Saving Money: Tips for Trips

Saving money can be tedious. It can be a pain in the read. It can be confusing. Over the past 6 years or so, I have learned to channel my energy into saving, instead of random spending. It started out small- saving for a camping trip. That particular year included the added expense of camping gear.

 All of the photos were taken on various small vacations we took in the summer of 2012. Over the course of the summer, I spent $1700 on vacations. All of it came from saving.

 Here are my tips-

1. Know your trip. Plan it out, down to the smallest detail. Why? Because you need to know how much money is needed. If it's a trip that might include cost changes between planning and going, plan for them. For example- if I start planning my Summer 2014 vacation in September 2013, I know that the cost is going to be higher. I try to add in $50/day to account for increased costs. Later on, when it's getting closer, you can adjust your budget to reflect the actual prices. But to get started, you need to know your costs- everything from hotel down to gas money, souvenirs, and food.

2. Set a date. Make sure it's realistic. If you know your trip is going to cost $3,000 to go on, and you know you can save $300 a month, plan it for at least 10 months away. You may be able to save faster, but don't count on going sooner. That's when you get discouraged, and upset if it gets closer and doesn't look like it will happen. Take your time. Big trips take money, and money takes time.

3. Cut the Fat. Are you trying to take your family on a big vacation on a small budget? Trim out extras you don't need- either on the trip, or in your day to day life. The bonus of cutting out $40 in extra's a week in daily life, is that it add's up fast. Skip the morning coffee. When you get gas, pay at the pump- you won't be spending money on extra goodies. Pack a lunch of left overs. Call your cable company- see if you can trim out anything you don't need. Same with your phone- we recently realized we were over paying on our data plan by $20/month. It isn't much, but it adds up.

4. Learn to coupon. Coupons don't always fit every lifestyle, but they are helpful- whether it's saving $10 on your oil change, or getting a $20 gift card for getting a prescription at your grocery store pharmacy. That's $20 in groceries, and $20 you can stash in your trip fund. Check your weekly circulars. Sometimes you can snag free bath & body products. Every little bit saved is a little bit more into your trip fund.

5. Budget your weekly spending. Set a grocery budget, and stick to it. Try and get under it as often as possible. If you have a weekly budget of $100, and you only spend $60, put $40 in the trip fund. Budget your weekly gas- if you know it will cost $45 a week going to and from work, plan on $60 for gas- that $15 will cover the extra's- going to the school, stopping to get groceries. Every time your gas budget is under $60 for the week, stick the extra in the trip fund.

6. Pay yourself. On the last day before payday, we transfer everything in our checking over to our savings account. Sometimes, it's $100. Sometimes it $20. It depends on what all we have going on, but even $2 is $2 more than you had.

7. Work with cash. A card is easy to swipe. It's harder to keep track of each swipe, and before you know it, OOPS! With cash, you have tangible proof in your hand of what's left. Some people will split the money into envelopes for each purpose: Gas, Groceries, Bills, etc. You know immediately exactly what you have, and if you know you only have $5 in spending money left, you are far less likely to spend it on a latte with 6 days left until payday.

8. Stash the cash. On payday, take $20 and put it away. Out of site, out of mind. Don't keep track of how much you have stashed away. If you can afford to stash more than $20, then put away $40, or even $100. Every couple of months, collect the stash, and put it in the trip fund.

9. Cash Jar.  Several years ago, I planned to have a family trip to a big amusement park. Not Disney, but still out of our daily price range. I made a decision to start not just a change jar, but a cash jar. At the end of the day, I emptied my purse of all $1 bills, and all change. Sometimes, I would stash a $5 or a $10. At the end of 4 months, I had deposited over $900.

10. Earning Extra. Sometimes, you live paycheck to paycheck. We certainly have, and many others do as well. Having an extra $20 isn't always the case when you are just hoping to make it to payday this week. This is when it's time to figure out a plan for earning the extra money. Whether it's a yard sale, or baby sitting after school, or even finding a part time job on weekends. Use your resources- you can stash the extra money without hurting your daily budget at all. Personally, I design web graphics from home. Before that, I did advertising for shops on facebook. Before that, I made hair bows and necklaces. Before that, I worked lots of the survey websites for small amounts of money.





