Mackinac Island

Only in Michigan is Mackinaw and Mackinac pronounced the same way.  Either way we went to Mackinac (pronounced Mackinaw) Island today. The island doesn't have any cars and people can only commute on horse buggy, or bike.  It was out of our way but we thought Anne would like all the horses. Sure enough it was her favorite part!  We took the ferry over in the morning after we dropped our laundry off at a laundromat. We took a horse drawn carriage ride to the new butterfly conservatory, ate lunch at the Grand Hotel (my favorite part), explored, took the buggy through the state park and back to the main street.  We had just missed the ferry back, so we went to the playground outside the fort.  At the camp site, we watched the sunset and the lights come on the bridge.  

Canada and Michigan

I've never been to Canada and was excited to stop, so we stopped at Tim Horton's in Ontario, Canada. I was surprised by the non-American portions.  When we got back to the car, Andy noticed the back bumper on the trailer was about to come off. So Andy's awesome generator set up had to be moved....in the HEAVY rain.  Poor Andy (I stayed in the car with Anne while he got soaked).  We got into the northern part of Michigan with good timing, so we stopped for dinner on the water in Mackinaw City at Dixie Saloon. We got caramel popcorn for dessert. Our campsite is on the Upper Peninsula and has an awesome view of the Mackinaw Bridge from the water!

Niagara Falls

We try to camp at State or National Parks when we can.  The check in process is more flexible and they have more of a "camper" feel to us.  Andy found a site at Niagara-on-the-Lake at the New York State Park- Four Mile Creek.  We arrived at our site on the shore of Lake Ontario at dusk and looked to see Toronto but couldn't; as it got darker we could see the lights though! Plus, if you camp on any state park, you get free entrance/parking at any of their other parks.  Pretty neat, and not nearly advertised as much as it should be. 

We have a list of attractions that we would like to see, but they are prioritized.  We were satisfied after The Cave of the Winds and Maid of the Mist. At the Cave of the Winds you can walk right into the fall, and Andy and I had a lot of fun.  Anne was a little scared without her ear muffs.  We went back to the car before the Maid of the Mist just to get her ear muffs.  An added bonus of doing the caves first was that they give you sandals (that you have to wear for insurance purposes), so we wore those on the Maid of the Mist to keep our other shoes dry.  As we were leaving we ate at Twist of the Mist, it was recommended but was just okay.

We ate at the two restaurants we picked beforehand.  The Top of the Falls has an awesome view, right on the water, in the park.  We were the first people there so they let us sit anywhere, so we ate outside.  I would recommend eating inside, the view is actually nicer and Anne freaked out about the bees (not sure if it is just our timing or if they always have bees, but they seemed use to them).  For dinner we ate downtown at the Silo which was featured on Man vs Food.  Andy got the haystack (item featured on the show) and it was surprisingly good.  Overall, it was a fantastic day.

Adirondacks

We arrived at River Side Pines campground in Pottsville, NY at almost 10pm.  Andy called three other places and this was the first place that would take us this late.  We drove around three times to find our site and eventually found it.  It was definately different from state parks. There were a bunch of permeant trailers (with nice woden decks) on sites too.

After we quickly reorganized the car (put Anne's toys back where they are reachable) and put the camper up I went to the bathroom. Bathrooms are clean and have showers, check!
On my way back to the car I hear "don't walk this way" loudly. It was dark and I thought I was walking on someone else's site and they were indecent or something. After I changed direction and found the pavement, I started walking again. I heard "don't walk this way, he's here".  This time I asked, "where can I walk?"  I just stopped and the mysterious man with no light said "the bear is at the dumpster.  I'm trying to get a picture". Great, we arrived at night, I never saw the map and have no idea where the dumpster is. Hum, what do I do?  I walk backwards to the bathroom and wait maybe 10 minutes. I'm hoping the mysterious guy will say "coast is clear" but nothing. Eventually I text Andy and ask him what to do. He tried telling me an alternative route to our site but I didn't understand since I didn't ever see the map and was scared of the bear. So, I convinced Andy to drive my car with the spare key to pick me up. I had to sit on all Anne's toys but I made it back. I'm sure the mysterious man thought I was some crazy city girl.

In the morning I saw that when I made it to the pavement the night before, I was only 5 feet from the dumpster! There was a HUGE mess left behind by the bear within a foot from where I was standing.   I'm glad I didn't try to wait him out. He must have been there a while. Over breakfast at the campground, I met the mysterious man and thanked him. I overheard him say the bear was really big. I thought I heard him say the size of the door, but that seems too big. 

