Blog
Austin, TX
Dates of stay: Dec. 12 - 19, 2021
Campground: McKinney Falls State Park
This was the first campground we pulled into that was militant about its 2 pm check in time! We usually arrive before that, and it’s not ever a problem, but we had to wait around a bit in order to comply. No big deal - was a beautiful park to walk around in and explore. Once we checked in, we found our site (a pull-thru). The sites are big here, with lots of good trees to hang the slackline. A highlight of this journey was meeting Nancy, John and Lili - our “neighbors” across the road. As Tom celebrated his birthday during this visit, I had put up a “Happy Birthday” yard sign and as we were pulling into the driveway and he saw it the first time, the neighbor exclaims “how did you know?” It happened to be John’s birthday just the day before, so we had a good laugh over that and proceeded to talk to them for quite some time. Lots of similarities between our families - they also departed on July 6 (same day as us) from Maine, and have a 13 yr old as well. We got together for a potluck a few days later and that was super fun. We’re hoping that our travels criss cross again at some point!
We explored many of the must-sees in Austin, which I’ve notated on my Trip Planner in Trip Advisor (State Capital tour, boardwalk along the river, SoCo area, a local brewery…..) For Tom’s birthday, we played mini-golf at the iconic Peter Pan course and ate at Terry Black’s, for some outstanding BBQ!
We really enjoyed McKinney State Park, and this was our first Texas State Park as well. The land was originally owned by Thomas McKinney and he had strong ties to Texas’ history, especially as it related to the Texas revolution and independence. He had over 30 enslaved individuals on this land , who built a stone grist mill - many remnants of this can still be seen today. After McKinney’s death, his widow, Anna, sold the property to James Woods Smith. Members of the Smith family owned and farmed the land for several generations before donating it to the State of Texas in 1973.
“Old Baldy” is an iconic attraction - a 500 yr old Cypress tree in the park that is one of the oldest on public land in Texas. There are beautiful trails to hike and explore around here, and the close proximity to Austin itself makes it an ideal state park. Reservations well in advance to camp here are highly encouraged! I don’t think we saw one empty spot the whole week.
Lafayette, LA
Camped at: Vermilionville Living History Museum - a Harvest Host stop
Dates: Dec. 10, 2021
We haven’t stayed at a Harvest Host since Bristol, TN so we were looking forward to checking out this place as it is always an experience to pull into one of these places.
LOTS of parking lot parking (nice and level), so no trouble at all finding a spot. This location is known for its Vermilionville Living History Museum. It represents several of the different communities that lived, worked and played in what is known as Acadiana today - the Acadians, the Creoles, the Native Americans and the African descendants of the area. The village has several restored houses and buildings that showcase traditional artifacts and period costume from the years 1765 - 1890. I found it interesting that this was a sugarcane plantation in the 1800s, and 120 individuals were enslaved here.
While we didn’t do the tour itself as we arrived while it was about to close, we did discover the Acadiana mountain bike trails a few miles from us, and took the opportunity to get out on those for awhile. We also were able to check out the gift shop at the museum, which had a number of great items all made by local Artisans. I was happy to find some really great Christmas cards.
As it is Friday - and Friday night is always pizza night - we asked for a recommendation from the Museum Host and she steer us to Deano’s, which was excellent and had a nice outdoor patio. Tom and Owen stuck with a traditional meat pizza (Pepperoni and smoked Louisiana sausage) but I went for the Exterminator - smoked sausage, cajun shrimp and jalapeños - quite good!
We didn’t sleep real well - there were a number of bright lights in the parking lot for security reasons, and being in a different place like this never brings about a great quality of sleep. We left at 8 am, as soon as the gates opened, and headed into Texas.
Gulf Shores, AL
Campsite: Gulf Shores State Park
Dates of stay: Nov. 19 - Dec. 2
Every time we leave a place we love, it seems to replaced with another great find. Gulf Shores State Park, Alabama, is hands-down, the best state park we’ve stayed in so far. We were told ahead of time that we were lucky to find a spot here, and once we got here, we see why. We booked quite a few weeks in advance, and secured two weeks at site 117. We were right off the main road, and central to many of the activities going on.