11. Remember to budget for fun. You are budgeting to save money for something fun. But that doesn't mean you should never have some fun. Whether it's going to see a movie, or spending a day at the zoo, or even just renting a movie. If you aren't having ANY fun at all, and your money is just sitting there, you are more likely to want to spend it. 

12. You Can Do It. You really can. It may take 5 months. It could take 15 months. But if you keep your eye on the prize, and just keep adding to your trip fund, then you'll find out that you can do it.

Mackinaw City: What To Do, PT 2

Not too long ago, I posted about things to do, and where to stay, up in Mackinaw City, Michigan. My family will be heading up there next month for a 5 day vacation. Because I like to plan everything out ahead of time, I know how much the trip will cost, what we're doing, what we're eating, where we're staying, and how much fun we'll hopefully have.

If you've never been to the Mackinaw area, you are certainly missing out- it's gorgeous! Mackinaw City is the very tip of the lower peninsula of Michigan, and is connected to St. Ignace in the upper peninsula of Michigan by the Mackinac Bridge- just a 5 mile drive across the gorgeous Straights of Mackinac, which connect Lake Michigan and Lake Huron together.

I'll repeat this one little blurb, because it's something a LOT of people get wrong- even those silly Michiganders (both trolls and youpers!).

For those who have ever wondered, there are 2 spellings of the word Mackinac.  The city is spelled Mackinaw City- spelled phonetically. The city was spelled this way due to the British occupation of the city. The rest of the biggies are spelled with an -AC at the end: Mackinac Bridge, Mackinac Island, Straights of Mackinac. The AC is still pronounced -AW. It's spelled -AC due to the French period of occupation. Regardless of spelling, pronounce it Mackinaw.


Now that we have that out of the way, let's move on to things to do- this time, I'll focus on St. Ignace, which is in the upper peninsula. 

St. Ignace: What to Do

First and foremost, be aware- crossing the bridge comes with a toll fee to cover the repairs made to the bridge. You'll pay this once you get to the St. Ignace side, and you will have to pay it to go back across as well. As of the time of writing this, it's $3.50 each way, so plan to have $7.00 available. Correct change is always appreciated! The photo below shows the toll booth.

Once you are in the UP, take the first St. Ignace exit (did I forget to mention that the bridge is actually a part of the highway?).

Castle Rock- Castle Rock is a tourist attraction that has been around for a long time. The main attraction is a rock that climbs high above the earth to stand tall. A long, not overly steep, set of stairs climbs through the woods, twisting and climbing higher and higher. It's a very tiring climb, so make sure you are in good health before climbing it. Once you reach the top, there is a ramp that gaps the place where the stairs stop, and the final destination. There is a telescope up there, so bring quarters. The view is gorgeous!

The cost to climb is just $.50 per person, making it a very affordable stop on your vacation. There is also a giant Paul Bunyon & Babe the blue Ox at the base of the rock. Inside the building is a large, inexpensive tourist shop as well, featuring all sorts of goodies- wooden 'nickles', post cards, Indian themed gifts, pressed pennies, and so much more. I found that the older gift shops like this one, were by far the best places to let the kids loose with souvenir money.

My thoughts: It's well worth the time and money spent to stop here. The climb is exceedingly tiring, though, so if you have heart problems, or breathing problems, you may want to wait at the bottom for your party to come back down.

• Cost: $.50 per person if you climb. If you opt out of the climb, you can wait in the gift shop for free.
• Time: I would say it probably takes about 15-20 minutes to climb to the top, but maybe only 10 to climb down. If you also plan to shop, and take photos outside, I would plan to give this location an hour of your time. 

 

 

Indian Village - Indian Village is another tourist shop that has probably been around since the 50's- it has that old time feel to it, without being that "it's really very modern and mimicking the 50's" feel. This shop is large, and does include a small museum dedicated to the local Indians. If your only reason for stopping is the museum, you could probably skip this location. However, if you want to shop and get more inexpensive items, this is a decent stop. The museum is located in the back corner on the right side of the building, and is free to enter.

Also included are a few fun "props" outside- a large Teepee, wooden cut out photo stands, etc. 

• Cost: FREE to enter & enjoy, but as always, souvenirs cost extra.
• Time: It probably only takes 10-15 minutes to go through the museum area, but if you like to browse, the store is very big, and can take some time to get through. 

