I started this blog years ago, when Detroit was going through a hard time. I thought it needed better PR. Luckily, Detroit has made a comeback and is looking amazing. The whole state is. I just got to spend two weeks up there almost and it was fantastic.
I started in Metro Detroit in Farmington Hills. We visited Carpenter Lake in Southfield, where there are all these boulders for people to climb. It was very cool. My son loved climbing on them, and we all loved hiking in the forest and seeing the lake.
The next stop four more hours up 75N to Boyne Mountain. It was also amazing. We were at the Lodge for two days. My youngest son and I immediately rode the chairlift to the top of the mountain and had a drink at the Eagle's Nest. Then we explored the village. It was so fun. He found a candy store, and we had some refreshments at the pub. We both really want to move there someday. That night, we had dinner at the Beach House near Deer Lake. I got the club sandwhich. It was yummy. It was my cousin's birthday. There was a musician playing a guitar. We intially wanted to sit outside, but it was too windy. So, we moved inside and the ambiance was lovely. We finished the night roasting s'mores on the fire near the lodge, where people also play cornhole and frisbee on the lawn.
The next day, we took the younger kids to the Avalanche Bay water park. That was super fun. We had pizza and nachos there. We loved the lazy river, hot tub, and basketballs. Then we went to Boyne Vineyards for happy hour. That is a lovely place between Petosky and Boyne Mountain. There were the cutest dogs. I had a cider with my cousin, and others drank their wine. We ordered charcuterie boards. One of the dogs snagged a piece of our bacon. He was very sly about it. :) They had this awesome duo playing guitars, and they even sang Willie Nelson’s "Momma's Don't Let Your Babies Grow Up to be Cowboys" — a family favorite.
That night we had pizza at the Trophy Room, outside on their deck. We have a gluten allergy in our family, so we were happy to be able to order Gluten free pizza! I kept running into the bar to watch The Basketball Tournament. The Red Scare was playing.
The next day, started with ziplining. I cannot believe I did that. At 49, I ziplined for the very first time. I had watched my family do this for the past decade, but I could never go becaue I was always either pregnant or taking care of children. So this time, my kids were all finally old enough that we could all go. But I was a little scared. I turn fifty on my next birthday and have a diagnosed anxiety disorder. But my boys were not taking no for an answer. So I had to do it. I threw on my son's jeans, and did it. Wow was it amazing.
We had an awesome guide. I think her name was Emma. Then the two other guides were amazing. One was majoring in English at Petosky Community College, and I said, hey maybe I can teach there someday! I was the only one from my generation to zipline this trip, and I really enjoyed being with my cousin's children.
Then we went to Lake Charlevoix. We all swam and rode boats. It was a great party. Charelvoix is also beautiful. We saw Betsy DeVoss's home on the Lake. Wow. Some goregous homes.
The next day, the boys and I drove east across the state to Lake Huron to Presque Isle. It was equally as beautiful. There is a lighthouse there and a quaint one-stop shop. We were there four days. We went to the NOAA shipwreck museum in Alpena. That was very cool. They had the neatest earth projection movie spinning on the ceiling of an exhibit. The show was about the devastating effects of climate change. They also had this giant boat and somehow on dry land they managed to get me seasick.
I did set a new goal from that visit. You can scubadive for shipwrecks up there. That sounds amazing to me. But I bet that is some cold water.
We went to the beach in Presque Isle and just relaxed. I slept on a hammock. I read a book. It was just magical. I kayaked on Lake Huron. I also floated on a giant raft. It was a really beautiful week up there. We laid on the beach. I am so glad we went.
Driving home we took the backroads down Northern Michigan until we hit 75/23. Gosh Michigan is truly beautiful. There is so much untouched natural beauty, and the water is amazing. Lake Huron was crystal clear. I did lose my Rae Dunn "Blessed" Hat in that lake, but hopefully someone will find it.
I am very happy to be home but that was really an amazing vacation. Thanks for everyone who was a part of it. What precious memories for a lifetime.
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