Tom planned our drive from Carrabelle to Gulf Shores along the coast, so it was an extremely scenic drive as compared to the interstate route. Lots of water, bridges, marinas, and also lingering damage from Hurricane Michael interspersed with lots of new construction. It’s baffling to us, because it all has the potential to get completely destroyed with the next horrible storm, yet the beauty of the area and ties to the community are the reasons people stay, I’m certain.
Gulf Shores is located about 15 minutes from the border of Florida, and we passed through “Flora-bama” a tacky, touristy, picture-taking opportunity area (that we’d return to in a few days for oysters). When we arrived to the Gulf Shores area, we started to encounter lots of high rises and beach front properties along with the restaurants and shops that seemed built for tourists. And then all of a sudden, nothing but pristine sandy beaches, sand dunes, and scrub. There is a massive area - about 6,000 acres of preserved state park property. After the Deep Horizon oil spill, the state was given $70+ million to restore the area. The state park itself boats a Nature Center, beach Pavilion, Learning Center, restaurant, cottages, a beautiful swimming pool, tennis courts, amphitheater, a pier, Shelby Lake, a parkour course, playgrounds, miles of paved biking trails, a butterfly garden, bouldering area and more miles of boardwalk throughout the park. The campground has 500+ sites, that are very well maintained and spaced out well. There’s even a little commuter bus that goes around the park in case you need transportation to the different areas.
One of the things that we really appreciated was the daily programming by the Nature and Learning Centers. We were able to cover Life science for two weeks here! We took classes on snakes of the area, constellations, skates and rays, and beach creatures (class on the beach where we learned about all the different shells and the creatures that live in them). One day we took a guided nature walk with one of the naturalists, and learned a lot about the plants and trees in the park, although failed to see any wildlife even though there are supposed to be gators and snakes in these parts.
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We arrived here on a Friday, and as Fridays are pizza nights, we found a place called Papa Rocco’s. We did takeout, and had a little time to kill before our pizza was ready for pick-up but there was a musician setting up for that evening and we learned he was one of the singers from The Platters - the artists behind my parents’ song (Only You). I introduced myself and said we’d be back the next night, as he was also playing on Saturday. When we returned with Owen the following night, he recognized us and upon request, we asked him to play the song so we could FaceTime my parents which they got a kick out of.
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A few days later, my parents joined us and Owen gladly packed up his belongings so he could spend the next week with them! They’ rented an AirBnB right on the beach, so it was nice to spread out and have a real kitchen to cook in over Thanksgiving. Most of the meal we picked up from the market, but Tom grilled up ribs and we also did shrimp that we had picked up in Carrabelle. So it was a bit of a mashup meal, but Tom still did the traditional baking of the pies - pumpkin and apple this year.
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We spent the next few days enjoying all that the park had to offer, riding bikes, walking the beach, and picking up shells - lots of shells. Mom, Owen and I had art class one day which involved using the various shells to make angel ornaments for our respective trees. We found a couple of fun places to eat, including The Ruby Slipper (originally started in New Orleans), Flora-bama for chargrilled oysters and oysters on the half shell, Doc’s Seafood (the original “local” one), and we checked out the onsite park restaurant - Woodside - which had excellent food and live music.
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Tom, Owen and my dad spent a day at the Naval Museum in Pensacola, as well as a day at the USS Alabama in Mobile. I was a little museum’d out on this front so took the opportunity to spend some time with my mom. We checked out the shops and restaurants at the Wharf and did a little Christmas shopping, and also spent more time at the beach.
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Sad to say goodbye, we spent the next few days enjoying the sunsets from the pier and the beach, finishing up a few trails that we hadn’t yet biked, kayaking, and catching the holiday laser show at the wharf.
We could easily spend a couple 2-3 months here and might have to figure out how long term camping works at this park!
Hobe Sound, FL
Stayed at: Jonathan Dickinson State Park - just north of West Palm Beach
Dates stayed: Oct 4 - 9, 2021
Located just north of West Palm Beach, this was our first Florida State Park that we stayed and we were SO IMPRESSED. This park in particular used to be a secret World War II training camp,, and you can still see some of the old buildings and foundations that remain. The park’s namesake was a shipwrecked Quaker merchant, and from this place lived Trapper Nelson, the legendary Wild Man of the Loxahatchee.
