Welcome to Camp!

Breakfast proved to be unusual, but satisfying. Imagine if a 9 year old rampantly filled a shopping cart in the snack aisle of the grocery store. Then take those items and arrange them neatly on glass platters accompanied by some breakfast staples. A coffee/hot chocolate machine, a refrigerator filled with fruit cups, yogurt, string cheese, and those juice cups that accompany school breakfasts set alongside the platters of ho-hos, ding-dongs, hostess cupcakes, Belvita bars, granola bars, packs of fruit snacks, and oatmeal cream pies. A bowl of fresh fruit boasts apples, oranges, and bananas. To top it off there is a popcorn maker with every flavor of popcorn seasoning known to mankind. While unique, the experience left us full and ready for our next adventure.

We piled into the car set on finally seeing the Camp that Erich (my sister's husband) has talked about for years. He's told countless stories of summers spent there as a kid and his own children talk about swimming, campfires, and fishing in 2 lakes. My parents have accompanied them in the past, but this is our first time seeing it. 

My mom sent me directions, so I forward them to Amyrlin to read as I drive. Due to a lack of cell service, we have to use the GPS up to a point, then follow written directions after that. We drove through town, heading out to the famed Camp. We decided not to call to ensure our arrival would be a fun surprise. As we passed a wooded area, a deer stumbled out onto the road and I slammed on the brakes! It meandered across the road slowly while my heart raced at top speed. Suddenly every story I'd heard (and not really believed) about someone hitting a deer made sense. I took a deep breath and managed to keep driving, but my senses remained on high alert. 

The directions led us off the paved road and we drove for about 30 minutes. Feeling uneasy, I began to question the directions, but Amyrlin assured me that we needed to keep going. I checked the GPS and the road names matched with what she said. The road's ruts made for a rough ride, and we encountered more deer, but these at least moved with a bit more purpose. Finally, I stopped, sure we were going the wrong way. After consulting the directions again, I had an idea of where we went wrong, so I returned to the spot (about 30 minutes back) where I had seen a hand painted sign for a road on the directions. We eagerly started down the road only to find that it quickly tapered into a gravel trail where the branches on either side caressed our car a bit too closely. A thought flashed through my head about what would happen if another car came down the road, but by the looks of things that didn't appear to be very likely. When a turnoff (driveway?) appeared, we u-turned and headed back for the pavement. We retraced our steps yet again, this time back almost to town, and using only the paper directions started again. We retraced some steps, this time staying on the paved road past our previous 2 turnoffs. We finally reached a large group of mailboxes and I quickly scanned the names, spotting the name of Erich's family. We continued on the road as it dwindled smaller and smaller, finally reaching the house indicated. It was clearly empty, and the name didn't match. Confused, I considered returning to the signs, but the kids urged me to press on. I vaguely remembered the house number next to their name, and knew it was further down the road. We kept driving, slowly, as the already narrow dirt road seemed to shrink with each turn. Finally it dead ended at a red gate. As I prepared to turn around, I noticed a sign to the right of the gate bearing the family's name. With trepidation, I proceeded through the gate hoping that whoever we encountered wasn't hostile to random folks driving up. Much to our relief, we spotted Erich and some of the kids. After about an hour and a half in the car, we traversed the 20 minute drive from our hotel. No one seemed the least bit surprised to see us.

The kids integrated immediately into camp life sitting by the fire, checking out the lakes, and playing with the cousins. I quickly learned that we were heading into Marquette for the day to jump off a cliff and do some shopping followed by dinner at a local restaurant. I groaned at the fact that we'd need to drive back to the hotel for swimsuits and towels, but the day sounded like a lot of fun. We made plans to drive various cars and all meet up at the rocks before setting out to retrace our route once more.

