Cheesehead Half Marathon and camping - the perfect weekend

After weeks of training and anticipation, the weekend of the next Half Marathon was finally here!  We made a weekend adventure out of it.

On Friday, we all took off from work early, packed up the cars and headed to Matt and Molly's camper!   After getting everything hauled into the camper and unpacked, we headed to Chilton to grab a few things from Walmart and the local Farmers Market with Molly.  We also were waiting for Matt to get to the campground since he had to work later than the rest of us, so why not get some errand done.

John's Jolly Yellow Banana, as Matt and I relax by the fire

For those of you that might have seen John's Facebook post last week about the "What is your color run name", you will appreciate this!  After Molly heard what John's Color Run name was (Jolly Yellow Banana), she had to have fun with it!  When we were at Walmart Molly had to pick up the special gift just for John, which she then properly labeled before giving it to him!

After grilling some awesome steak and potatoes, we spent Friday evening relaxing around the campfire, having a few beers and watching the Packers Pre-season game.  It was the perfect relaxing evening to get ready for our big run tomorrow.  It was really comforting knowing that we only had a 15 minute drive to get to the starting line for run tomorrow!  Since Molly and John were volunteering with registration and the 5k on Saturday, they had to be there for 6am!  The Half Marathon didn't start until 7:30 so Matt and I didn't have to be there quite that early... extra sleep would be a fabulous option!  It's didn't take us long to decide that we were taking 2 cars to the run!

After a goodnights sleep, Molly and John headed out around 5:30am to be in Hilbert before 6am, while Matt and I got at least a little more sleep!  Before long tho it was time for us to get up, find breakfast and head to the start line!

Once we got to Hilbert parked the car a few blocks from the start line, we found Molly and John, then made our way to the truck where they had left our race bibs for us before they went to work.  Time was drawing near for the start so we made a trip to the beloved port-a-pots before heading to the start line.  That in itself was an adventure!  After waiting in the long lines we were still there when they did the national anthem... good thing this run was chip timed so it didn't matter that we were a few minutes late starting.  We finally made our way to the start, stopping to drop off Matt's bag with his sandals in with with Molly and John.

We were on our way.  We missed the mass start, so the first mile was spent much less stressful than most other runs - we didn't end up spending time dodging our way around other runners. It also didn't take me long long to realize that I was glad that I didn't change my mind and wear my running capri's and a t-shirt.  This was going to be a warm run - there was no clouds in the sky to protect us from the bright, hot sun.  According to my phone it was only 65 degrees outside, but with the lack of cloud cover, it felt much warmer.  I was feeling good and ready to run!

The sun was going to be the biggest obstacle.  We cruised through the first few miles without any problems but after about mile 3, Matt's calves started bothering him.  We walked for a bit and he was determined to push through it.  Shortly after mile 4 we had to slow down and walk again for a bit.  Matt told me to just go and run.  I told him we would finish this together and that I was not going to leave him behind.  We pushed through another mile or so and again he told me to just run.  He was going walk for a bit.  I really didn't want to leave him behind but he would not take no for an answer.  He insisted that he would be ok and wanted me to just run.  Reluctantly, I did get back to my run.  I told him I would see him at the finish line.

This run had definitely turned into a mental challenge for me.  Pushing through the blazing sun was only part of it.  Knowing that Matt was behind me somewhere, kept me wondering if he was doing ok. At the halfway point, I was on track to hitting that 2 1/2 hour goal that I had for myself.  The best part about the second half of the course was that a good portion of it was right along the Fox River Trail, which meant a large amount of tree cover!  YAY!!  Granted it was only 3 miles, but that was 3 miles that I was away from the blazing sun out there in that cloudless sky!  Unfortunately  the tree cover had to come to an end. I had 3 miles left and they were all right back in the sun - the last 3 miles of the course were the same 3 miles that we ran when we started this course.  These last 3 miles were the toughest 3 miles I have run all summer!  The sun was trying to get the best of me.  I actually ended up walking a large portion of these miles, but I was still moving!  Finally, I made the turn just after mile 12 that would take me back into town!

I can honestly say that I truly had to push myself both physically and mentally to get through those last 3 miles.  When I came around that last corner and saw the finish line just two blocks ahead of me, I would have to say that was one of the best things I had seen all day!  I crossed that finish line with a smile on my face, knowing I had just run my new PR.  Official time - 2:35:23  Not quite the 2:30:00 that I was shooting for, but with the sun today, I was not going to complain one bit.  This was almost 7 minutes faster than my time from the Journey's Half Marathon in May! After collecting a bottle of water and my Cheesehead Medal, John and Molly came and found me right away.  I grabbed a spot in the shade to do a little stretching and cool off a bit.  Molly asked what happened to Matt and when I told her, they both said that made sense then as to why Matt and I's apps on our phones were giving such different results!