They had the best Nature Center, staffed with super smart and helpful park rangers - Owen became a Junior Park Ranger here, and because they had good WiFi, we did school quite a bit here. They also had a store close by that sold the best coconut popsicles I’ve ever had in my life.
They also have an alligator cove, and we saw two baby alligator, and what was either the papa or mama and that was pretty cool. We also spotted a gopher tortoise. Great mountain biking and trails in this area too.
We did not get out on the water on this stop, although we did go to the ocean, where there were miles and miles of shells. We also watched huge tarpin play in the surf, right next to shore.
Other points include the best pizza we’ve had to date (Fridays are pizza nights), although Tom left his credit card at the restaurant and thankfully made it back in time to get it as we were leaving EARLY the next day!
Anxious to see what future state parks have in store as we have a few more coming up.
Savannah, GA
We arrived at Skidaway Island State Park - hands down, our favorite campground to date. Wide open spaces, tons of great biking and hiking trails, and an awesome interpretive center and camp shop that curates lots of local arts and crafts. Owen made a great video of the trails, interpretive center and campground here. We took the opportunity to marvel at all the massive live oaks, dripping with Spanish Moss from their limbs. Don’t touch the moss though - they have tiny little bugs in them, known as chiggers. The moss was originally used a long time ago to stuff mattresses and pillows - thus, where the origin of bed bugs came from! Interesting fact - this plant actually has no relation to the moss family. In fact, Spanish moss is a bromeliad (part of the pineapple family). But so pretty to look at, especially when there’s a slight breeze.
Tom has spent time in Savannah before and knew that we should take a history tour. We decided on this trolley company, who offered hop-on hop-off tours. Our first ride of the day was EXCELLENT as they had a tour guide, Gertrude, in period costume that did all the narrating. She was worth the price of admission alone. Later in the day when we hopped on, the driver was also the guide, and it wasn’t as entertaining or detailed, yet still informative. It was tougher near the end of the day to catch trolleys (they weren’t running on time, so lucky that it was a nice day and we still had the energy to walk). All I can say is that it really is worth taking a tour of this city to really appreciate the historic homes, the statutes that line the boulevards, the history of the cemetaries (the union soldiers actually hid out in one of them, disrupting many of the crypts). Some other highlights of this visit included:
Watching the massive container ships on the river going out to sea
Discovering Byrd’s Famous Cookies (the lemon were the best! although Owen loved the cupcake flavor
Strolling by the Waterfront, and checking out the JW Marriott - it was almost like a museum, filled with massive crystals and stones
We also checked out Isle of Palms, and had our first dinner outside on the ocean! We’ve really enjoyed both Charleston and Savannah, and would’ve loved two weeks each here.
Dates of stay: Sept 13 - 17
Next stop: Jacksonville, Florida to see the Healy side of the family
Gettysburg, DC, and Lynchburg-oh my!
Maybe summer wasn’t the best time to start a blog. We’ve been having too much fun in all the places and I often don’t make the time to write it all down. When I look at my older travel journals (which, yes, I still do), I will find pages and pages of hand-written memories and then come upon a lone page with a ticket stub glued to it and a few bullet points of highlights from that trip. Those are often the trips when there is SO much to see and journal and I don’t do a great job of it - but I must jot down a few notes for posterity. The past couple of weeks have been a little like that, and while I can’t glue our hiking maps or metro cards into this post (which Owen wanted to save), here is a high-level overview and key memories made along the way.
Gettysburg, PA and Hershey, PA
August 12 - 16, 2021
We knew that we’d have the opportunity to learn a lot about the Civil War during our trek east and given the significance of Gettysburg, we camped close to the area, staying at the Gettysburg RV Farm Resort so that we could visit the surrounding area conveniently. It also happened to be a favorite of Owen’s as they have a hobby farm and petting area with goats, horses, chickens, ducks and a pig; an 18-hole miniature golf area, and a pool! The pool was great, because it was extremely hot during our time here. Some highlights and recommendations:
Start at the Gettysburg Visitor Center and museum. Absolutely fantastic and well-done. Our mistake is that we went in the afternoon of a travel day (and had a tired kiddo in tow who was not that into the history at that particular moment). Start fresh in the morning with the kids. I could’ve spent a day here; we spent about 2 -3 hours. It does an excellent job of providing context on the Civil War and preceding events, in case your history is a little rusty.
