Day Eighty-Three

Day eighty-three is another rainy day, but my cold feels much better!  J  Sam spent the morning playing with his friends, and now we are all relaxing for the afternoon inside.  It is nice and cool outside, only in the 60’s or 70’s – ahhh!  Jim is making noise about turning on the heater, but I not going for it!  J

Day Eighty-Two

Day eighty-two and I had a head cold – yuck!  It was lightly raining outside, so Sam wanted to stay at the campground and play all day with his friends while I took cold medicine and slept.  Jim worked on paperwork.

Day Eighty-One

Day eighty-one we finished our trip to end in Sheffield, PA and the Allegheny National Forest.  Although Jim had to drive around a curve and down a hill to get to the campsite, it was a very nice site right next to the pool and playground, with a little stream running across the back.  Sam met up with some other kids and spent the rest of the day into the evening playing away!

Day Eighty

Day eighty we headed out of the KOA, going back east toward PA.  Because this was Labor Day weekend, we were not able to secure a campsite for the night at our destination, so we opted to drive about 300 miles and spend the night somewhere along the way, then finish up the trip the next day.  We found an overnight site in Milan, OH – our first call!  Nice little spot for an overnight stay right off the highway.

Day Seventy-Nine

Day seventy-nine we went back downtown to see the Whale Exhibit we had missed at the Field Museum and to also visit the Shedd Aquarium.  The Whale Exhibit was awesome!  What magnificent and massive creatures!  There was a scale model of the blue whale heart that Sam could climb through!  Wow!  Unfortunately, they wouldn’t allow pics, so I can’t show you.

We then went to the Shedd Aquarium, and it was absolutely beautiful!  There were a lot of wonderful displays of different water regions of the world full of the fish and creatures native to that area.  We enjoyed the penguin exhibit, where a couple of the caretakers were inside giving the penguins some attention and belly rubs.  The penguins were lined up for their rubs!  They also had beluga whales, who are simply gorgeous.

Sam had a really great time playing in a simulated submarine display with a lot of other kids – we practically had to pull him away after 45 minutes!  J

This was our last night in the area, so we decided to eat out at the steakhouse that was next to the campground and the wild west place.  They had excellent food, and we all left there stuffed!

Day Seventy-Eight

Day seventy-eight and the guys picked me up at the airport right after lunchtime.  It was so good to see my guys! We took the train downtown to visit the Willis Tower that afternoon.  What an awesome view!  The elevator ride is only sixty seconds to go up 103 floors – whew!  You can feel your ears popping!  They also had the “Ledge” overhand where you stand on a glass floor and look down.  It was funny to watch some people being VERY hesitant to walk out on that glass floor!  J

Day Seventy-Seven

Day seventy-seven the guys hung out at the coach all day saving their energy to go to a White Sox game that night.  Jim drove the car to the stadium because he didn’t want to take the train late at night, but he said the traffic was horrible!  They just made it into the stadium right after the game started.  White Sox won – yeah!

Day Seventy-Six

Day seventy-six and the guys went to the Museum of Science and Industry in Chicago.  They said it was huge and they couldn’t even see it all in one day!  Sam told me it was really cool, and he took several video clips with his camera.  There was even a tornado machine that was two stories tall!

Day Seventy-Five

Day seventy-five and I had to hop a plane back to FL for a couple of days to take care of some business.  Jim and Sam dropped me off at the airport in the morning, and then headed back to the coach and went back to bed!  J  They spent the afternoon doing some shopping and chores.  Jim got Sam a REALLY late Christmas present – a Flip Video Camera.  He said Sam spent the rest of the evening making movies!

Day Seventy-Four

Day seventy-four we headed to Chicago to visit the Field Museum, home of Sue the T-Rex!  Sue is the most complete dinosaur skeleton ever found to date, and on display at the Field Museum.  We drove to the Rosemont train station, and took the train into town.  Sam loves to ride the train, as do Jim and I, so that was part of the attraction for us!  Sam has ridden on more trains and subways at only eight years old than I did before I was 40!

The Field Museum was HUGE!  We didn’t realize how extensive it was, and we bought tickets to see the 3D movie as well as two special exhibits they had on display.  By four o’clock, we were racing around trying to get to the Whale Exhibit, but didn’t realize it closed at four.  The staff was kind enough to make a note on our tickets to honor our visit for another day during the week.

