Day 5

My night was very cozy tucked in my sleeping bag and it was still dark when I slipped out of the tent well after 6am. I'm thinking it's because we are so close to the Mountain Time Zone? I think caught up on any lost sleep from the night before. The sun was rising behind the mountains so these were the best photos I could get.

The air was still chilly which made for a perfect quiet morning.  I noticed on my phone there was strong wifi available very close to our campsite so I headed back to grab my computer to upload the first days of the blog.  It roughly takes 45 minutes to an hour to edit pictures, write about, and upload each day so I try to break it up and upload a few days all at one time. I also try to wait until I have left a camping spot to upload to keep us safe.  This is a private blog but you never know.

Once I was finished I saw the kids with me were awake so we started breaking down our tent and packing the car. We only had a three hour drive this morning so we weren't in a rush but I'd much rather pack up when it's cool. We drove over to Grammie's spot when we were finished to enjoy some freshly baked muffins. Baked goods are something we rarely eat on the trip since it's impossible on a camp stove. I guess we need to camp with Grammie more often - we're spoiled!  The girls wanted to climb the trail behind her campsite with Lola. I'm not sure she was too impressed but they had fun at least! Brayden is hit or miss these days with kid adventure so I'm glad the girls have each other.

We got on the road shortly after breakfast and were able to enjoy the beautiful drive back out from the mountain. I have no problem with long drives especially when there is something beautiful to see along the way. The girls were busy playing games in the back seat and would look up for a brief moment when I would tell them to look out their window. Maybe one day they will appreciate the scenery. I know I didn't at their age very much.

Our drive after that was kind of a mess. We were behind truck after truck on 2-lane roads under construction and the view was mostly barren or industrial oil production. I kept seeing RV park after RV park with about 50 RVs crammed in the space of drug store parking lot. I could only guess it is temporary or seasonal housing for those working in the area. The temperatures were climbing quickly to triple digits and I couldn't imagine living there! Of course many people wouldn't choose living in a tent for 2 months either.

                                   

We decided to stop at Carlsbad Caverns National Park to enjoy the cavern and exhibits before setting up today. Lola had her first visit to a kennel as animals left in vehicles was prohibited. She wasn't thrilled with the idea for sure. I bought my annual National Park pass since we would be visiting several National Parks on this trip and we decided to visit the exhibits to learn about the area. 

The girls jumped into this picture first. I'm not sure they will ever outgrow these! We learned about all the bats and other wildlife in the area. I decided I would like a ringtail for my birthday this year. I am always able to find at least 3-5 animals I would like to add to my list.  We learned about caving next and the kids tried it themselves. Ryan definitely would actually go caving but I believe Laney and Brayden would need a little incentive. 

We watched the park movie next to learn about the history of the park then headed to the elevators down to the cavern. We'd debated walking in via the natural entrance we just weren't really sure about having enough time. The elevator spit us out steps away from the Big Room and I was speechless. It was so enormous I just couldn't get over it. No picture I took even began to show just how big this area was. We later read it is the 5th biggest in North America being the size of 14 football fields. 

We have been to many caves during our travels but have never formations like those in Carlsbad. We saw lion's tails, draperies, popcorn, cave pearls, and much more. The more we walked the more in awe we were of how this place came to be.  Ryan wanted to go visit the "Bottomless Pit" which we learned wasn't really bottomless but a very dark 140 feet deep. People originally thought it was bottomless because they would throw a stone into it and never hear it hit the bottom. They later found it it has a sandy bottom which softened the sound.

We visited a few other spots then decided to head back upstairs. In a very Disney-like fashion we were dumped into a gift shop. It was time to by our first set of post cards though so the kids looked around and found the perfect ones and helped me pick out a sticker for our roof cargo carrier.  I'm not sure I've seen Lola happier than I did when they emerged from the kennel. I'm wondering if she had decided we weren't coming back!

We pulled into our campsite with time to quickly set up, let the kids swim for 15 minutes, eat dinner and leave again. I plan our trips loosely so we can pick and choose what we want to do along the way but there was no way I was going to miss this event. We drove the 50-minutes back to the park for the bat flight program.  I was a little worried we were going to miss it with the sun dipping lower by the minute but as we walked up to the amphitheater and sat down we were treated to a talk by the park ranger including what to expect, what they repectfully requested we do, and many random bat facts. 