Fort de Buade - This is a museum located right in St. Ignace dedicated to the history of the area, including the Native, French, British, and American eras. This museum boasts the largest collection of relics in the entire UP. The main site for this museum is currently down, and as I have not yet been here, I can not provide much information about the location. I believe I remember it was either free, or really inexpensive to enter, but have no way of confirming that info just now.

The location is fairly close to Indian Village, and would make a nice, educational stop on your path through St. Ignace.

• COST: Unsure
• TIME: Unsure, but I would plan at least an hour for a quick trip.

Museum of Ojibwa Culture - This museum is located, if memory serves, almost directly across the road from Indian Village. It's a small white building- either an old 1 room school house or Church, perhaps? This museum portrays a peek into the life of the people of the Straits of Mackinac from 300 years ago, including the Ojibwa, Huron, Odawa, and French lifestyles. I have not yet been to this location, so can not provide any personal info.

• Cost: Suggested donation of $2.00/teen/adult, $1.00/elementary age children, or just $5.00 for an entire family. 
• Time: 60-90 minutes would probably suffice. It's a small location, but with both indoor and outdoor things to check out. 

Totem Village - I'll admit, I didn't know anything about this site until I looked it up just now. I thought it was simply a souvenir shop, as there are a lot of roadside shops in St. Ignace. Totem Village boasts a few things worth mentioning, though.

While there is a shop available, this stop also provides museum artifacts honoring the local Native population, and has a wild life area, which includes bobcats, sika deer, peacocks, thunder foxes, and a porcupine. This location also has life size dioramas, a totem pole building, a replica of a Ojibwa medicine lodge, and much more. I am definitely adding this to our trip this year!

• Cost: $2/adult, $1/child, under 5 Free, and $5/family. As this location does not have it's own website, this info was found on the site linked above, and may not be accurate.
• Time: At least an hour. This sounds like there are a lot of things to explore.

Weird Michigan Wax Museum - This location is one that we skipped last time, but plan to check out this time around. The museum is located west of St. Ignace, a short drive out into the country side. Further down the list, you'll see the Mystery Spot- these two locations are right next to each other. 

This wax museum is probably not what you'd get if you want to see Madame Toussades, with her life like replicas. The wax figures here look decidedly fake, but depict the weird history of Michigan- from the Snake Princess of Belle Isle, to the Grand Rapids Wooden Leg Murderer. Once you have wound your way through this place, you can enjoy an ice cream cone, and learn how to prospect for gold and gems. 

• Cost: Adults $7, Seniors (60+) $5, Children 6-12 $5, Children 5 & under FREE. Family 6 pack of admission is available for $30. You can also purchase 2 pound bags of "Mine Rough" for the "Mining Experience" for $5.00 per bag. There is currently a coupon located on the website for $1.00 off admission, good for any admission except the Family 6 Pack. 
• Time: Probably 90 minutes, give or take. 

The Mystery Spot - Many places boast a Mystery Spot of some sort, from Michigan down to North Carolina, and across the country. St. Ignace's Mystery Spot has been around since the 50's, when many of the tourist locations popped up with the opening of the Mackinac Bridge, and all of the tourists that came with it.

While there is a secret to why the Mystery Spot works, I won't give it away. It's a fun stop, and provides a guided tour through the unique building, including demonstrations, and several chances to test the mystery out yourself. 

The Mystery Spot also includes other activities, which are not included in the original ticket. When we went a couple years ago, there was a mini golf course, and a large wooden maze across the street. Since then, they have added a 2 mile long zip line through the woods. 

• Cost: Mystery Spot alone- $5.00 ages 5-11, $7 ages 12-up.
  Combo Prices (includes maze, mini golf, and the Mystery Spot)- ages $7.50 ages 5-11, $9.50 ages 12-up.
  Zip Line- Just the zip line- $20.00 per person. Additional cost with the purchase of a Mystery Spot tour- $15.00 per person.
• Time: For the Mystery Spot, mini golf, and maze, I would say plan to spend a good 90 minutes there. The mini golf takes the longest. The tour can take some time as well, depending on when you arrive, and how crowded they are at the time. I'm unsure as to how long the zip lines would take, so contact the site to ask.

Manley's Fish Market - This is not a tourist location, per say, but if you love smoked fish, it is well worth the stop. Manley's provides fresh smoked fish, homemade beef jerkey, smoked beef sticks, pasties (a UP food staple), cheese curds, fudge, and even fish sausage. 