The Field Museum is located right on the lake, next to the Shedd Aquarium, and just down the way from the planetarium.  We snapped a few pics of the gorgeous Chicago skyline, which included the Willis Tower (formerly known as the Sear’s Tower).

Before hopping on the train for the journey home, we stopped at Giordano’s for their famous deep dish pizza!  Yum yum!!  It was delicious!

Day Seventy-Three

Day seventy-three we packed up and headed south toward Chicago.  We camped at a KOA campground in Union, IL about an hour’s drive from the train stop at Rosemont.  Right next door was a wild west place that had shows on the weekends, so we could hear them shooting their guns that night during the show.  Buster doesn’t like loud noises, so he immediately jumped into my lap!  Ha Ha!

Day Seventy-Two

Day seventy-two and the last day of water park fun in the Dells!  Sam and Jim went back to the park while I went to the downtown area to walk around and check out the shops.  I also walked the short “River Walk” as it was labeled, to check out the downtown view of the river.  A couple of hours browsing and strolling on a nice afternoon!

Day Seventy-One

Day seventy-one was another water park day for Sam and Jim while I lounged around the coach and caught up on some reading and laundry.

Day Seventy

Day seventy we all headed to Mt. Olympus for some rollercoaster and go kart action!  There is one go kart track that goes under a huge Trojan Horse, and Sam and I got the slowest car – boo!  J  Another go kart track we drove on was one that goes under a pond, and Sam and I got the lead car AND the fastest car that time!  We smoked them all!  Woo hoo!

After lunch, Sam had to spend some time back at the wave pool, and he spent a couple of hours running like crazy!  We all went back to the coach for some down time for a couple of hours, before our next adventure – Monster Truck Ride!!  They have this HUGE monster truck that a driver takes you zooming around a course of hills, bumps, curves, and mud through the woods.  Oh boy!  It was definitely a thrill ride!  Sam was clutching the sides of his seat pretty good, and his eyes were VERY big!  J  We had a blast, though!

Day Sixty-Nine

Day sixty-nine Sam and Jim hit the water parks again – Sam just LOVES Poseidon’s Rage, which is a wave pool.  They spent three or four hours sliding and swimming.

Later that evening, we went to the downtown main street area to check out the action.  We stopped for some ice cream at the Dairy Queen, then sat at an outside table at a bar and grill for a couple of beers while we watched the crowds walking by.  There are lots of interesting places to go in the area, and it was busy!  We just people watched for a while and let the sunset happen.

Day Sixty-Eight

Day sixty-eight we took a ride on the Dells Ducks.  They took us on a little tour of the area, and then we rode in Lake Delton for a while.  An interesting fact:  Lake Delton is a man-made lake, and in 2008 there were some horrendous rains and flooding that washed away their levee, so the lake actually drained!  After the levee was repaired, the lake filled back up in about a  month’s time from rainfall and the flow from Dell Creek.

The duck boat also took us on a little tour of the Wisconsin River, which is beautiful and has some of the same cliffs and rock formations seen on Lake Superior.  What a gorgeous area!

Afterward, we headed down the road a few miles to go on the Lost Canyon Tour.  This was a short tour, about a mile or so, through an awesome canyon while traveling on a horse drawn carriage.  The cliff walls were magnificent, and I don’t think my pics can even begin to capture their majesty.  While touring through, a deer just strolled right down through the canyon, nonchalantly.

A stop at Uno Pizzeria on the way home satisfied my pizza craving – yum yum!!  After some nap time, Jim took Sam over to the indoor water park for some more sliding!

Day Sixty-Seven

Day sixty-seven was a guy’s water park day!!  Sam and Jim hit the water, while I went shopping and relaxed at the coach for a little while.  After lunch, I went over to join them for some go kart driving, and to take a few pics.  It was a Saturday and that place was packed!  We came back to the coach about dinner time just as we felt a few raindrops.

Day Sixty-Six

Day sixty-six we got an early start to drive to the Wisconsin Dells for our next stop.  We hit a little rain along the way, but got there in one piece.  We opted to stay at the Zeus Village Campground, which is part of the Mt. Olympus group of lodgings and resort parks.  For every day of our stay, we get free admission to the Mt. Olympus theme park and water park.  Oh, yeah!

