I started the day earlier than the rest of the family. I wanted to drop something off at Michigan Tech for the Summer Youth staff to show tour appreciation for how well they took care of Jonas while he was sick. I also wanted to check out the cafeteria and how they handle gluten allergies in case Rachel wanted to do a summer program here. Finally I wanted to stop at the bookstore to get a souvenir. Like any true college experience I managed to get a parking ticket the short time I was in Wadsworth hall. I was able to get out of it it though as I stopped at parking after going to the bookstore and I explained the situation.
Everyone else had a late start. Since Jonas missed three days of one of his programs due to illness I set up a meeting with a counselor from Michigan Tech. She is the woman that helps civil engineering students choose their courses and she meets with prospective students to the school. The meeting was very helpful as Jonas has not had much exposure to the college process and it was a good place for him to start off.
After that meeting we went to the Outdoor Adventure Program to return the bike and see if they had a bigger one. Unfortunately they did not. So Jonas was in an awful mood. I asked him if he wanted to go back to the hotel for a couple of hours by himself, with the understanding that he would come back out with us later and he said yes. So I picked up Rachel and David and we headed to the Kestner Waterfront park of Houghton. This is a nice park that has kayak, paddeboard, bike rentals onsite. It also has a volleyball court, walking paths, and a playground that is known as Chutes and Ladders.
Rachel played on the playground and then she and David rented a kayak for an hour. It was pretty windy so while they went one way easy, it was harder coming back.
After they kayaked Rachel went in the water at the beach for a few minutes. Then she told me she wanted to go somewhere with rocks to climb and a beach.
At this point we returned to the room to pick up Jonas and David and I both researched places to go. We finally decided to drive an hour east to the Joseph and Mary Lizzardo Nature preserve.
We pull up to the preserve and at this point I realize I have left the bag with the change of clothes for everyone back at the hotel. Luckily though the wind was strong enough that the kids did not want to get into the water. It was once again a place I could have sat at all day by myself just enjoying the view.
After we left the preserve we stopped at the nearby Esrey park. This had a neat staircase that took you to the top of rocks and then had rocks you could climb down. There were plenty of picnic tables and grills available for us. There was a small gazebo like building at the top of the rocks with two benches. Another place that I could have spent the day just sitting there.
On the way back to the hotel I was tasked on figuring out dinner. This took a while as reception can be spotty. The family finally settled on the Border Grill which is a Mexican restaurant. I went there to order instead of doing it online because of our food allergies. Everyone seemed to enjoy their meal so it was a good choice.
After dinner I returned back to the laundromat. Yes, our hotel had machines as well but I liked the laundromat as the doors locked and did not open until the wash/dryer was done. So I could put our wash in and then head out to run errands and then come back. Between the washing and the drying I was able to fill up the car with gas, vacuum the sand out of the car, and go shopping at Walmart for car snacks/lunch food.
Tomorrow leave the Houghton area. Thank goodness our room had a small room to the side otherwise I think we all would have been miserable. If we come back to this area I would make sure we had a cabin rental somewhere. We could not do that this year because our plans were so much in the air.
Family Vacation Adventures 