The shop is the best all around- and there are a lot of places that smoke fish, but if you have a choice, choose Manley's. For about $20, you can get a decent amount of smoked White Fish. The fish is caught, smoked, and sold all right there- no frozen fish, no ordering it in. They provide a small picnic area, and you can purchase crackers and soda to make for a nice little picnic lunch. 

Deer Ranch - Deer are found everywhere in Michigan, though it's often hard to view them up close. Deer Ranch is a stop where you can see them up close, and learn more about deer. This ranch even has albino deer- snowy white deer!

I have not been here, so I don't know much about it. I did drop an email to them asking about time expectations and costs, but have not yet heard back. Once I have that info, I will go ahead and update this.

All in all, there are a lot of little things you can do in St. Ignace, and many of them are inexpensive, educational, and fun! I would recommend setting aside an entire day for exploring St. Ignace. Pack a picnic lunch, and eat lunch lake side in one of the beautiful parks.  

Read part 1, What To Do & Where To Stay: Mackinaw City

Up next: What to do, Mackinac Island

Mackinaw City: Where To Stay, What To Do, PT 1

I'm planning our Mackinaw City vacation right now. Actually, all I am doing right now, is saving money for it. It's already planned. The only thing I have not planned yet, is what days I'll do what.

Sophie and a few others were asking about info on the area, though, so I thought I would write up a quick article about different things to do up in the Mackinac area. For those who have ever wondered, there are two spellings for the word Mackinac.

The city is spelled Mackinaw City- spelled phonetically. The city was spelled this way due to the British occupation of the city. The rest of the biggies are spelled with an -AC at the end: Mackinac Bridge, Mackinac Island, Straights of Mackinac. The AC is still pronounced -AW. It's spelled -AC due to the French period of occupation.

Let's start with Where To Stay. (Please note: All links open in a new window)

When I first looked up info about places to stay up in Mackinaw City and St. Ignace (St. Ignace is the city across the bridge, in the upper peninsula), I looked at hotels and campgrounds. This was 2 years ago for our last trip up there. Due to the area being a hot spot for tourists, prices can get pretty high.


I finally settled on a campground called Mackinaw Mill Creek Campground. The campground is located just outside of Mackinaw City, right on the shores of Lake Huron.

If you are a tent camper, sites start out as low as $9.00 a night, in May. Because the tourist season flucuates, the prices change through out the summer, and can be found on this page, which details the types of camp sites, the price, and the dates.

If you are camping with an RV and need electric hook up's, prices start as low as $10.00 for a 20 AMP super saver camp site in May. Again, these prices are all found in the link above.

There are also an assortment of cabins, which start out at $30.00 in May, and go up significantly from there. The prices can be found here, and the sizes and amenities of the cabins can be found here.
When we stayed 2 years ago, we tent camped in a super saver site with electric. I will say this- the SS sites are TINY. If you have a big RV, it won't fit. Our site barely fit a large tent, a canopy, and 1 car. These sites are perfect, though, if you don't plan to stay at the camp ground a whole lot. The site we had, along with those around us, were rocky- as in the entire ground was round gravel, not dirt. But, we only paid $14.00 a night when all the other campgrounds wanted $35-45 a night for the same type of site.
The campground also has several nice amenities, including:

• Free mini golf
• A large arcade & Camp Store (which also sells liquor- in case anyone is interested, as most camp stores do not sell alcohol of any sort)
• A decent sized "Heated" swimming pool. It supposed to be heated all the time, but when we were up in June last time, the heater was broken, and the water was ice cold.
• 2 large playgrounds
• A sandy beach
• Some sites have a view of the Mackinac Bridge, some sites have a view of Mackinac Island
• Cabins in assorted sizes from 4 people up to 6 people. Some are electric only, others have bathrooms. I do believe all of them have a microwave and mini fridge, which is nice.
• Newly built shower houses- in the one we used last time, each shower was in an individual room with it's own door, as opposed to showers all in 1 room with curtains.
• Free shuttles into Mackinaw City to one of the island ferries- nice for when you don't want to park all day in town while visiting the isle.
• WIFI access- it was free last time, now there is a small fee to access it. When I went last time, it did not work real well, and I was unable to access it at our camp site, even though we were in the wifi zone.
• 5 minute drive to the Mackinac Bridge

The campground is nice, and I do highly recommend it. The one thing I really disliked, however, is that they do not have permanent fire pits set up on camp sites. Instead, you have to go and get a "Fire pan" from the camp store (free), and make the fire in it. It's roughly the size of a large frying pan, and a total pain to try and start a fire in it. It isn't something I liked. I'm used to campgrounds that have built in, cement or metal ring fire pits, which are much deeper, and wider. The pans do not allow for much room to stack wood, or get a fire going.