Matt and I approaching the finish line

I asked Molly about where Matt was at on the course.  She said he was at about mile 12.6.  He was back to running 11-12 minute miles so he was not too far behind me! My rest in the shade was done.  I had one thing I needed to do.  A few months ago, when Matt mentioned that he was considering finding another half marathon to run and mentioned this one, I told him that if he wanted company, I would run it with him.  I told him that we would run this event and finish together.  I was not going back on my word.  We were going to cross the finish line together.  I unpinned my bib number and gave it, along with my medal to John, grabbed my bottle of water and started heading back out on the course.   I headed back to the last corners coming back into town to wait for Matt.  Before long, he was coming around the final corners.  I joined him on the road and reminded him that I told him we would finish this run together.  That was just what we were going to do.  We ran the last stretch of the course together.  Molly was cheering at the next corner and John was taking a few pictures.   He finished about 15 minutes behind me, but this was also over 10 minutes faster than is time from the Cellcom Half Marathon back in May.  So proud of him for pushing through, finishing strong and giving this race his all!

It was a tough run but we are still smiling

We came, we ran, we conquered.  This has become the tag line for so many of our races this summer. We have faced many challenges along the way,  we have run many miles together, and pushed each other to do our best each and every time.  I am proud of everything that we have accomplished over the last 6 months!  I look forward to many more races and miles together!  

Now that the run was over, it was time to get back to relaxing and enjoying the rest of the weekend... next mission was to find something to eat.  For the first time after any event, we actually hit the food tent and found a few things to eat to begin  the refueling process!  Since this is the Cheesehead Run, the post race buffet that was available for runners and volunteer was cheese themed!  I was not up for eating much at this point, but I knew that I needed to eat something.  They had some awesome breakfast burritos, filled with eggs, cheese and potatoes that hit the spot!  Those combined with the cheese curd on top mini sliders, 2 bottles of water and a beer, I was good to go!  Time to head back for a shower and relaxing.

The rest of the weekend was spent laughing and having a great time, relaxing with great friends.  It doesn't get much better than a few challenging board games outside with a campfire crackling 10 feet away, half a case of water, a few beers, the Brewers game on the radio and NASCAR on TV!    Before long, it was Sunday morning and it was time to pack up and head back to reality.  In the end, it was another amazing weekend in this summers adventures.  I can't wait for the next adventures and where they will take me!

Yoga and Frozen Yogurt! The perfect combination!

Last night was my first real experience with yoga!  For most of the summer, they have been offering free yoga downtown on the City Deck.  Unfortunately, this was the first week that I was actually able to go, since Tuesday night was usually a training run night.  This week, with the Cheesehead Half Marathon on Saturday, I am prepping for that, which means no long runs - giving me yoga time!!

Molly and I were surprised at the number of people that were down there this week, especially with the temperatures during the day.  She said that the weeks before, there were not that many people, but since this was the last one, apparently everyone wanted in!  The weather was actually perfect.  The sun was shining and there was a cool breeze blowing.  One of the coolest part of doing yoga outside on the city deck is that they have live music for the class!  We spent the next hour laughing at ourselves trying to do some of the yoga poses, but at least we were trying!  If you can't laugh at yourself, you are never going to get anywhere!

I have come to realize that I want to check out a few more yoga classes at the gym if I can find some that will fit in my schedule. Learning more on how to properly do many of the poses would probably be even more beneficial.  It was very relaxing and  I felt great when we were done!   I am sure that with a little more exposure to yoga classes, it can only get better!  Just as we were finishing, the sun was setting over the museum across the river and it was the perfect close to a crazy day that ended in a more relaxed state than I thought it would!  I wish I would have taken the opportunity to get a picture of this amazing sunset, but I will remember that image in my mind forever!

After class was done and we got back to Molly's house, one of the first things that Matt said was "Orange Leaf?" - which caused Molly and I to burst out laughing!  We had called this before we even left the house to head downtown!  We knew he was going suggest a run for FroYo, since it had been a week since he had been there!  Of course we were not going to deny him his FroYo fix (giving me my OL fix too!), so we called John and told him that we were heading to pick them up so they could join us this time.

When we got there, I was a little disappointed to see that the blueberry lemonade yogurt that I have been hooked on lately was gone... however now they added a chocolate mint as well as a few other new flavors so life is good!  As long as they don't get rid of my Gummy Frogs, we are all good!!

Yoga is the perfect way to end a day, but Orange Leaf with great friends make it even that much better!