There are many ways to tour the Gettysburg battleground. By auto, foot, bicycle, bus…it is a 24 mile heavily trafficked loop, so we started early in the morning and didn’t have too many issues (we also went on a weekday). Many suggest hiring a private guide who will drive your car for about a 2-3 hour tour. We didn’t want to be constrained by anyone else’s schedule, so we did some searching and found this app, which is a GPS-enabled tour, and it did a great job of helping us get around and explain what we were seeing. If you go this route, you’ll definitely want and need to pay the $10 for the full audio tour. Well worth it. If you are someone that wants to ask lots of questions on your tour, then I’d recommend a private guide. We also prepped for this visit by watching the 1993 movie “Gettysburg”, which I’d recommend watching if you’re heading there, or if you’re simply interested in the history of Gettysburg and the strategy behind it all. Family-friendly and definitely helps make Gettysburg come more alive when you’re out there seeing where all these battles were fought.
Took a side trip to Hershey, PA where we learned about Milton Hershey. Fascinating fact - he had put a deposit on a ticket on the Titanic but ended up not going for business reasons. Just think - life without Hershey’s Kisses or Hershey’s miniatures. But more than that, he was a great philanthropist who backed many different causes, including a school for orphaned and disadvantaged youth, which is still operating today. The Hershey Museum was a great experience and we even made our own chocolate bars in the Chocolate Lab. You can’t visit this place and not crave chocolate. We also visited Hershey Chocolate World, where you can rub shoulders (literally) with everyone else that desires to be sucked into a tourist trap. They do have a fun and free ride that explains chocolate making, but unless you are really into chocolate and all that Hershey has to offer in the way of sweet treats, the Hershey Museum is a much better find (IMHO).
Washington, DC
August 16 - 23, 2021
Driving through DC with the RV was a nightmare….haha, just kidding. We certainly did not attempt that. Stayed at the Bull Run Regional park campground. Owen might have been most excited to stay here as we got to take the metro to DC every day we went in. Ever since he’s been little, riding the subway/light rail has been one of his absolute fave things to do. If it’s one of yours, then you’ll enjoy his DC YouTube video, which takes up a good amount of time!
Yes, we did all the things in DC. Powerered through these days for sure, and in hot/steamy weather. Let’s see if I can remember them all:
Day one: travel day and also went to Udvar Hazy Smithsonian. Home to Space Shuttle Discovery, Enola Gay, the Concord, and yes - a Star Wars X-Wing Starfighter! Baby Yoda was standing guard.
Day two: First full city day. Took the metro to Arlington National Cemetary to see the Changing of the Guard at the Unknown Soldier’s tomb, JFK and Jacqueline Onassis gravesite, and also saw a large funeral procession in progress complete with a horse-drawn carriage and full military honors. Jumped on the Big Bus Hop-on, Hop-off bus tour and rode around most of the city to determine what we wanted to come back and see. Lunch down at the waterfront at Shake Shack, which I wasn’t too thrilled about as I’ve been trying to stay away from chains! We’ve done a pretty good job with that and there weren’t too many other options. We also visited the Lincoln Memorial. To wrap up our day, we had to go in search of an Amazon Locker for something - forget what Tom had ordered.
Day three: Visit to the Natural History Museum, lunch in Chinatown (where we thankfully escaped a downpour) and visits to the (outside) of the Supreme Court building, Thomas Jefferson library, and the Capital. Everything is pretty well gated off and not even the Capitol Visitor Center was open. The next day, by the fountain in front of the Thomas Jefferson library, there was a bomb threat by a man who had driven his truck right up to the fountain. We had taken pictures there the day before. He was disarmed and hauled away….
Day four: Tom and Owen went to the Air & Space museum (unfortunately large portions were under construction) and I took the opportunity to discover the American Indian Museum, which was fantastic! We also went to the American History Museum in the afternoon, one of Owen’s favorite. Lunch at the food trucks for the 2nd day in a row, along the mall. I discovered the Smithsonian Visitor Center!
