I have been meaning to blog about our trip to the Upper Peninsula for weeks now.... but alas, here it is almost 2 months later.
We had such a great time! For those of you who haven't ever traveled to the northern part of Michigan, you are definitely missing out! It is definitely a different world up there. The entire part of Northern Michigan shares the same area code of 906, and when I told a friend of ours that I saw area code 906 on my phone (assuming that the lady who we were renting the cottage from was calling), I heard a sharp intake of breath and then "THAT'S GODS AREA CODE!" That's how people who love the unspoiled and beautiful expanse of Northern Michigan feel.
The best part was that my dad was able to fly in from Utah to go with us! (We also listened to the first and second book of "The Hunger Games" on the drive up and back... Awesome books!)
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We had the best cottage!!! (See picture at the top of the blog) It was on a lake with our very own boat. I highly recommend this to anyone wanting a very peaceful vacation! Great weather, very quiet, s'mores every evening... wonderful! |
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Isabel was so content with the lake that she didn't even notice the lack of T.V., Internet & Cell Phone Service!
Even when this happened.... The first morning, Tom, Dad & Isabel went fishing.... here's what Isabel caught:
HERSELF!
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So I have a confession. Max slept in what we (affectionately) called his "cave". I'm not proud of this... but it's what we had to do. We mistakenly packed his "infant" crib rather than his "toddler" crib. The reason he is in the bottom of it (which incidentally is used to store diapers... not a baby!) is because the top part is only about a foot deep. Which is a recipe for a 14 month old disaster! What makes this situation worse, is that when Tom and I went to a concert a few days before this, we gave it to my friend to use while she was taking care of the kids for the evening. I just couldn't understand why she said that she "had to keep going in and checking in on Max until she knew that he was asleep!" Not a proud parenting moment... but I'm just trying to keep it real here. |
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OK, so this was a pretty funny moment. Isabel and my dad went out for a boat ride one evening and I hid in the bushes and took pictures of the event. See, my dad was letting Isabel row them back to shore... and well, my girl isn't very experienced in knowing how to maneuver herself around in a boat. So it took them quite awhile to get back. Grandpa had to ultimately take over... (aka: get them out of the bushes) and apparently was making some pretty funny faces while doing so. It was so funny to hear her describe (and imitate) my dad's facial expressions as he was getting them out. Good times. |
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While we were up in the Keewanaw Peninsula, we visited "Quincy Mine. Very interesting. We actually went underground and toured it.. with actual hard hats! (Ok, so Max wouldn't wear his.. but we tried.) We also went to "Brockway Mountain".... GORGEOUS!! It looks out onto Lake Superior 720 feet above lake level. |
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Some cute pictures of Grandpa and Max on the lawn outside of the cottage. |
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Love these kiddos. These pics were taken on the dock right outside the cottage. |
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Tom was so excited to do some mountain biking on some of the famous Copper Harbor trails. He and Isabel had a great time together doing this! (At first Isabel was a little hesitant to go, but when she got back, she was full of stories about how fun it was! As you can see above, it wasn't without injury. Tom had a little incident on cliff hill and hurt his knee. But he says it was worth it. |
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Good times on the water and on Lake Superior. |
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S'mores every night. |
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Here we all are on our last day. Such a great time we had. Thank You Esther!! (The lady who we rented the cottage from. pictured above with us!) |