Munising Vacation winds to a close

The final day of our weekend in Michigan had to come to a close. Today we would be on a mission to visit a few more places, find a few geocaches and head for home.   But before I get to today, I want to back track to last night and the phenomenon in the sky.  Last night was one of the best nights for local viewing of the Perseid meteor shower.  We spent at least an hour out on the front lawn of the motel, enjoying the meteor shower, listening to the soft waves crashing on the shore.  Darrin decided to get nice and comfortable and grabbed his hoodie and fuzzy pants and laid down right on the shuffle board to watch the spectacle in the sky.  Unfortunately I was not able to get any pictures, but I can assure you that it was really cool thing to see.  Apparently from what we were told, Sunday night was going to be the best night to view it even better, but since we were not going to be here, we would just have to enjoy it while we could!

This morning we didn't have a lot of plans before leaving town so we decided to so some exploring and find a few geocaches along the way.  Darrin and my dad have been on a mission this summer to see how many consecutive days they can log a cache find.  So, Darrin said we had to find a few today!  There were still a few in the area that we didn't find last year, as well as a few new ones so we had our work cut out for us.  We finished off the stuff we had in the motel for breakfast, packed everything up and go ready to head out.

Before I get into today though, I want tell you more about this awesome little motel that we have grown to love.  Sunset Motel on the Bay in my eye, the original waterfront motel in Munising (I guess it probably is, as I only know of one other waterfront property in town and that just recently opened).  A friend of mine recommended this property to me before Darrin and I made our first trip up here.  Ever since that first visit, we don't even look for other places to stay for this trip.  Sunset is our home away from home.  The staff always going out of their way to make sure that you have everything that you need, offer suggestions on places to go or see.  It was at their suggestion that we discovered Johnny Dogs on our first trip here and you all know how that turned out for us!  Each room has a perfect view of Munising Bay, one even has a balcony overlooking the shoreline!  There is a private beach with a fabulous sand beach which makes a perfect way to unwind after a day of hiking, biking or whatever you find to do in this fabulous area.  If you are traveling with kids, there is  a playground and plenty of room to run!  One of our favorite things that they offer to guests is that they have grills, charcoal and everything that you need for a cookout!  When Darrin was grilling last night, he stopped in the office to ask if they had paper plates, he came back with paper plates, plastic silverware, napkins and even a bag with salt, pepper and a few other grill seasoning!  Bags of ice are also readily available so you don't have to run to the gas station to buy ice for you cooler before you leave on you daily adventures!

Ok, back to our Sunday Funday (or at least morning)...

After breakfast, we headed out towards Christmas to do some geocaching.  The first stop brought us to the Range Lights just outside of town, where it didn't take Darrin long to grab 3 cache finds.  In one of them, he even found a Minion!  He decided to leave the Minion to hang out in his lakefront cache to enjoy the view a little longer.  As we were walking back toward the car, I noticed that there were some wild blueberry bushes along the treeline, with a few berries just waiting to be picked and eaten!    Once we got back to the range light and started heading towards the car, I noticed that there were several more blueberry bushes long the trail, with even more berries on them! We started picking some for an light after breakfast snack.  However, I was thinking that these would be a great snack for the road trip home... but I would need to find something to put them in! 

Darrin and I headed back to the car and I did find a single ziploc bag to collect my snack for later!  in a matter of about a half hour, we had half of the bag filled - and we didn't even make a dent in the number of berries that were out there! We will definitely be coming back there next year for a quick blueberry fix!  

After a few more quick geocache finds, it was off to find lunch,  Since we couldn't get our lunch time Johnny Dog's Fix yesterday, we decided to head there for our last meal before we headed home.  When we pulled into the parking lot, it was exactly as we found it yesterday... empty.  It was at this time that Darrin noticed the sign that they were closed both yesterday and today for private functions...  guess we are finding a new place for lunch!

Chicken Pecan Cherry Wrap

As we drove around the block, we happened to notice a small welcoming front porch with a sign indicating we had stumbled across the Rock River Lunch Bag.  We have never been here before, it's not a chain restaurant and we were hungry!  Guess we found our lunch stop for today!!

This wonderful little place was exactly what we were looking for! This was a quiet little cafe that was cozy and warm. We were greeted by a very welcoming staff that was ready to answer any questions that we had about the menu.  When I asked about what they were most known for or what some of the best / favorite options were on the menu, we were told about 2 different options...  The first was the Fresh Whitefish dip and the second was the Chicken Pecan Cherry Wrap.

