Stop 4. [End day 1]
Emily drove again, and had to endure some turn arounds and missed turns, since Google's instructions were not always the easiest to interpret.
After consulting the clock and map, we decided that we didn't want to risk making it to Munising before everything closed for the evening, so when we arrived in Pine Stump, we stopped for dinner!
Pine stump is essentially a wide spot in the road, but the food and service were both good, and the tourist attractions were enjoyed by all.
William's mug of rootbeer!
Alice drove us to Muskallogne State Park, and we were all happy to have reached our final park of the day!
The ramp at this park was more like a roller coaster!
The sunset made for some beautiful lighting, but the water was cold!!!
William laid 'claim' to ruins of some sort. An old pier? Boat hull? No idea.
Leaving this park, we ended up on some rather rough dirt roads with poor reception, but we made it to the little town of Grand Marias that has a pickle barrel house. We all oohed and aahed as it flashed past in the car, because time was ticking and it was late! I kind of wish we would have taken the five minutes for a picture, because I don't know that we'll ever get back up that way, pretty as it was!
The glowing sunset as seen from the car, because it was proper dark and after ten by the time we arrived at our first Airbnb.
We unloaded in the dark, because the bugs were awful around any light source!!! Our system for the trip was to unload literally everything. This allowed us to completely reset, clean out containers, re freeze ice packs, and ensured that no one would have to run out to the car in the dark for a forgotten item!
My mom made sure that we had ice for our water bottles each morning! The plan was to stop at a grocery store before going to our cabin each night to buy breakfast and lunch provisions for the following day. Sadly, nothing was open, so we had no solid breakfast, just Starbucks coffee drinks (or milk or protein drinks for Emily and Billy.)
The bed the twins claimed, but didn't sleep in.
The bed that William claimed, but also didn't sleep in! Emily and Avia were in bunk beds in another room, and the other three girls ended up on their floor, while William ended up on our floor.
The coffee drinks had plenty of calories, and a truly hungry person could have gotten into the chips and snacks that we had, but no one seemed to mind a delayed breakfast. And waking up to this view was certainly not the worst!
I was testing this suspicious looking bridge to make sure that it was safe for my children, and it was surprisingly sturdy!
We didn't get to enjoy any of the watercraft, as we really needed to get on the road for our longest driving day!
Instead of cupholders, these chairs had phone holders!
Grace's shirt was perfect for this place! And I can't believe how much Grace looks like my mom in this picture!
We saw several of these signs in the dark the night before, and I loved it so much Emily turned us around so that we could get a picture!
A big draw for this area is pictured rocks, and should we ever return, I would 100% stay at this Airbnb again! In fact, my mom grabbed information about booking with them directly, next time!
later days
A list of our previous visits:
Tahquamenon Falls #15 (
round 2!)
Brimley State Park #16
Straits State Park #17
Keith J Charters #33
Sleeper State Park #46
Port Crescent State Park #47
Silver Lake State Park #49
Muskegon State Park #50*
Newaygo State Park #51
PJ Hoffmaster State Park #52
Grand Haven State Park #53
Ionia State Park #54
Sleepy Hollow State Park #55
Metamora-Hadley Recreation Area #56
Lake Port State Park #57
Seven Lakes State Park #58
Holly Recreation Area #59
Algonac #60
Holland State Park #61
Island Park State Recreation Area #63b
Highland Recreation Area #64b
Pontiac Lake Recreation Area #65
Dodge #4 State Park #66a
Bald Mountain State Recreation Area #66b
Maybury State Park #67
Saugatuck Dunes State Park #68
Fort Custer Recreation Area #69
Waterloo Recreation Area #70a
Pickney State Recreation Area #70b
WJ Hays State Park #71
Belle Isle Park #72
Van Buren State Park #73
Grand Mere State Park #74
Warren Dunes State Park #75a
Warren Woods State Park #75b
Lake Hudson Recreation Area #77
Sterling State Park #78
Port Austin State Harbor #Bonus 1
Kal-Haven State Park #Bonus 2
Yankee Springs #Fail
