As we did 10 years ago, we ended this trip at the cottage. We cleaned out our car and shared stories from all of our adventures with mom and dad. The kids were excited to show them their souvenirs.  They got some really cool stuff. We were excited to see Daniel come along with Blake this time, even if he doesn't like getting his picture taken.  Since playing checkers the kids are obsessed with bored games. Theo was beating everyone in Snakes and Ladders.  Or is it board games?

Van Riper State Park had a bicycle pump track. I thought Meadow would have wanted to try it but she wasn't interested.   We had to make it the Keweenaw, asap.    Did we? We wanted to eat at the Drive In but it didn't open until 11. By some miracle we were up early and ready before it opened. To waste some time we played at Baraga State Park. We probably should have stayed at this campground as they had showers.  I guess Brooke meant for us to only stop for frozen custard. The food was meh. We mostly wanted to go to this place because they have frozen custard.  Then it was time to see the Quincy Mine. Scott somehow forgot how expensive it was to go.  We've been spending so little and having so much fun. Expensive museums just don't vibe with me. To be honest the Quincy Mine is worth the cost. They warned that it was cold in the mine and to dress appropriately. I wasn't too worried because last time they gave us coats. While waiting for the tour I only saw ha...

I guess Munising Falls is worth the stop and we totally got distracted and missed it. But outside of Christmas is Scott Falls. We had to stop for that. That's about right. Cute, but not anything special. So embarrassed. That's where Meadow gets it from.  Ha. True.   On our drive to Marquette we surprised the kids with a stop at Lakenenland Sculpture Park.  Only Theo would pose with me at the Happy Mother's Day sculpture. The kids loved the human sized scale.

We stopped for lunch in Grand Marais at The Dunes Saloon Lake Superior Brewing. That's the Michigan one. Not the one in Minnesota. Love the old bar vibes. We started with these massive bacon and cheese stuffed tater tots. They were so good. 

After a few days we started to have a daily routine. Meadow would set up our beds while I hung up all our always damp clothing and Scott would cook. Today was the breaking point of our trip when Scott questioned if we made this trip too long.  My response was to the children's behavior the entire day. The drive down from Canada was full of whining. And then Theo suddenly had to pee on the bridge from Canada to the US, which upped the stress. There always has to be a bad day on a long road trip. It's inevitable. Theo had been super grumpy since he woke up, the kids kept fighting and everyone complained. 

The last time we were in Sault Ste. Marie we didn't have our passports. This time we came prepared.   But first a stop to see the Soo Locks.  We loved watching the boats come through last time. We just knew the kids would love it. Oh, wait. Theo even wore his vintage shirt for the occasion. 

Day 7 We woke up early to catch the ferry in St Ignace.  Before we knew we it, we could see the Mackinac Bridge. This time we took the Shepler's Ferry.  We just made it onto the ferry that was departing. We were the last ones to board.  Theo insisted I bring his survival tool along. He put it to good use peering out at the Mackinac Bridge. The ferry took us under the bridge this time!

Day 6 This day would see us exploring the south shore of the Upper Peninsula, which is oddly the North Shore of Lake Michigan. We luckily had a break in the rain when we headed to Fayette Historic State Park . We were surprised to see an almost empty parking lot when we arrived. This was one of our favorite stops 10 years back. Theo found something stinky in the old furnaces.

Once back on the mainland Meadow got to pick up her Junior Ranger badge.   This one was made of wood! Before heading to our next destination we went in search of lunch in Bayfield. We got a simple lunch from a tiny little bakery, the Starlit Kitchen . Meadow says this was the best sandwich she ever had.  The bread was very good.

Day 1 Exactly 10 years ago Scott and I took a 10 day trip to Upper Michigan. While we were on this trip I said we should do this again with our kids in 10 years. Flash forward 10 years and here we are. We are following our same route and visiting the same places with a few additions. Thankfully we had these two kids in the preceding 10 years and they're road trip pros at this point. The start of the trip takes us to Duluth. We had planned to leave in the morning and arrive around noon. While packing up the car Scott noticed our car battery was dead.  I asked our neighbor for a jump and we were soon back on track. We never left our dome light on in 4 years at the condo, but somehow have managed to do this twice since moving. I guess a dark garage will do that.  Once that was fixed we had to figure out the puzzle of fitting 3 bikes onto our bike rack. By the time we were off we were getting hungry. Scott has always wanted to try Tobie's to see what the hype was all ab...