Our first stop in Marquette found us in a rather nondescript parking lot that looked nothing like the park we'd been promised. We followed my sister around the corner of a building to enter a small shop. The kids all eagerly ordered boba drinks. We hopped back in the vehicles, drove a few blocks to a park, and joined Ashley's family on a very cool playground. While the kids checked out the variety of swings, slides, and spinning things, Ashley ordered some pizzas to hold everyone until dinnertime. Everyone crowded around a picnic table to snag a slice or two of rich, cheesy, deliciousness with the adults finishing up after the kids had eaten their fill. 

Following snacktime, we caravanned a few more miles to a park where we wound along a narrow road to an overcrowded parking lot. Erich scored a parking space as someone left, and we found a place along the road. We walked out onto a small rocky 'beach' facing some black cliffs. A cold wind made us shiver, and the beautiful water felt even colder. Unbelievably, atop the cliff, folks in swimsuits took turns leaping into the water. Most of us hunkered down on the stones of the beach, trying to get warm, grabbing towels from our bags to wrap ourselves in.

A few brave souls decided to head up to the top to jump. Erich took his two oldest kids as well as my girls to the top. We weren't sure who all would actually jump, but eagerly awaited them on the beach. 

For each potential jumper, they waited their turn, then walked to the edge. Some kids leapt quickly, others took a minute to steel their nerves. One boy paced between the edge and the group of waiting jumpers over and over again. You could see indecision warring within him. Eventually him mom jumped, and he followed not long after. Amyrlin, Lance, Lyla, and Bailey all ended up jumping, each conquering their own inner struggles. After the chilly plunge, they returned to the top for another round.

The younger kids waded into the water to sit on low rocks or splash around. Luke found a short jump and had his own turn to take the plunge, leaping to Lance waiting in the cold water. Watching eeach of the kids grow in confidence reminded me that some of the biggest lessons in life are learned in the small moments deep inside oneself.

When the jumpers had finished and everyone wrapped themselves in towels, we rode back to the nearby playground for yet another time of fun. This one retained some older playthings that certainly wouldn't be allowed in today's newer play area. A metal slide backed in the sun and a merry-go-round whirled kids who ran and squealed. The kids played out what remaining energy they had.

Next we went back into town for a bit of souvenir shopping to fill the time before heading for dinner. Bailey picked up a sweatshirt commemorating her jump from the rocks, and Troy talked me into sampling the candy from a shop. And we grabbed a magnet for our newly growing collection. After about an half hour of shopping, we returned to the cars for the trek to dinner.

The Up North Lodge hosts an annual dinner for Erich and his family as a part of their trips to the area. It's a restaurant that boasts rich foods like barbecue in a log cabin style building while also offering fun things for the kids like an outdoor area for volleyball and soccer. Dinner started off with cheese curds and fried pickles, then, at Erich's recommendation, I ordered the ribs. The quarter rack I asked for looked more like a full rack at many restaurants (see picture) came accompanied by a backed potato, and it was absolutely delicious. After being on the road so long, the flavors of home delighted my tongue.

Ashley brought a tie-dye kit to camp saying that she'd had it for a while and needed a reason to use it, so last night shirts were created for everyone in our party. my sister Lacey's featured pink and black tie dye while my sister Carin sported a tank top. Each person had selected colors and a design to suit their tastes. My nieces and nephews designed custom shirts for each of us. Luke, my 6 year old nephew proudly told me he made mine. I could not be more honored to don the wildly colored creation with its black and orange sleeve and assortment of colors. Nothing could make me happier than being gifted such a special keepsake. While we do look amazing in our shirts, it created a bit of confusion when an employee at the restaurant mistook us for the VBS staff at her local church. When she started talking abut her child enjoying the week, we had a funny moment explaining that it was a case of mistaken identity. 

The night finished with smores around the campfire and playing a social deduction game called "Head of the Family" where we tried to guess each others' secret identities. When you were guessed you joined a family with the winner being the final head of the family that included every player. The kids all loved the game and we played several rounds before heading back to town for a good night's sleep after an eventful day.