Tahquamenon Falls

In true Fitzgerald fashion, our vacation was something off of National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation.  While I was packing the trailer up on Tuesday, Brecken and Joelle were horsing around in typical twin fashion.  Joelle's fingers were in the trailer door and Brecken shut it.  Oh man.  You should have heard her scream.  I think the neighbors took cover in their basements because they thought the tornado siren went off.  She screamed for 45 minutes.  I kid you not.  Blood started pooling immediately underneath her finger nail and she screamed any time you tried to bend it.  I googled what you could do for it and apparently the pressure of the blood pooling under your nail is immensely painful.  They can drill a hole through the nail to let the blood release and you can save the nail.  We ate supper when Eric got home and she was still super upset about it.  I told Eric I was just going to take her in.  Our plans were to pack the trailer all up while the kids were in bed.  HAHA.

We get to the Urgent Care and, of course, everybody is asking her what happened.  Just in case they might have to report us to CPS.  "My brother slammed it in the trailer door."  The responses were just so encouraging.  "Oh those brothers."  "Boys will do that."  Nothing like "I bet that was an accident"  or "I'm sure he feels really bad."  We are trying to encourage sibling positivity over here people.  Not furthering the sibling strife.  Thanks.

 We are uber bored and uber sad.  And her hair.  Oh her long hair.

They decided they didn't want to pierce it because the blood was only halfway across.  The doc tried to tell me that was Sharpie on her nail.  I'm like listen here buddy.  That's blood.  UNDER her nail.  "Well we prefer the blood to be across the whole nail before we pierce it but we do want to do an x-ray."  I say ok because she was in a lot of pain from it.  Turns out that x-ray of her teeny tiny thumb cost us $201.  I told Eric their limbs are going to be at unnatural 90 degree angles before I consent to an x-ray again.  And it wasn't broken.  2 hours later we come home.


When we woke up in the morning the whole thing was filled with blood.  It ended up releasing on it's own, later that day.  The whole nail released except for where it's attached on the sides and back.  It was really fun trying to keep that clean while we were camping.  It started getting infected and I was afraid I was going to have to take her in again.  When we got home we started doing epsom salt soaks and squishing out the "stuff."  It cleared up after a day or two.  The nail slowly lifted up more and more and I just kept clipping it off so it wouldn't get snagged.  In all my internet searches it would have been a whole other problem if it had snagged on something and ripped.  I was finally able to gently tear it away from the cuticle after it had grown out and was dead.  Then she just walked around with no nail for a while. It slowly started coming back.  It was very sensitive while it was coming back.  If she bumped it or it got squashed there were tears involved.  We just trimmed it for the first time yesterday (10/4).  It still has a weird bump in it which may or may not go away.  I'm just glad her nail came back.

Wednesday morning dawned.  We had originally wanted to leave right in the morning.  Since it was going to take us 5 hours to get there.  That didn't happen.  It was our first time towing with the truck and we had to order all kinds of different hitch parts since it was so much taller than the van.  We didn't want to re-buy parts when we get a new trailer so we got an adjustable hitch.  They sent the wrong bolts.  It was all sorts of fun.  We didn't end up leaving until 1:00.  We got all set up in the dark.  We did arrive safe and sound and no one cried the whole way.  We listened to lots of CD's, I read most of Little House in the Big Woods out loud and the kids colored.

Thursday morning we drove to get some firewood and refuel Frank the Tank.  We stopped at the oldest gas station I have EVER seen.  It was straight out of an old school movie.  Eric said you pump the gas, I'll get the wood.  I put the nozzle in the truck, flip the thing and it starts whirring like crazy.  I thought gas would just start flowing.  I'm looking everywhere for more buttons I have to push.  Can't find any.  Meanwhile the machine is still whirring.  Loudly.  I'm afraid we are going to explode.  So I put it all back and walk in the store.  I ask at the counter.  The lady said "Did you try squeezing the handle?"  I said "Oh.  Nope."  And just walked out.  Meanwhile I'm laughing hysterically at myself.  Eric came over with the wood and I'm just getting started.  So he asks me what took so long.  I explain.  He just stares at me.  He said "Aren't you embarrassed?"  I said "Nope."  Clearly I wasn't the only one who has done that.  She wouldn't just ask about squeezing the handle.

We camped at Tahquamenon Falls State Park which is right by the lower falls.  Thursday morning we set off for a hike.  You can rent a row boat to go over to the island in the middle of the falls.  It's a mile around the island and you can view all five portions of the lower falls.  It was a LOT of fun.