Day five: Our longest day yet. We went back to the Smithsonian Visitor Center, as Tom needed a good place to do a call from and I wanted to explore it a bit more. This building, also known as “The Castle” is the first Smithsonian building built as a result of the funds that James Smithson bequeathed to the U.S. that birthed the Smithsonian organization. Even more interesting - Smithson was an Englishman and never set foot in America, yet left his entire life savings (over $500k in the early 1800s) to a country he never visited. He was passionate about sharing knowledge with others and had specific requirements for what would be in the original Smithsonian including a chemistry lab and a library. The building now houses the Smithsonian Visitor Center and the crypt of James Smithson. The history behind the development of the Smithsonian Institute is fascinating and there were so many roadblocks to its creation that it’s amazing it’s even here. I never knew the story behind the great museums and institutions until today. High recommend visiting The Castle when you’re in DC. Not only is the history fascinating, but there is an exhibit highlighting all sorts artifacts from the different Smithsonians and the gardens in this area are gorgeous. I could go on … pro tip: it’s open at 8:30 am (all other museums open at 10) so it’s a great place to start the day!
We also secured tickets to the Holocaust Museum - I went a couple of years ago with my dad, but Tom and Owen had not been. Unfortunately, the children’s exhibit wasn’t open due to COVID, given it is a high-touch/interactive exhibit. But it is still breathtakingly horrific. If you have not been, this is a must for everyone.
We also visited a lot of monuments - Thomas Jefferson, MLK, Veterans Memorial, Nurses Memorial (fact: my parents know the woman who was behind pushing this memorial into being, and my dad actually used to date her!), and the WW2 Memorial, where we were able to soak our feet. This IS an accepted practice as the soldiers were known to celebrate in the fountains of Europe once the war was over. Wading is not prohibited, but putting your feet in is.
Days five and six: Pool time! There is a large waterpark in the actual regional park, and as “residents” of the campground, we were able to go for only $4. This was a great way to wrap up our time in DC before our next stop - Lynchburg, VA. We were also staying very close to the Manassas Battlefield, where the 3rd Civil War was fought, and we also took some time to tour this area to understand what happened here. The confederate army was successful with this battle, and at that time, the war was far from over. It happened two years before Gettysburg.
Lynchburg, VA
August 23 - 29, 2021
Our home is in the Blue Ridge Mountains this week….found a great campsite at the KOA in Lynchburg, right off the Blue Ridge Parkway. I think this was our lowest-key week yet, which we loved and was much needed. Still found time to:
Drive the Blue Ridge Parkway for amazing views of the Blue Ridge Mountains
Hiked an actual part of the Appalachian trail (Bucket list - check)
Scrambled up a boulder field and encountered a five-foot Eastern Ratsnake on the way down….
Made friends with Mark and Audrey from Lynchburg, who Owen made an impassioned plea to follow him on YouTube
Swam, swam and swam at the KOA pool - more steamy hot weather
Major highlight: A visit to the Appomattox Court House National Historical Park. This was way cooler than we thought it would be, but I think it is because we have spent so much time steeped in Civil War history on this trip. This is the actual place where General Robert E Lee surrendered to General Ulysses Grant. We saw the room where they actually sat and signed, and learned how this was the start of peace and reunification for the country. See this if you’re a Civil War history buff!
Discovered Natural Bridge - an amazing natural structure, 55 feet taller than Niagara Falls and over 500 million years old. There is a highway that crosses over it! We drove the RV over it on our way out of town. George Washington carved his initials in the stone in 1750 and you can still see this today.
Biked through Lynchburg, ate at the Water Dog (great food along the trail) and hiked up STEEP hills for fresh-made cider donuts at Mama Crockett’s (which I then needed to figure out how to bike down the hill with them - I ordered half dozen after all!)
St. Ignace, Michigan
We fully expect that this trip won’t be all rainbows and sunsets - meaning that there will be places we would’ve and should’ve skipped to see something more exciting but that’s part of the journey as well. St. Ignace itself was fine - but the draw that brings most people there seems to be Mackinac Island. Apologies in advance to those of you who love this place, as there are some redeeming qualities to it but if I was to rate this on Trip Advisor - and I might - it’s probably getting no more than 2 stars. Maybe 3 if I’m feeling generous.
