This was a great weekend. Forest, Kirstin and I all had a really good time; I think our only regret is that we spent FAR more money than we had expected we would just to fill the gas tank, sleep, eat, and entertain ourselves. It's not like we went overboard on souvenirs or ate in expensive restaurants or anything like that, honest! (I wish that were the case, in truth.)
We started out in a rush. I got out of work on Friday and ran around Meijer, fighting the crowds to gather road munchies, film, and a few other necessities. Then I ran to pick Forest up, and we bolted for Eaton Rapids.
There we rushed frantically around, packing everything into the van, and trying very hard not to forget anything. We were concerned that if we were too long in packing, we might lose our campsite. Within about 45 minutes we had thrown everything (including Kirstin) into the van and were on the road.
Kirstin got her hair cut. I spent half of the trip looking at it in the rearview mirror, and trying to adapt. She looks MUCH more grownup with it this way. It's a little layered pixie cut, and it looks really cute on her. I can't believe I'm really the mom of a 9 year old. In fourth grade. Eeek.
On the road, we listened to lots of music. Somehow (luckily) we had forgotten to pack Kirstin's Brittney Spears CD, but we still had a pretty fun selection. We were just grooving along to the Lion King soundtrack when a storm hit us with the force of a Mack truck. It was ugly. Cars were pulling off the road, and the maximum speed we could go was about 40 MPH if we wanted to see where we were going (which we did.)
The storm persisted, with impressive lightning, all the way to the northern part of the mitten. It seemed to lighten up a bit before we got to the bridge, and we dared hope it might clear up soon.
Much to our chagrin, we got to the park at about 10 PM, met up with Yeffy, Reagan, and Tiffiny, and discovered that it was still pouring. The water coming from the sky was not nice warm rain, either. It was cold enough to make my teeth chatter.
We ended up pitching 1/3 of our tents, just to secure the campsite, and then searching for a hotel for the night. What a way to spend our first night camping; in a hotel! We ended up splitting the cost of a $100 hotel stay amongst us. Still, I think it was a good decision. It rained practically all night long, and we were soaked to the skin after 15 minutes of pitching one tent. We wound never have dried out if we had gone to bed that wet.
In the morning, we ended up going out to breakfast, which constituted another unplanned expense. Since we didn't really have a chance to set up camp before then, though, we didn't feel up to doing so on empty tummies just so that we could cook.
That was when I realized that I had left my shoes, my camera, and my warm clothes at home. That's right; I was in the UP with only a pair of sandals, one pair of jeans, some film, and a bunch of shorts and short-sleeved shirts. Very irritated, I spent $30 on a pair of the ugliest Reeboks I've ever seen, and borrowed a sweatshirt from Reagan. I ended up wearing that same pair of utterly filthy jeans and Reagan's sweatshirt for the entire trip. They positively reek of campfire, and are visibly dirty, having been smudged with mud, detritus, ash, char, and heaven only knows what else.
Needless to say I was a little bit distressed that after the first 12 hours of our trip, we'd already spent as much as we'd planned to spend the entire time. Don't worry, though. After that things started to get better.
After breakfast we went back to the campground, and found that we were able to set up the other two tents in relatively short order. Satisfied at that small bit of progress, we all went down to the lake shore, where we beachcombed for an hour or so. There are all sorts of different types of rock there, and we found some very interesting fossils. Kirstin discovered a small crawfish, trapped in a shallow pool by the previous night's storm, and Forest rescued it, by patiently balancing it between two rocks and carrying it to the lake. We had a pretty view of the islands, and the bridge from that beach. This isn't the type of beach you'd use for sunbathing; it's covered in rocks, mostly fist-sized, and some sharp. It makes an interesting spot for treasure-hunting, though!