After getting set up, we decided to head over to the park to check it out.  It is huge!  The outdoor water park was closed for the evening, but the theme parks and the indoor water park were open.  Needless to say, Sam made a beeline for the water park and slides!  Woo hoo!

Day Sixty-Five

Day sixty-five the park service was having a Junior Ranger class at Sand Point Beach, so took Sam to attend.  While he was in class, Jim and I hiked the Marsh Trail there.  We saw two beaver lodges, but it was mid-day, so we didn’t see any beavers moving around.  At the end of the class, Sam earned a Junior Ranger badge and patch, so he was all smiles!

Day Sixty-Four

Day sixty-four we decided to go on a longer hike, and drove out the dirt road to park at the trailhead for Chapel Falls.  This was going to be about six miles roundtrip to view Chapel Falls and also to visit Chapel Rock.  We had seen Chapel Rock from the water on the boat cruise, so now we would get to view it up close and personal!  The hike was good exercise, but an easy hike with no big climbs.  I never saw so many chipmunks in my life!  I literally saw more chipmunks in this one day than I had seen in my entire life.  They were everywhere, and we actually found out they make several different noises and calls.  What we had thought were birds in the past, I now know are chipmunk calls in a couple of cases.  One chipmunk was so unafraid, it actually came right up to my shoe, and licked it!  Sam was amazed.

Chapel Falls was beautiful, and Chapel Rock was awesome!  We were right at the rock, and got a close-up view of the tree that was growing right on top of the rock.  It’s root actually stretched over the chasm to the ground since there was no soil on the rock, and the roots were thicker than most trees I’ve seen, since it’s so old! 

We passed through a primitive campground area on the hike back, and stopped at their bathroom facility.  This was three miles from the trailhead, and it made me wonder – how do they keep this facility stocked with supplies, and who’s the lucky ranger that gets to carry them in?  Hope they have a vehicle trail somewhere we didn’t see, because that is quite the hike to carry in tp!  J

The parking area at the trailhead was overflowing with cars when we got back – it was a beautiful day and everyone was out!  We had packed a lunch, so we ate when we got back to the car, and we all agreed it was the best lunch ever!  Funny how walking six miles through the woods can make one so hungry!  Especially Sam, since he had picked up a log and carried it the last mile of the hike, just to test his fortitude.  J

 

Day Sixty-Three

Day sixty-three we spent the morning doing paperwork and chores, and then we went on the Pictured Rocks Boat Cruise.  The 5:00 pm cruise took us a little further than the day cruises in order to view Spray Falls.  We went by several different rock formations, and saw them very close.  The captain even took us inside one VERY narrow cove, which was really cool!  The cliffs were so beautiful and timeless.  He also took us close to the Grand Island East Channel Lighthouse, which started operation in 1867 and has been restored.

The boat cruise was very nice, and full of information and history.  We really enjoy cruises as a way to learn a lot about the area we are visiting.

Day Sixty-Two

Day sixty-two we headed out to Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore Visitor Center to get trail maps, etc.  We opted to do some short hikes that day, and check out some waterfalls.  A short drive away we stopped to hike out to Munising Falls.  The trail actually went behind the waterfall, but had been closed in recent years due to deterioration of the rock.  Jim and Sam snuck over to get a pic of themselves there, anyway – shh!

We also drove out to the trailhead to see Miner’s Castle and to view Miner’s Falls.  This was a little longer hike, but we only hiked about two-and-a-half miles total that day.  What gorgeous rock formations!  The forests and surroundings were lovely, and chipmunks were everywhere!

After the short hikes, we decided to go on the Glass Bottom Boat Tours to see some of the shipwrecks in the area.  We sat on the upper open deck in the very front of the boat, and it was the best seat in the house!  As we came to a shipwreck, the tour operators opened the hatches covering the glass bottom area and we slowly moved over the shipwrecks while hearing their history and an explanation of the parts of the ships we were viewing.  It was really fascinating!

The areas of the lake near the rock cliffs and where the shipwrecks are located are only about eight to fifteen feet deep, and the water is crystal clear.  The cliffs and rock walls are absolutely beautiful, and it is easy to see why the area is named Pictured Rocks.

