- Beauty: We stayed near/on Lake Superior our entire stay, and it was beautiful! Cold, but gorgeous. I love the water (to look at, not so much be out on), and the backdrop of rocky formations/towering grassy hills and radiant sunsets filled my heart up. We hiked high and far and took in as many views as possible. I also soaked up the beauty of the people around me: my 10-year-old daughter dancing on the shoreline, silhouetted by the brilliant sun, hair flying, and the laughter and frivolity of my husband, boys and youngest daughter playing in freezing Superior (whoever didn't catch the ball had to go under - brrr!).
- Wildlife: While this trip didn't offer as many wildlife sightings as other trips have, we saw a few species that were noteworthy: Eagles (at least two swooping overhead, low), raccoons (two of which were fighting one night just next to/under our pop-up bed over trail mix we had forgotten was in a hiking backpack), biting flies (causing bumps and bites galore until the wind/rain drove them away after several days), and mosquitoes (see biting fly explanation).
- Entrepreneurship: In a throwback to a trip we took several years ago, the three younger kids recreated their "Grilled Cheese Business". One lunch near the end of our trip, we were served by hilarious waitstaff and short order cooks. Once again, we kaboshed the attempted sandwich named "Grilled Cheesus". Bonus: they even took Apple Pay!
- Music: Every year for our trips, we come home solidly having chosen a theme song for the trip, usually one that we have played multiple times on all our long drives. This year we didn't drive nearly as much (only about 18-20 hours total) and a theme song was unclear. One child was trying to declare it "Copa Cabana", but there's no sense in forcing important things like theme songs. After a bit of floundering, someone declared it Tchaikovsky in general, due to my eldest son playing it often in his headphones and for us. (Sidenote - I attempted to type Tchaikovsky's name above, waiting for spell check to help me, and I got it right on the first try. This is a valuable life skill, surely?)
- Extended Family: The first part of our trip was spent with my whole family, and it was so lovely to spend time with all of them. My mom and dad and my sister and I have a text thread we've dubbed the "Fab Four", and for one of the afternoons there, the Fab Four (plus one fabulous niece**) spent the day shopping in Houghton's cute downtown.
- A true getaway: While we did mask up every time we went indoors anywhere, being in the UP really felt like we were away. Fewer people, fewer crowded areas, and fewer thoughts of Covid. Hours would go by and I would forget about the virus and all it entails. It was great to leave it all behind for a bit before we gear up for the fall and everything that will be happening as we return to school.
- Doppelgangers: One of our boys has really light blonde hair, and the kids were amazed at how many little boys we saw who looked like their brother when he was young. Every where we turned, there was our almost-fourteen-year-old as a toddler again. It made my heart hurt a bit, remembering the adorable little guy he was.
- Catchphrases: While we didn't seem to settle in on a theme song, we had no shortage of ridiculous phrases being thrown around constantly. I realize these will make no sense to anyone else, but I document them here for family posterity: Chungus, filthy hekker, it's a Chewsday, innit?, 3,2,1 burrito!, and also the random rude armpit noise.
- Weaponry: Over the course of about a week, one of my boys took to whittling. It was a little nerve-wracking, watching him handle a knife wildly as he worked on his masterpiece. But it turns out the finished product was more terrifying than the process in which it was created. His shiv was wielded at anyone who offended him, and he was often seen stroking his face with the point of the blade in a most creepy manner. Lest he stab himself with it while we were driving, I had to take possession of it on the way home.
- Near misses: One of our boys really wanted to visit a nearby mine, but it was too expensive for us to all tour, so we had to skip it. Several days later, we took a hike through an old mining area. One of my children kindly suggested that they throw their brother into the mine since he missed the experience earlier. Soon comparisons to Joseph and covering his clothes in goat's blood were being thrown around. You'll be glad to know that no children were hurt during our mine hike.
- Games: Though we played several games, one stands head and shoulders above the rest: Throw Throw Burrito. Given to us to try by our youth director just before we left, we had hours of fun screaming "Burrito Brawl" and "3,2,1 Burrito", then rapidly flinging squishy burritos at each other. Of course, on a campsite, where many other people were nearby, no matter how "quietly" we played, our game drew attention. Our neighbors at one of our sites had two small boys, who covertly laid under their camper to watch us, and who we later heard yelling, "3,2,1 Burrito". The squishy burritos are looking a little bedraggled now.
- Shoes: One of my boys brought an extra pair of shoes that he was trying to keep nice. He laid them in between his seat and his sister's in the way back of the car. When my husband would brake quickly, he would stick out his arm (mom-arm style) to keep the shoes from falling to the floor. My eldest daughter, sitting back there with him, recounted this to us during one ride. She finished the story, laughingly with this: "And you know the worst part? I've started sticking my arm out to save the shoes now too!"
Ah, family vacations. Equal parts beauty, family time, laughter and joy. And also some random complaining and fighting, but hey, nothing's perfect! I'm thankful we have been able to take these family camping trips, even as the kids get older (and with coronavirus messing up so many plans!). Till next summer, vacation! Thanks for all the memories!
**Lest I get a big head after my euphoria over spelling Tchaikovsky's name correctly, my first attempt at spelling niece did not go as smoothly as typing Russian composer's names).