Day 1 - Travel Day

We weren't quite ready to leave when we woke up this morning, so after saying goodbye to Scott we packed and prepped some snacks for the drive.  We finished our prayer and were pulling out of the driveway by 10:30am.  Tyler wanted to drive which worked out well as I finished up some projects for church.  He actually drove the entire way today!

We stopped around 11:30 for some lunch at Hardees and Subway and proceeded to Port Huron.  We stopped here to charge (only around 12 mins) as it looked like the border had a long line up.  It took about an hour to cross the Blue Water Bridge and clear customs.  The only other time we were near this bridge was about a year ago when we were cruising under it when we were bringing home our new boat.

The car converted to kilometers per hour and the kids got a kick out of seeing the spedometer read triple digits.  Tyler did a great job at customs and driving internationally!  A big first for him today!!

We stopped to charge again around 2:45 and then proceeded to Niagara Falls.  We are staying in the Sheraton Hotel on the Ontario side and have a great view from our room.

Once we were settled, the kids decided to stay in for dinner so we had a pizza delivered and then just took it easy.  It was fun to see the falls change color after dark and then a short fireworks show at 10:00 pm.

I spent some time planning more of the details of our trip.  We watched the National Treasure movies on cable and took the opportunity to talk through some of the places we will visit on this trip.  After that it was getting hard to stay awake...

Day 2 - Trip to Frankfort

We were up around 8:30 for breakfast… bacon, eggs and toast.  After showers and cleaning up the kitchen, we were ready to head out.  We try not to leave too early as most marinas wont allow you to check in until closer to noon; however, waves tend to build throughout the day so we don’t want to leave later than necessary either.   So at 10:05am, we left the slip and headed out for Lake Michigan.  We were so surprised to see how calm the lake was… super calm.  Definitely under single foot chop.  Very smooth for the ride.  The temps were 71* with a SSW wind.  We headed north for the 54 mi trip to Frankfort.

If you are familiar with the shape of Lake Michigan in this area, you know that there is a point just north of Ludington and then the land juts in until Point Betsie which is just north of Frankfort.  So in order to save time, we headed straight across rather than following the shoreline.  The trip took 1 hr 40 mins and the waves did pick up to 2-3’ as we left the protection of the point, but still a very comfortable ride.

We tied off in slip 32 of the Jacobson Marina right around 12:15pm.   As the guys finished the lines, I got a start on lunch and had taco salad ready before 1pm. 

Over lunch Scott and I made a plan for the remainder of our week, mapping out our itinerary as best as we could.  Then I started making phone calls to line up the marinas…. And would you believe it - we now have a reservation for every night of our trip!  YAY!  Here’s the new plan:

Tuesday - Frankfort; Wednesday - Leland; Thursday - Frankfort; Friday - Manistee; Saturday - Pentwater

We are both pretty excited about the new plan… we wont make it as far north as we had originally hoped but we will get to try two new destinations and feel like its a good use of the time.

Hey, here’s a crazy coincidence.  A few weekends ago, a man dressed as a pirate came to see us… explaining he owned the same boat as us and he wanted to connect.  So we aren’t here in Frankfort for even 15 minutes, and up walks the same guy (no pirate outfit today).  He and a number of boats from our marina are here on a rendezvous.  The guy in the slip next to us here in Frankfort is just down the row from us in Grand Haven.  What a small world!

After lunch, we headed out on a walk through town and out to the beach… ending with ANOTHER visit to Kilwins.  Its a running joke when we are boating that Tyler will immediately look up the Kilwins location as soon as we arrive.  He LOVES their chocolate shakes… so lucky for him, many Michigan boating destinations feature a location.  

 

Then we headed back to the boat to relax, cool down and enjoy some free time.  Scott worked on cleaning the boat, I updated the blog, Tyler played some video games and Sammy wrote more of her book.  Seriously a pretty perfect way to finish the afternoon.

 

I’ve been looking for options for groceries and am coming up short.  So, I found a delivery option from Family Fare and placed the order for delivery at 5:45p, forgetting it was a holiday.  So, the delivery was postponed repeatedly until someone finally picked it up the order.  The groceries didn’t arrive until around 8:30pm.

Since I was waiting for the groceries we decided to do takeout from Dinghy’s Restaurant and Bar.  The boys ran to the pick up (and found a cool gallery on the way).  The food was delicious… Ribs, Chicken, Pulled Pork and Mac N Cheese - yum!

We finished the evening resting on the back of the boat and then playing a round of Ticket to Ride (congrats to Scott on the win).  Then we headed up to the bow of the boat and snuggled in for our second round of fireworks.  Since we did the display in Grand Haven on Saturday night.