Day Sixty-One

Day sixty-one we packed up and headed further west to Munising, MI near the Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore.  As we drove through Munising, it was a nice setting along the shore of Lake Superior.  We stayed at the Munising Tourist Park Campground just outside of town, and it was right on the shore.  For only twenty-three dollars a night, you couldn’t beat the rate!

Our campsite was on a big corner lot across from the office, and right across the entrance from the playground, so it was a great location.  The wifi signal was extra strong, so we were happy!  After setup, Sam and Jim went for a swim in the lake, and, of course, Sam loved the beach.

Day Sixty

Day sixty we drove north to Whitefish Point to visit the Great Lakes Shipwreck Museum.  It was over an hour drive through some very isolated territory, with only a few small local pubs or diners along the way, until we reached Paradise.  There were lots of camps along the lake, and it was evident that the snow up in that area was pretty heavy from the snowmobile trails that were everywhere.  We had to snap a pic of one guy’s “winter” mailbox.  J

It just so happens that the museum was celebrating it’s 150^th Anniversary that day, so we were in for a special treat!  There were speakers and tour guides along with a period band, and fish and fries of the local whitefish for lunch – yummy!  The employees were all excited because they had never seen so many visitors at once!  The history of some of the shipwrecks in the area over the years was fascinating, and they especially covered the sinking of the Edmund Fitgerald in 1975.  We saw a short film about the salvaging of the bell from the ship, and that bell is on display in their museum.  We also climbed up inside their VERY narrow lighthouse for a view of the area, and walked around the grounds, going out to the beach and walking to the actual point.

On the way back to the campground, we stopped in Paradise for some refreshments, and Sam let me take his picture with the bear in front of their store.  J

That night we ate at The Antlers, a local eatery in Sault Ste. Marie that was recommended to us by Bob and Elane, our friends from Sturgis.  We were just about a block away at our campground, so we walked down.  It was filled with taxidermy displays of just about every critter known to man!  All the chandeliers were made of deer antlers, and the place was busy.  I had steak tips with peppers and onions, and it was delicious!  We waddled back to the campground to call it a night.

Day Fifty-Nine

Day fifty-nine we headed south to St. Ignace, MI.  Along the way we stopped at an old roadside attraction called Castle Rock.  For only one dollar per person, you can climb the steps (all 162 of them per Sam's count) up two hundred feet for a great view of the whole area atop a natural rock formation dubbed Castle Rock.  It was a great view and a nice little climb.  It was also a little nostalgic, as it brought back memories of the old roadside attractions I remember when traveling as a child.  They had some "life-size" statues of Paul Bunyon and Babe, as well.

A few miles farther along the road brought us to an attraction Sam had been anxious to experience since seeing the brochure a few days earlier - Mystery Spot!  It proclaimed to be some sort of natural phenomenon or anomaly of physics where the normal laws of physics did not always apply.  We took the tour, and Sam took part in some of the "experiments" and really enjoyed this place!  We also checked out their maze, as Sam seems to like these, as well.  :)

Our next stop for the day was in St. Ignace, as we took a ferry over to Mackinac Island.  For those of you who don't know, (as I didn't) Mackinac and Mackinaw are BOTH pronounced Mackinaw.  Mackinac Island is one of the VERY few inhabited islands in the United States that does not allow motorized vehicles on their streets.  The only form of transportation is bicycle or horse and carriage, and they have LOTS of both!  There were literally hundreds of bicycles - the most I have ever seen in one place.

We took a horse and carriage tour of the island, and it was great!  Part of the island is a national park, and we also toured that area on the horse and carriage tour.  There are about 600 horses on the island, and most of them are moved off the island by ferry for the winter.  Only a few stay year-round because there are year-round residents, and freight for the businesses is moved and delivered by horse drawn wagon.  The tour and the whole experience was fascinating, and I would highly recommend it for any families traveling in this area!

While on the island, we also visited a butterfly house and garden, and they had several exotic species.  Sam even got to hold a Blue Morpho Butterfly on his finger, and he was excited!

At the end of the day, we took the ferry back to St. Ignace, and I have to admit, I felt a little sad to leave the beautiful island.  Sam was napping in my lap, and the wind was blowing my hair as the island swept past - a wonderful mommy memory.