We explored the natural stone bridge and caves in Pottersville, NY. It was almost a little too touristy, but it was the perfect level for Anne's hiking ability and we were almost rushed to see everything in the .75 mile trail in 2 hours.  Anne was scared of the noisy cave, so we will make sure to bring head phones to Niagara Falls, just in case.

We took the scenic route through the Adirondacks and it was beautiful. I can see why people say you haven't seen them unless you've seen them by rail.

Ready, Set, Go?

Andy's parents left at 9:30am to get to the raceway for Grandpy's 1pm time slot. We never seem to get out the door on time when we leave as a group, plus we were leaving from New Hampshire so we would be triple checking everything, so we knew we were leaving later.  We finally get the cars packed and in them at 10:15ish. All ready to go, and Andy decides to check his lights.  Sure enough, break lights aren't working. After troubleshooting, and fixing the problem, we get on the road again. Maybe 10minutes on the road and Andy says he wants to check his tires and wheel bearings (since they were recently packed).  Okay, back on the road.  30 minutes on the road and Andy radios that he needs to get off to check again, this time he ends up having to tighten the spindle nut on the trailer's right wheel.  So, at 12:30, 30 minutes until his scheduled time slot we get on the road for the 2 hr drive.  Somehow, between Grandpy's stalling and luck we made it just in time!  He was originally going in the first car but the buckle wouldn't work, so they mived him to #21.  We were all impressed with his driving too--135mph!  He passed two cars in front of us and a couple cars on the turns!  They popped the hood of his car (only his) when he got back...they must have been concerned that the speed regulator needed adjusting because he had it maxed out for long! 

Grandpy driving one handed!

After our already long day, we decided to change plans and drive to Niagara Falls and find some place along the way instead of going back north to explore Montreal.  Maybe we can do that some other time with Andy's family.

Getting Ready

We all went out on the boat again, but this time Andy water skied while Anne was with us.  She did NOT like it.  She is afraid of loud noises, so I thought covering her ears would calm her down but it didn't. Poor Anne.  She later said she was upset because "Daddy fell".  Regardless, we made sure to go out and pick up some serious earmuffs for her.  She uses ear muffs at home when I vacuum, and they are quite the confidence booster.

We all got Andy's Dad a 12 car lap experience at New Hampshire Speedway for Christmas. His scheduled times have all been cancelled due to rain, we are hoping the third time is a charm so we can see him. There is a hurricane forecasted to come through, so we think it will probably get cancelled.  After his Tom Petty Driving Experience we plan on going to Montreal, Canada.   This will hopefully break up the drive to Niagara Falls. Originally we were going to go the day after the race cars, but we are ready to start!

I scoped out places to visit based on Disney's Go Families (http://family.go.com/travel/places-to-eat/minnesota/minneapolis/poi-346835-mall-america/) and the book 1,000 Places to see Before You Die by Patricia Schultz. 

Montreal, Canada:

Old Town
http://www.tripadvisor.com/Attraction_Review-g155032-d155253-Reviews-Old_Montreal_Vieux_Montreal-Montreal_Quebec.html
St-Antoine St south to the St Lawrence River | Bleury St east to St-Denis St, Montreal, Quebec H2Y 3B2, Canada

Underground city
http://www.tripadvisor.com/Attraction_Review-g155032-d155252-Reviews-Underground_City-Montreal_Quebec.html

Norte-Dame Basilique
http://www.basiliquenddm.org/en/visits/discover.aspx
Notre-Dame Basilica of Montreal
110 Notre-Dame Street West
Montréal (Québec)
H2Y 1T2
Telephone : 514-842-2925
Fax : 514-842-3370
Email : info@basiliquenddm.org

Fountaine Riopelle
http://qimtl.qc.ca/en/projects/quartier-international-montreal/intervention/place-jean-paul-riopelle
Schedule of the fountain’s “performance”:
(Mid-May to Mid-October):
6:30 p.m. to 7:05 p.m.
7:30 p.m. to 8:05 p.m.
8:30 p.m. to 9:05 p.m.
9:30 p.m. to 10:05 p.m.
10:30 p.m. to 11:05 p.m.
Place Jean-Paul-Riopelle
Montreal, Canada H3H1A
514-843-8240

Parc du Mont Royal
http://www.tripadvisor.com/Attraction_Review-g155032-d155373-Reviews-Mont_Mount_Royal-Montreal_Quebec.html
1260, Chemin Remembrance,
Montreal, Quebec H3H 1A2, Canada
514 843 8240

Bio dome.
 http://www2.ville.montreal.qc.ca/biodome/site/site.php?langue=en.
 4777 avenue Pierre-De Coubertin
Montréal, Québec
H1V 1B3
Telephone: (514) 868-3000



Andy and I also made onesies for particular sites from left over supplies I had from a baby sprinkle I threw for a good friend.

Loving the Lake