Summer of 2015

After we spent the spring exploring the east coast we headed "back home" to the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. Originally we were going to spend a couple weeks which ended up turning into spending much of the summer in the UP. 

When we headed over the Mackinac Bridge we stayed at Straits State Park in St. Ignace.  Dustin participated in a Coast Guard training and the kids and I explored. We visited Castle Rock, and climbed 200 feet to view the surrounding area. The kids were are a little scared once we arrived at the top.  

Next we spent the week camping at one of our favorite place, Camp 7 in the Hiawatha National Forest. It was a fun week. Highlights for the kids included hunting for Big Foot and spending time with their cousins.

Grand Island was the next stop. One word summed up our trip- BUGS ! It could have been the middle of the jungle there were so many bugs. We made the most of it. We took the bus tour around the island, ate lunch on the beach and picked rocks. 

The highlight of our visit to the UP was the visits for our fulltime traveling friends.  We spent the month of July touring them around our favorite spots.  

Other Highlights Included 

The older two kids played a soccer. 

 Derek ran his first 5K.

 Spent time enjoying the Great Lakes 

 We took the older two kids backpacking.

 We got a new addition the family. Meet Leia. She is adorable and the most tolerant cat.