Houghton Lake - Part 2

Not far from where we were staying, there was an outside entertainment park that we planned to take the kids to so that they could ride go-carts and go putt-putting.  We planned to take them on a day when it wasn't going to either rain or be too scorching hot.  And I wanted to be sure to go right when they opened in the morning so that we could avoid any potential crowds during COVID.  Luckily, we were able to meet all of those criteria.

We opted to purchase "bracelets," as this would give the kids a chance to choose from a few different modes of entertainment.  James was too short to ride in a go-cart by himself, but he waited patiently and watched the older kids.

All buckled in and ready to go:

There was no bumping allowed and really, the speed of these carts was not very fast.

Jimmy rode with me and smiled the whole time.

Later, he was able to go on a track all by himself!

Next, we ventured over to the bumper boats.  And ... the memories will be with me FOREVER.  You see, the attendant asked if we wanted to fountains turned on and I nonchalantly said, "sure."  I must have been thinking that it would simply provide a nice, scenic environment while we cruised around.  So, fully-clothed with our shoes on, the four kids and myself (Jimmy was in a boat with me) got into the boats and started out.  

This was my unassuming self before we got out into the water:

All ready to go!

It wasn't long until I got stuck -- UNDER A FOUNTAIN -- and I couldn't go anywhere because the other kids were ramming me from all sides.

Steve laughed (over and over again) from the DRY sidelines while my clothes and tennis shoes got stuck and my sunglasses steamed up from the buckets of water that were falling on me.

Soaking wet but not sad about it at all:

With our shoes squishy -- well, all of us except Steve -- we headed over to the opposite side of the park to try putt-putting.

The kids gave it an honest try (both on the blue and the green carpets, one was more challenging than the other):

Jimmy didn't really care for it much.  It was a bit too slow-paced for him and I think that he was a little grumpy because he was soaked.

Sophia and Jack were both pretty skilled at the game, especially considering that neither of them had ever played before (that I could recall).  

Both of my girls have legs that go on for miles.  They certainly did not inherit them from me!

Steve took the three older kids over to ride the (faster) go-carts one more time, so Jimmy and I ventured over to an area where I bought him a whole bowl of balls that he could use to shoot at a target.  This was everything to him!

He had the time of his life and insisted that the other kids come and try it out too.

They had many targets to try and shoot at and we ended up spending an undue amount of time here before I insisted that I was hungry and that we should probably try to find a place to eat lunch.

Look at that concentration!

On our way to lunch, we stopped to take some pictures outside with these memorable statures and wooden cut-outs.

This one of Jack makes me smile every time I look at it.

And this fishing one ... Jimmy was just the right size for it!

Oh!  And just for more laughs -- one of Steve and me.

Apparently this is quite the tourist spot and many people pause here for photos.  The camel drew the attention of the girls and then Jack jumped in at the last minute.

And this bear?  Steve remembers it from his childhood trips to Houghton Lake, so we made sure to take a picture with the kids too.  And we did it in proper COVID pandemic style -- with face masks!