We pulled into our campground, the Lakeshore RV Campground, just outside of St. Ignace (pronounced like “Agnes” but with an “I”). Beautiful views overlooking Lake Michigan and the Mackinac Bridge. There’s a private little beach just down from the campsite, with a few benches and a table where you can enjoy views of the sunsets, the large freighters passing and of course, the bridge. The bridge is the 3rd longest suspension bridge in the US (5 miles long) and once completed, it negated the ferry industry that ran for years in the Mackinaw Straits.
The sites here are even tighter than the last place (!) but it was a relatively quiet site (“boring” for Owen, as there weren’t any kids his age or many kids at all). We set up, and headed into town for a look around and to research the options for getting to Mackinac Island the next day. We put Owen in charge of this project and he pored over the options, ultimately setting on Star Line ferries - the fastest, from his perspective. The other main option is Shepler’s, but both offer similar services and pricing. St. Ignace seems to serve as a jumping-off point as the main tourist draw, but there are also some historical museums about the area and quite a bit of trail hiking as well.
We took the ferry over on a Tuesday, and the weather was perfect. The boat we took included a ride under the Mackinac bridge on the way to the island, which was certainly cool to see. Upon docking and getting our bikes unloaded, we headed out onto Bicycle Street (I actually don’t know if that’s the name - it’s probably Main Street) but I heard a stat (unverified) that Macinac Island has the most bicycles of any island in the world. Based on what we saw, don’t think we can really dispute that. This place puts Amsterdam to shame.
You can bike around the island (8 miles roundtrip) but unfortunately, we could only go part-way around the island on each side because- construction! They were doing shoreline restoration, and perhaps this added to the bummer factor of our visit, because biking to see the island is one of the best parts. There are no motorized vehicles allowed on the island - only bicycles and horsedrawn carriages. Now some people might find this charming, but near on collisions with bikes versus horses looked probable and there are ample amounts of horse dung to avoid, along with trying not to enter into a head-on collision with oncoming bikers. There were just SO many people. And bikes. And horse crap.
Many of the houses on this island are absolutely gorgeous, but with so many throngs of tourists riding just in your front (or back) yard, how does one enjoy this? Ok, so there ARE many interesting things on the island to see including Fort Mackinac, Fort Holmes, historic churches, beautiful vistas, historic cemetaries and lots of trails. The only place where there aren’t a lot of people are the hiking trails and the inner bike trails on the island. There is also Arch Rock, which is one of the more famous rock overlooks on the island (waiting line to get up the stairs to take the picture….). Earlier in the day, we were told we weren’t able to visit this place as there was police activity in the area, and it was blocked off. It opened up later that day and we did eventually bike over there. Sadly, we found out later that evening that it had been closed in the morning as a man in his 40’s had died by suicide by jumping off the arch, and he was found that morning. So very sad.
Arch Rock
We found a cute place for lunch (no line!) called the Watercolor Cafe, which was right on the water and offered great views of the marina and Lake Huron. Good food, good prices. We did bike up to the Grand Hotel, which really is a sight to see - so massive! But just to access the sprawling patio and order a beverage, one has to pay an admission fee of $10 per person. I guess I understand it, because if you are paying a minimum of $500-$600/night to stay in a room (that looks like fashion designer Betsey Johnson has thrown up in BTW), well I don’t think I’d want to be bothered by tourists either. But it IS grand to look at.
We returned to Bicycle Street and hopped into the closest confectionary we could find for some sugary reinforcement. If you like candy shops, souvenir stops, and eateries/breweries of all sorts, this might be your kind of place. We hopped back on the ferry at 3:30 and appreciated our visit and the opportunity to do so, but decided we did not need to go back anytime soon. Upon getting back to St. Ignace, Owen wanted to head to splash pad that he had seen the day before, where he decided to get soaking wet, and managed to pull me in as well (it was a pretty hot day).
