Saturday, June 29
Amy and I pick up Joleen and Kelsey and leave there at 10:00 am. We stop to buy dry ice on the way
out of town. Later we stop again for lunch at Bill Knapp's. It is close enough to my birthday to get a
cake which we take with us to Linda and Charley's in Sterling. After eating Joleen and Kelsey both fall
asleep. Fortunately I have Amy to keep me awake by asking me Brain Quest questions. We arrived in
Sterling at about 2:00 pm. We visit for awhile, then take the girls across the bridge to the park. The
swim a little in the Rifle River. Pat and Mary McBride joined us for a cookout.
Sunday, June 30
The guys called from Rogers City at 11:30 am. They tried crossing to Blind River once but hit a wall of
fog. They may try again later. Charley, Linda, and the four of us girls went to the beach in Tawas. The
water was very refreshing! It was a hot sunny day so we did take advantage of it. It was a very nice
beach with a clean sandy bottom. Linda called to get her messages on the way home. The guys got to
Blind River about 3:00 pm and reserved us a motel room. We went straight back to Linda's, packed
up our stuff, and took off. We traveled uneventfully, arriving in Blind River at 10:45 pm. There was a
full moon shining beautifully off the water as we drove. The girls were wonderful in the car. Kelsey fell
asleep about 15 minutes from our destination. We went to the marina and found the guys to say hello.
Then we went to our motel.
Monday, July 1
We were up early and cleared out the room easily since we had hardly brought anything in. Went to the
marina to check in with the guys. Joleen and I went in to town to do some last minute shopping and
picked up breakfast at McDonald's. We left the marina at 11:15 praying our spot on Gowen Island
would be free. It was!!! We pulled in at 11:50 am. It is a much quicker trip with the Meier's new
Sunskipper III. Blazer raced around the beach, ran in the water, swam, and just had a great time with
his new freedom. A lone loon came by to greet us. We are here! There really were not many boats
around at all. It remained sunny and nice while we set up camp and got situated. We got our tent up
and the screen tent. Had a relaxing afternoon. The kids played in the sand and water. We had
hamburgers for dinner grilled on an open fire. The kids then made s'mores. Dale and I were the last
ones in the screen tent when we heard some distant sounds. Dale was sure it was the footsteps of a
Tyrannosaurus Rex. I thought maybe thunder, but no. It was fireworks in distant Blind River. We
walked to the other side of the island and could glimpse them. They looked so cute! Eventually the
mosquitoes drove us into the tent too. The Gaarenstroom family was together again as were the Meier's
on the boat. I got a good nights sleep. It was a wonderful birthday!
Tuesday, July 2
Awoke to overcast skies then rain, rain and more rain. Did lots of reading on the boat and in the screen
tent. The kids played on the boat most of the day. The rain was lighter at times but neverending. Steve
and I did go for a walk in the rain. The boys went out and gathered kindling and we got a fire started to
cook our chicken for dinner. Our tent was leaking some by the stake loops, so Skip and Joleen invited
Dale and Amy to join them on the boat to sleep. It did stop raining and we stayed dry, but I had a
rather sleepless night. Lots of mosquitoes joined us in the tent, because I left one of the zippers open
slightly.
Wednesday, July 3
Woke with winds howling and sun pouring into the tent. It remained windy. We had eggs and sausage
before we all went for a walk the length of the island. Dale and Scott have done it on previous trips.
Amy and Kelsey were both excellent little hikers too! We hiked to the high point of Gowen and all
added a rock or two to the cairn there. It was a beautiful day but windy. We saw lots of blueberries
but none ripe yet. We did not continue around the island but returned by the rocky north shore. Blazer
is such a happy camper here. He runs ahead and back and covers several times the distance of any
other hiker. He's happy to run around the island, do a little minnowing and fetching, then nap under a
bush. Dale is content to kill ants with a maul. After our hike I took a bath. The kids played around in
the canoe. They also spent time on the boat playing Art Class and sneaking snacks, an activity repeated
often during the trip. Pork chops were the fare for dinner. I went to bed early. Zzzzzzz!!! Scott slept
with us in the tent and Amy slept on the Sunskipper.
