We're at it again--- Help Adam pick some Warby's

Adam is in need of some glasses so we thought we would try and get people's opinions like we did with my glasses. Quick side note: Adam wants to make you guys aware that this is a fake democracy. As seen by me choosing the glasses that got the least amount of votes.

I needed glasses so I wouldn't wear my contacts 16 hours a day and while I liked what everyone else chose, I didn't like them enough to solve my problem…. ahem… back to your regularly schedule programming.

We choose glasses that we thought Adam would look good in (they are different, I swear) but some are little too small for his face (so let us know if we should go for round 2 and take some measurements before we order them).

Okay, what's the verdict?

Day 8 & 9 the U.P.

We left Mackinaw Island and headed farther into the Upper Peninsula to see Tahquamenon Falls.  Adam and his family had come here when he was younger and had actually been able to play in the falls. This time however, they had just had a huge rainstorm that wiped out a ton roads and made the river rage. This was the chillest day by far on our trip... I had to give myself a pep talk when I got out of the car to not complain about how my jeans and sweatshirt were just not cutting it. 

 The lower falls

 We rented a little row boat to go across to the island. 

 and explored a little

 I dubbed him king of the island

But after walking around the small island he gave up his kingship so we could go back to the mainland to see the upper falls.There is a 8 mi round trip hike to the upper falls but we didn't quite have that time.

This guy was a fan that we were at the falls. He was so pretty (even though I am very much not a bug girl).

 The Upper Falls

 We were going to see a cool lighthouse near the Falls but the ranger told us we'd have to be on a dirt road for 10 miles with no cell service and that a huge rainstorm came through, washed out a lot of roads, and took down a lot of big trees but we were welcomed to go if we wanted. We wisely said no, thanks. So we headed farther north west and came to Munising, Michigan.

 We ate at this adorbs cafe/bookstore where I looked at books and Adam played piano while they made our food. The best part was they had gluten free options. We might have eaten here for dinner and then breakfast the next day.

Our table number was part of a tree.

Look at this gf english muffin! It was fluffy. Anyone who has had anything gf understands that this is very, very rare! I was so happy ;)

After dinner, we saw one of the first sunsets that wasn't cloudy. It was so pretty!

and got to touch Lake Superior. Originally, I wanted to dunk myself in every lake we came to but at this time of the year... it just really wasn't a good idea. My feet hurt so bad after just dipping them into the water, I can't imagine what my body would have felt like.

 We then stayed in the sketchiest hotel of my traveling career. I wrapped myself in a blanket that I had brought and considered burning it afterwards but instead just washed it immediately when we got home. After that, we were so close to home and we had already been traveling for days that I was ready to get home, take a shower, and sleep in my own bed.

So we went on boat tour as our last hurrah. It was beautiful. I didn't edit any of these photos. The water was really that green.

Our cruise was to see the Picture Rocks. They were beautiful especially when the sun hit them. You could see the different rock layers and the different colors (greens, bronzes, browns) are from different metal ores leaking on the rocks. It was really pretty. On the way out, we were traveling with the wind so it was really warm and nice. On the way back... not so much but it was all really fun.

Our tour was really pretty. I can only imagine what it would be later in the day with the sun hitting the rocks and then the sunset. Maybe next time.

The whole week I had been begging Adam to find me wildlife (as if he's Jack Hanna or something) but we didn't really go much off the beaten path to be able to see anything like that.  (We were in moose country up there) But on the way home in the middle of nowhere, Adam spotted a bald eagle. It was still far enough away that getting a picture was tough but I could see him sitting on that sandbar before he flew off. It was amazing... I've never seen one in the wild. It was such a good end to the trip.

Our first vacation (other than our honeymoon) was a success. Can't wait till next time. Hope everyone has a good weekend!

Mackinaw Island- Day 7

Okay so after our weird day, we had one of the best days on Mackinac Island. We got on one of the earliest ferries to take us onto the island and had a brief tour of the Mackinaw bridge while on our way over. That thing is big. It was calling for rain but we had a beautiful morning and then a decent afternoon as well.

Coming on to the island. 

Most of the island is a state park but there are still some privately owned houses. There are actually about 500 year around residents on the island. The way they get on and off the island is by ferry, plane, and in the winter, the ice bridge. Usually in February, after a week of below zero temperatures with no wind, the strait will freeze over creating an ice bridge that those brave residents can use to get to the mainland. Sometimes it lasts for a couple days or even a month and then it's back to checking schedules and paying for their transportation to the mainland.

The cool thing about Mackinaw island is that there are no cars on the island. Everyone walks, bikes, or rides horses/horse carriages. (The island is only 3.8 square miles and 8 miles around). It is so whimsical.

the cute little bed and breakfast we stayed at.

The view from where the governor's summer home 

We decided to walk through the island since the morning was so nice.

We saw the natural bridge and the sun was hitting the water just right.

We saw this huge rock called Sugar loaf. Look how small Adam looks.

A view from up top.

We got a nice couple to take our picture. Vacation is fun by yourselves but then you always have to bother someone to take a picture of the two of you. Sometimes they are good and sometimes they aren't, but we are always grateful ;)

We walked through the whole island and saw everything we wanted to see before noon. I felt so productive and it was fun.

The view from one of the old forts on the island. The island was valuable during the War of 1812. The British captured it from the Americans and used this fort because it was on higher ground.

After we walked around, we ate lunch in the cute town and then mini golfed (on real greens- so more like chipping and putting on a real golf course).

We also rented a tandem bike and went around the island. It was so much fun!!! I think Adam had to work harder because he was the person in the front but I was loving it haha

We seriously had so much fun on the island.

We spent more time exploring, eating, shopping, getting in our B&B's hot tub that was outside and had a waterfall (what?!? loved it), and enjoying our time on the island.

I'm so glad we went. It was one of the best days. And the next morning, we woke up to the sounds of cannon fire (the old fort has demonstrations) and horse hoofs. I felt like I had woken up in the wrong century. I could see us going back in the future. If you guys have a chance to go, it's really fun.

Traverse City/Old Mission Peninsula (Day 5 of our Michigan Vacay)

via google maps.

This was one of my favorite days of our vacation. The weather was beautiful and we had so many fun things to explore. We went up the 19 mile long Old Mission Peninsula that divides Grand Traverse Bay into east and west bays. It is only 3 miles wide at it's widest point so for a lot of the drive we could see water on both sides. Loved it. It's full of wineries, orchards, beautiful scenery, and cute little shops. Here are photos to prove it all.

The beautiful view on the way up

You cross over the 45th parallel, which is pretty cool. 

We saw a schoolhouse type lighthouse at the end of the peninsula.

The view from the lighthouse. The water was very low this year. It's usually a lot closer to the lighthouse.

 We found some swings because we love them and had some fun.

 Saw the sun hit the water just right. It was beautiful! And saw these weird rocks but they're kind of cool in a creepy ritual kind of way, right?

Kept up our theme of eating at local spots that somehow relate to dogs

 and loved our meal (cherry chicken salad with cherry vinegarette? yes, please)

 saw cute little fruit stands with the honor paying system in unattended boxes.

 Went to a really fun orchard with all kinds of in season fruit and had the best homemade blueberry ice cream (wish it was in my freezer right now!).

Took advantage of the 85 degree day and went swimming in the crystal clear water!

 Explored the cute city a little and got some souvenirs. We then headed to see the sunset at Sleeping Bear Dunes.

These dunes are large. It's hard to show portion because neither of us were willing to go down to illustrate.

The sunset was cloudy but I'm still glad we went to see the dunes. They were mind blowing.