Splash pad! St. Ignace
Back at the campsite that night, we got out the pudgy pie maker for cherry turnovers! A classic camping must-have.
On our final day, we spent a good majority of the morning working and doing school. I’ll probably write a post on what that looks like for us but we’ve decided that Owen is going to do school year-round, so we started in earnest this week. Through a combination of an online program (that we monitor and partially teach) as well as curriculum that we will completely oversee, he is starting to dive in and also use our route as a means of learning. By the time we wrapped up all of our respective duties, we had a few hours left in the day to take advantage of so we drove across the Mackinac Bridge to Mackinaw, and went to a Coast Guard Icebreaker ship (now a museum). Of course, had to fit a couple cheesy photos in.
“Hi - Owen here. I just wanted to say that I had a lot of fun going to Mackinac island and the splash pad was really fun. The Coast Guard Icebreaker ship was a great experience. In Sault Sainte Marie we went on another ship but I was glad they were not the same experience.”
We visited the local Farmer’s Market that afternoon, which I was happy about as it was the first one we’ve come across on the trip. Purchased fresh greens, juicy slicing tomatoes (maybe the best thing I’ve had so far), and fresh baked bread. Also had to pick up some smoked whitefish and a traditional “pasty” (pronounced past-tee), which is a handheld meat pie. Like an empanada (but honestly, not as good IMO). Still, we want to try as much of the local fare and I have a strict goal of not wanting to eating at any chain restaurants this next year if we can help it.
Munising, Michigan (Upper Peninsula)
Pulled into Christmas, MI (about 3 miles outside of Munising) to, Silent Nights campsites, which was our home for the next few days. These sites were great - plenty of space, and full hookups (water, sewer, electric - yay!) The town is cute and kitchsy in its homage to the Christmas season in that the streets are named “Mrs. Claus Lane” and “St. Nicholas Avenue”, and the restaurants and businesses follow suit in their offerings - such as where we’re staying. Gorgeous weather, so we got situated, unhooked the Jeep (our tow vehicle for the trip), and decided to explore. Headed into Munising, which is the main town from which all activities around the area get booked and launched, it seems. We decided to drive up to get a few initial views of the terrain, which took us to Miner’s Castle. We were just starting to get a glimpse of how beautiful this area really is.
Pictured Rocks, Lake Superior
Miner’s Castle, Picture Rocks National Area
This area is well-known as the Pictured Rocks area, and plenty of hiking, biking and boating opportunities exist to experience. We planned to do all 3 during our time here! After a little more exploring around the Miner’s Castle area, we headed back to camp for dinner. A family with kids around Owen’s age pulled in next to us that afternoon, and he had fun playing tag and catch with them until it got dark. Hoping we will have lots of opportunities like that along the way. This family was from southern Illinois, and on a 3-week camping trip through Michigan, Wisconsin, Minnesota, and Iowa.
The next day, we were anxious to try out the new BOTE kayaks we brought along (inflatables) and check out the shores of the area. We headed back to the Miner’s beach area, where it was relatively accessible for the boats and also offered an amazing expanse of sandy beach.
Owen discovered a path that hugged the rocky shoreline and would take us 10-15 feet above the water’s edge. Outfitted with ropes along the way (it was not a place you wanted to slip into the lake because chances of getting back up and out weren’t in your favor), we sneaked along the path for about a quarter mile until we had to turn back as the path left no option except for cliff jumping. We did return to the beach and jumped into the chilly waters of Lake Superior - which actually felt pretty good! Spent most of the afternoon here, just taking in the beautiful weather and the sights. That evening, yet another family pulled into our campsite and Owen had new friends, once again. Hoping that we have lots of these opportunities for him along the way.
I think we were all really looking forward to our next excursion, which would involve a day’s worth of exploration around Grand Island. This recreation area is part of the Hiawatha National Forest and allows for camping, hiking, and biking - but no cars. You access the island via Grand Island Ferry service, run by Patrick, Marie and their deck hand, Kali. Super nice people, who gave us lots of recommendations for sites throughout the US, as when they are not managing the Grand Island Ferry Service, they’re traveling in their sprinter van around the country. They said Big Bend National Park in Texas is not to be missed. They also requested that we contact them at the end of the trip “to see how things went.”
