Trip to Marquette, MI

We went to Marquette, MI to visit Joe's sister Cindy and nieces Becky Jo and Tonya Sue. We were in Marquette from Aug 26-Aug 27, 2009. We wanted to take a mini trip with the kids before they went back to school. It was really nice going up there. We didn't see Tonya Sue because she was having some problems so we just saw Becky Jo and Cindy. We had a really great time visiting with her. I'm gonna break down the trip to the best of my recollection. Here's how it started:

We got up at 2 am on Aug 26th. I took a shower and then we left around 3 am for Marquette, MI. The drive wasn't too bad. There were few cars on the expressway. We made a couple of pit stops on the way and made it to the Mackinaw Bridge around 6:30 am. It was so nice to see the sun rise. It was very beautiful. We crossed into the Upper Peninsula and spent the next few hours driving. The drive was pretty along Hwy 2 but as we got more inland, it because very boring. We were so ready to be there. There was only one detour so that wasn't too bad. It was so nice to get to Munising because we knew we were almost to Marquette by then. The view was spectacular. I took lots of scenic pictures. We stopped off at a scenic view so the kids could get out of their pajamas and go down to Lake Superior. The kids were having a blast wading in the water and splashing. The really didn't want to leave the water. It was so fun to watch them enjoy it so much.

Ten minutes later, we arrived in Marquette, MI. I think we stopped off at a gas station to get something to drink first but I can't remember exactly. Anyway, we checked into the Super 8 Hotel around 10:30 am. I had a little scare at first because I took all the money off my debit card and they weren't going to let us check in. I told them that I only had cash to pay for the room. So, after talking to the manager, she let us stay as long as we gave her copies of our driver's license. I was relieved. It was just under $80 to stay there. We brought all of our stuff in the room and relaxed for a little bit. I think we stayed there until about 12:30 or so. Then, Cindy met us at the hotel and we followed her to her mom's house to meet Becky Jo. Becky Jo was a very, quiet girl at first. She didn't really talk to us that much while at her Grandma's house. Her Grandma, Sue, seemed to be a pretty nice lady. She was very warm and friendly. After staying there for about 20 mins, we headed to Cindy's house. Once there, she showed us the house and Tonya's room. Tonya loves Michael Jackson and has her room all decked out in Michael Jackson memorabilia. Then, Becky Jo took us to her bedroom and showed us her bedroom. She loves Twilight and has her room totally decorated in Twilight stuff. Both girls had very nice bedrooms. I wish I was a decorator so that I could decorate my kid's rooms. Anyway, we stayed there for quite a while just talking.

After visiting there for a while, Becky Jo went to her Grandmother's house to meet up with a friend and Cindy, Joe, I and the kids headed up to Big Bay. First, we went to the graveyard where Joe's relatives are buried and then we went to a little park across the street from the Big Bay post office so the kids could play for a bit. Then, we decided to go to Lake Independence for awhile. The kids waded in the water. I guess the water was pretty warm so Josh ended up swimming in the water with a little boy that was there playing. He was having a wonderful time. We probably stayed there for about an hour or more. They were having a great time playing on the playground and in the lake. Then, they rode their scooters for a little bit too.

We took a picture next to the Big Bay sign before heading back to Marquette. The traffic was a bit backed up though because they were painting white lines on the pavement. That was a little aggravating but oh well, at least it was a nice drive back to town. We went out to dinner with Cindy at Yang's Hong Kong Buffet. By this time, it was already 7:40 pm. I really enjoyed the food there. It was very good. We decided that we would go back to the hotel to go swimming. Cindy said she would see if Becky Jo and her friend Kira wanted to go. So, we went back to the hotel and got suited up so we could go swimming in the pool. It seemed like they weren't going to come because it was getting later but they finally came, including Sue, Cindy's mom. It was nice to have the girls come there. I took a fair amount of pictures of everyone in the pool. It was very nice to have a great evening. I think we swam until about 10 or so and then it was time to head back to the room and Cindy, Sue and the girls left. Josh was running on the pool deck and fell and scraped his arm so I think that is what prompted us to go sooner.

We got back to the room and basically went to bed. I think everyone was tired. We woke up the next morning around 8 am. Joe was up first and went down to get breakfast. I had the kids get dressed and I took a shower. We ate breakfast, gathered our things up and then checked out of the hotel around 10:30 am. We headed to Cindy's house so that we could begin our day with her and Becky Jo. We mostly spent the day with Cindy though. Becky Jo was more interested her spending time with her friend Kira. But, that's okay. It was the first time we met her. We went to visit Cindy's grandparents first. They were very nice, laid back people. Very sweet and warm to us. It was so nice to visit with them. I think we only stayed a short time because Joshua and Mikayla were getting a bit impatient. They rode their scooters a little bit and then we said our goodbyes and left to go to Presque Isle. Presque Isle was very beautiful. We went to the cove so the kids could find and collect some rocks. They really enjoyed that. Then, they both climbed the rocks. After that, we left so we could go to a beach for them to swim in. Lake Superior is known for being extremly cold but my kids went in the lake anyway. They really had a great time swimming in the lake. There was a small little "pool" formed on the other side of some rocks so the kids swam in that and I guess it was warmer than the lake. It was also safer because they weren't around the waves, which scares me with little kids around. As usual, I got over-heated on the beach and had to sit in the shade. I did take some pics of the kids but it was from afar because I knew I had to stay put as to not pass out on the beach. They really enjoyed the swimming there. Finally, we told them that we had to leave because it was almost 3 pm by this time.

We ended up heading back to Marquette near the downtown area to go to the Seafood festival. They had music, food and some fun activities for the kids to do. Cindy was nice enough to purchase some tokens for the kids to have some fun. They had a play structure there as well so the kids really enjoyed that. This is where we met up with Becky Jo. So, basically, we only spent about an hour with her at the festival. She wanted to go off with her friends. I was a bit sad about it but what could I say. Anyway, we finally gave our hugs around 6:30 pm and tearfully headed home. We first stopped at the gas station to fill up and then headed home. We were looking for a cheap place to eat dinner but didn't find anything in the direction we were heading. We made a stop in Christmas, MI so we could check out the store and they had some cute little things for the kids to look at. I took a few pictures of them next to the signs. We got to Munising and ended up eating dinner at Hardee's. The kids were really getting tired. We took too long leaving Marquette that it started to get dark as we were leaving Munising so the whole ride home was dark. It was not a fun drive home. We made a couple of stops to use the bathroom and stop at a gas station along the way. I think we got to the Mackinaw Bridge around 11 pm or there abouts. The bridge looked very pretty on the way home. I tried to take some pictures but they were too dark and didn't turn out. Oh well, that's okay.

We switched driving positions while in St. Ignace before we crossed the bridge. Joe drove the rest of the way home. The drive home was okay. We got a little lost as Joe stayed on I 75 too long so we had to take some back roads to hook up with 131 in Reed City. It was okay though. We had to stop at a gas station though to make sure we were heading the right way. I think we pulled in the driveway around 3:30-4 am. We were all very tired. We all went straight to bed.

It was a wonderful trip to Marquette, MI. I cannot wait to go up there again in 3 weeks.