Things have been busy at home and work. A few weeks ago when things were less busy we went on a vacation to the UP. We split our time between a canoe trip and visiting family.
Phase 1: Big Island Lake Wilderness Area
I had come upon this area while looking for places not too far to go on a canoe trip. We were looking for somewhere that we didn't need to reserve sites months in advance and we could canoe at/to. We were looking at a 3 day 2 night trip. Portages are a good and bad thing; they keep people out but too many makes hauling the kids a pain. Since Eli has never pooped in the woods I was hesitant to take a 2 3/4 year old someplace without thunderboxes, so places without designated sites were out. BILW fit the bill perfectly. It lies between Manistique and Munising and is designated a wilderness area inside of the Hiawatha National Forest. A plus: it was free. No permits or parking passes, just fill out a card with your name, car info, and emergency contact and put it in the dropbox. We drove up Tuesday night after work to steal a day in and stayed in St. Ignace. That put us just a few hours from BILW. After almost 10 miles of National Forest dirt roads we came to the parking area that was much easier to find then expected. There were only a few cars there which was a good sign. Some of those were day use people (locals?) who drag a kayak down or stash a cheap canoe at the end of the first portage. After a snack we carried the packs, canoe, and Amelia up and headed to the lake. It was only about 1200 feet and we were on the water. We talked to someone who had been there once before and got a tip for a good campsite on Townline lake where the kids could swim. We headed that way, three lakes and two more portages away. We got to swim (it was in the upper 80's, hot for the UP) and explore, pick blueberries and have a few (Eli-sized) adventures. It is a great place for shorter trips.
Phase 2: Marquette, MI
BILW was only about 1.5 hours from Marquette. We got there and met two of Bridgit's brothers for a late lunch and some grocery shopping. We went to the hotel to shower and change and headed back Dan & Betsy's. That night we went up the coast and for a fire, smores, stargazing,wine, and swimming on the beach (yes, Eli is still talking about that campfire). The next morning we had breakfast and then went to the farmers market. There we were surprised with Bridgit's cousin Sara. She came down from Houghton to join us for the day. We had a picnic lunch at the park and then went to Black Rocks(That isn't us, just some random youtube video) for some cliff jumping. The 67 degree water made the 90 degree heat feel way better. Then we went to another beach, and then back to Dan and Betsy's for some ice cream before taking Eric to the Airport and going out for Thai food. Dan and Betsy followed us to the hotel and the kids fell asleep on the way (as planned). We put them down in the room and us adults went to the hot tub and then hung out for a bit. It was a great day. The next day we had breakfast and then headed back south. We stopped and checked out the Fr. Marquette memorial in St. Ignace, the past couple times it has been closed. Eli loves to see "Rich's (Betsy's Father) windmills " and the bridge. Then we headed the rest of the way home. All in all it was a great vacation. It turns out 5 days is the perfect amount of time for an almost 3 year old to be away from home.
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