The kiddos in front of one of the falls.

When we went to the Falls when I was younger, we weren't allowed to go to the island or play around in the falls.  They must have changed some rules..

Eric had the bright idea to hike out to this rock.  We both had some crazy ideas, this vacation, and we both maintain that the other person's idea was crazier.  The current was no small current through here.  And I am not a wimp either.

Eric ended up having to carry the kids over there.  Which was also super comforting.  One wrong step and they would have been swept away forever.

It was all worth it for this picture though.  ;)  Always for the pictures.

I wish we had realized you could walk around in the falls.  None of us had our suits on.  Thankfully it was a really warm day and the water was warm too.

They had tons of fun finding rocks to balance on top of each other.

Their finished creation.

Daddy and the girls walked out to a different portion of the falls.  The boys and Momma hung out here.

 

Daddy and the girls

Lincoln wanted to get out of the Ergo and crawl around too.

B told us he had to pee.  We said go in to the bushes.  Next thing we here this faint tinkling sound.  We turn around and B is peeing right in the stream we are playing in.  In full view of everyone.  Naturally, the best thing to do is take a picture.  Then remove your infant son from said stream.

My little bug catcher.  My girls may wear skirts and have to have their hair done but they know how to get dirty and catch bugs too.  With their skirts on.

More bug catching.

So beautiful

Adelyn wanted to take a picture

Tried to get a picture of all three of them.  B was not thrilled.

So we tried for a silly one with Adelyn taking the picture.

Someone was going to be missing those later...

Mainly the reason I didn't want to venture to the big rock.  

Our snazzy rowboats.  Daddy was a terrific rower.  He almost rowed a boat over and I quickly said "We were just trying to make sure you were all safe!"  The other guy responded right back with "I'm still trying to count how many families are in your boat."  Hardy har har.

L diddy's first (GF) graham cracker.  Oh they were so good.

B was thrilled with his sticky mess.  J?  Not so much.

Oh yes.  Yes I did.  Marshmallow, chocolate and two cookies.  And it was delicious.  Every single drop of it.  I only got 7 cavities from it too.

We went to Munising on Friday.  I really wanted to do Chapel Rock.  I had googled it at home and thought it was only an hour from the falls. HA.  I messed something up.  I put it in the GPS after 45 minutes and it told us we still had an hour to go.  Whoops.  Oh well.  It was worth it.  We talked on the way and decided a 3 mile hike, to Chapel Rock, was probably pushing our luck since we had done a bunch of hiking on Thursday.  We decided to do some falls around Munising and then do the Pictured Rocks boat tour at night.  There are 17 falls in Munising.  So beautiful.  We got to Miner's Falls and I was ticked.  We had looked at the brochure for all the different falls and, from the picture, you were looking up at Miners falls.  We hiked down there and the stairs to the bottom of the falls were washed away and it was all closed off.  Some Amish men jumped the fence and hopped down to the bottom like a bunch of goats.  Then I decided we needed to do that.  Eric told me I was high as a kite and there was no way he was doing that.  Then we are whisper arguing about it being safe or not safe.  I told him he almost swept us to our death over falls yesterday.  If we slip and fall climbing down a dirt trail we would just roll to the bottom with a scratch or two.  I finally won.

There was a family that ended up helping us with the kids on the way down.  One of their boys was a year older than Adelyn and they had one that was a couple years older.  We exchanged picture taking at the bottom ;)

You can see the observation deck to the top left.  On the bottom right there are more people following in our footsteps.  

The six of us. 

After the falls we went to Miners Castle.  There were two of these "turrets" at one point.  A few years ago, one of them fell down.

The old lighthouse into the bay for Pictured Rocks.  We took the 6:00 tour and it was amazing.  It was a three hour boat tour and we were a little nervous with the kids.  But we took supper on the boat and lots of snacks.  We figured they could always fall asleep, if they needed too ;)

Miners Castle from the boat.

A lot of these falls that you can see in pictures normally you can't see in the summers.  They were telling us that since it was such a wet summer they were still running.  The weekend we were in the UP was the first nice weekend they had all summer.

Someday I will kayak this.  With or without Eric.  The kids all said they would come with me.  Eric said he wasn't coming.

If you look really close you can see the water droplets from the top of the cave.  You can hear it tinkling on the water constantly.