Thursday, July 4
Independence Day. A wonderful sunny, warm day with little wind. We ate and cleaned up, then
headed for town. Joleen and I hit the grocery, hardware, dollar discount and bait stores. The guys had
the boat gassed, watered, pumped out; the kids showered and fed. Joleen and I grabbed a shower
then we took off. Dale and I were sitting in the back of the boat holding hands. Amy came back and
sat on the other side of Dale. He took her hand and held it. It was one of those sweet moments to
remember the next time the two of them are bickering. We cruised past Gowen and around Jackson
Island and into Moiles Harbor. Never saw a site nicer than ours. Back at Gowen Steve and I canoed
over to John Island. This evening we had spaghetti and a fresh lettuce salad. Then there were
fireworks - sparklers and some bottle rockets.
Friday, July 5
All the Gaarenstrooms slept in the tent last night and were the first ones up this morning. Already had
the opportunity to look back on yesterday's sweet moment nostalgically when Dale and Amy were
picking on each other first thing. The day started out cold and overcast but eneded up sunny and warm.
The kids usually play nicely together. There were a lot of classes going on today - art, swim, and
dance. They also play house a lot and take turns being each other's pets. The guys took all the kids on
a hike to the old fish camp. Joleen and I stayed behind, read, and had cocktails. Vacations don't get
much better than this. Skip and Joleen went out in the canoe. Then the boys were taking their turn
when Blazer jumped in with them. They paddled him around a little bit, then dumped him off, and took
turns trying to dump each other out. Tonight we ate leftover spaghetti and hot dogs. I walked to the
other side of the island to read and watch sunset. When I returned I found the guys scurrying to break
camp. We are leaving here tomorrow morning. We packed up what we could tonight. The
Gaarenstrooms packed their suitcases and went to sleep.
Saturday, July 6
We got up to another overcast day, but it was a windy night and the tent was dry to pack up. The
nights are always windy on Gowen. We left Gowen with some sadness, but the adventure continues.
We went back to Blind River, unloaded the boat into the van. The guys took the kids on the boat.
Joleen and I hopped in the van and headed to Little Current. We stopped to shop in Espanola, then
pulled into Wally's gas dock in Little Current only five minutes before the Sunskipper. All of us walked
up the hill to Farquhar's for ice cream cones. Steve and I had the traditional hawberry. We unloaded
the van into the boat, but leaving behind the camping gear this time and mistakenly Steve's duffle. We
headed off to Okeechobee Lodge at the mouth of Baie Fine. It is marvelous. We have a two-bedroom
housekeeping cottage with the boat docked just below. Blazer has to be restrained and is not happy
about it. The kids fished and caught bass and crawfish. Dale fell in the water up to his waist 50%
accidentally. The big disappointment is that the pool is closed for repairs. We cooked our steak dinner
tonight and everyone ate very well. Kelsey and Amy slept in the cabin with Steve and I tonight.
Sunday, July 7
It was overcast and rainy a good portion of the morning. Skip made a nice fire in our fireplace and we
all lounged around and read a great deal. Blazer was content getting lots of pets. Joleen and I did
laundry. In the afternoon the rain let up and the boys did some more fishing. They caught some large
bass. About 5:30 pm all nine of us went for a hike on the Skyline Trail. It goes up over a ridge and to
Frazer Bay. We saw lots of wildflowers including iris, columbine, rose, a bleeding heart looking flower
and lots of pink lady slippers past their prime. We scared up a grouse and Blazer took off after it
running into a rock wall. We also saw some ripe blueberries which we picked and immediately ate.
Blazer was happy to run free. He swam in Fraser Bay and the kids threw rocks. What was advertised
as a leisurely 45 minute hike took us nearly two hours. The kids are all pretty good hikers when the are
not complaining. Amy liked to lead the way but it took all eyes to find the blue blazes. We had a a very
late dinner of pork chops and rice dish. We had a fire in the fireplace all day. Amy got to sleep on the
sofa in front of it. Kelsey fell asleep there earlier in the evening and was carried to the boat. The two
boys got the other bedroom.
Monday, July 8
Awoke to blue skies and predictions they wouldn't last. We ate a quick breakfast and all got the boat
to head down Baie Fine to "the Pool." Parked the boat and hiked up the trail to Topaz Lake. The kids
were unimpressed with the fact that this was a different part of the trail that I backpacked on last fall.
They didn't really want to go on this hike but all had a great time. Unfortunately the sun wasn't out a lot,
but Topaz is still beautiful. The water seemed warmer than I remembered. Most of us swam, especially
Blazer who learned how to dive to fetch sticks. We passed people both coming and going but had the
lake all to ourselves while there. Back at the boat we found we had no keys and Skip hiked back
nearly to the lake to find them dropped along the trail.. It started raining on the way home. We had
some chicken Ramen noodle soup and the girls took a hot bath while the boys read. We walked to the
store for ice cream cones and then the kids played mini-golf. It is a very scenic course spread
throughout the complex next to the water. They got to keep the clubs and balls overnight so played
several times. We are cleaning up our food supplies. We had another spaghetti and hot dog dinner.
