Midwestern Road Trip - Part 4

 Mackinac Island, Michigan

Day 9: Driving from St. Louis to Mackinaw City, Michigan

Day 10: Visiting Mackinac Island and Mackinaw City

We spent one long day driving from St. Louis to Mackinaw City, Michigan.  The mainland city is spelled "Mackinaw" and the island is spelled "Mackinac" although they are both pronounced like Mackinaw, with a 'w' at the end.  The island chose to go with the French spelling while the city went with the English spelling.  The island was called Michilimackinac in Ojibwe, which means "big turtle."  Here we are on the ferry from Mackinaw City to Mackinac Island.  You can see the Mackinac Bridge in the background.  One side of the bridge is Lake Huron, the other side is Lake Michigan.

We took a carriage tour of the island

The Grand Hotel (featured in the movie Somewhere in Time)

Carriages of the Grant Hotel

Island views

Peaking through Elephant Rock

Looking down at the town

The gazebo from Somewhere in Time

Throwing rocks into Lake Huron

Wading in Lake Huron

Buying fudge in town (back in Mackinaw City)

Michigan chair!

Anna shows us where we are on the mitten - a typical way for Michiganders to show you where they are from in Michigan

Top of the mitten to you!!

Walking back from the fudge shop to our hotel

Looking out over Lake Huron from our room

Day 11: Driving from Mackinaw City, MI to Minneapolis, MN

Ma2 and Pa2 adventured with us on Mackinac Island, but had other places to go so we had to say goodbye.

Crossing the Mackinac Bridge to the Upper Peninsula of Michigan.  We had a great time seeing Michigan for the first time!

Midwestern Road Trip - Part 3

 more St. Louis!!

Day 6 continued:

We spent lots of time looking for, and finding, lots of fireflies.  St. Louis has a lot of them.

It was exciting for everyone 

Day 7:  We visited Grant's Farm, picked up Ma2 from the airport in St. Louis and visited Eckert's Farm

We visited Grant's Farm - it used to belong to Ulysses S. Grant

Feeding the baby goats is always fun

Feeding birds - the birds loved Matthew's hat

Emma had fun feeding the birds

We recreated this picture from when Grant was a little toddler and we lived here.  We tried to get Grant to take a picture with a "Grant's Farm" t-shirt, and he cried about it.  Grant used to call it "Mine Farm" when he was little or maybe "Mein Farm"

He did a grumpy face this time

We visited Eckert's - our favorite local farm

Getting frozen custard at Eckert's

Scott laughing at me for taking too many pictures

Day 8:  We attended Scott's retirement ceremony on base, had some tasty St. Louis BBQ and visited the Gateway Arch in St. Louis.

Our reason for going to St. Louis in the first place is Scott's retirement ceremony.  Here we are getting ready for it.

And here are bunch of pics at the retirement

And eating some treats afterwards

Scott with his plaque

It was great to be able to go to St. Louis for this!!

Back at our rental house on base - John is getting eaten by the couch

Going out for St. Louis BBQ

Visiting the Arch

Inside the capsule to go up to the top of the Arch

And up at the top - it looks like Grant is pointing at a picture but its a window with downtown St. Louis in the background.

Down at the bottom again - we got to see so much while we were there.

We love you, St. Louis!!