Vacation 2009

On the way up north to our week long camping trip, we stopped at Holiday Inn in St. Ignace. They had already given away our room, but they made up for it by giving us a hot tub room for the same price. Um...OK? So, Little Joe enjoyed the tub, and Mom and Dad got to relax in it after he went to sleep.

After arriving at our campsite on the Lake Superior Shoreline (Porcupine Mountains, Union Bay Campground)...we met up my my cousin and her family, and started vacation. We went hiking one day to The Lake of the Clouds:

And then we hiked to Observation Point, the highest point in the State Park...and about a million stairs!! (it was actually 243).

And then we headed over to the mouth of the Presque Isle River, and saw some great waterfalls and lots of great small hikes.

Aren't these rock formations cool? They were formed from eddys in the river, scouring away the layers of stone...(we're such science geeks)

I love this picture...

This is us, headed out toward Lake Superior, at the mouth of the Presque Isle River...

I love these little rock statues....I made one of our family. I think I might print it in B/W as a 8X10 and frame it.

Back at our campground...Little Joe trying to be SCARY!!!

Starting the fire...campfires are so nice...especially when you can look at the stars on a clear night.

Me and my cousin, Christine. :) with the Lake Superior sunset behind us.

Standing on the Lake shore, looking back at our camper. See - I told you, we were RIGHT ON the shore.

The next day, we went swimming in Lake Superior. It was COLD!!!!

See that little speck in the middle of the picture? Yeah, that's Big Joe, swimming in the FREEZING water!!

After my cousins left (they had to get back to MN for work)...the three of us went on a LONG hike to Trap Falls. The whole hike was just over 5 miles...and Little Joe made it the whole way!! this is one of the "rustic" backpack campsites that we found...we also decided at this point that we would never be backpack campers.

On the way to Trap Falls...

Little Joe, playing in the river...

Not Trap Falls...but close...

And we made it to Trap Falls!!! It was SO worth the hike!!!

And after all of that hiking...I got sick. And I mean really sick. The next day,my throat hurt, my head was pounding and every single joint was aching. I felt like a Mack Truck had hit me. It wasn't from the hiking though...it was something else...SO...we ended up packing up camp and heading back to St. Ignace. Back to the same Holiday Inn, and I became very good friends with a bottle of Nyquil.

On Thursday, I stayed with my new friend, Nyquil, in the hotel room, and the boys went to Mackinac Island. I was jealous, but not enough to drag my pathetic self out of bed. So...this is their visit to the Island, without me.

What a GREAT view of the Bridge...

The Grand Hotel...

Downtown Mackinac...

At the fort...

Little Joe got his first cap rifle while on the Island. (I wasn't there to exert my parental influence). :) But, we've been talking to him alot about guns vs. toys, etc.

And a good finish to the vacation...when we dropped the camper back off at the cabin, Little Joe got to go for a 4X4 ride with Dad...what a fun time!!