After our walk, we headed back to camp, and soon had a fire blazing to warm us up. It was significantly cooler than the forecast had guessed, and we were all feeling the chill. Soon, though, we were just chatting around the campfire, and relaxing. We enjoyed the rest of the afternoon with some calm, quiet down-time near the fire. Tiff, Yeffy, Forest and I played a game of 'Kill Dr. Lucky', which is kind of like Clue in reverse, and I actually beat Forest at chess! (That's a first.) Of course he was playing with me, but I'll let that slide for the satisfaction of finally winning. Forest plays a LOT of chess, and I haven't really played since middle school. Reagan wasn't interested in our games, but seemed to enjoy reading her book by the fire, and occasionally joining in the general good humor. Kirstin spent most of that time playing in the little tent, but I think she rather enjoyed it, so I'm not complaining. I remember I liked to play in the tent when I was a kid, too. She and her Barbie had a good time. When she came out, she got plenty of tickling and roughhousing.
Soon, it was decided we would camp-cook tacos for dinner, and an hour-long cooking binge ensued. I actually like cooking outdoors, and I haven't had a homemade meal in so long that it was GREAT fun to get to work on it. Tacos taste better when you're outdoors anyway; like most food. These were wonderful, piled high with fresh lettuce and tomato. We even made spicy refried beans to go on them, and had some fruit and veggies on the side. Dinner time was followed by some more down time. I know it sounds like a lot of just sitting and relaxing, but really, it was necessary. We all also enjoyed each other's company quite a bit, and don't get to see one another as much as we should.
Later we built the fire back up, cooked some s'mores, and sang silly campfire songs. (Well, the cool people sang; the other ones just watched. Hee hee.)
We ended up putting Kirstin to bed a little past 10, and the rest of us lost all track of time, as we stayed up socializing around the fire until nearly 2 AM. That's the latest I've ever stayed up camping.
Sometime around 6 AM, the Finger of God descended on our camp. The storm was loud enough to wake me up when it was still about 15 miles away. By the time it was on top of us it was a constant crash-boom-bang that was downright awestriking. I could hear a river of rainwater flowing through our camp, and our roof actually got so soaked that water started to drip through because it couldn't flow off the sides as fast as it was coming down. Kirstin was in a small tent with Tiffiny, and apparently the two of them both woke up at the same thunderclap with a shout. They were positioned under a few trees, though, in such a manner that they stayed dry all night. Likewise, Yeffy and Reagan were on a slight slope, and stayed dry, too. Forest and I, however, wound up with quite a bit of water in our tent. Happily, most of it pooled on the downslope end, away from where we were sleeping, however our double sleeping bag still ended up wet on the bottom.
Sunday morning we all emerged rather grumpy, and Tiff and I started getting breakfast ready right away, tummies rumbling for lack of food. I was proud of the fire I built with soaking wet kindling and wood, and at the smell of food and warmth of the fire, the others had a slightly more pleasant awakening, since the coffee was ready before they got around. Forest came out of the tent, stuck his 'Don Juan and Miguel' baseball cap backwards on his head, and started cooking eggs and potatoes on the skillet. I love that my sweety likes to cook. It's fun to watch. We ended up with such a large, late breakfast that we waited to eat again until dinner. Yum.
After breakfast we all piled in the cars and went to Fort Michilimackinac for the afternoon. It was pretty neat, and I hadn't been there since I was a kid. Kirstin seemed to particularly enjoy it as she started to get interested in the stories behind these things for the first time. She didn't once complain about tired feet, which is a big improvement over her travelling attitude in previous years. It was a really nice afternoon.
Hungry, we headed downtown in Mackinaw City, where we paid about $10 each for dinner, another unplanned expense, and showed admirable restraint while Reagan picked out a birthday gift for her dad. There's a really fun store there, where I could frivolously spend away an entire paycheck, but I kept my purse firmly zipped. Forest and I did spend about $15 on an extra tarp, since it was still raining on and off, and thus ensured that it would not rain another drop the whole trip. That's Murphy's Law for you.
This time we were all quite a bit tireder, and had already spent about $28 on firewood, so we didn't stay up all night around the fire. The wood we had left was pine, and damp, so the fire was terribly smoky and pungent. Our eyes stung and watered every time it wafted our way, and with the post-storm breezes, it seemed to wander at random. Reagan, Tiffiny, and Yeffy also wanted to leave early in the morning, so they wanted to be in bed at a reasonable time.
