We usually hike through National Parks
but when Mom heard that you could tube
through Sleeping Bear National Lakeshore,
that sounded like something we should try.
Our luck hasn't improved much--
there was another storm overnight
and we lost power around 3am.
The bigger problem is that our KOA water
is on a pump...that needs electricity to work.
So our camper has no electricity OR water.
And our hot water heater still doesn't work.
Yikes.
But wait.
Just as we were going to give up
and head out,
the power came back on.
And THEN,
Dad figured out that the hot water heater bypass was on
(because the camper had been winterized)
and now we have hot water!
Things are looking up...
But, the forecast has been calling for rain today
ever since Mom started checking it.
And it's supposed to be a bit cool.
So with everything going like it has been
(although, let's be honest, we're still having a great time!),
Mom was really worried about what today might look like.
We decided to take our chances.
With the electricity and water fiasco this morning,
we got a bit of a late start.
Which meant it was a bit warmer than we expected.
That's good!
Then I saw a snake as I launched my tube.
That's not good.
We managed to push off
and get settled all the same.
It's been a while since we tubed
(hello, Knoxville 3 years ago!)
and the Platte River was warmer than our last experience
There was a nice current
and plenty of things to entertain us.
Ducks were everywhere--
clearly they have been fed by people a lot
because they followed us around looking for a snack
There were tons of cool rocks too.
My pockets were full
Can you see all the tiny snails?
They were everywhere
And look!
The sun is out!
The clouds are gone!
Maybe our luck has changed!!!
It was a pretty awesome day.
We tied our tubes together
into one massive float
and chatted about whatever came into my head
There was a lot of goofiness
We packed our cooler and ate as we floated
The ducks were pretty aggressive once the food came out
We packed plenty of drinks
but we've also been hauling around our LifeStraw
for months (years?) now.
Dad decided today should be the day we try it
So we all had a sip of the Platte River
So if one of us gets sick
I guess we all get sick!
Warm sun,
warm water,
cold drink.
THIS is vacation!
Mom, in her quest for great family pictures,
snagged a poor guy who was fishing in a kayak
and had him take our picture.
Ok, that was a pretty good one.
More duck friends joined us down river--
this time a mama and her 4 babies!
We did the long float,
which was suppose to take 4-5 hours.
Well, we must be fast floaters
because we were done in about 3
which turned out just fine
because we got our first taste
of splashing in Lake Michigan
All that sand...
we HAD to dig
while Mom and Dad did some beach combing
for more cool rocks.
They're on a mission for Petosky stones
The Platte was a pretty warm river.
How's Lake Michigan, Dad?
Looks chilly
It really turned into a gorgeous afternoon
Jack
and Beck decided to stay and build
while the rest of us set off down the shore.
It was really cool--
where there is usually layers of shells,
there were layers of rocks
washed up on the short
We took a quick dip in the Lake
and had to jump out and warm back up
Dad showed us how to make the sand "sing"
if you drag your feet just right
Mom is quickly falling in love
with the Michigan lakeshore
We finally reached our destination--
where the Platte meets the Lake.
How cool is that?
The Platte is the greenish water on the right
and Lake Michigan is the turquoise on the left
Blues in the blue
and Browns in the brown
The Lake is COLD compared to the River.
We had a blast soaking in one side
and then running to the other to warm up/cool off.
Today was awesome.
Maybe it's only blue skies ahead.
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