Da Yoopers!

Michigan is broken up into two parts - the Lower Peninsula and the Upper Peninsula. They are connected by the Mackinac Bridge. The next portion of our trip took us across the bridge to the Upper Peninsula. I am my father's daughter so naturally the bridge was a point of interest for me. Built in the 1950's the bridge is 5 miles long, making it the third longest suspension bridge in the world, and the longest in the western hemisphere. Nick named Mighty Mac, this bridge was pretty impressive!

View of the bridge from Mackinac Island

The bridge crosses the strait between Lake Michigan and Lake Huron.

So now that we are across the bridge and in the Upper Peninsula (U.P.) let's talk about what da heck is a Yooper? The people that live in the U.P. are called Yoopers. Yooper is also the name for the dialect many of the people speak (which is also common in northern Wisconsin and Minnesota). Don'tcha know dar da people that speak like this and end dar sentences like this eh? Ya, seriously so fun to talk to these super friendly people! We loved it!

So while in the U.P. we saw signs everywhere advertising pasties. We decided we need to try a pasty in order to have a true U.P. experience. So John walked into a shop and asked if they had any pasties . . . only he pronounced it wrong and was really embarassed, because what we had be calling "pay-sties" are actually "pa-sties." Anyway, we tried them and the best way to describe it is a pot pie that looks like a turnover, sometimes described as the burrito of the U.P. It was delicious and now we feel like we've had the real Yooper experience don'tcha know!

I left the camera in the car when we ate our pasties, but this is what a pasty looks like.

Pictures on Lake Michigan - our first stop in the U.P.

Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore - Day 1

On the northern coast of the U.P. along the shores of Lake Superior (the largest freshwater lake in the world) is a small town called Munising. Just outside of Munising is Pictured Rocks National (absolutely freakin' gorgeous) Lakeshore. We were told the best way to view the rocks is from the water, so literally the first thing we did when we got to the area was take a three hour boat cruise along the shoreline.

When we first got on the boat it was 94 degrees and sunny. During our trip a cold front moved in, along with lots of wind, rain, thunder and lightning - which made for a more thrilling boat ride then usual! Thankfully we had a safe trip and were able to see some beautiful sights.

Miners Castle

Indian Head - see the Indian's profile?

Grand Portal

Painted rocks - looks like someone spilled a bucket of paint and let it run down the rocks.

Bridal Veil Falls - see how tiny the kayakers are next to the cliffs?

Battleship Row

The Lone Pine Tree - see how the roots stretch over the gap? The rock portion underneath the roots collapsed, but the roots have held on and the tree continues to get its water and nutrients from the other section of land.

Spray Falls - there's a shipwreck under 20ft of water at the base of these falls.

This is how Porter enjoyed most of the cruise - asleep!

Lighthouse on Grand Island

Gabe and I enjoying the limited sunshine we had on the boat!

Pictured Rocks - Day 2

After seeing the area by boat, the next day we set out on foot. We spent the day hiking - our kid's idea of the perfect vacation - no restrictions, just go, go, go!

Here comes Gabe barreling down the trail!

We told our kids they had to stay on the trails or else forest ninjas would get them. So they carried "swords" with them just to be safe.

I took this picture just for Jenny & Philip!

Porter found a great way to cool off once we got back to the hotel!

Grand Sable Dunes

5 miles of sand dune cliffs.

The view was breath taking!

Playing in the sand - a great way to spend the last day of our vacation!

The Grand Hotel

View of the Grand Hotel from the ferry.

The kids ride in a topiary carriage on the front lawn.

So did we stay at the Grand Hotel? No. We figured it would cost our family $645 per night to stay there. And that's the cheapest room, on a weekday. Plus, they don't have a water park, so who would want to stay there anyway?

Visiting the hotel stables.

Mackinac Island

On the ferry to Mackinac Island! (Although spelled differently, Mackinaw and Mackinac are pronounced the same way.)

I love lighthouses and this is probably one of my all time favorites.

So what makes Mackinac Island special? There are NO cars or motorized vehicles on the island. Everyone gets around by horse, bike, or on foot! Mackinac was the second National Park created in the US (Yellowstone was the first). The Federal Government later gave the park to the state of Michigan and it is now a state park.

Here's Porter checking out one of the horse drawn carriages.

We took our bikes over on the ferry and this is how we got around the island.

Here's John biking on the only state highway that prohibits cars. I took this picture while riding my bike. Do I have skills or what? Should I mention I nearly ran off the road? It's tough to ride a bike while looking through a viewfinder.

Main Street

How could we walk past one of these phone booths and not take a picture?

Playing on one of the beautiful beaches.

Gabe throwing a rock the size of his head.

Arch Rock

Island Churches

Mackinac Island is famous for their fudge. After a long day spent biking and hiking fudge just didn't sound refreshing, so we went for ice cream instead. (We bought the ice cream in a fudge shop, does that count?)