Chippewa Falls

Our next stop on Allen's Waterfall Tour was Chippewa Falls. The Trans-Canadian Highway crosses right over the Chippewa River, so the falls are visible from the road. And, they were totally worth our time to stop and explore. 

The rocks in this part of Canada are mainly granite - much of it being a beautiful orangey-red color. It's amazing to me that the rocks are so different from the gray limestone of the Straits of Mackinac - just an hour or two south. 

  The trails along the side of the falls were absolutely breathtaking; like something out of a movie. Plus, it was sprinkling the afternoon we were there, so everything had an greenish ethereal glow.

 

The falls were lovely as well. I had fun playing with the shutter speed on my camera.

In a few spots we were able to walk out into the rocks. My daughter was very frustrated that we wouldn't let her swim, but was happier when her father walked her out into some of the slower moving water. Luckily she didn't see the folks jumping off rocks into one of the pools upstream. We wondered how they knew how deep it was. At each of the falls we visited there were signs warning visitors about how quickly the flow rates of the falls can change. Apparently, many of the falls are used by hydro-electric plants to generate electricity, and if they open up the gates, the amount of water flowing over that falls can increase dramatically in the blink of an eye.

Such a beautiful spot... 

Ours to Discover

The license plates in Ontario, Canada say, "Yours to Discover," and that's just what we did this Labor Day weekend.  The Provence of Ontario is about four times bigger than the state of Michigan, so while we really only got to discover one tiny corner of it, we loved what we saw.  Allen made sure to point out the geography of the Eastern Upper Peninsula to the kids as we drove through so they could better appreciate the different geography they'd see in Canada. (Yeah, I know... we're geeky.)

We spent the night in the Canadian Soo so we could get an early start on Saturday morning. Our first stop was Kinsman Park just a few miles away from our hotel. The park is home to miles of hiking / ski trails and a beautiful waterfall.

The falls were magnificent.

We hiked right along side them.

In a few spots the river widened into small pools.

We didn't even think about stopping for a swim!

 

Down below Crystal Falls, the river opens up

into a small lake. 

Of course, the great frog hunt began,

though they stopped long enough to enjoy the teeter totters. (Sadly most parks we've visited in the US have removed them. Bummer - they're so good for teaching physics.)

We ate breakfast in the back of the van, used the outhouse, and then headed on our way - wondering where Allen was taking us next. He completely organized this trip - from the itinerary to the reservations and meals.

Band Aide?

I went up to my bathroom the other day and discovered this on the floor in front of the closet. It struck me as odd because I am the only one in the house who would have need of that box, and I knew I hadn't left it on the floor.

When I went outside to water my flowers I noticed my son's leg:

When I asked him about it he explained that he'd scraped his leg and the regular sized band aides weren't big enough so he needed to get out one of the really big ones.

He had a friend over so I  waited until his buddy left to explain that they weren't actually band aides...

Mackinac Moment

Out under the Mighty Mac...

Excursion: Castle Rock Ponds

My family is bound to love  a place where ponds, frogs,

and fish can be found.

My husband especially loves Castle Rock Ponds because it is off the beaten path so we rarely if ever see other people while we're there. Plus it is so close to home it's perfect for an afternoon getaway.

Art Rocks the Boat

With so many public schools across the nation cutting art and music programs, I am so glad that the Mackinac Island Public School isn't one of them.  Sure, the budget has been reduced, but my children (soon to be second and third graders) both participate in art and music. Which, by the way, they love! Miss M, who teaches the art and music classes at our school, is amazing - both of my children regularly come home very excited to tell me about the current art project, or singing one of the songs from the upcoming music program. In fact, I had heard quite enough of "Polar Puppy living at the North Pole. Santa's best friend living at the North Pole." Over and over again last Christmas. My old college roommates are laughing at this point insisting that it's Karma for me torturing them by playing the same Barenaked Ladies songs over and over again, but I digress...

One of the great things about Mackinac Island is the Mackinac Arts Council. Not only do they offer weekly movies and live concerts throughout the summer, but they work to raise money to supplement the budget at our school to insure that art and music classes for island kids continue. This year, one of the fundraising events was Art Rocks the Boat.

Just imagine a floating cocktail party aboard an Arnold Line "traditional ferry". There was food, drinks, and lots of great conversation. Supporting the arts was never so much fun...

Maze of Mirrors: A Special Treat

The Maze of Mirrors is fairly new on Mackinac. I can't remember exactly when they opened, but ever since it opened the kids have really wanted to visit. Much to their dismay, I've not been willing to pay the entrance fee (which I thought was $8.00 each ) for just a few minutes of fun. It seemed a bit pricey to me - I mean I'd pay that much for a two hour movie. Well, yesterday, I caved...

