The Joys of Lake Living

I romantically think back to the movie "On Golden Pond" as how I want to grow old. Yes it had the now over done Disney plot ... angry teen sent to live with relatives for a summer to help "turn him around."

However, the idea of a summer by a lake or a pond seems very romantic. Growing up my most memorable summers were the ones where we camped along a lake in both Upstate New York and Mendocino, Calif.  I wanted my boys to experience the joys of lake living during the summer. We are so lucky that my Aunt and Uncle live on a clay bottom lake near Cheboygan, Mich.

My Aunt and Uncle have a pontoon boat, and the boys like riding on it across the lake, looking at fishes and trying to find loons. We also tried our hands at fishing, but honestly the boys are probably a little too young. They were more excited about swinging the fishing line then waiting patiently for a fish.

I've been taking the boys to swim lessons for awhile, but until we got to Michigan it hadn't occurred to me that the boys have never had the chance to play in water... And play they did. My Aunt had inner tubs, floaties and blow-up gators for the boys to use in the water. Xander took to the water right away, and spent a couple of hours  almost everyday in the lake. Caleb on the other hand was a bit reticent about the whole water thing. He liked riding in my lap or Jonathan's lap on the inner tube ... but even more so playing catch (him comfortably on the deck or the boat, his partner in the water).

We'll probably go back for a visit in 2012 when Xander is 7 and Caleb is 5. It will be fun to see how the lake experience changes for them, as their able to do more things. Maybe one of them will even catch a fish.

Holiday in Michigan... You're kidding?

Where were all the tourists? We came back from our six day adventure in Michigan, and we had a blast. It is beautiful country, woodsy with plenty of lakes big and small, fishing, berry picking, camping and nature walks. During the summer the temperature peaks in the 80s, and often lingers in the mid seventies.

When I told folks at work that we were going to Michigan on vacation they seemed surprised. We even got questioned about it innocently in the shuttle to the airport. "Why are you going to Michigan?" like we said that we were taking the kids to Baghdad. We staid off some questions by telling people that we were going to see family. And we were at an advantage because my Aunt and Uncle live in a cabin on a lake near Cheboygan, Mich., but I had to wonder where were all the tourists?

The flights to rural Michigan were crowded enough, but most of the passengers were local, and complained about the limited number of flights (one man mentioned he had six flights canceled in the last three months) ... But it is hard for businesses that cater to tourists to make a go. We saw a lot of hotels with empty parking lots, restaurants that changed ownership numerous times, or were vacant, lakefront property for sale and a general sense that tourists don't visit Michigan.

I did find out that a colleague of mine from the Pacific Northwest was vacationing with his family in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan at the same time. And United Airlines Hemispheres magazine even profiled the drive we took (we only took it partially, the full drive circumnavigates Lake Superior) as one of the top 10 most beautiful drives in the world.  

So here are my two cents, for what it is worth. Michigan is spectacular, and it was the perfect outdoor summer vacation for a family. The boys loved it, I can even see us vacationing here every other year. Next time we may just circumnavigate Lake Superior.

Cheboygan Michigan Bound

I can't believe we'll be traveling to Cheboygan to visit my Aunt and Uncle on Sunday. We've been so busy that I haven't started the war room or packing for the trip. Although I did buy the boys some new toys that they'll find out about either at the airport or when we arrive in Traverse City.

The plan is to take the red-eye to Chicago O'Hare and then onto Traverse City on the first morning flight. Again we have the booster seat dilemma -- the rental car company is charging an arm and a leg to rent booster seats for the boys. I suspect that it is the cheap $25 seats that they want to charge us $50 per child for a week. We're debating whether we'll just bring them ... of course that means buying booster seats and hauling them cross country.

On both the airplane trip and the road trip to Cheboygan I'm hoping the boys will sleep, so they'll be bright eyed and cheerful, and not a crazy tired preschool mess. My Aunt and Uncle will understand (hopefully), but I want the whole adventure to begin on the right foot -- not with a total melt down by one of my kids.

A friend of Jonathan also warned us about mosquitoes and chiggers, so we'll be off to shop for bug repellent suitable for our 3 year old. When Caleb gets a mosquito bite it isn't just an itchy patch it is an ugly welt that scabs over ... so we'd like to avoid that. 

The drive from Traverse City to Cheboygan is supposed to be beautiful. My Aunt and Uncle have a bunch planned for them. Fishing trips, boat rides, swimming, and a train ride ... But we are most looking forward to relaxing and spending quality time with the boys, and my Aunt and Uncle...

Now off to pack!