Now that you have a place to stay, lets move on to Things To Do.

Mackinaw City is rather small. Tiny, actually. While there are things to do, some do require a bit of travel over the bridge, or by ferry to the island.  I'll separate things to do by where they are located. The things to do in St. Ignace and Mackinac Island will be posted in a separate article.


Mackinaw City: Things To Do






Colonial Fort Michilimackinaw- This is a Mackinac State Historical Park
This fort is an on-going archeological dig to find the remnants of the original Fort from Mackinaw City. Mackinaw City used to be the location of a fort for fur trades, and was occupied at various times by the French and the British. At some point, the British realized that if they moved the location of their fort to Mackinac Island, they could build it up on the hill, making it nearly inaccessible by any others looking to attack. When they moved the location, they destroyed the old fort. This park is really neat to visit. They have live cannon firings, gun shooting displays, live digs to watch, and much more. You can explore the various buildings they have built, and more. Every building standing is due to extensive archeological digs that presented evidence of the building standing where it is now.  It is the longest on-going Archeological dig in the US, and is active from early Spring to late Fall.

• COST: Adults are $10.50, children 5-17 are $6.50. Children 0-4 are free. You can also buy a family pass, which will get you into all of the historical parks for just $65 per family. The pass is good for the entire summer.
• Time: If you are a history buff at all, or like old fashioned parks like this, you could easily stay for several hours exploring the buildings, listening to the presentations, and such. But, you could also get through the entire park in about 2 hours.

Old Mackinac Point Light House- This is a Mackinac State Historical Park
This lighthouse has been restored to it's original condition, and sits on the banks of Lake Huron in Mackinac City, over looking the Mackinac Bridge. This light house is located next to Colonial Fort Michilimackinac, separated by a park. The park is a great place to eat your lunch, but beware

the aggressive sea gulls- and NEVER feed them or leave your food unattended. They will swipe the food right out of your hands.


The lighthouse is small, but it is fun. If you are tall enough, they will take you in small groups up to the top of the light house, where you will have a nice view of the lakes and the bridge.

• COST: $6.00 for adults, and $4.50 for children ages 5-17. Children 0-4 are free. You can also buy a family pass, which will get you into all of the historical parks for just $65 per family. The pass is good for the entire summer.
• Time: You can explore the entire light house, which is set up like a museum, in about an hour.

Historic Mill Creek Discovery Park- This is a Mackinac State Historic Park
Mill Creek is located just outside of town, and down only about half a mile from the Mill Creek Campground. This is located in the woods, and is the featured spot for an old saw mill. The park has extensive hiking trails, though we really did not explore that far into the trails. There are miles and miles of trails going through the forest, however. The park also has a small playground, a working water mill, and demonstrations on how people used to cut trees into useable lumber.

One perk of this park, though, is the Adventure Tour. If you have a Mackinac State Historic Park family pass, this tour does cost extra. This tour also has height and weight restrictions. Gillian was able to do this last time, but only barely. The minimum weight is 50 pounds, I believe, and around 48" tall.
The adventure tour includes a Zip Line, a Forest Canopy Bridge (this bridge is a wire that you cross over top of the trees down below. You are harnessed in and attached to the wires, however), and a rock climbing wall. This tour is $7.00 per person, in addition to the entrance fees.

• COST: Adult tickets are $8.00, Children 5-17 are $4.75. Children 0-4 are free. In addition, the Adventure Tour is an additional $7.00 per person. You can also purchase a family pass for $65.00, which will get you into all the Historic Parks all summer long.
• Time: The adventure tour takes about an hour to complete. I would say set aside at least 2-3 hours for this park, as it is fun, and there are a lot of places to explore through the woods.

Mackinaw Manor Haunted Mansion in 3D-
I have not yet been to the Haunted Mansion, so I can't give you an insight to it. It is fairly new over the past year or so.