The kids have been diligently working on GRASP all summer; GRASP is the summer school program offered by our school. As a parent I wanted to avoid the summer learning loss that I see in many of my students, so I've enrolled my two in  the program each year. Anyway, they both worked so hard this summer - mostly without complaint, so I wanted to do something special as a reward. (And as a motivator, since GRASP will be on the agenda again next summer.) I suggested going out for ice cream, but S and K had other plans. They both immediately asked, "Can we go to the Maze of Mirrors?  Pleeeeeeeeeeeeease?"

How could I refuse?

When we got there I was pleasantly surprised; I expected to have to shell out twenty-four bucks for the three of us to get in, but they had reduced the price to $5.00 each.  S and K loved it! We had a great time - especially when they managed to discover "the fun room."

Nothing like crazy carnival mirrors give you a serious case of the giggles. We had a great time at the Maze of Mirrors. It really is quite well done. It truly is a maze - you've got to walk with your hands out in front of you to avoid walking head first into a mirrored wall. The kids really enjoyed the 20 minutes we spent inside. If you're on Mackinac Island with kids, you may want to take some time to get lost inside...

Mackinac Moment

Tonight we rode home in the rain after dinner with friends. If we're lucky, it will rain all night and then be beautiful again tomorrow. That would make my garden very happy...

Excursion: Geode Hunting

After the 102 degree heat (about 39 C) cooled a bit (into the 80s) we went down to the creek to go geode hunting. I've never found one in Michigan, but apparently down here in southern Indiana, they're very common.

After a quick lesson from grandma, their round shape and nubby texture made them easy to find. Do you see it? The bigger round bumpy rock in the lower right hand corner is a geode.

The kids and I managed to find quite a few.

The next morning we gathered our tools,

and worked out our aggression!

We quickly discovered that the bigger ones were a lot easier to crack than the little ones. For some reason (help me geologists out there,) the bigger ones tended to be hollow where the smaller ones were much more solid.

There's nothing like sparkly crystals to excite my little geologists. And bashing things with hammers, that's pretty fun, too...

A Cool Spot on a Hot Day

It's hot in southern Indiana. The kids and I are trying not to whine about it because 90 (about 32 C) really isn't that hot - it's just hot for us northerners who start to melt when the thermometer hits 80 (about 27 C.) Luckily, Grandma knew a perfect place to "chill out" on a hot afternoon: Bluespring Caverns.

We read the rules,

got our tickets, 

and walked down into the bottom of a large sinkhole. 

Once we were down in the lovely 52 degree (about 11 C) cave we got into a boat and were on our way.  Most of the tour of the cave is done by boat. In fact several sources list Bluespring Caverns, with its three miles of navigable river, as the longest known underground river in the United States. We spent about  an hour exploring it with Jacob, our guide. 

The kids really enjoyed the tour! In addition to seeing interesting formations (straws, flowstone, and stalactites,) we also saw lots of these and these. Sadly, my little camera just wasn't able to capture any decent photos of them in the low light.

We loved the tour of the cave, but the kids were more thrilled about what we discovered above ground.

In the gift shop each one of the kids chose a bag of sand, carried them outside and...

took them to the small sluice way where they could wash away the sand in search of treasures.

Oh my gosh did they ever have fun! Little by little they searched through the sand for rocks and gems.

I was impressed at the number of "treasures" hidden in each bag. Both S and K had considered spending their money on tiny little bags of polished rocks in the gift shop. For the same price as the little bag ($4.95) they ended up with many more rocks, an identification card, and about 30 minutes of fun. The didn't want to leave - they wanted to scoop up the sand from the bottom of the sluice to see if anyone had missed anything.

As you can see, they got quite a few treasures. And that was in only about one fourth of the sand in the bag. They're already asking if we can go back the next time we visit so we can buy the big bags.

*Blogger is giving me fits today. For some unknown reason it is refusing to justify text the way I want it to!. So if this post looks a little wonky, I apologize.

Warning!

For the past several days when we've arrived home late in the afternoon we've found this large fellow diligently guarding our front porch from intruders. Today he actually had an assistant, but his little friend scurried away before my husband could get out his phone to snap a few pictures.

Who needs a neighborhood watch when you've got an attack snake on patrol!

An Island Fourth

After a pretty sunset over the Straits (and in spite of the wind) Mackinac Island celebrated our nation's birthday with a great fireworks display! I had hoped to post these pictures last night, but it was after midnight before I got the kids in bed and I just didn't have the energy.

I love fireworks even more now than I did when I was little. I remember getting on the bus with my mom and riding into downtown Detroit to see the big display in the city. Seems like so long ago...

These days part of the fun for me is watching my kids and listening to their comments. My son was in complete awe last night. 

He must have yelled, "Awesome!" 50 times last night. I must say, I have to agree. I'm just always sad when they're over - I could sit and watch for hours... Couldn't you?