It was a great fireworks show.  The city shoots off the pier so it was a bit farther than what we are used to… but still a great way to end the day!

The Plan - Boat Trip 2023

 OK.  So the fact that it is now day 4 of our trip and I am just posting about our plan should tell you something.  Ugh.  Here's the quick recap:

Friday, June 30 (Day 1) - arrived out at the boat in late morning and headed right out to get under way.  Weather and winds look fairly good.  When we approached the State Park, we could not see the end of the pier.  A Coast Guard warning came over the radio for a dense fog advisory requesting boaters use caution.  So given the forecast for possible showers, plus this crazy thick fog, plus the distance we needed to travel (at higher speeds) we decided to call it and head in for the day.  Oh the way in, we did get to see the railroad bridge swing closed to let a train through - that was a first for us!  Back in our slip, we decided to drive back home and relax / rest one more night in our own beds before the trip.

Saturday, July 1 (Day 2) - Drove out to the lake again late morning.  We grabbed lunch early so we were ready to go for the afternoon.  Hoping to leave our slip right away.  We made it almost to the lake before seeing the dense fog again.  Turned around again (feeling defeated).  Took a trip through Spring Lake and then headed back to our slip tp make supper.  Grilled on the back of the boat and then decided to find a place to watch the fireworks (Grand Haven is lighting them tonight instead of the holiday).  Anchored in the channel across from the municipal marina.  Ran into two boats that we knew (Priesner, Fisher) and enjoyed a beautiful fireworks display.  Grateful we could see them after missing last year with Covid quarantines.  Stayed in our spot a bit longer to avoid the crazy traffic then took our time getting back to the slip.  Slept aboard overnight but planned to go home the next morning due to bad weather Sunday.

Sunday, July 2 (Day 3) - the family slept in today.  At 10a I finally called down to wake them and at 11a I went to check on Scott.  He was in rough shape with a migraine.  I gave the kids 10 mins to pack up and then we headed home.  Scott spent the day in bed while the kids and I took the afternoon to work on projects and relax.

So here we are - a late start and a whole new plan.  With boating, you need to make reservations like a campground; however, delays and cancellations are frequent.  By missing one day, it cancels the entire week of plans.  Given that we are looking for spaces in highly coveted areas on a holiday weekend, its extra tough.  

So I spent some time yesterday calling marinas and making new tentative plans to get us through the holiday... hoping after that it will be easier to find a spot.  Monday in Ludington, Tuesday in Frankfort.

At this point, we are significantly pressed for time so the chances of us making it to Mackinac are pretty unlikely... but we will get north and explore some places that the kids definitely wouldn't remember from our last trip up here.

Tomorrow is a new day!  And hopefully Day 4 will be the start of our adventure!

Hollywood Studios, Our Final Park - Day 5

This morning we needed to get an early start so we could be at the gate drop of Hollywood Studios.
We were up and headed out by 8:00 am.  Dad woke up with some congestion so he stayed back at the resort while Mom came with us.

We got right in the park and headed to Toy Mania to put our name in.  While we were in the section of the park that focuses on Toy Story, we met some toy soldiers and then Buzz & Woody.

Then it was off to the Frozen Sing-A-Long.  We sat in the very front row!  It was a super-cute show and Sammy absolutely loved it.  We all sang along and enjoyed the show.

By now Dad was headed to the park so we made our way to the front of the park to meet him, stopping to see the parade of Storm Troopers.  Mom met up with Dad while we grabbed a coffee from Starbucks.

Then we met Sarah and Jeff by the the next Fast Pass... Star Wars - the __ continues.  It was a 3D simulator that brought us into space to fight the Empire.  It was lots of fun!  After this we all went back to the Toy Mania ride and enjoyed it as a party of 10.  The kids paired up to ride together... boys and girls.

Next we headed over to the other side of the park to put our name in for the Rock 'N Roll Coaster.  We had about an hour to wait so we ran to get some snacks, use the restrooms and take our photos.

We met Jeff back at the ride around 12:30 and boarded right away.  Tyler and Jeff were riding in the front seat, Sammy and I directly behind them and Scott alone in the third row.  It was a great ride!  Super fast, dark and upside down.  We all loved it!

Our family headed over to see Beauty and the Beast next.  Its a great show and Sammy absolutely adores the songs and costumes!

After the show we headed to the ABC Commissary for lunch.  We filled up and then headed right over to get in line for the Indiana Jones Stunt Show.  Again we had front row seats... great view and fun show!  Jeff even had the chance to be a stand-in for the adventure.  It was lots of fun to watch someone we know on stage!

