Up North

We have just returned from our sojourn "up north" as they call it here in Michigan. Any recreational destination north of where you live is considered "up north". Of course the location varies from person to person, but many a Michigander child has grown up believing "up north" to be an actual physical location to be pin-pointed on a map. Just find its coordinates and there you are...UP NORTH!

S'wanyway, we went there. All the way up to Mackinaw City. For those of you less familiar with state, if you are looking at your left hand like the "mitt" of Michigan it would be round about the tip of your middle finger. It is the Lower Peninsula's northernmost city and from it extends the 5 mile long suspension bridge connecting it with the Upper Peninsula.

We camped for five delightfully relaxing days and nights with Jeff's parents and his sister, Meridith, and her family. The view from the campground was spectacular. Within sight of our campsites was Lake Huron and within steps was a full view of the bridge, the straits of Mackinaw (where Lake Huron connects with Lake Michigan), and of Mackinac Island. Night after night we saw beautiful sunsets over the water and we got to enjoy a lakeside view of the fireworks that were being let off simultaneously from Mackinaw City, Mackinac Island, and St. Ignace just across the bridge in the Upper Peninsula.

While the weekend was chocked full of blogworthy events, I presently lack the energy to do any of them any justice in written form. But I'll at least briefly mention a few.

• We went to a local waterpark for a day and saw one particularly unsightly sight that I wish I could post a photo of because I DO have one, but I must strive to keep this blog suitable for a general viewing audience. But It was ga-ROSS!
  
• We also rented a five passenger bicycle "car"...or Amish bike as Meridith called it...for an hour and took turns spinning about the grounds.
  
• We had the distinct pleasure of using of "primitive" toilets and showers. They weren't so very quaint or fresh, yet we all marveled after each visit how much the DIDN'T stink..."how'd they do that?"
  
• Oh that reminds me of the stinkin' skunk I discovered snooping in our trash the first night we were there. Not much of a story to tell. I was just trying to keep up my reputation of being a hero since I had bravely snatched up a tree frog out of Meridith camper earlier that day and thrown it back up into a tree of all places. When I heard rustling under the bed of our camper in the wee hours of the morn, I stealthily crept out with Maglite in hand ready to scare up somesing. But it wouldn't come out. Luckily I had the presence of mind in my sleepy stupor not to provoke the varmint. Finally it dashed out and into the nearby woods, but not before crossing my little beam of light at which time I saw black and white and sang praises unto Jesus for that fiasco which had just been narrowly averted.

We got back last night after a 7 hour trip that should have taken 4 1/2. Construction (in Michigan? who knew?) and holiday traffic are a bad combination apparently, but we made it. Seven loads of laundry and a port-a-potty scouring later, we are back to reality and MAN does it bite so much harder after you've had a nice little break. We both went back to work today. I work again tomorrow to make up for my frolicking and then have to scurry to get ready for a surprise party for my Dad on Saturday. Shhhhh...don't tell. He is turning 70.

I will try to post pictures soon.