Day 5 - Mackinaw City

We started our day around 9:00 am.  Jen didn’t sleep well last night so she started ham and cheese crescents before the family had woke up.  After breakfast, we strapped on our sneakers and walked over to Colonial Michilimackinac.  It was about a mile to the fort so we enjoyed the walk.  Coco came with us so she was glad to stretch her legs too!

The fort was originally established as a Catholic mission by the French in the 1600s and held until 1760 when the English took over just a few 20 years before losing the American Revolution. We learned about life at the fort and all kinds of shenanigans with the local Indians.  It was fun to imagine the area without the bridge in view.

On our walk back, we decided to order some BC Pizza and got it to eat on board.  Coco was exhausted after the walk and slept most of the rest of the day.  

We relaxed on the boat for most of the afternoon.  Around 4:00 pm the winds picked up and a nice storm blew through. 

We waited until the rain quit around 5:30 pm and then headed to dinner at The Hook.  It’s an elevated restaurant next door to our marina which provided a great view of our boat.  We played a game of Ticket to Ride while waiting for our food to arrive and really enjoyed the meal. 

After dinner, we headed to a local theater to watch Inside Out 2.  We have been waiting for the movie to open and today is the day!  It was a great show and we all really enjoyed it. 

After the movie, we stopped at the post office to put out the mail and then headed back to the boat.  Tyler and Jen watched a show together… although Jen fell asleep pretty much immediately so she’ll have to go back to watch again.  By 10:30 pm we were all in bed. Tomorrow we head to the island.  Excited for our next destination!

Weather: Sunny, a thunderstorm late afternoon 
Temps: Hi 72* Lo 59*
Winds: varied but pretty strong 
Waves: whitecaps on the straights
Travel Distance: 0 mi

The Unexpected - Day 5

Well today certainly didn’t go as planned…

We woke up to some heavy rain with storms overnight.  Scott wasn’t feeling good so he slept in trying to ward off a migraine.  The kids played quietly while I did my devotions.  We had breakfast and  based on the rainy weather forecast, decided that we would see a movie at 2:00 pm.  We were scheduled to go zip-lining at 6:00 so it would all time out perfectly. 

I used the few hours we had to get caught up on some emails and computer work.  Scott nursed his headache and the kids did their homework and played.

We decided to eat snacks at the movie and then a hearty meal at 4:00 pm on our way to the zip line place.  However, when we arrived at the theater, the movie was completely sold out.  So, disappointed and really hungry we walked across the parking lot to Five Guys and ate lunch at 2:00 pm.

After that we headed back to the RV.  Scott took a nap while I watched the weather… we had severe storms coming in and 2 confirmed tornadoes.  We called the zip line company prior to our leaving and they decided to cancel our trip.  So, we hung out for a little while longer before deciding to try a new restaurant for dinner.

We landed at a local Pizzeria that the neighbor Mr Doolittle recommends and it was AMAZING!  Everyone raved about our meal… and it was just a pepperoni pizza!!!  They even brought out dough for the kids to play with while we waited and then baked and covered them with cinnamon sugar for dessert.  It was fun!

  

We purchased tickets online for another showing of Minions so we wouldn’t run into the same issues we had earlier.  So we rushed over to the theater right after dinner, only to wait in line 15 minutes.  When we finally headed into the theater we were so incredibly frustrated to find not even a single seat available.  The manager apologized and gave us vouchers to return later in the week. 

Sammy and Tyler handed it like a rock star!  We decided to play mini golf instead.  So we wandered around the mall to the entry to get prepped to play.  EXCEPT that there was an incredibly long backup at the first four holes so we decided not to stay.

Ugh!  We grabbed the Jeep and drove across the street to another course and actually got to play!  Finally, something went right!

 

After golfing, we headed home for bed.  Its been a disappointing day but we made the best of it.  And very likely, the slow schedule and down time is just what we needed!

Made it to the mountains! - Day 2

We got on the road a bit before 9:00 am. It was still raining so we were glad we left the dinghy attached.  Motorhoming - like camping but without the set up and tear down!

Boy, we appreciated the highway driving now that we have the GPS working correctly!

The kids and I did our homeschool Bible curriculum since we missed church.  Then did some activities to learn more about the states we are driving through.  

We made a fuel stop and then later stopped at a rest stop to eat lunch.  After we ate, we hit the vending machines for dessert.  Sammy purchased a fudgesicle for $1 (even tho I had them in the freezer). But the crazy machine dispensed 6 instead!!  Sweet Tyler felt terrible about this so we looked for an employee to give extra money to... And found no one.  So, we took the address and the state of Kentucky should be expecting repayment soon :)

Around 3:00 pm, we pulled in to The Dell at Sevierville, TN very near Pigeon Forge.  Our lot is beautiful!  Great view of the Smokies in the distance.  

After we got settled, we headed into town for dinner at Red Lobster, picked up some groceries and then drove around to get acquainted with things.  There is so much to do here!  Excited to get started!

We headed back for a quiet movie night but noticed some ominous clouds building to the north east.  We battened down the hatches, went inside as it started to rain.

I'll save you all the details but let's just say there was cloud rotation, tornado warnings, evacuated to a nearby building, three families of strangers in one small room, a dog, Buzz Lightyear with a bloody nose and a sweet Snow White  who had had enough.  :)

The first round of storms have past and we are back in our coach...  Phew!  What an evening!  We are ready for tomorrow and all the fun that's in store!

Today's stats: 304.1 miles - avg 7.6 mpg

Checked In at Charlevoix

It was almost 5:30 pm when we docked and got settled, so Scott and Tyler headed over to check-in.

The North West Marina is fantastic... Very large with a big variety of boats.  They have a heated pool... (Yes Sammy, we will go swimming tomorrow!)  We are considering another nights stay to take advantage of such great accommodations.

Town is about a mile away so we unloaded bikes and headed in to find something familiar... McDonalds.  The kids were so excited!

We bought some groceries and headed home.   It was a big day today so we decided a movie night was in order and tucked the kids in.  On the way back from the showers, Scott took this photo of some of our incoming weather.

It came in fast.  This is our first time on board during a storm and I've been impressed.  Other than the faint hum of rain, it is quiet in the cabin...the kids don't even know what's happening outside.

The storm stretches clear to the Upper Penninsula... I think we made the right decision today.