As soon as the show let out, we decided to head back to the resort for some rest time.  Tyler watched his movie from yesterday while Sammy found something on TV instead.

We left again around 6:00 pm for Mickey's Very Merry Christmas Party.  We took a cab to cut down on the amount of crowds, etc because we knew tonight might be a challenge.  But the cab driver dropped us off at the Transportation Station instead saying we just needed to grab the monorail.  So we agreed and headed in only to find the monorail was closed.  We were directed to a ferry next but with over 600 people ahead of us in line and a crowded staging area, we decided to look for another way.  So, in the end, we ended up on a bus anyway.  Ugh.

When we finally arrived and made it through the gates, I was pretty overwhelmed by the number of people in the park.  So much so, I wanted to turn back and head home.  We ran into the rest of the family near the big Christmas tree and took a group photo.

Then Mom and Dad and the DeYoungs headed out to find a spot and we took a minute to make a plan.  I ended up going back to Guest Services to ask for help.  The lady must have realized how helpless I felt, because she did an amazing job answering my questions and giving great advice.  Exactly the info I'd been looking for (and calling about) all day.

So we made our way down a side path that by-passed Main Street.  On our way, we stopped to take some family photos and grabbed our complementary cookies.  The path eventually popped out between Main Street and Tomorrowland where we found another Guest Service employee and were excerpted to a great spot to watch the shows, parade and fireworks.

We enjoyed the show with Mickey on stage.  Then the characters from Frozen and finally it was time for the parade.  We were front and center and Sammy was so eager to wave at each and every character she recognized.

After the parade was done, Mom and Dad found us.  Dad and I headed out to get some food for the group.  In the meantime, the DeYoungs stopped by.  Jeff and Maddie decided to head home so Sarah and Kyle stayed with us for the fireworks.

It was an amazing show!  Thrilling... like I've never seen before.

We headed out down Main Street with the crowds of people.  I couldn't help think it ironic that they were pumping fake snow out onto the guests as we are here avoiding the real thing at home.

We took the monorail back to the Transportation Station and then took 2 cabs home of the night.  The ride home was pretty quiet... I know everyone is pretty tired today and we are all sure to sleep well!

Ober Gatlinburg and Over it! - Day 6

After breakfast and showers, we headed out to spend another day in the Smoky Mountain National Park.  But if yesterday taught us anything, it was the importance of staying flextible.  So after being stuck in traffic for 1:15 hrs and only travelling 8.7 miles, we decided to stop there and spend the day in Gatlinburg instead. 

We found a place to park and walked to the an air tram ride to the top of the mountain.  After the 10 min ride, travelling appx 17 mph, we arrived near the top of the mountain at Ober Gatlinburg. 

 

First the kids wanted to take a ride on the swings.

Then we took a turn on the alpine sleds.

 

 

Next we headed in for lunch and then took a quick walk through their animal preserve. 

 

We headed back down the mountain and back to our motorcoach for a quick rest time before heading out for our helicopter ride.  This was a highlight for me!  It was an 60-mile tour covering Sevierville, Pigeon Forge, Gatlinburg, the Smoky Mountiain National Park and then the return trip.  There isn’t nearly enough room for all the pictures… but let’s just summarize by saying it was beautiful!  I’m so glad we did it.  Tyler sat shotgun beside the pilot and loved every minute of it!

After our ride, we headed home and fired up the grill for some Ribeyes right from Sobies.  We watched the recording of the dinner show we went to the other night, highlighting Sammy and Tyler’s cameo.  After enjoying a bowl of ice cream, our neighbor Mr Doolittle invited us over to watch the fireworks from Dollywood (from afar).  We did and then it was a bedtime story and tuck in.   

Today was another great day!

My favorite quotes from today: 

• "I miss my cats..."(We all pause thinking how sweet that was) "But I want to stay here forever"
• (At the top of the alpine slide)  Me:  Sammy you remember how to drive these right.  Sammy:  yup.  See, there's a sign (pointing to the directions between her legs in the cart)
• Scott:  Sammy, keep the gun inside the window while we drive (pause). Wow, I thought she'd be older before I had to say that!
• Sammy:  this is my best day ever (as the helicopter takes off)
• (We couldn't figure out why Tyler didn't stop talking the entire time we were in the helicopter.)  When I asked him why afterwards... Tyler: "well, I didn't want it to be awkward... you know, the silence?!?".  We explained that it's totally ok, if not preferred, to have long stretches of silence while using pilot headphones.  To which he replied, "oh, sorry". Ahaha