It’s that time of year again when us Kladders pack up the car and head (VERY) North to Michigan’s beautiful Upper Peninsula for our annual Smith Family cabin trip. Eight hours of drive time (plus about an hour of gas/bathroom breaks) gains us a destination in the remote part of the Porcupine Mountains where you’ll find a rustic home away from home that belongs to my parents. It’s ‘off-the-grid’ in every possible way and provides a place where we can all truly unplug from our day to day. It’s a family tradition that’s been around since before I was born and something we all look forward to each summer.
This year we made a pit stop in Marquette, Michigan (mostly so Jeff could snag some free WiFi and make a quick work call) which allowed me and the kids to check out the Blueberry Festival. The event takes place the last Friday in July each year and celebrates all things ‘blueberry.’ The main street is closed to traffic and lined with local vendors selling trinkets, artwork and of course… all things blueberry! The most interesting item we found was a sweet blueberry pizza. I couldn’t convince the kids to try it - they opted for an icy instead.
Our adventure continued two hours west towards Ontonagon where we met up with my parents and brother - Uncle Jason - at camp. Camp is where we have slow mornings and lazy porch afternoons. It’s where we cook giant breakfasts of pancakes, French toast and eggs benedict. We tinker with projects like clearing the trail of branches and fix something that broke over the winter. The kids swing until their hearts desire and we have the time to make homemade pretzels. It’s a true break from what we are used to back at home and allows us the opportunity to slow right… the heck… down.
One of the highlights this year was taking both kids kayaking down the Ontonagon River which runs directly in front of the cabin. Natalie rode with me, and Thomas with Jeff, and we were joined by my Mom and Dad. The trek takes about two hours not including stops along the way and is a solid mix of slow, relaxing paddling and rushing rapids that requires a fun amount of path-charting and rock avoidance. We had a riot! Both kids enjoyed the rugged trip and we got a kick out of both opting to jump into the river and hold onto the back handle of the kayaks and drag behind the boat as we paddled. It made for quite the arm workout.
We also had a great time riding the four-wheelers all over the trails on the Porcupine Mountains. It’s arguably the kids favorite part about being at camp and I must say I agree. I like to drive the wheelers, but I also love just being a passenger princess and seeing the sights as we drive. The views from the top of the bluff are gorgeous I love when we find a good stretch of straight path and put the pedal to the metal!
A surprise from Grandpa Smith this year was a set of Red Ryder BB guns. He spent hours with the kids teaching them the basics of gun safety and (the more fun part) shooting cans. It’s very possible my Dad and Jeff had more fun shooting the BB guns than the kids, but overall it was a bit hit. I was pretty impressed by both kids ability to nail their targets consistently.
An annual stop during our trip each year is a Lake Superior beach day with local friends. They have a beautiful spot right on the water where we grill brats and play cornhole. This year the kids buried themselves in the sand and bundled rocks to bring home. We had the perfect day with temps in the high 70s and the chilly water didn’t both the kids whatsoever.
On the way home this year we checked out Garlyn Zoo which is located about an hour west on U.S. Hwy 2 from the Mackinac Bridge. It was a good halfway point for us to stop and stretch our legs. We were delighted to find an impressive amount of animals in up close habitats and felt pretty lucky that they were all out and active during the time we were there. We recommend the stop if you’re ever in the area with the family.
Our U.P. trip is always a wonderful end cap to our Michigan summers. We love connecting with family and spending time out in the woods together.