Mid-sentence the ranger was signaled that the flight had begun. We looked around and noticed about 50 bats circling the cave entrance then the real show began. The crowd of 500 people were completely silent as this tornado of bats streamed out of the cave to find dinner. The constant sound was like a fan turned on high. And we sat there as they just poured out of the cave twisting and swirling for more than 15 minutes. I wanted to see what it looked like as they left the area so we walked to the top of the amphitheater to see what could easily be mistaken for smoke leaving the cave. Hundreds of thousands of bats searching for their food. We stood there for at least another 5 minutes watching until it was almost too dark to see them anymore. If it weren't such a long drive I would have come back to see them return before sunrise.

There was one bad part of the flight program. In order for us to not confuse and intimidate the bats any electronic devices were not allowed to be used or even on. Knowing this we'd left all of ours in the car so I will just have to rely on my old memory to treasure these moments. Or I guess I'll just have to come back. A lot.

We said our goodnight and I tucked the girls for the night and headed to the laundry room. We didn't necessarily need to do laundry yet but having it very close to our campsite with free wifi was a luxury I would trade a little sleep for tonight. I watched our clothes spin, edited pictures, wrote about our day, and planned for the next day until after midnight.

Day 2

This morning began bright and early as I started to write about the day before before the kids got up.  About 20 minutes in I was greeted by this kid.  What a great good mornings I get!

After I finished writing, she helped me pick out the pictures and edit them before we heard the other two rolling around.  That's when I got out and caught this guy sneaking over to let the air out his sister's sleep mat.  Such an innocent smile that always means he is up to no good!

After a quick breakfast we hit the road first to the nature center at the park.  The kids found out there was a junior ranger program and that's all it took!  

There were some local animals on display, then we stumbled upon the live animal section!  I wouldn't be surprised if this guy just happened to be found in one of the kids' backpacks as we were leaving. He was a big show off and obviously enjoyed the attention!

The only was I was able to tear the kids away was to promise we would come back again tomorrow to see him and say goodbye!  The kids named him Ninja for all his acrobatic climbing he was showing them.

Next up was Desoto Falls.  We weren't expecting much since it was summer and so much of the water is gone.  

 

We were expecting a little more of a hike though!  There was no way the kids were up for hiking down to the bottom of the falls, so I suggested we hike to a few places in their junior ranger books.  It was a very hot, but beautiful day!

    

Once it hit about 98 degrees we opted for some much needed pool time.  This was to be the hottest part of the day so spending it in the pool would be so nice.  Little did we know this pool had a legit diving board.  The kids have been swimming like fish practically since they were born, but right then I realized they had never jumped off one!  After some very slow and reluctant jumps they were doing flips and belly flops like nobody's business.

Once our fingers were raisins and their eyes were red from diving for coins, we hopped back into the car and headed into the little town close by.  We love driving and walking through the tiny towns with their adorable local shops and cafes!  Today's stop was for some very necessary ice cream and a table in the air conditioning.  We savored every drop and were actually a little chilly by the time we left, but within steps from walking out the door we all felt the wall of heat and decided to head to our next stop.

I'd read a little bit about Little River Canyon when I was planning the trip, so I had it on our list of possible stops.  We all weren't up for much hiking in the heat but I remembered there was a scenic overlook drive about 20 miles long so we opted for that.  First stop was the visitor's center where the kids spotted more junior ranger books so they sat right down to work on them.  We took a few minutes to watch the movie about the park as well.

One of the overlooks is called Hawk's Glide as it seems to be the perfect spot for spotting hawks circling in the currents.  We were disappointed not to see a single bird.  At the next stop I asked the kids to turn around for a boring landscape picture and they spotted about 13 right when I was taking it!

The views on the drive were very nice, but the driving was spectacular.  The canyon was hidden by the lush summer trees and the river was reduced to the size of a creek, but the winding roads along the ridge were so fun!  I even got screams out of the kids on a few of the hills.  

After what felt like a long rollercoaster we pulled over to put our feet in at a small waterfall.  The girls loved watching the kids jump in from the cliffs all around the swimming hole.

    

And after a few minutes chasing sticks down the tiny rapids we headed to the canyon mouth for the swimming and an impromptu picnic dinner.  The kids were building thrones and talking about taking over the world.  Some of the best plans are made this way right?!

