Michigan 2020 (Aug 8-15)

I'll have to rely on my pictures instead of my writing this year.  This week was pretty amazing and we did so many fun things. 

The new addition to Michigan is our puppy, Coco, who turned 5 months on Aug 15.  She was a fantastic traveler and enjoyed lots of things too.  We felt very crammed in our van but travel was thankfully uneventful and she tolerates the car just fine.

We took off as early as our family could muster Saturday morning (Aug 8) and drove the whole way, with plans to stop at Ted and Cindy's for supper.  We packed our van for an hour, and left the house at 8:15am.  We arrived at Ted's house at 6:00pm (which is in eastern time).

Sunday, Aug 9, 2020

Vanessa and Eli quickly discovered how many frogs could be found near the shoreline and caught as many as possible.

Coco got her first ride on a paddleboat.

And her first swim in the lake

First night of fishing

Calvin caught a bass

Monday, Aug 10th, 2020

A favorite breakfast that will keep you full all day: creamed eggs on toast

We drove to a nearby spring with 45 ft deep crystal clear water and saw huge trout...this place is called Kitch-iti-kipi.  The name means "big cold spring" in the Ojibwe language.

Second night of fishing Violet and I caught the most pike.  All 4 were close to the same size, 25".  She was so brave to hold it and clean it later.

Monday's skies were incredible.....

Tuesday, Aug 11, 2020

We noticed tiny little white jellyfish swimming in the water and captured one - turns out is the only fresh water jellyfish in the world and is considered an invasive species from the Yangtze River in China. No idea how it got here.

A trip to a public beach in Munising. This was a new place for them. We sat near it when we ate supper on Sunday evening and had to come back with swimsuits on.

Nice photobomb, Calvin.

They are walking on water! (no, it's just a log stuck they were standing on)

first "dig" of the vacation - she went crazy til she reached water

Vanessa's huge catch of the week - a 30.5" pike!  That's not huge as far as pikes go, but the biggest we've ever caught in this lake on a Rapala lure that trolls at a 6 foot depth

Coco was introduced to a turtle

Here's the chunker she caught

Wed, Aug 12, 2020

We attempted 2 hikes on Wednesday!  I remembered a big waterfall we visited years ago and wanted to see it again.  It was a decent short hike to see it...and 77 steps down at the end of the trail and 77 steps back up once we viewed it.  It is called Miners Falls.

Miners Falls

Viewing Miners Castle - our FAVORITE hike to the beach.  This one is exactly a mile to the beach, but the trail is full of twists, turns, roots to step over, lots of squishy mud to avoid, down down down on the way there, and up up up on the way back.  Coco did fantastic and loved every minute of it.  She is a mountain dog and handled the steep terrain like a natural!

Coco got LOTS of attention!!  She made lots of friends everywhere she went.

Once we got back to our cabin after the beach hike, Dave took V and C out fishing, so Vanessa and Eli paddle-boated to the raft with some snacks.  They brought a can of squirty cheese, crackers, and gatorade.  They tried to yell to everyone on the lake that they were selling treats "for free".

Dave, Violet and Calvin were their only customers. :D

Calvin cleaning up his second bass.

Thursday, Aug 13, 2020

Thursday was our pontoon day on the chain of lakes!  Coco did alright, and didn't seem to like the boat whipping around while pulling a tube, but she enjoyed hopping off and exploring islands.  One of them we are now calling "Coco-poop-island".  

I love all the water lilies!

Eli would say "I can see the bottom! Dad, how deep is it?" about a hundred times.

We stopped on an island and walked around. Vanessa fell in love with a clearing with lots of trees.  She said "I love this so much I could cry! I want to have my honeymoon here someday!"

The bottom of Corner Lake is pretty squishy - kids think it is quick sand.  We put a long stick down and it swallowed the whole thing up.  

So we got a longer stick.

It went down 8-9 feet!

Eli lost a tooth on the boat...first kid to lose a tooth ON a boat, I'm pretty sure.

twinning buddies

Michigan has a statewide mask mandate during this covid-19 pandemic, so we complied while ordering ice cream...just not while eating it.

worn out pup from all the hiking adventures the day before.  She was happy to sleep in her cage while we went to Buckhorn for supper Thurs night.

Friday, Aug 14, 2020

Coco enjoyed a lot of her days in Michigan relaxing on the screened in porch watching the action happening on the lake

Trees changing colors already!

We rented a jetski for 2 hrs on Pete's Lake. This was a highlight everyone was looking forward to.

Our haul of fish fillets!

Breaded and ready to be fried up

Mmmmmmm

Ted and Cindy joined us for the fish fry. They brought up their deep fryer, which was so helpful.  We used "Fryin' Magic" seasoning and everyone loved it.  Ted and Cindy brought up cupcakes for a family birthday party and cards/money for everyone.  So nice of them!

Last night before leaving!

Saturday, Aug 15, 2020

This about sums up the drive.  We spent 3 hours on Saturday morning packing up the cabin, and left by 11am.  Lots to do. Nothing went back the same way it came.  We were packed to the gills and this was the scene....snacks and a dog trying to get comfy. 

One more stop at Seguins on the way home!  We arrived about 8:15pm.  Seemed like the longest drive ever....but we made it.

So thankful for this needed vacation!