Time Flies!

It has been a bit since I last sat down to write.  While I had hoped to post a blog following our fun Memorial Day adventures in Marquette, time got away from me.  Then I had planned to catch-up with the blog last Sunday, but I had something come up unexpectedly.  So, after a long, emotional week, I decided to make some time tonight. I have so much to share. 

The week before Memorial Day, we had a span of some nice 70 degree weather and were able to get out for some nice long walks.  

We also got to see Fiona, Nicol, and Tyler, at the graduation open house for Nicol's goddaughter, CC.

The girls and I tried to start getting back out for some lunchtime walks, and we had a really nice walk on the East-West Connector Trail on the west side of town on one of those walks.

We have been dealing with Mina's heat cycle during the last few weeks too.  Luckily she's been good about wearing her diapers and it has been mostly uneventful.  She looks pretty pathetic, but I think she was not phased by it at all.

We also had a really nice evening walk around Eaton Rapids one evening.  I always like walking around the little island park in the middle of the river.  The girls seemed to really enjoy it too.

After leaving the island and while waking along the river trail, Peaches discovered a duck nest.  The mom and dad duck weren't far away, and they didn't seemed bothered by us at all.

This is probably my favorite picture of the night.  Such a pretty scene along the river. 

We left for our 6th annual UP Memorial Day trip with Vanessa mid-day on the Friday before Memorial Day.   I always look forward to this trip.

After crossing the Bridge, we made a stop in St Ignace for a climb up Castle Rock, a few geocaches, and a burger at Clyde's before continuing our trip North.  

We arrived at our Airbnb in Marquette before sunset, and that allowed us to get in a quick mile on the North Country Trail before we settled in for the evening and enjoyed some time outdoors on our upstairs deck.

Saturday morning we headed out for some adventures.  After grabbing a bagel for breakfast, we stopped by Snowbound Books.  We both left with books and we saw these beautiful tulips outside of the store.

We then headed out to visit some waterfalls. 

We first stopped at Wright Street Falls.

It was a cool spot and we were able to find a few geocaches and enjoy the views.

We then attempted to visit the Dead River Falls, but the hike to get there was a lot harder than I remembered it being from my last visit, and we gave up before making it all the way to the Falls. 

We then headed out for an adventure along the 510.  First stop was to check out both the new and old 510 bridges.  I thought the view from the old Bridge was pretty. 

We continued along the 510 picking up a few caches and finding an interesting little waterfall along the way, although I didn't get a picture of those Falls.

Finally we made it to the Yellow Dog Falls.  I have wanted to visit these Falls for a long time, but had always heard how rugged the area was, so didn't want to visit them alone.

What I discovered is that there is a really nice trail along the river out to the Falls, which made for an easy hike.

The girls helped Vanessa look for rocks and I discovered Mina has no fear.  Peaches was thirsty, but absolutely refused to drink from the moving water.

I really enjoyed our visit here.  It is such a pretty waterfall and a very cool area to explore.

Our next stop along the 510 was Thomas Rock.  We had a nice short walk to the overlook with a stunning view of the Big Bay area.  

Finally, we headed into Big Bay for a late lunch at the Lumberjack Tavern, home of the real-life story behind 'Anatomy of a Murder." 

We ended our trip to Big Bay with a stop at the beach.

Mina was happy to watch Vanessa look for rocks, while Peaches explored the beach.

 

After a fun day of exploring, hiking, and geocaching, we headed back down the 550 to return to Marquette for the night.  Peaches was happy to spend the evening snuggling with Vanessa. 

Our Sunday plans kept us closer to Marquette.  There is so much to do within a very short distance of downtown.

I loved the location of our Airbnb because we were only a tenth of a mile from the NCT.  Our Sunday morning potty walk down the trail was especially pretty.

I also enjoyed the lilacs that were blooming along the way.

When we headed out for the day's adventures, our first stop was Sugarloaf Mountain. 

All of us enjoyed the hike and the views at the top.

After hiking up a mountain, it was time to spend some time along the beach, so we headed to Little Presque Isle Park for a hike on the NCT.

The views along this section of the trail between Little Presque Isle and Wetmore Landing are pretty spectacular.   We also got really lucky because the bugs weren't bad either. 

I don't know why I had never hiked here before, but I will definitely be back. 

When we returned to Little Presque Isle, I found this warning sign...a reminder to others about the danger of Lake Superior.  For me it was a reminder of that terrible day when we lost a fellow GSP lover and rescue volunteer, Kayli Tansey, at just 22 years old.  

I don't think I'll ever forget that day.  While I didn't know Kayli well, I had met her, and her dogs, on a few occasions doing rescue work, and had seen her just a couple weeks before when I met with her to help on a rescue transport.  I was in Munising on the day of her death, and heard the Coast Guard Siren call for help with the rescue.  I still get emotional thinking about this day, and my heart aches for her mom on this loss.  Hard to believe it has been 7 years.

After all of our hiking, we headed back into town for lunch on the patio at the Delft.  The girls were so well-behaved.

We geocached around downtown for a bit after lunch, and then went back to the house to enjoy some quiet time out on the front porch.

We took another evening walk along the NCT, walked along the breakwall (which.was an adventure!), and visited the lighthouse. 

It had been another great day of adventures.

Monday arrived and we would be heading home after our awesome weekend, but not before some more adventures. 

We left Marquette and made a quick trip west into Ishpeming to pick up some geocaches and to make a stop at Da Yoopers Tourist Trap.  We stopped at Huron Mountain Bakery for a treat on our way back into town.  They always have something tasty there!

Then we stopped for some time at the beach in Marquette so we could visit with our friend Chelsea who lives in Marquette, and we made one more stop for a little more time on the NCT before leaving town.

As we drove toward Munising, we stopped at Au Train Beach, and of course we made a stop at Wagner Falls before leaving the area

I was happy to see the Marsh Marigold in bloom and to find this Jack-in-the-Pulpit.

Of course the highlight was seeing the Falls.  I love this Waterfall. 

We ate a late lunch at Clyde's in Manistique before hitting the road to officially start the drive home.  It was a great way to end another fun weekend in the UP.  I'm already excited for next year's trip!

The weather for the week following Memorial Day was unseasonably hot so we avoided adventures and tried to take our walks in the morning or later evening. 

I did get out to enjoy our Wednesday night dog walking club, but outside of that, it was a quiet and uneventful week at home.

The girls spent the cooler parts of the day outside and made the most of the air conditioning during the heat of the day.

We ended the month of May quietly, and happily welcomed June looking forward to the fun Summer ahead.  We should have lots of time for some good fun over the next few months.   It's the best time of the year to be in Michigan!

Well, that should get us almost caught up and get me back on schedule for my normal Sunday blog.   I look forward to sharing the trials, tribulations, and joy from the last week on Sunday.