Getaway 2020: Preface and Day 1

 Last year, we bought a pop-up camper, hitched it to the back of our big van, and spent a couple weeks being tourists in Indiana, Illinois, Missouri, Oklahoma, Texas, New Mexico, Arizona, Utah, Colorado, Wyoming, South Dakota, Minnesota, and Wisconsin before returning to our home state of Michigan. Despite the cramped sleeping situation, our family had had the time of our lives.

As you know, upon returning from that trip, we promptly sold that too-small-for-us camper and vowed that if we bought another one, everyone would have their OWN bed.  While Jason casually searched for a good deal on a larger camper, I started throwing around ideas for this summer's trip. We decided we'd head east this time and planned a trip with highlights including Niagara Falls, upstate New York and the ocean coast of Maine.

And then, in March, everything came to a screeching halt.  We found ourselves in the midst of a pandemic, where going to a restaurant was out of the question, let alone multi-state travel.  Who knew that a solid stash of toilet paper and flour would determine our comfort level in this day and age?!  So, we put our travel plans on hold.  Maybe later in the summer things would ease up.  Maybe it wouldn't get as bad as some predicted. 

We held onto a sliver of hope that we'd get to dip our toes in that northern Atlantic water along the coast of Maine this summer.  Jason even stumbled upon a camper for sale that had, you guessed it, space for seven to sleep.  

And then we waited.  April was gone, May came and went. In mid-June, we found out that state parks were opening.  Things with this pandemic still weren't right, though, and our travel plans slowly slipped away.  By July, things still weren't changing much but we decided that we could probably plan a camping trip closer to home, and still safely get a family vacation in.  Our kids had never been to the Upper Peninsula, and it had been quite awhile since Jason and I had been there without three feet of snow on the ground, so we joined so many other Michiganders and planned a trip north.  

Our first night of camping was on Saturday night, but we decided to spend a couple days at the cabin in Gaylord before our official trip began. It had been a hot summer and time at the lake was always a good escape.  The kids spent their time on the SeaDoo, tubing behind the boat, and just enjoying the sunshine and carefree days. 

Soon enough, Saturday morning arrived.  I had the camper packed to the hilt with snacks and drinks and every single camping-worthy piece of gear I could find.  The bathroom was stocked with all the conveniences of home, and I had even managed to fit tiny coffee maker into one of the cabinets.  We were set.  One final pic and we were on our way!

In just under an hour, the Mackinaw Bridge was in sight.  And just a few minutes after that, the van was parked and we had our feet in the water of Lake Huron. The shoreline was filled with rocks, but the water was surprisingly warm and calm. That bridge sure looks huge when you're standing right under it!

After crossing the big bridge, we decided to stay to the south side of the Upper Peninsula and travel along the northern coast of Lake Michigan.  Of course, it wasn't long until that sparkly blue water was beckoning us again.  Jason found a (semi) safe place to pull our rig out of traffic and the kids scrambled into the camper to dig out bathing suits and towels.  A little sandy trail led us to the gorgeous shoreline.

Lake Michigan was shallow here, with a sandy bottom, and Jason and the kids walked out to waist-deep water before finding a little sandbar where the water was only a few inches deep.  The clear blue skies and calm water here made for a great little pit stop.

Before long, everyone was back in the camper, tossing their wet and sandy towels and suits and putting dry clothes back on.  We still had a few hours of driving before we'd be to our destination.

We headed through Naubinway, Manistique and Gladstone and started searching for a lunch stop. Many of the little restaurants were closed, with signs on their doors indicating recent positive COVID cases.  So, we picked up Subway for the kids and then spotted a Domino's Pizza place.  Jason quickly ordered a thin crust pepperoni pizza, and man, was that thing amazing.  When we were dating, we'd scarf one of those down like our lives depended on it, and this day was no different.  Sorry, kids-we aren't sharing!

Then we turned north and set our sights on our first campground.  On the way there, Nash decided chocolate donuts would be a good idea.  They really weren't...

We arrived at Horseshoe Lake Campground in Gwinn around 2pm and made our way to our site. 

The road to Horseshoe Lake Campground was rough and winding, and when we pulled up to check in, there was a CLOSED sign on the door. There was, however, a phone number to call and soon enough we were beckoned around the corner to a trailer where the owner lived. He told us he thought he had an open spot for us, which was weird since we had a reservation, and sure enough, there was a spot available within a stone’s throw to both the bathrooms and the lake. 

After a few minutes of settling in, we once again piled into the van and headed north.  The day was sunny and bright and we wanted to take advantage of the gorgeous day. We headed through Marquette and out to Presque Isle. We heard there might possibly be some cliff jumping available and our family was interested.  Apparently, many other families also thought Saturday afternoon was a good time for adventure, and when we finally arrived at Black Rocks, the parking lots were filled. Jason squeezed our giant van in along the edge of the parking area and we grabbed some towels and headed toward the lake. Tucked in between some tall rocky cliffs was a little gravel pathway leading to Lake Superior. 

On both sides of us, small crowds were atop the cliffs and people were taking turns jumping, diving and flipping into the water many feet below. Without much hesitation, Jason, Owen, Emerson and Alayna swam out to the cliff and climbed high atop it. And then, in less than a minute, all of them had stared down into the clear water and plunged into it. Crazy people! While Owen and Emerson headed back for more, Jason swam with Alayna to shore and after a little debating, Nash decided he wanted to try jumping, too. I really didn’t think he’d have the courage to go through with it as most of the people jumping were teenagers or older, but there he was up on that cliff. Jason jumped. Then Nash stepped to the edge and almost without hesitation, he hurled himself off the cliff and came up smiling! And he had so much fun that he and Jason did it again! 

Grey was having some trouble with his allergies and didn’t know if he was up for swimming, but eventually made his way through the chilly water and up to the cliff top. After much deliberation, he decided against jumping and came down to a lower level and jumped from there. I don’t blame him one bit. That cliff was high!

We had started out this morning hoping to get into three of the Great Lakes today, and we did it: Lake Huron in Mackinaw City, Lake Michigan along the southern coast of the Upper Peninsula, and Lake Superior in Presque Isle!

Upon returning to the van, we found a $25 parking ticket on our car. Really? We would’ve paid $25 to go cliff jumping so the ticket didn’t bother us one bit. 

We headed back around the peninsula and took a walk out on a pier that led to a lighthouse in the bay. The walkway was just wide enough for two way foot traffic and it was pretty neat to be out so far in the lake, where it was breezy and so picturesque. 

Next we headed back to a spot we had passed with a little beach. The kids wanted some more time to swim and explore and we had nowhere to be. Lake Superior was surprisingly warm, even for me, and everyone swam for quite a while. 

Finally we all had a grumbling in our bellies and we decided to head for dinner. We planned to head to a Mexican place on the lake, but it was way too crowded and we opted for a quieter place a few miles away. The tables were spaced far apart from each other, and parties larger than six were not allowed, so we split up into two groups to eat.

On the way back to the campsite, we picked up a few essentials at the local Walmart. 

Once back at camp, the kids took advantage of the canoe and kayaks that were available for campers and they paddled around the lake until after sunset. 

Meanwhile, Jason set up a place to hang our wet clothes and towels and built a little fire. By the time the kids were dressed, they had a chair waiting for them to sit in and warm up by the fire. Of course there were s’mores and Owen even pulled out his Kalimba and played some little tunes for us. 

The camper was quiet on the inside by 10:30, after a long day of travel and exploration. Owen sat out at the fire long after the rest of us settled into our beds, and didn’t come in until there was only the slightest glow coming from the little pit.