Laney spotted this squirrel from 100 yards away digging into our neighbor's picnic dessert.  Probably the best thing he's eaten in awhile!

The kids were very happy to hear we would not be returning via the way we came.  The GPS took us around the other side of the canyon so we headed back into town to play on a pretty big playground we'd spotted the day before.  The kids quickly made up a Ninja Warrior course and came away with blister to show for it.  

We collapsed on our sleeping bags listening to the cicada lullaby, too tired to take showers saying barely a good night.  That's when you know you've had a full day!

Day 17

I couldn't believe it when I check my phone clock in the morning.  We'd all slept for almost 12 hours. It was bright and sunny when we woke up but we were all completely covered by our sleeping bags in darkness.  All of us squinted when we came out like when you first leave a movie theater in the middle of the day.

We had no plans today other than the boat tour so I figured we would have a slow morning then head out to explore.  I piled up the rest of our firewood in the pit to warm us all up and handed everyone a steaming cup of hot chocolate.  I made a skyscraper of french toast with scrambled eggs and fruit.  We were all very anxious to try our fresh Michigan maple syrup!  Paired with the fresh strawberries from the same farm, it was one of the best meals we've ever had camping.  Of course it might be because it was already after 10am by the time we actually ate!

While the kids tried to make burnt stick shapes in the fire, I wrote about the day before and tried to stay warm by the fire.  We read the last chapter of our book and worked on journals for a little while, then the kids decided to play camp ball.  The Louisville Slugger museum stop was the best investment with those mini bats!

By noon, we were finally heading out to explore the town and hit some trails.  The kids had grabbed junior ranger books the day before so as we drove around they worked on finishing those activities as well.  Our first stop was the town of Munising to walk around and find Laney a heavier jacket.  I introduced the kids to thrift stores at Gramma Grumps shop.  They couldn't believe they could buy books for a dollar.  Brayden found a Red Sox jersey he wanted for three dollars. And he doesn't even like the Red Sox.  We did end up finding Laney a jacket for eight dollars that was pink and brand new!

Next we went just about a mile past town to find a couple waterfalls I'd read about.  I suppose this was a locals only kind of trail as it was barely marked.  There were two different trails for us to hike to - M Falls and O Falls.  Laney and Brayden picked M and Ryan picked both of course so we headed to see M Falls first then see if we had enough time to make it to O Falls.  The hike to the falls was absolutely beautiful.  The trees towered above as we hiked around a cliff.

Then all of a sudden the trees opened and we found the falls!  The kids ran down to be behind them as that is pretty rare for most of the waterfalls we make it to.

Pretty quickly, we turned around and headed back to the fork to find O Falls.  We made sure people knew we'd been there!

This hike was just as pretty but with much steeper drop offs so Brayden was a little nervous. We made it to falls within 10 minutes and the kids were drawn to a pile of sand at the bottom.














While they played I explored the area and took more photos.  I was putting my camera away wishing I'd brought my monopod when I thought to just use a natural monopod right next to me - a rock!  So while the kids played with the sand rocks, I played with my camera around on all the rocks.

Thanks to Miss Gracie for sharing her spot with me for these pictures!

We hiked back out then headed to the local cafe for dinner and ice cream before the cruise.  We were trying to be as warm as possible before we needed to stand in line for the good seats on the boat.  Brayden claims to have had the best portabello sandwich ever at the Falling Rock Cafe in Munising in case you're ever here!

They had some pretty delicious ice cream too!  The three girls all decided on Yooper Snowslide and Brayden picked Mackinaw Island Mint.  The girls definitely chose the best one!

We stopped by the store to grab our extra layers and blanket.  Ryan wanted to stop at the store for a slingshot she'd been eyeing, but people were already lineing up so we also headed that way.  We all bundled up and headed to wait for the coveted spots at the top right of the boat.  We would be outside unless we couldn't stand the cold anymore so I brought along some Hot Hands and a blanket.  These Floridians just can't get used to these windy 50 degree days on the lake!

The cruise was absolutely beautiful.  The rocks were towering above us with beautiful colors and shapes as we slowly powered by.  The natural caves created from the water were everywhere in all sizes.

The arches were a definite favorite!

And check out this tree!

It's only kept alive by the roots that hang across to the mainland!