After dinner we ha a guys versus girls game of Junior Outburst with the girls eking out a narrow victory.
The Gaarenstrooms all slept in the cabin joined only by Blazer of the Meier clan. Dale got the spot in
front of the fire tonight. Amy has read all of her books, some of Scott's and is working on one of
Dale's. Next she'll be reading Time Magazine or my novel.
Tuesday, July 9
Amy came into our room about 6:00 am upset by a bad dream. She climbed in bed with us and was
immediately followed by the Blaze. Later in the morning he had another laugh on us as he was tied up
on the porch and somehow managed to nose a latch across the door locking all of us in the cabin. We
were spared having to yell for help when Skip was able to move it with a kitchen knife. The morning
was dry but cool. We all piled on the Sunskipper III and headed to Little Current. The least fun of the
entire trip was grocery shopping at the Fresh Mart with Joleen and three kids. Amy went shopping for
beer and wine with Steve and Skip. Bought each of the kids a book and Amy has already finished hers
today. Ran into Bobby and Susie Stack at the gas dock as Joleen was looking up the phone number of
their lodge to leave them a message. We visited awhile and then they followed us throught the
Lansdowne to Killarney. Saw an empty kayak floating along and later someone retrieving it. We
returned to Okeechobee and Bobby and Sue split for Birch Island Resort. We had smoked whitefish
appetizers while we prepared fresh trout for the adults and chicken for the kids. Then the adults left the
Blazer and four kids in the cabin and walked down to the bar for the drink of the day, Alabama
Slammers. Returning we saw a gorgeous chunk of rainbow. Made all the kids go out and look.
Played another game of Junior Outburst that ended in a tie. Amy slept by the fire again. Scott joined
Dale in the bedroom.
Wednesday, July 10
Overcast again and even a little rain but the promise of better weather. We got up and around and off
to Collins Inlet. Just as we were leaving Okeechobee Bobby and Susie pulled up and decided to join
us. We got gas in Killarney then on to Collins Inlet and all the way to Robinson's Rock, which
fortunately was available for us to dock. Dale and Scott have turned into very capable dock hands
during this trip and did a great job of helping. We had Killarney bologna sandwiches. Skip, Steve, the
kids, and I all swam. The water was very pleasant. Blazer ran and ran and swam then crashed on a
bed of moss in the shade. We all sat on a rock in the sun for awhile then Bobby took Skip, Steve,
Dale, Scott, and Amy out in his boat fishing to no avail. Sue and I sat in the sun and had a nice visit.
Being on Robinson's Rock, especially with Bobby and Sue, really brought back fond memories of
Georgian Bay before our kids came along. It was nice to finally make it there with the kids and have
them think it was great too. They would have been happy to stay there. After the fishing trip Scott and
Dale swam again and then we took off. Collins Inlet is really beautiful and it was a wonderful day.
Back at Okeechobee we cleaned up leftovers. The kids got corn and macaroni and cheese. They
thought it was the best dinner yet. When they were all done the adults sat at the table together and ate.
We discussed the pros and cons of staying another day and decided to leave tomorrow. Had one last
fire even though it was too warm for it tonight. The kids roasted marshmallows. The two girls slept on
the boat and Dale and Scott in the cabin.
Thursday, July 11
We get up and prepare to leave the cabin. Packed up all our stuff from the cabin and loaded it on the
boat. Of course it is a beautiful day and the pool will pobably open. Cruised over to Little Current.
Moved stuff from the boat to the van one last time. The girls said good-bye to the boys. Amy and
Kelsey prove to be good traveling companions again. We crossed the swing bridge just before it
opened at noon. For old times sake we had a lunch at McDonald's Express in Blind River. As usual it
wasn't very express. Then we got bogged down in roadwork before the Soo. Eventually made it back
to the U.S. and into a Holiday Inn Express at Mackinaw City. We went swimming in the warm pool,
had a nice dinner, watched some of the Cherry Festival Parade from Traverse City, and went back to
the pool swimming.
Friday, July 12
After our free breakfast bar at the hotel, we hit the road. We made one stop at Clio for lunch then get
back to St. Clair Shores mid-afternoon. No Sunskipper yet. Amy and I went home and Melody came
over. She took Amy and Grandma Helen out for dinner. I went back to pick up Dale and Steve.