We spent 5 7 nights in Northern Michigan and the first 5 nights were the perfect family vacation.
We stayed at the Great Wolf Lodge in Traverse City which was a huge hit with all three kids. The one room Kid Cabin Suit accommodated our awkward family of 5 very nicely. There was plenty to entertain us all right at the resort.
After a full day of waterpark fun, we hit the road west for a daytrip along the Lake Michigan shoreline.
First stop was Empire Beach.
Next was the Pierce Stocking Scenic Drive with lookouts over Glen Lake and Sleeping Bear Dunes.
From there we visited the restored port village of Glen Haven and then enjoyed lunch at Western Avenue Grill in Glen Arbor.
On the way home the navigator, who will remain nameless, missed a turn and to avoid adding miles to our return trip we bravely opted for the road less traveled and it turned out beautiful!
The next day, we drove north up the Old Mission Peninsula. We toured the Hessler Log Cabin and the Mission Point Lighthouse.
Then, with the advice from a kind local man, we pulled off to the side of the road and took a trail through the trees to hunt Petoskey stones. After several minutes of searching, we were fortunate enough to find a few.
Prior to leaving Nebraska, Mason and I read the book "The Legend of the Petoskey Stone." After hearing the story, Mason's only vacation goal was to find a Petoskey stone of his very own.
Petoskey stones are a fossilized coral made over 350 million years ago. The glaciers plucked this petrified coral from the bedrock and scattered it primarily throughout northern Michigan. The stones are named after Ignatius Petoskey, the son of a French fur trader and an Odawa Princess. Petosegay is a Native American word meaning "rays of the rising sun".
For lunch we stopped at the Old Mission General Store, one of Michigan's oldest general stores dating back to the mid 1800s. The unique shop was Jentry's favorite experience. The kids enjoyed playing checkers while we waited for our food. We all agreed that the burgers were some of the best we ever tasted.
The next morning we packed up, said our goodbyes to the Lodge and headed to the airport for our 2:15 PM flight out.
12 hour story short, our flight was delayed, delayed, delayed and finally canceled at 11:45PM. As we we were literally the last in the airport I cried and begged the United assistant to help us find a hotel and a way to get there.
She was kind enough to call Best Western and the shuttle driver was sympathetic enough to come pick us up after hours so that we could all get some much needed sleep.
The earliest flight out wasn't for another TWO days, so we made the best of it at the Best Western. They did have a pool, washer/dryer and restaurant in walking distance. Life could have been much worse.
The best return flight option was with a different airline that landed us in Omaha instead of Lincoln, however I was more than willing to pay the extra $200 just to get us to our car so we could drive HOME!
Northern Michigan, or NOMI as the locals call it, was fabulous! The flight cancellations were an absolute nightmare..... BUT now that we are safely back home it will be a vacation we will not soon forget.
