Vacay continuted

(Dec took this pic from the top of the observation tower at Historic Mill Creek)

Once reaching Mackinaw City we were really hungry so we stopped and ate some pasties. One of the many reasons I loved this trip, was the food. It reminded me so much of England, and the lakes are so wide and the ruddy seagulls so plentiful that you feel like you're down at Torbay seafront, just without the seaweed and topless bathers (thank goodness). Surprisingly, Hubbub and Little Princess fell in love with the pasties, so we'll have to make some for them sometime (or just wait until Nana visits and then have her cook us up a bunch -much better idea).

We checked in our hotel and let the kids relax and have a swim. Then we were getting a little munchie so we drove to the open shopping mall and debated all the usual cruddy places to eat, like KFC and Subway, then we spotted Scalliwags Fish and Chip Shop and I about leapt out of the car. The others were a little sceptical until we tasted them. They were delicious and all of the kids were going crazy over the food. They informed us that they needed to eat there for every meal for the rest of our vacation. They make fish and chips in the UP with Whitefish that's caught in the lakes, it was pretty tasty. Of course, nothing is as good as Cod and Plaice with a side of mushy peas, but you take what you can get.

While in Mackinaw City, we discovered three other great museums. One was Historic Mill Creek, where I almost stepped on a snake, fortunately just a water snake, but they still hurt when they bite. Hubbub, Dec, LP and I took an adventure tour where we climbed a 40 foot rock wall, walked across a 165 foot Forest Canopy rope bridge, and flew through the trees on a 425 foot Eagle Flight Zip Line. It was a blast. Dec was a little nervous and became even more so when he saw me signing Injury Waiver forms. He decided the risk was too much, until his little sister was bouncing up and down with excitement to do it. Not to be outdone, he went for it and had a wonderful time. LP shocked us and had no fear at all - even when we walked along the rope bridge and had to do it ballet toe style because the safety harness kept her suspended above the bridge.

Then off to Mackinaw Fort, which StevieB loved, seeing as he is such a huge history buff. While Hubbub and SB took the tour, the other kids and I explored everywhere. The latrines were a huge hit (I swear our family is obsessed with poop).

After the Fort, Hubbub was really excited to have us tour one of the Icebreaker Mackinaw. The kids were yet again fascinated, (even though this was museum #3 tour of the day) and asked intelligent questions (phew - no poop questions!)

The next morning we left for home (okay, after mum had stopped at the local yarn store). On our way home we drove up to some falls, but the mosquitoes were out of control so we didn't hang around too long.

It was such a wonderful trip and one of our favorite vacations. We laughed, learned and loved a lot.