We arrived into Mackinaw around 1p, and then walked around and toured the place for 2-3 hours.  We went to the beach and skipped rocks into the lake, we visited the Coast Guard Cutter Icebreaker, and even stopped for some ice cream in town.  We knew we still have about 5-6 hours left so we crossed the Mackinaw Bridge and headed west towards Wisconsin.

We arrived at the Manitowish Lodge and and was very nice.  It appeared brand new, but we learned it was actually built in the 90’s.  A very wealthy lady bought it last year and renovated it.  She did it to the 9’s.  The kids played soccer in the nice grass area below our balcony while we got situated.

We then went to the Pea Patch for dinner, and ran into Red, Ashtyn, and Red’s uncle, Terry.  The mosquitoes started eating us up as soon as the sun set.  They were AWFUL. Since there was a mixup in the kitchen, and we waited so long on our food ,the manager offered to comp our $60 meal.  We went back to the lodge which is perfectly located so we can walk to the lake and practically everywhere else. Here is a map of all the hotspots.

Friday (7/3)

Wedding festivities began today. Read all about them here..

I got up and saw that Heather and Tess were already up exploring the lake area.  Trev, Tay, and I got a little breakfast and then met up with mom and Tess. We all played soccer a bit and then walked down past the Anglers restaurant to explore and then headed back up to get some hot dogs and brats benefiting the local library.

After our lunch, we decided to get ice cream and then headed back to the lodge. After hanging out there a bit, we decided to head over to the Casey beach house, and it was a good thing too.  We ended up turning on the wrong street and had trouble finding the house initially.  We arrived and Sheila (Lisa’s mom) said that Red, Lisa, and Maggie were napping. Sheila introduced us to Lisa’s brother Duffy and his wife Lorenda, who came in from Maui for the wedding.  Red then woke up and showed us the lake and a tightrope they had out back. The kids took a shot at the tightrope and then we headed back to the lodge to get ready for the fish fry. Due to the potential rain, the fish fry was moved from the house to a local church up the road. I opened the meal with prayer and then we all dug in and had some great fish.  There were a ton of kids running around and everyone was having a good time getting to know one another.

As it was getting late, we headed back to the lodge and the kids played soccer in the parking lot in the rain while Heather and I got things situated for tomorrow’s big day. Red is picking Trevor and I up for breakfast and the girls are heading out to get mani and pedi’s for the wedding which starts at 11a.

Saturday (7/4)

It’s wedding day! We got up around 7:30a as Red was picking Trevor and I up early.  Since it was the 4th of July, the restaurants were either closed or we didn’t have enough time to eat and get to the wedding for some pics.

We arrived at Casey house for the wedding around 9a or so and the wedding party took a few pics together.  Wedding started at 11a and the weather was beautiful.  I was dripping sweat during the wedding as the sun was directly on me. It was a beautiful ceremony.  After the wedding we eat the wonderful chicken and ribs that were catered in.  The food was awesome. Towards the end of the meal, Erin (Lisa’s sister and maid of honor) and I (as best man) gave our toasts.

We all went back to the lodge to change into boat clothes for the boat parade. There were 5 or 6 boats for all the guests of the wedding and I was one of the captains.  On my boat was my family, reds uncle Terry and his daughter Madison and son Morgan, Ashtyn, Betsy (Red’s step mom), Janice (Red’s mom) and a few others. We drove around the lake – which was very busy due to the holiday.  After an hour or so, we sand docked at a small beach. We hung out for a few hours swimming, drinking, dancing, singing and just enjoying the beach and great weather.

We then headed back to the house, and then back to the lodge to get warmer clothes for the evening… and mosquito repellent – man are they awful here.  I took a power nap and then we headed back to the lake house for hot dogs and s’mores.  As we were eating, the mosquitoes terrorized us.  The repellent is basically non-existent to these things and they even bite through jeans and sweatshirts.  As it started to get dark, we all got back in the boats and sat idle in the lake during the great fireworks show. It was around 1030 and it had been a long day, so we all went back to the lodge and crashed for the night.

Sunday (7/5)

We got up and had a lilght breakfast and then went for a walk. Red called and said they were taking the boat out. We headed over there and the first stop was Griers Pier for lunch. The burgers were really good. Red showed me this game called hammer schlogging. Each player alternates turns with a thin hammer and the first one to hit the nail flush wins. I had a little luck as my first attempt put the nail halfway down, but Red caught me and beat me by one turn. We tried to include Trev but the waitress stopped us and said that you had to b 21 to play. we then took about an hour boat ride and the kids did some tubing. We docked and everybody swam a bit

We then headed back to the lodge to get changed for the house for the FIFA women’s world championship between USA and JAPAN. We showered and headed over to Pea Patch to watch the game. Lisa’s brother Mark was there and Duffy and Lorenda from HI stopped by too. We watched an awesome game (U.S. Won 5-2), and had a great meal. The 3rd goal by Carli Lloyd from midfield over the goalie’s head was incredible. The game was 4-0 at the 16 minute mark, and Carli Lloyd already had a hat trick.  We then headed back to the lodge and turned in for the night.

Monday (7/6)

We got up and met Shree and his family and Red, Lisa and Maggie for breakfast at Aurora Borealis. Great food! Service took 2.5 hours though… Heather and I and the kids then headed to the Cranberry Farms outside of Manitowish Waters. The bogs were kinda cool, but it was off-season so they were pretty bare. We bought some cranberries and then headed to Minacqua to visit some shops and stuff. The traffic was awful so we only stayed about an hour or so. We then went to Boulder junction and met up with Red and Lisa for a late lunch at the Boulder Beer Barn. We then headed back to the lodge and the girls went to Bingo,  Trev went to dinner with Red and I worked on stuff for my Dallas trip on Wednesday

Tuesday (7/7)

We left the lodge at 5a CST and stopped for a late lunch in Champaign IL. I was going to swing by the office but we needed to get Trev back for soccer. We dropped him off in time and got home by 6p EST– after several unscheduled stops. It would have taken about 10,5 to 11 hours. Total miles for the day – 730