Sophie enjoys the sunset on the docks of Walloon Lake, MI.

This summer, we enjoyed a much needed vacation away from home.   The Flex was packed with bikes, jet skis, luggage and children for an enjoyable ferry ride across Lake Michigan between Manitowoc and Ludington.  Much of the time on board was spent playing cribbage, watching movies and enjoying the outdoor view.  Emily met some Canadian’s and spent some time on the upper deck conversing with her interesting new friends.  

Before boarding the boat, I had a standing bet with the entire group that whoever was the first to get seasick on the boat would be awarded $20.00 for their effort.   Just prior to boarding, we stopped at a Culver’s in Manitowoc and Andy decided to take some hamburger with him onto the ferry.  No more than 30 seconds after boarding and while walking up the stairs of the ferry, he jammed the entire rest of his burger in his mouth, gagged and ralphed to the amusement of many onlooking spectators….  He won!

After dinner in Ludington and some magic tricks at the dinner table, we prepared for our 3 hour drive to Walloon Lake north of Boyne City, MI. However, we got caught in a storm and decided to spend the night in Traverse City to recoup for the final leg on Tuesday morning.   We arrived at Wildwoods on Walloon and enjoyed the country atmosphere as well as the sun on the small private beach.  The lake water was amazingly clean and blue and perfect for swimming, skiing, knee boarding and jet skiing!

On Thursday we took a short drive even farther north and entered the UP, St. Ignace and jumped on a ferry for the 10 minute ride to Mackinac Island.    Tandem bikes were rented and we braved the bike and horse traffic on an adventurous and entertaining ride around the island.  Several stops were made in order to pick Sophie’s shoelaces out of the chain, but her and Alyssa were the first to circumvent the island despite their frequent stops.   Ice cream, iced coffee after a quick tour of Fort Mackinac and we found ourself on a return ferry ride to the mainland without even sampling the fudge!  A return visit is a must if for nothing more than to enjoy the sweet treasures the island has to offer….
On Friday we headed to Boyne City to enjoy a zip line adventure at Wildwood Rush Canopy Tours!  While the big kids got to experience the thrill of zipping over trees, Andy got a tour of Boyne City in the Chariot with mom.   From the sounds of it, I think Andy and Alyssa had an unforgettable adventure too!  We finished the day at The Red Mesa Grill and headed back to the beach for one last evening in the water.  Sophie and Dad ended up with groin, knee and hamstring injuries while knee boarding and skiing and the evening was spent icing sore limbs in front of the TV watching another episode of Sherlock.
Saturday we packed up the car and headed south to visit Uncle Brad and Aunt Amy and Ethan and Zoe.  There we enjoyed the zoo, dining out, watching the Olympics and washing the Flex after a long haul.    It was a whirlwind of trip, but certainly unforgettable!