12 Years and Counting

Today was a celebration day in our family. Ashli, turned 12 today and boy did she want everyone to know it:) It never ceases to amaze Sonja and I how God made each child of ours w/ unique personalities. So, we did the best we could to make the day special for Ashli. Julia, Jenna, and I got up early (9am) and headed to the local flower/gift shop for a balloon and flowers. When we got back to the campground we had a special breakfast treat (cinnamon buns), then the girls went swimming with some friends they had met.

Early afternoon we packed up and headed out for the day. First to Oswalds Bear Ranch. Back in 1984 Mr. Oswald, a native of Bay City, MI, started taking in wounded or bears needing a home. Now, he has 27 bears ... cubs, youngins, and oldins. A very well kept place to visit. Slow paced and lots of bears to see.

Next we headed off for Sault Ste Marie to see the Soo Locks and eat a fish fry at a restaurant Sonja had been to with some friends a couple of years ago. The Locks were neat to see. They had a couple 1000 ft. vessels come through ... man are they long.

Tomorrow we head for Indian River and stay there a few nights. You can check out the photos of today's trip here.

Visiting God's Creations

These past two days we've taken a couple of half-day trips to see Tahquamenon Falls and Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore.

Only because Sonja and I have traveled a bit and seen many amazing things the falls didn't quite have the splendor everyone had made it out to be. Nevertheless, it was pretty and the bronze tint to the water due to minerals was neat to see. We only went to the Upper Falls then headed back to camp. Our original plan was to go to Oswalds Bear Ranch, but the directions we took put us behind schedule so maybe we'll try that tomorrow.

Today we went to Munising, MI and took the 2.5 hour boat tour to see the Pictured Rocks. They were absolutely beautiful and inspiring to look at. The colors, caves, and formations were testament to the fact that God has made amazing things for our enjoyment.

The KOA we are staying at has a whole 'herd of bunnies'. Some domestic and some wild ... all running around the campsites and the fields. Kinda strange, but the girls like to try and catch them.

The first night we stayed at the campground there was a cross country motorcycle trail riding club ... there must have been over 100 dirt-bikes taking off at 7:30 in the morning. Kinda ruined the beauty rest that we all need, but naps in the afternoon work well too.

Check out the Photo Gallery for more photos of the falls and the pictured rocks.

When in the U.P...

We took off for our adventure to the Upper Pensinsula of Michigan. We are lookin forward to meeting some 'yoopers' as they are called ... so the people that live up here are called. You know what they say ... when in the U.P. do what the Yoopers do. That's not exactly how it goes, but this Michigan and the Roman Empire is thousands of miles away and years in the past.

This was a much shorter trip only taking us 5 hours instead of the 10+ that our last trips took. Getting to the U.P. from home was mostly all highway until we crossed the Mackinaw Bridge. Both Sonja and I were amazed how desolate some stretches of road were on our way to the KoA in Newberry. It seemed like we could drive for miles without seeing another car or house.

Once we arrived and checked-in (Newberry, MI KOA) we discovered that we were a day late and were scheduled to arrive yesterday. Go figure. Ever been late for your own vacation?

Looking forward to spending the week with each other and experiencing the great outdoors.

Gettysburg and Lancaster, PA

This area of the country is absolutely beautiful ... and there is so much to see and do. Many historical places to visit, Dutch/Amish country to drive through, and lots of shops to stroll.

Let's start with Gettysburg, PA ... Sonja had been before, but the girls and I had never been ... what an amazing place. It's hard to give definition to what I mean by amazing. Around 50,000 casualties in a battle field less than a mile wide. Those were proud and loyal men who paid the ultimate sacrifice to stand up for what they believed in.

I don't claim to have all the answers, but it does seem that we could use alot more of that loyalty and pride today in our culture and society. Ok, I'm off the soap box.

The girls had a great time and I found it heart warming to see 'history come alive' for them. They took an interest in it and it became more real to them.

View our Gettysburg Photos.