The best part for all the kids was when the captain took the boat into a cove just about as far as he could go.  We were surrounded on three sides by the towering rocks and the kids were spinning their heads around in amazement.  I'd already said it many times on this trip, but a made a big point to say right then, "Don't you ever forget this!"

This was our view going in!

And this was the view behind us after we were in the cave!

After about 20 more minutes we turned around and headed back to the small city of Munising.  The kids were pretty cold by now so we opted to head downstairs for warmth without sacrificing the view of the sunset over Grand Island.  I checked my phone as the sun was setting and it said 9:44!  No wonder we'd been sleeping in!

We had a quick and quiet ride back to the campsite and we all rushed to our sleeping bags with our Hot Hands.  We talked a little bit about our favorite parts and our big next day when we finally get to see Grammie before we all fell fast asleep way down in our sleeping bags.

Day 14

I'm not sure why my dreams when I'm camping are so vivid and I remember them so easily.  Might be because I kinda sleep with one eye open like a mama bear.  Might be because sometimes they're especially creepy.  Last night's was up there for creepy for sure.

Ever since we'd been in Wisconsin, the ticks have been seeking us out and trying to come along on our trip.  Each child has encountered at least 2 stuck to them and they've been crawling all over the tent looking for a way in it seems.  Each night just like my mom did when I was a kid, I check all three of the kids for ticks. So of course I dream of ticks.  And not just one or two.  In my dream I had 8 lovingly attached to my back.

So then I have to start figuring out how in the world to get them off.  I have tweezers but do I trust my kids to get over their eww factor and get them?  Or do I go to the campground office young lady and embarassingly ask her if she'd get them?  Or do some kind of pretzel move and attempt myself? Rub my whole back against a brick wall and hope for the best?  Turns out in my dreams the campground has a magical spray that makes them detach and all is better.  If that already doesn't exist I'm totally inventing it.

With the clouds and the rain earlier in the day, it was especially cold last night so we slept with the windows up.  Being in the woods with the windows up makes the inside of the tent a lot darker than normal so we all were able to sleep in a bit.  I finally got up around 6 to go to the office for wifi to be able to send pictures to be printed for the kids to work on their journals.

Once I got back, Brayden was up and the girls weren't too far behind him so we went ahead and packed up to catch the 9am ferry.  If we'd have hurried just a little bit we would have been able to catch the 8am ferry, but we just got there a little early and ate breakfast in the car while we waited.

Once we were loaded up I handed Ryan the camera and she began shooting anything and everything. She even got a picture including me which barely ever happens!

Here is the little town of Bayfield.  I just love all the boats!  I don't imagine you could live here without one.

Next stop was the Apostle Island National Seashore Visitors Center so the kids could stamp the park passports.  We also stayed for a movie about the history of the islands.  I wished we had been early enough a few days before to stop by here before our stay, but I was nervous about the ferry situation.  We also stopped at the Northwoods Visitors Center for a little while to check out all the exhibits.

We learned a lot about the history of the area as well as the changes logging and modern life has caused.  There was a great display on how the Ojibwe life has changed over the generations.  I read a quote that I really liked about how people should think not just about their children's or grandchildren's generations but the seventh generation when it comes to environmental issues.  The kids loved the interactive displays and I loved the education and message!

Laney checks out a picture of girl scouts camping almost 100 years ago.

Next we picked up the photos and stopped for a big stock up on breads and fresh fruits.  We were running very low!  Tonight we will feast!  Once we got back on the road it wasn't very long until we made it to our next state!

We stopped in at the welcome center to check out local events and must sees then got back on the road to our next stop - Porcupine Mountains State Park.  We were still to be camping on Lake Superior just a couple hours to the east and directly on the water.  The kids were itching to play on the rocks the second they saw them!

Since the day was still clear we decided to head to a couple of must-see lookout spots to check out the views.  We were all pretty tired, but I was nervous about the clouds rolling into the area in the morning so we left the rocks for these gorgeous views.  These are from the Escarpment Lookout over the Lake in the Clouds.

And these are from the lookout tower at the mountain summit.

By the time we got back to the campsite we were all starving so I cooked while the kids played on the rocks, promising not to get wet.  That didn't work out to well.

Then they started a camp ball homerun derby.  Poor Laney didn't fair to well so she just joined me on the rocks for these pictures.  As you can see it looks like there might be rain in our future so I brought everything in for the night and we headed to the tent in an attempt to stay dry.