They had all these cool names for the different rock formations.  This one was some chief's name.  If you look closely at the formation sticking out over the water it looks like a nose/forehead and the trees going back are his head-dress.

Battleship row.  All the different rocks sticking out into the water.

Aren't the colors just beautiful?

We drove into one of the caves.  They can't do it all the time, if it's to rough, but the weather was beautiful.

This section of falls had a bridge over it.  We could have stayed up there for weeks.  There were so many cool places to go.

Spray Falls.  There is a ship sunk underneath it.

Chapel Rock.  So amazing.  A lone tree on top of a lone rock, with roots stretching back across the water.

This formation was called "The Vase."  Adelyn loved hearing all the names for the rocks.

Don't ask me why, but I think this picture is amazing.

They used to drive through this "cave."  Then the roof fell down and blocked it off.  We actually saw some rock slides while we were out.  They said it was reallllly rare to witness rock slides during the summer.

Some birds nesting.

The kids on the back of the boat.  Lincoln was the only weenie on the boat ride.  He would NOT go to sleep.  And he would NOT let me sit.  I stood on the back of the boat for at least an hour, right on top of the motors, trying to get him to go to sleep.  I finally succeeded.

See?  Success at it's finest.

Adelyn loves taking pictures.

Miner's Castle on the way back.

The people we saw at Miner's Falls were on the same boat tour as us.  We ended up talking and the kids were splashing in Lake Superior for a couple hours.  We didn't leave until 10:30.  And had a 2 hour drive back.  Whoops.  The kids were soaking wet so we had stripped them down to their undies in the car.  They all fell asleep.  We drove straight to the bathrooms at the campground.  Then drove back to the trailer.  I opened the back of the truck to get the kids out and it just STUNK.  I thought for sure someone had pooped.  Everybody said they didn't.  They said they tooted.  I let it go, we went to the bathroom and back to the trailer.  We are all getting dressed.  New undies and new jammies.  Eric was picking up clothes.  We only had one small light on in the trailer.  He was poking something and saying "What is this?  It looks like Big League Chew.  Can I get some light?"   I turn another light on and I was all "WHAT are you doing?!  That's poop!!!"  I start hysterically laughing.  The kids are laughing.  Finally he is laughing.  I realized exactly when this someone had crapped their pants.  Said child asked to go to the bathroom while we were playing at the docks.  We made it to the bathrooms for this event.  But a certain look came over said child's face.  That's when the turd ended up in the underwear.  Someone had waited a little TOO long to ask to go to the bathroom.  Then the rest of the turds went in the toilet.

People can't believe we just spend time hanging out at the trailer.  We have done this quite a few times and try to have some rest/quiet time and not just be going non stop.  We have chalk that we keep in the trailer.  Coloring books and markers we keep in the trailer.  We always bring toys and bikes.  There are lots of things we can do at the trailer...without watching TV.  The campground hosts had a scavenger hunt the kids did.  They love it.  (Let it be known, we do bring our laptop and movies for days that it rains.  We aren't that foolish.)  Let it also be known, one of our children had a drop down ridiculous, insanely embarrassing, hours long continuation of a tantrum.  Said child missed out on going to the Upper Falls, ice cream and had to stay in the trailer the whole time coloring apology pictures because the tantrum also involved ripping someone else's picture up.  I sat outside and read a book.

Pretty girl dancing and blowing bubbles.

Digging in the dirt.

He loves letting the water dribble out of his mouth after he drinks..

2 cuties at the Upper Falls.

Eric had B and J snap some pictures.  L just cracks me up.

This is the bed closest to ours.  Lincoln slept in the pack n play and Brecken slept on the cushions right next to him.

We decided to pack up our trailer on Sunday and drive over to the Upper Falls before we left.  Adelyn was SUPER sad she missed them...and, quite frankly, so was I.  She did very obediently serve her punishment the night before.  And spent hours in the trailer by herself...

God's creation is so amazing.

My favorite people.

Silly boy.

Sweet sisters.

They are the cutest.

We had an uneventful ride home.  Eric and I both agreed this was our most favorite camping trip.  We all had SO much fun.  If we didn't have that one day where someone had the epic temper tantrum it would have been the perfect vacation.  We did do a lot of stuff and we do hike a lot.  They don't sleep as well.  We want to try doing something one day, taking the next day completely off and rotating like that next time.  We do have downtime but I think we just get so exhausted.  We both want to go back to the UP and spend more time up there.  It is just so beautiful.