michigan - day eight

On Wednesday we headed home. On the way down to Detroit, we stopped at Hartwick Pines State Park. It was the only thing we did that day, other than drive and fly, but it was awesome! It was so beautiful.

And here are the pictures:

michigan - day seven

Tuesday was our last day before leaving for home, so we (me, Mr. Webb, my sister and her husband) headed up to Mackinac Island. I don't remember anything about visiting the island when I was little, but I do remember I loved it.

The island is very small - something like 8.5 miles around the whole thing - so there are no cars allowed. People either walk, bike, or take a carriage. The only way to access the island is by ferry (unless you're made of money and want to fly into their private airport). So we took a ferry over to the island and started our day.

First we went to the visitor's center and got some tickets to go see Fort Mackinac. While we were in the visitor's center, I was very tempted to buy this shirt, but I didn't.

So we went up to the fort and explored it for a few hours. We watched a reenactment of a court martial, we saw the barracks, and we took some goofy pictures.

After the fort, we went and got oven baked subs for lunch, and they were delicious! Then we walked up and down the street and checked out the shops until it was time for our carriage tour.

The carriage tour was awesome. The first half was in a cute red carriage, and we were taken past the shops, the stables, the grand hotel, and all the stuff at the main part of the island. Then we were let off the carriage, at which point we were able to go to a butterfly house. It was the coolest experience ever! I was able to take a bunch of awesome pictures, which wasn't too hard when the subjects were very cooperative! :) But it was fun to walk through the butterflies and have one just land on you.

The second half of the carriage ride was fabulous as well. The guide was very punny. My sister liked him, but I think he was slightly over the top. We got to stop and see Arch Rock, we saw the main cemetery as well as the military cemetery.

When the ride ended, Mr. Webb and I hoped over to Murdick's - the original fudge shop on the island - to get some fudge to take home to the Webb family. It was hard to choose a fudge shop, since just about every other shop on the island was a fudge & candy shop.

The we took the ferry back to the mainland, drove home, and had hamburgers and corn on the cob for dinner at Grandma and Grandpa's.

Tomorrow, the end! Day eight!

michigan - day six

Warning: This post will have a lot of pictures, and probably not too much writing (which is just how I like it).

Monday morning we drove around to look at some cool houses, and then we stopped at Thorne Swift. Thorne Swift is a nature preserve, and we were especially lucky to visit the morning after it rained. There were so many cool kinds of mushrooms that had popped up, just for our viewing pleasure.

After eating lunch, we headed back to my aunt and uncle's place in Petoskey, but not for long! My uncle took me, Mr. Webb, my sister and her husband to Charlevoix where we were able to go sailing! It was a lot of fun. The only problem I had was that, due to having to take Dramamine to avoid getting sick, I actually slept for a long time on the sail boat.

After sailing we walked down by the main street shops in Charlevoix, which were a lot like the shops in Petoskey. Then we met my mom and my aunt at the Weathervane for dinner.

After dinner, we walked around Charlevoix to look at some adorable "Mushroom" houses, a.k.a. Hobbit houses. You can read about the architect and see his houses here. I will also post the pictures I took, of course! :) He also designed the restaurant we ate at.

Tomorrow, day seven.