Caught the first ferry at 9 am (which is a rather large oversized pontoon boat), loaded our bikes, and traveled a mere 1/2 mile to the other shore. And we were off - the first couple of miles were pretty tame and then we quickly learned that we were in for some true mountain biking - large rocks, steep inclines (and declines) and lots of rock. I won’t lie - there were frustration and tears at times from the youngest Healy member but he really hung in there and went the FULL 21 miles! Tom and I were tired out too - it was a great ride and we hardly saw anyone else out there. The views were spectacular and the water was so clear - and the cliffs - - steep!
Overlooking Lake Superior from Grand Island
Round-trip it took us 5 hours (we were told the average is about 4-6 hours, although I would say expert bikers can get through it pretty quickly (we took a few breaks to rest and take in the views). The island was originally inhabited by the first settlers in the 1800’s (the Williams family, who had 10 kids) - two of the boys died in Lake Superior, although not sure how. The original home was eventually turned into/expanded into a resort in the early 1900s. A few buildings, as well as private residences, remain on the island. The original cemetery (where the Williams family is buried,) is hauntingly beautiful. It is still an active cemetery and descendants of the families that lived here over the years are able to be buried here.
Our final full day in Munising included hiking as part of our plans. We headed towards the Chapel and Mosquito Falls area initially, where we hiked the 3 miles roundtrip to Chapel Falls (supposedly the more interesting one of the two). Easy trek, heavily visited as it is easy to get to - if you have the right vehicle. The dirt road leading up to it is very well worn, rutted out and has large potholes. While there are a couple of parking spots for RVs, we would NOT recommend this unless you want to risk smashing up your grey and black tanks (we took the Jeep). There was an option to check out Chapel Beach, but we wanted to see Twelvemile Beach as well, and that included another 3 mile hike. This was a far less visited hike - we only saw 4-6 other people - and the views and landscape had large, overhanging rock cliffs and was a bit more strenuous than Chapel. It eventually led us out to Twelvemile beach - exactly what it sounds like. We were treated to a beautiful expanse of sand, which rivaled that of Hawaii or Panama. We kept asking ourselves - where is everyone?? But realized that these spots are a little extra work to get to if you’re able….and we realize that not everyone is, so what I love about the Pictured Rocks area is that there are many beautiful areas that are accessible to all.
Twelvemile Beach
We also had some time to drive down to Kitchitikipee. The touristy website says it best: “Two hundred feet across, the 40-foot deep Kitch-iti-kipi is Michigan's largest freshwater spring. Over 10,000 gallons a minute gush from fissures in the underlying limestone. The flow continues throughout the year at a constant 45 degree Fahrenheit. By means of a self-operated observation raft, visitors are guided to vantage points overlooking fascinating underwater features and fantasies. Ancient tree trunks, lime-encrusted branches and fat trout appear suspended in nothingness as they slip through crystal waters far below. Clouds of sand kept in constant motion by gushing waters create ever-changing shapes and forms, a challenge to the imagination of young and old alike.” Here’s a photo below that is taken through the middle of the raft, and this video, which shows the fissures:
After all this, it’s time for pizza then, right? Yes! We were looking forward to the Pictured Rocks Pizza place in Munising (good reviews, and a cute patio) but it was closed, so we did carry out from Main Street Pizza and headed back to our campsite for a late and rewarding lunch.
Time to say goodbye to this beautiful area, even though I’m sure we could’ve found much more to do here. There are glass-bottomed boat cruises, kayak excurions, pontoon rentals and more. We pulled out of Munising on the morning of July 14, my brother Brian’s birthday. He would’ve been 46 on the 14th and he would’ve loved it here. He also would’ve kicked our butts on the Grand Island Mountain Bike trails…. RIP peace Brian - miss you so much.
People we met along the way: Patrick, Marie and Kali from Grand Island Ferry Service; the family from Indiana
Hiccups and hangups: None, really!
Grateful for: Our excursion around Grand Island (both Owen and Tom); perfect, amazing weather all week that allowed us to experience all of these places (Laurie)
Duration in Munising: July 9 - 14, 2021
Next stop: Tahquamenon State Park (Paradise, MI)