• COST: Adults: $6.00, Children: $4.00- there is an extra fee of $4.00 per person for the "Buried Alive" simulator.
• Time: Uncertain

Mackinac Bridgemen Museum -
Again, I did not get a chance to go to this last time, so I'm unable to provide insight. I do know it's small, though. The museum has items from the building of the Mackinac Bridge in the 1950's.

• COST: Free admission
• Time: Probably about an hour would be more than enough, due to the smallness of the site.

Thunder Falls Water Park -
If you are going in July or August, this would be an ideal place to go. The weather up in Mackinaw City, however, is cool through the end of June, only getting into the 70's, so plan this only if you are willing to brave the cold. I have not been there, but it is an outdoor waterpark.

• COST: Seniors: $16.95, Twilight (admission after 3:30pm) $16.95, Children under 48": $18.00, Adults (and children over 48"): $24.95, Tots 2 & under are FREE.
• Time: It's open all day from 11a-7p

Icebreaker Mackinaw Maritime Museum -
This is a museum onboard a decommissioned Coast Guard ship called Icebreaker Mackinaw WAGB-83. I have not been there, so no insight on this museum.

• COST: Adults: $11.00, Children 6-17: $6.00, Children 0-5 FREE. There is also a family pass available for $35.00 (available for two adults, and their children 17 & under- great for larger families)
• Time: Unknown

Mackinac Old Time Trolley Tours-
There are 2 Trolley companies in Mackinaw City. This one boasts Historical Tours for just $3.00, as well as Bridge tours, Lighthouse Tours, and more.  Last time, I could not remember which one had the $3.00 tour, so we did not get a chance to do this, though I think it would be a fun tour. The website says the Historic Tours begin every 30 minutes.

• COST: $3.00 and Up, depending on the tour you choose. The website does not give much info.
• Time: 30 minutes and up- this might not be accurate, as I am judging time based on how often tours leave.

Mackinaw Trolley Company-
The website is outdated by 2 years, so I am uncertain of what the costs are. I do know they are a bit more expensive than the Old Time Trolley Tours, with tours starting out at around $10 per person. They offer a lot of group only tours to various areas.

• Cost: Unknown, outdated website
• Time: Depends on the tour

Next up: Mackinac Island and St. Ignace things to do! Check back later for more!

Memories of Summer

Wordless... Friday? Photos from the first 3 days of the Mackinaw City vacation with me and the kids.

In June 2009, I took all 3 kids, by myself I might add, up to Mackinaw City, Michigan. It was a long drive (we left at 9am, and arrived around 4pm, with a few rest stops), and while it was stressful doing the vacation without help, it was fun.

Some facts-

In the Mackinaw area, you will see 2 spellings. Mackinac and Mackinaw, but both are pronounced Mackinaw. The Mackinaw spelling is attributed to the British soldier influence, and is reserved for the city- Mackinaw City.

Mackinac is the influence of the French soldiers, and is found on everything else- The Straights of Mackinac, the Mackinac Bridge, Mackinac Island, etc.

The area was under the protection of the French at one time, and the British at one time, accounting for the varried sayings.

While we enjoyed a Mackinac vacation, we stayed in Mackinaw City, went across the Mackinac Bridge 4 times total, and visited the Mackinac Island once- which is a motorized  vehicle free zone. There are no motorized vehicles, except the ambulance and 2 fire engines. The rest are horses!

2009: My Favorite Memories

Number, The First.

In 2009, we had some exciting times, and some not so exciting times. The year passed with speed that I did not anticipate. Here is my first favorite memory from 2009.

In early January of 2009, I settled on a family vacation. Well, partial family, as it would just be the kids and I. I had been planning on doing on for a month or two already, but in January, I decided that I would take the kids camping up to Mackinaw City, Michigan. Mackinaw is one of my favorite areas, and aside from a single day trip two years earlier, I had not been to Mackinaw City since I was a child.

I planned endlessly, budgeted, earned and saved money for the trip, and in early June, after school let out for the summer, the kids and I made the long trek up to Mackinaw City.

We had our first tent, and I had found a camp ground with budget sites for under $15/night. I used coupons, and internet deals to stretch our money as far as possible. Initially, we were set to spend almost a full week up there. We left on Wed, and were set to return on Tuesday.

The drive is long from home to Mackinaw City, and we left at 9am. It was after 4pm by the time we had gotten there, and set up camp, and after 6 by the time we had gotten to the grocery store, and back to the camp site. I took my time driving up, though. I planned a stop at a large rest stop that had a museum in it, but we wound up stopping even before we got there.

