Welcome to King's Island

When last we left off, Michigan was in the rearview mirror and our sights were set on Cincinnati.  Day 11 of our journey was another Sabbath day of rest, where we enjoyed attending our old ward for church and then visiting with a few friends afterwards.  We stayed at a rental house rather than a hotel for this leg of the journey, and I have to say -- it's so nice not to have to worry about bothering people in the rooms next door or below you.  Especially when we've got a whole bunch of kids who are not historically known for being quiet or docile.  Hahahahaha.  We ended the day with a lovely and relaxing evening playing a new game ("Mind the Gap" -- essentially a trivial pursuit type game, but with 4 sets of questions geared towards boomers, gen x, millenials, and gen z) and after convincing the younger ones that the sooner they went to sleep the sooner morning would arrive, we called it a night.  

As our official Last Day of the road trip dawned bright and early, you would have thought it was Christmas morning with how excited everyone was to head over to King's Island for one last hurrah before heading home.  In all honesty, I was taken aback by how much everyone was looking forward to the trip.  It was kind of an afterthought when I included it on the itinerary and yet -- somehow -- it stole the show and became the highlight of our Midwestern Meander.  And I'm still not sure how to feel about that after putting so much thought and planning into our route and other activities.  Hahahaha.  I kid you not -- almost every conversation I overheard amongst the children for the bulk of the road trip centered around the rides at King's Island.  Between YouTubing POV roller coaster videos of Diamondback and Delirium, reminiscing over previous visits to the park for Dividend Day back when we lived in Cincinnati, and  planning how to maximize their fun and enjoyment for this visit -- the anticipation in the air was palpable by the time we made it to the entrance.

The one and only "ride" I got on all day -- Sally's Sea Plane (thrill level: 0) with Isaac.  Hahahaha.

Boo Blasters on Boo Hill was hands down the most visited attraction by Isaac.  I'm not so sure what the appeal was for HIM, but the a/c inside sure appealed to ME.  Hahaha.

After much back and forth discussion, we decided it would be worth it (although, that is obviously a VERY relative term) to purchase Fast Lane passes in addition to the regular admission fees, and once we had slathered ourselves in sunscreen and the kids had posed for some obligatory pictures, they were off and running while I trailed behind.  Hahaha.  Since I don't DO amusement parks, I was on little kid duty in Snoopy land with Alex and Isaac while the girls went back and forth between joining the boys on some of the kiddie rides and hitting up the big ones with Scott. 

Final verdict?  Fast Lane passes were totally worth it, according to the kids. ;)

We were treated to a random song-and-dance performance while waiting in line at the bumper cars.  There's nothing like jamming to some old Brady Bunch songs while sweltering in the heat, am I right?

It was a long and HOT day, but thanks to vigilant sunscreen re-application and drinking lots of water, we made it through to the other side alive and well and truly tuckered out.  Hahaha.  Overall, it was a really fun day even if I didn't personally enjoy any of the amusement park offerings.  There's just something about seeing everyone so happy and excited TOGETHER that makes it all worth it.  I've said it before, and I'm sure I'll say it again a million times more, but I'm all about making memories.  And this summer's memories have been epic.  Hahahaha. 

I'm realizing now that I have hardly any pictures of the girls.  Probably for the best -- I've heard that cell phones and roller coasters don't mesh.  😬

The day after King's Island saw us making the LONG drive back home without any more stops or fun things.  By the end of each road trip, I think we're all just ready to be done.  Ya know?  So that's what we did.  We drove straight home and once there, we scavenged up some food before crashing long and hard for the night.  And that, my friends, is a wrap!  Now I'll be able to catch up on everything else that has happened since we've been back...