Day Fifty-Eight

Day fifty-eight we headed to Sault Ste. Marie in Ontario to take the train to Agawa Canyon.  It is an all day tour, with the train leaving at 8:00 am and returning around 6:00 pm.  It was a really nice ride with some great scenery along the way.  Once we got to the canyon, we had about 90 minutes to walk around the trails.

We walked to Bridal Veil Falls, and then South and North Black Beaver Falls.  They were all very lush since it just rained in the area recently.  Sam did a little rock climbing, and only slipped once to get a wet foot!  J  After our “hike” we boarded the train and had a nice lunch in the dining car.  We all caught some naps on the ride back, and Buster was ecstatic when we arrived back at the coach.

Day Fifty-Seven

Day fifty-seven and we headed out of Kalkaska to Sault Ste. Marie.  We got a slow start because our leveling jacks were being a pain, but we eventually got on the road.  The farther north we headed, the windier it got!  As we got close to St. Ignace, I said something about the Mackinac Bridge coming up, and Jim’s eyes almost popped out of his head!  “We’re going over that TODAY?!” he said.  Ha Ha!!  It was VERY windy, but we figured they would close it if it was unsafe, so we pushed on.  It was open, but they had signs up saying RV’s and trailers could only go 20 mph.  Since they only had one lane open, that meant that everyone was going 20 mph!  It was a S-L-O-W ride, but really awesome!

We are staying at the Soo Locks Campground, and it is right on the water, so we can sit in our coach and watch the ships going down the river.  Nothing going on the first night, though, as we are just hunkering down and waiting for the winds to die down!

Day Fifty-Six

Day fifty-six we drove to Traverse City for a little beach time on Lake Michigan.  Jim managed to work his way into the water, but Sam only made it in to his waist before he decided it was too cold!  J  He then spent the next hour-and-a-half digging in the sand.  We all had an ice-cream break and walked through the tunnel under the street to cross over and check out the river.  We had to laugh at the ducks swimming against the strong current, just keeping time with it so they never moved downriver while they waited for something edible to come by and then snag it.

We then drove up the street a few miles to stop at the Pirate’s Cove Adventure Place, where they had a myriad of activities.  We played a round of mini-golf, and Sam loved the Bumper Boats!  There was also a ropes climbing course, which I would have liked to try out except I wore sandals that day instead of sneakers.  They also had racing go karts, a water slide, and a zip line!  It was a really cool and busy place!  After a couple of hours, we were ready to wrap it up for the day and head back to the coach.

 

Day Fifty-Five

Day fifty-five found us headed back to Sleeping Bear Sand Dunes to check out some trails and drive the Pierce Scenic Drive.  Along the drive, we stopped at a Dunes Overlook, and it was packed with people!  When we approached the area, it was actually a sand dune/bluff that extended all the way down to the water’s edge, and a lot of people were making their way up and down it.  It looked REALLY steep, so I decided to wait on the top in the sand with Buster while Sam and Jim went down to the water.  Oh boy, was I glad I did!  While we were waiting, I kept watching the people coming up, and a lot of them were really struggling!  The rescue squad showed up with all their equipment, and kept walking down a little ways to look over the edge checking on someone.  Turns out that a man had overdone it, had thrown up and was laying on the ground, so someone else had called rescue.  By the time they got there, he was up and SLOWLY making his way up the slope, so they just kept an eye on him for a while.  Another woman approached the rescue team while they were there and asked if they would check her husband because he was having chest pains after the climb.  They checked him but he was okay, so they left.  Sheesh!!

Meanwhile, it was an hour-and-a-half before Sam came back over the ridge, and another twenty minutes before Jim crawled up (which is how most of the adults climbed up)!  J  After some recovery time, we walked over to the boardwalk lookout point, and we could see all the way down the slope they had climbed.  Wow!  It was almost straight down, and we read some info that said it was 450 feet high!  Yikes!

We drove to Glen Arbor for lunch again, this time across the street from the day before so Buster could hang out with us.  Sam was so hungry that he ate two orders of chicken nuggets which was about 16-20 pieces plus French fries!  He was stuffed!  Needless to say, we decided enough “hiking” had been done that day, so we headed back to the campground.