Houghton Lake - Part 3

Not too far from where we were staying was another lake -- one that is just as common to us Michiganders and one that is known for visiting year-round; not just in the summer months.  My aunt and uncle lived in Roscommon and we would visit them and always make the small trek over to Higgins Lake.  I also have many childhood memories of vacationing in a cottage there with another one of my aunts and uncles.

We didn't plan to go swimming in the lake (although we certainly could have it the kids had their suits), but we made sure to stop and check out one of the beach sites.

There was a slight breeze and lots of sun ...

And each one of the kids collected a handful of shells to later add to a jar with the label, "Higgins Lake - 2020."

While they were walking along the beachfront, I made a few trips into the store to get each of the kids an ice cream cone.  Due to COVID, the store was limiting the number of guests at any one time and it was just easier for me to enter and exit with my mask on.

Steve helped Jimmy make a pretty decent dolphin in the sand and Jimmy was pleased as could be with it.

And then, this is how we knew that it was time to load back up into the truck.  Afternoon naps were still required and Jimmy was letting us know that he was long overdue for one!

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One of the places that we wanted to be sure to visit before we headed back to Laingsburg was Hartwick Pines.  It is one of the largest state parks in the Lower Peninsula with almost 10,000 acres of trees and forest.  We made sure to wear our tennis shoes and to choose a day where the weather was clear and not too hot.  

We were shaded most of the time and I was pleasantly surprised to find that the mosquitos were not bad at all.

There were several fallen trees and we would stop periodically to read facts and statistics along the way.

James did great despite all of the walking that we did ...

Trying to see if she could wrap her arms around the entire girth of the tree.  Spoiler alert:  She could not.

It often took three kids' arm spans to go around some of the trees!

Every once in a while, we stopped for a rest and a water break.  Fallen logs made the perfect place for that.

One of my favorite pictures from the day:

Check out the size of that rock!

We also spent some time inside learning about the history of the state park and some of the animals that call the acreage their home.  Masks were required inside, of course.  Jimmy wasn't even the least bit intimidated by the wolf and asked me to take his picture in front of it.

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!

Houghton Lake - Part 1

Back in April, a solid month into the Global Pandemic, Steve and I threw caution to the wind and opted to book a cabin up north, on Houghton Lake, for the last week in July.  It would be our first week-long camping trip with our family and we knew that if things eased up a little bit, we would all welcome the change in scenery.  It would give us something to look forward to and a chance to take our boat up with us too.  Steve stayed in the same location many times when he was growing up and his dad even made a trip up to visit us one of the days that we were there.

We loaded up on Saturday morning, knowing that we would not be able to check in until mid-afternoon.  The kids were an incredible help as we unloaded the truck in record-time and I suspect that it *might* have something to do with the fact that they were anxious to slip into their bathing suits and try out the paddle boards that were available for them to use right off the shoreline.

While Jimmy wasn't able to use the paddle boards, he immediately spied this (almost-antique) hot metal slide that he ended up spending quite some time on during our visit.

The dock was longer than any that the kids had ever seen before and it made a nice place to sit, watch for fish ... or run down at warp-speed whenever my back was turned.

Jack was a natural on the board and the setting sun made for some gorgeous views for me up on the swing while I kept an eye on my swimmers.

One morning, we woke to a lot of rain -- and a lot of puddles -- but it cleared out before too long.

And it wasn't long before the kids found bikes there that they could ride around the circle driveway.

There was even a tractor for Jimmy to ride -- even if it was a tad squeaky!

These two.  They are inseparable most of the time.

Sam thought ahead and packed her rollerblades, and while the driveway wasn't the smoothest ever, she still put in a few miles doing laps over the course of the week.

This is a sign that you have had a long day and are fighting your usual afternoon nap.  (Actually, Jimmy ended up taking some of the best naps out on the boat in the middle of the lake).

Another fun feature for the kids (and for me!) was the shuffleboards.  Obviously, they had never played before ... and it had been YEARS since I had played ... but they took to it rather quickly and we would find ourselves playing a few times a day while we were there.  

In fact, we came home trying to figure out a way to put a pair of shuffleboards in down at our neighborhood park.

The competition was fierce!

Jack brought some of his fishing gear and sometimes he would fish off the dock and other times, Steve and him would take the boat out.

He has really taken an interest in fishing lately and I hope that that hobby lasts him a lifetime.

He's hard-wired to always be 'on the go' and his idea of relaxation is doing doing physical labor.  Fishing has opened a new side of him that helps to balance his adrenaline-infused demeanor.

My fair-haired child managed to catch both some rays of sun and a frog.

There was a patch of cat-tails across the street and we ventured over there one day so that the kids could pick a few.  We have cat-tails on our lake at home, but this area was thick with them, all within walking distance.

Later, Sam turned them into both a woven basket and a mat.  

The frog continued to stay in the same place for quite some time, so the Jack got a chance to hold it too.  And no, we did not bring it home.  Ha!