Fun Fact: Mackinac and Mackinaw Are Pronounced Exactly the Same

{Fun Fact: Mackinac Island and Mackinaw City are two separate and distinct cities whose names are pronounced the same, but are spelled differently -- the Island uses the french-canadian version and the City uses the British.}

One of the main reasons I've been putting off recapping this leg of the journey is that I haven't figured out how exactly to cover this pit stop and the almost 300 pictures that were taken while we were there without everyone being bored to tears by a photo-dumping, point-by-point travelogue of our stay.  However, since I have officially missed my self-assigned deadline (summer is now over and the kids are back in school), I'm just going to crank out this post and remind myself that done is better than perfect.  Hahaha.  

SO.  Here you go.  Consider yourself duly warned that this post is going to have a LOT of pictures, plenty of fun facts, hardly any commentary, and possibly nothing of interest to anyone who isn't an immediate family member.  Hahahahaha.  

Without further adieu...

Mackinac Island was our endpoint destination this summer before turning around to head back home.  Days 7, 8, and 9 of the road trip were spent soaking up the atmosphere and luxuriating in the absolutely blissful weather on Mackinac while enjoying the Island's historical, recreational, and culinary offerings.  

{Our route from Wisconsin gave us the added bonus of passing through Manastique, MI -- home of (or at least ONE of the homes of) Paul Bunyan.  There are apparently 6 different places in Michigan alone that house a statue of the legendary lumberjack.  (And since we already had a Paul Bunyan photo op in Maine on a previous road trip, we OBVIOUSLY had to get one here as well.  Obviously.)  The stop in Manastique also afforded us the opportunity for a lake side picnic lunch midway through our day's travel.}

(I love this felfie.)

Nothing says delicious picnic lunch like a whole bunch of lunchables.  Right?  Hahaha.  (Seriously, though, Lunchables are possibly the only "meal" that never get any complaints from any of the children.)

{Fun Fact:  Mackinac Island is in Michigan, situated between the Upper and Lower peninsulas in Lake Huron.} 

After parking our car in Mackinaw City we took the ferry over to Mackinac Island.

I cannot emphasize enough how PERFECT the weather was.

Another failed attempt to get a picture with all of the kids.  (Isaac is hiding on the other side of the wall because he didn't want to be in it.)

You would not believe the level of bickering that went on between these two over who got to sit in the two rocking chairs.  Jane wanted me to rock in the one next to her and Isaac wanted me to rock in the one next to HIM.  And neither of them would budge.

LOL.  Grace thought it would be fun to photoshop Ethan into our road trip pictures.  This is one of her creations -- she placed Ethan's face on top of Isaac's while I was rocking with him in one of the chairs.  Hahahaha.

{Fun Fact:  Lilacs are kind of a big deal on the Island.  And the flowers everywhere are GORGEOUS.}

The bulk of the lilac blooming season had passed by in June, but there were still quite a few varieties still flowering while we were there.  Apparently, the Island contains the largest and oldest lilacs in the country, with some of them being 200 years old!

The view from outside our room.

I was pretty much obsessed with the gardens on the Island.  In particular, I was loving the fact that there were peonies still in bloom at the beginning of July!

{Fun Fact:  Fudge is also a really big deal.}

I loved the artwork on the box and bag at Murdick's Fudge.

I bought a sampling of chocolate peanut butter, German chocolate, vanilla, maple walnut, and plain chocolate.  My absolute favorite was the maple walnut with the German chocolate in second place.

Selfie with a seagull on our first night there.  Hahaha.

{Fun Fact:  Teenage girls are on a completely different sleep schedule than pre-teen boys.}

Our first full day consisted of waiting for the girls to finally wake up and get moving for the day so we could explore our surroundings.  It took forever before they were ready to go -- it was closer to lunch than breakfast at that point -- and I was annoyed enough that when the next day dawned, I didn't bother getting the girls up before Scott and I left with Alex and Isaac to check out some of the historical attractions on the Island.

{Fun Fact:  Skipping rocks never gets old.  (But miniature golf sure does.  Or at least it does for me.  Hahahahaha.)}

How gorgeous is that backdrop??

We ended our first full day with some glow-in-the-dark miniature golf after frolicking for a bit by the lake right next to it.  (Or as Isaac would say -- next right to it.  Hahaha.)

