Yummy to our tummy. We took the girls home, tucked Sadie in for her nap, and Brandon and I loaded up the van for our little four day escape. Yes, we got away just the two of us.

We had wanted to do something for our 10th anniversary - last August. We just seemed to be lacking on the time, money or both. I had dreamed of going to San Diego since I've never been there but always thought it would be fun. And we talked about going this time. However, the air miles were double what we wanted to use; Brandon travels enough that flying to our destination didn't excite him; and I knew that there would be so much to do in such little (four days) time. All that to say - I didn't have a peace about going, though it made me sad not to. I knew I wanted a location where we could slow down, relax and really connect. I felt like if we went to SD, then we would have been going non stop. So we decided to pick another location. That took awhile...Brandon mentioned Mackinac Island, but I said, "been there, done that."  Over time I began to change my mind, and a decision was made.  We stayed at a HI Express for free ( a perk to all of Brandon's work travels) in St. Ignace, in the UP of Michigan. The timing was right for us to go. I knew my parents would enjoy every minute with the girls; the girls would love staying with them, and I didn't have to feel bad about leaving them. My mom would say, "It's a win-win."

Here is the Mighty Mac we went over.

A view from our hotel room. I was determined to have a beach. Like it? :)

There's Mackinac Island

Saturday morning we headed north 45 minutes to Sault St. Marie to go on a tour of the Soo Locks. I knew this was something Brandon would enjoy, and I was right. I selected a handful of the 100+ pictures he took. If you ever want a picture tour, he can give you one. :)

The world's longest hydro electric plant  - 1/4 mile long. (I just had to ask him this; I don't remember those kind of things.)

And there I sit. It was one of the tours where the women sat on the boat, and the men lined the deck with the cameras.

Here we are in the first lock waiting for the water to raise. It takes us from Lake Huron to Lake Superior.

A huge steel mill. I believe this was on Canada's side.

After the two hour tour, we found a quaint cafe to each lunch. It was probably one of our favorite meals on the entire trip. From there we took a scenic drive to a state park. Along the way we stopped at an old light house. We climbed up and then walked the beach.

Part Two to come...