That was an unfortunate night, but not because of pouring rain. Forest and I are used to snuggling every night while we sleep, and unfortunately our sleeping bag situation made this impossible. I ended up having to use one of our old mummy style bags, while he was in the bigger rectangular one. My sleeping bag is so slippery that any attempt he made to snuggle me seemed to result in my slipping farther away. It wasn't much fun, and made it hard for us to sleep.
In the end, though, we survived, and had a chilly breakfast of cereal and milk with everyone in the morning. Yeffy and Reagan didn't get as early a departure as they needed to, but by 11 AM Forest, Kirstin and I were on a ferry headed for the island.
Kirstin wanted to sit on top, and it was a choppy day on the lake, so we were splashed and buffeted by wind for most of the 15-minute trip to the island. Still, the views were pretty, and now that we weren't camping, there were blue skies and sunshine as far as the eye could see.
Upon arriving on the Island, we dropped our bags at the Cloghaun B&B, and immediately went to fulfill Kirstin's first wish, which was to rent bikes and ride for a while. Forest and I decided to try a tandem, and Kirstin had a small Schwinn, not too much unlike her bike at home. After a rocky, hair-raising couple of attempts, Forest and I would up with me in the front, and he in the back. Apparently I'm far too much a control freak to sit quietly on the back of a bike like that.
I didn't expect that Kirstin would last very long on the bike, but before we knew it we were at the stairway to Arch Rock. When asked if she wanted to go see it, Kirstin affably agreed, and we started to climb. I was really suprised by this, too. In the past, the idea of that much walking around tended to bring about pouting and whining. Instead, she was interested in how many hundreds of feet it might be to the top of the cliff, or the tops of the trees. We were at the top before we knew it, and admired Arch Rock very much. After the long climb down, we hopped back on the bikes, and pedaled further out around the island, marvelling at the fact that we had once again managed to come to the island when it was deserted. There weren't many tourists around at all. It was pleasant and quiet.
Soon we came upon a small bay, with large rocks along the shore. We stopped there for our picnic lunch. Each of us had a large rock on which to sit, and the sunshine was warming us enough that we shucked our sweatshirts for the first time in days. Forest and I were both getting tired, and Kirstin said she was, too, so we decided to pedal back to town and turn in the bikes. Miraculously, we rode about 4 miles together! That's the longest ride of Kirstin's life, I think.
In meandering back through town, we browsed through a bookstore, where Kirstin picked out a book she would be interested in reading. We promised the book to her as a small reward at the end of a successful trip, based on her continued good behavior. It was a nice incentive; although I don't know whether or not it was necessary.
After our browse, we headed for the warm, sunny, grassy park in front of Fort Mackinac, where Forest and I tumbled into a heap and took a nap, and Kirstin played with a little boy for about an hour. Don't worry, I wasn't that irresponsible; I mostly dozed lightly in and out, keeping an ear on Kirstin the whole time. Forest, however, zonked completely. He ended up sprawled out flat on his back, snoring a little bit, completely unaware of the passage of time. I admire his ability to do that.
When we woke, Kirstin had had a nice play-break, and it was time to go to the inn for check-in. We were all eager to get cleaned up a bit, sine we still reeked of campfire, and felt grubby after tearing down camp earlier that day. We were shown to a beautiful room at the back of the house, called "The lilac room". It is called that because the walls are a pale lilac color, trimmed with white molding. The bed was a soft pile of blankets with a lilac print comforter, traditional Cloghaun down pillows, and a beautiful carved antique headboard and footboard. The windows let in a nice, gentle breeze, and the scent of the flowers in the garden wafted in from outside.
Kirstin wanted the first shower, so I set her up in the big claw-footed tub, and Forest and I went down for tea. As always, tea was lovely, and Marti had baked some tasty cakes and muffins to go along with it. Forest and I sat on soft chairs on the front porch for some of our tea, then moved in to the tea room for a little more. I wish I had time every afternoon for such a relaxing thing.
