Forget the beach- go to Michigan!

Mackinaw City, MI

My cheeks are red and wind-whipped, and my hair is wet and scraggly.

The children are huddled in a small, dark room, watching a movie under blankets, and it is quiet.

It is only 4pm.

We've been here for only two hours and we hope to stay here a week.  As daddy sleeps and the kids rest, I shake my head and laugh, wondering if the entire vacation is going to be as ridiculous as the first hour.

We went for a walk to explore our campground. October in Northern MI.  The grounds were quiet. The colors were gorgeous. The wind was cold.

I made the kids wear hats, mittens, and winter coats for our walk. They climbed a big rock and then we found a playground, and one by one they handed me their mittens and hats, not needing them as they had been warmed by play. Perhaps they didn't need to dress so warm.

We turned down one path, then another. “Kids, look at the wind, the way it whips the water back into the air,” daddy said. And we looked. And we smiled. And we leisurely walked along.

The wind whipped, faster now, and suddenly the Mackinaw bridge was nearly invisible.

 He and I realized it at the same moment. 

We need to move, now! 

Back to the cabin, back, back!  

Drops fell on us, just a few, then many, then what was that, rocks?

 HAIL! You can’t be serious, I thought.

I took Peter off my shoulders. He was screamin’ mad. I put up his big winter hood and put his back to the wind. The hail could not harm his puffy coat.  Still he screamed, angry screams giving fury back to nature.

RUN kids!

(Six kids, shocked, cold, horrified, determined or angry or panicking)

I said, RUN!

(more hail)
Run backwards!

Eldon curled into daddy and bounced along uncomplaining.
Marcus refused to put his hat down or walk backwards.  He walked, and he yelled, YELLED at the hail that smashed into his cheeks. 

The other big kids pressed on.

The whole thing was just... ridiculous.

But I couldn't help it. I took this picture.

Those faces after the rain run...  Those wind-burned, wet, accusing faces.

Our parents call this a vacation?

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Have you had any ridiculous vacation moments with your children? 

Or with your own ridiculous parents?

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** Despite this rough start, we had a fantastic time in Northern MI. We stayed in a cabin at Camp Mackinaw. I recommend it. But, Northern Michigan is not for wimps, not in October.