The posing.  SMH.

Playing putt putt with this many people (and these particular people -- especially the younger two) is a lesson in aggravation.

Grace's highlight of the night was finding this frog while we were playing.

{Fun Fact:  Blacksmiths are forging an artisanal comeback.  According to Google, there are between 5,000 and 10,000 blacksmiths in the U.S. today.}

For our second full day, the boys and I got a bright and early start as we headed off to check out Biddle House, the Blacksmith shop, and Fort Mackinac while the girls were still asleep.

 I have to say -- it was quite mesmerizing to watch the metal being heated up and shaped.

(Another fun fact:  Derived from the Anglo-Saxon smitan, meaning "to smite or strike," Smith and its derivations are an occupational name for a man who works with metal (smith or blacksmith), one of the earliest jobs for which specialist skills were required. It is a craft that was practiced in all countries, making the surname and its derivations the most common of all surnames. Smith still tops the list of most popular surnames in England and America, and is also a very common last name in Germany, Ireland, Scotland, Canada and Australia.)

Right next to the blacksmith shop was Biddle House -- one of the first and largest homes on Mackinac Island.  These historical re-enacters demonstrated how they would have made pound cake back in the day. 

{Fun Fact:  Fort Mackinac was founded during the American Revolution.}

A view from the fort.

This interactive area for kids was pretty cool -- they could use these giant tablets/smart boards to design their own fort.

{Fun Fact:  Cars are not allowed on the Island and the only transportation available is by bicycle, horse-drawn carriage, or your own two feet.}

I love tours where I can sit and ride the whole time.  Hahahaha.  After the girls finally woke up for the day, we did a horse-drawn carriage tour -- it was a great way to see more of the Island and learn new things.

One of the stops on the tour was Arch Rock.  The uniqueness of the formation is one of the reasons why locals pushed for the island to become Mackinac National Park, which occurred in 1875 and made it the second national park after Yellowstone.  (Mackinac National Park existed from 1875 to 1895, with soldiers at Fort Mackinac serving as park rangers. But when the military decided to close the fort, the state of Michigan stepped up to take care of the national park – which then became known as Mackinac Island State Park.)

Scott and the girls ended up renting bikes and riding around the whole island on both of the full days we were there, with Scott towing Isaac along in a bike trailer on the first day.  Unfortunately, Alex's anxiety over his biking skills got the best of him, but it was all good -- we had plenty of fun chilling back in the hotel room while the others had their adventure.  Haha.

Taking a break from biking for a photo op.  :)

{Fun Fact:  The prettiest sunset of the whole trip took place on our last night on Mackinac Island.}

Like seriously -- I can't even with the colors!

I have to say -- I really preferred the early mornings and evenings on the Island.  Not only was the temperature outside ideal, but the Island as a whole was a lot less congested.  It was really crowded and busy during the peak of the day -- with all the extra daytripper tourists -- and I didn't love that.

While the rest of us decided to hit up the shops for some last minute souvenirs, Isaac convinced Scott to take him back for more glow-in-the-dark golf.  Haha.

(One of our souvenirs -- a puzzle of the island.  It was a really fun one, too!)

{Fun Fact:  It wasn't until the end of our stay that I realized that -- even though we were in Michigan -- Mackinac Island is actually in Lake HURON, and NOT Lake Michigan.  LOL.}

Last day felfie in front of our hotel!

I love the progression of Isaac's facial expression and pose over the course of the next couple of pics...

Hahahaha.

One last treat of coconut almond chocolate chip ice cream for the road.  (Or the ferry, as the case may be.  Hahaha.)

So long, Mackinac Island!

{Fun Fact:  After leaving Mackinac Island on Day 9, we squeezed in one more memorable Michigan moment by driving through Scott's hometown of Troy and seeing the house where he grew up.  We didn't end up stopping, but it was fun to see where he lived and snap some pictures on the way out.}

Scott's childhood home.

And on the road again.  Next stop?  Cincinnati.