After tea, it was Forest's and my turn for a nice hot shower. It felt wonderful after days of grubbiness, and we scrubbed ourselves and each other many times over, while discussing options for the rest of the day. In the end, Kirstin's choices were:
A. A carriage ride tour of the island, no dessert, no book, and peanut butter and jelly for lunch the next day
B. The Butterfly House tour, dessert, a book, and peanut butter and jelly the next day, or
C. Hiking to Fort Holmes, dessert, a book, and McDonald's on the way home the next day.
After not a lot of thought, she chose C. Forest and I were secretly excited, because this was something we were more interested in than the other options. Soon enough, we were on the trail, headed up the steep slope to the very top of the island. On the way, we explored Skull Cave, and indulged Kirstin's new fascination with the historical marker signs scattered along the island. We took breaks from hiking to read the signs, which turned out to be a good walking pace for us as a group.
We climbed the 140 steps to Fort Holmes, and soon were treated to the breathtaking view from the top of the hill. One can see very far from the top of the island, and it was a clear day, which made it all the better. Kirstin was happy to play there for a while, as Forest and I applied sunblock to one another's noses, and basked in the sunshine. Soon it was time to head to town for dinner, but Kirstin opted to take a detour through the old cemetary, where we showed her the proper, respectful way to behave, and she saw the markers of a couple of revolutionary war soldiers. Kirstin hasn't had enough history to understand the bizarre military story of the island, but at least we gave her the sense of what sorts of conflicts occurred there. I'd estimate we walked about 3 miles, much of it on a hill! Yet another astounding feat for the punkin.
As we came back into town, we were walking past an old church with open doors, and she asked to see that, too. I was thrilled that she was so interested in the things around her!
We ate dinner in a small, dark lounge, where Forest and I ate last May. It's not really a tourist attraction, mostly the people who frequent the place are staff on the island. It's called the Mustang Lounge. They have a really good pizza! Yum. We were able to have a very tasty dinner there for about $20, which is great for the island.
After dinner, Kirstin already had little dark circles under her eyes, and it was after 9 PM. We decided that a quiet night at the Cloghaun sounded appealing, and headed downstairs to the library. There is a VCR there, and we threw in the first Star Wars movie, and snuggled up on the nice warm couch (us) and wingbacked chair (Kirstin). Soon we were joined by a couple more of the guests, and eventually Paul joined us, too. As much as I like the first Star Wars, I couldn't help but nod off a bit. I was warm, dry, comfy, well fed, and being snuggled by my honey. It was all just too comfortable! Before I completely zonked, I decided it would be good to go upstairs and put Kirstin to bed.
I no sooner tucked her in than I fell asleep myself. Forest soaked in a hot bath and read his book for a while, and then joined me. I couldn't have cared less what I was doing, or what the next day would bring; I was under a thick pile of cozy blankets, with my head on the world's comfiest pillow. I slept like a rock.
In the morning, the sun was shining, the birds were chirping, and we were all a little reluctant to leave. We had a nice (large but light) breakfast downstairs, and chatted with Marti a bit about her life on the island. She's a really nice lady, and getting to know her better is a happy thing. I want to be as cool as Marti when I'm her age. She's fit, active, witty, and sweet. A gal can hope, right?
We left our bags with her for a while after check-out, and took Kirstin down to see St. Anne's church (stunning as always), and bought some fudge and her book on the way to the ferry. I couldn't have been more pleased with the way things turned out.
The best parts of the weekend are the parts I didn't mention.
Forest tickling Kirstin, on any number of occasions, with peals of laughter coming from both of them.
Falling asleep on the lawn in front of Fort Mackinac, feeling completely at home because I'm in my sweety's arms.
The look of sheer delight on Kirstin's face when she first set eyes on the Cloghaun.
The soft, silly sound of Forest's voice while he talked to the crawfish he was rescuing.
Tiff, Yeffy, and Reagan's faces, all alit with campfire-glow.
Reagan saying, "I *like* you guys!" (It's great that Reagan will express fondness so readily.)
The warmth of the fire in my face with the coolness of the breeze on my back.
Tiff explaining ancient shorelines and holes in rocks to all of us.
Forest's goofy way of presenting Kirstin's options to her, and Kirstin's ear to ear grin when she was hearing them.
Anyway, Kirstin and Forest each slept for an hour on the ride home, and generally we all agreed we'd had a good time. In fact, I think it was the best vacation I've had with Kirstin, ever. We even got home early enough to have most things put away before diving back into our lives. Hallelujah for small graces.