We visited 3 rest stop visits on the drive up north, plus one food stop (which included 2 gas station stops- 1 for gas, and 1 for directions because the road was under construction and we couldn't back track to the highway), and 1 stop at a place called Sea Shell City. It is a giant shell store, but also some tourist items.

On day 2, we spent time in Mackinaw City. We visited Colonial Fort Michilimackinac (Mich-ill-a-mack-i-naw), where I bought us a season pass for just $65. The pass allowed us to visit all the area historical parks. Had we paid entrance at each one, for the same price we would only have been able to visit 2.

We ate lunch in the park next to the fort, then walked over to the next historical park, which was a lighthouse. We spent the rest of the day exploring the city, playing in fountains, walking the beach, and seeing the Mackinac Bridge lit up at night.

On day 3, we drove across the Mighty Mac to St. Ignace. There, we visited Indian Village, which is a tourist shop and museum, and also has some displays outside. We took many photos, and drove on to the next stop, Castle Rock. For just $.50, you can climb stairs that go up to the peak of a massive tall rock formation that juts out over the forest. You can see the Mackinac Bridge, Mackinac Island, Lake Huron, St. Ignace, and much more from the rock.

At the base of the rock, there is a real totem pole, and a statue of Paul Bunyon & Babe, the giant Ox. We drove from there over towards the other side of town. We stopped and ate a picnic lunch at a roadside park with a fantastic view of the Mackinac Bridge and Lake Michigan. We then went and had fun at the Mystery Spot, which included Mini Golf, and a Maze.

On the drive back to the campground, we stopped at a lake side park in Mackinaw City to run around and play, and watch a couple of guys flying kites. By the end of Day 3, I knew my patience was never going to last for a full vacation. I went back and forth, and looked at the weather. It was supposed to rain in the evening and over night on Day 4. We talked, I talked with Nick, and decided that the best bet was to head home early. First, though, we wanted a day on Mackinac Island.

On Day 4, we packed quickly, loading down the car. Checking out early, we got a partial refund, then headed to the docks to take the ferry over to Mackinac Island. The kids and I enjoyed a LONG day on the isle, which included a carriage tour of the isle, and a visit to our 3rd historical park, Fort Mackinac.

When we got back to our car, it was after 5, and we still had to drive over to St. Ignace to pick up some smoked fish. I was exhausted, the storm clouds had rolled in badly, and Nick told me to take the kids to a hotel for the night, instead of driving home.

We grabbed our first restaurant meal of the trip (we ate breakfast & dinner at the campground every night, and packed picnic lunches every day) at McDonalds, and got a room. The hotel was small, but inexpensive, clean, and nice. I was able to take a long bath while the kids watched TV.

Day 5 dawned bright and clear. The sun was out, and it was evident that despite the nasty clouds, the rain never came- figures! We decided that since it was so nice, we would do the one remaining activity we had planned to do- the 4th historical park. The park was in Mackinaw City, right next to the campground we had stayed at.

The park was fantastic, and I'm glad we didn't skip it. The park, Mill Creek Discovery Park, was the site of an old mill, and had trails through the woods, saw mill demonstrations, a small playground, a small animal museum, and an adventure trail. The adventure trail consisted of a guided nature walk, a canopy bridge, which was just a thin board we walked along, while attached to another wire with a harness, so no one would fall. After another trail walk, we wound up at the zip line. That was so much fun! We zipped through the woods, over a pond, down to another station waiting to receive us at the end. I only wish I had taken my camera! Next time we go, I'll know enough to know that the camera will be very safe during the ride.

Lastly, we got to climb a rock climbing wall. The kids loved that, and Gilly scrambled right up to the top. We left the park at shortly after 2pm, and drove straight through with two quick stops. One was at a rest stop for a bathroom/map check, since we were taking a different route home than we had taken up there. We stopped at my dad's place to drop off the fish, and finally made it home- late at night. It was almost 8 before we got home.

The kids and I had a blast. I learned that I can't plan a lengthy trip when I don't have parental help with the kids. Despite their ages (they were 13, 10, and 7), they fight a LOT, and in a tent or car, there is no separating them.

All in all, though, I am so glad we went. The kids got to go around to see a lot of fun places, and do a lot of fun things. They learned a lot of Michigan history, and we got a lot of great photos.