Fresh Whitefish Wrap

That was a decision maker for us.  Darrin ordered the Whitefish Wrap and I ordered the other!  The Whitefish dip is made fresh and tasted phenomenal!  The lettuce, tomato and onion in the wrap were the perfect accompaniments to the fresh fish!   I think I was lucky to get a single bite of Darrin's wrap before it was GONE!  He literally inhaled it, as well as the chips!  My Chicken Pecan Cherry wrap was amazing!  The combination of the cherry and pecan in the tortilla was awesome! We will definitely have to come back and check out a few more of the options on their menu!

After an amazing lunch, it was time to hit the road for home.  We have already started out list of places we still need to check out when we make our trip next summer.  Reservations at the Sunset are already made, just like each and every year.  There is one exception for out trip next year... we are tentatively planning on coming up one week later.  Each year we see the signs as we come through Escanaba for the fair, which always starts the day AFTER we have to be home.  Next year we are planning one week later so that we can stop at the fair on the way up on Friday!  I don't even remember when I was last at the UP state Fair, but I can pretty much guarantee it's been over 25 years!

Of course our trip hope can't be without any pitstops... no road trip that Darrin and I make is a straight drive with no stops!  This time we made it to Escanaba before we had to stop!  We already knew that we had to stop for gas at some point soon, but before we did that, I spotted Sayklly's chocolates and gifts as we drove through Escanaba.  I had to stop to see what new and interesting treats that had in their chocolate case!  I found a few chocolates I had to bring home that included toffee chocolate covered pretzels and dark chocolate sea salt caramels.    As we were walking through the store, I stopped to check out their HUGE selection of gummy candies... bears, worms, footballs, you name it, they probably had it as a gummy - and this would include those AWESOME gummy frogs that I keep me going back to Orange Leaf!  This was the first time I ever saw these gummy frogs anywhere aside from OL so I had to get some!!  We have joked around that Matt has an Orange Leaf addiction, as he has to go there all the time, but I go with him just as often just so I can get my gummy frogs with my FroYo - it's a good thing we are doing a lot of running this summer to make up for the OL and gummy's that I have eaten!  Darrin was laughing at me as I was bagging some up to take home - until he found the gummy bullfrogs and decided that he needed one of those too.

Our final pitstop on trip home was at the Norway Spring - an artesian well, right along the highway.  This spring provides clean, crisp cold water constantly.  There is an awesome little park at the spring so you can get out and stretch your legs while you fill up your water bottles and can get right back on the road!  We always make a point to stop here whenever we drive through the area.  This time, Darrin had to do some digging in the car to find a few bottles to fill up. There is nothing that beats awesome fresh clean water.  Why would I pay for bottled water when I can stop here?  I just wish it wasn't a 2 hour drive from home to get my water!

As this weekend comes to a close, I really can appreciate everything that I have and the opportunities that I am able to enjoy.  I have an amazing family and awesome friends that make each day an adventure!

Munising weekend - Day 2

Munising, Day 2

There is nothing like waking up to the sounds of the waves just feet from your door and birds chirping outside your window!  No time to waste - there were bike trails calling and our friends Beth and Chad were going to be in town today!  We were on a mission to get in our bike ride before they arrived in town, so that we could spend time with them, sharing our adventures and favorite spots in the area!

After a quick breakfast in our motel room, it was off to the Valley Spur Bike trails, just south of town.  The Valley Spur trails include 4 loops, of varying distances and expertise levels. We opted for the longer loop (12 miles) that was calling our name.  According to the maps, aside from the hill at the beginning of the trail, this was a fairly level trial.  This sounded like just what we were looking for!

Ok, a hill at the beginning?  I knew we were in trouble when this "hill" was named "Stairway to Heaven"!!  This was no little hill!  The incline was steep, winding and decorated nicely with rocks, tree branches and other random features.  I was determined to make it to the top without having to stop and walk my bike!  After the first turn, I lost Darrin in the trees behind me... there was only one way up the hill so the sooner I got to the top, the longer break I could get while I waited for him!!  After what seemed like forever, the crest of the hill was finally in front of me - and I was ready for a short rest.  From a quick look at my phone, that first part of the trail was less that 3/4 of a mile.  I would swear that it was more like 2 miles - at least that is what it felt like! But I made it all the way to the top without having to walk! Once we got past that hill, the rest of the trail was a piece of cake.  At one point, where the ATV trail crossed the bike trail, which crossed the horse trail, I think we ended up getting turned around and found ourselves on a gravel road instead of the bike trail.  We knew which direction we were heading, so we kept going.  Eventually, if this road didn't bring us back to the trail (Which Darrin was pretty sure it would from when he was studying the map at the motel) we knew that eventually we would come back out to the main highway, which would get us back to the car.  Darrin was right, we made our way back to the trail right where he thought that we would.  Before long we were back at the car, completing our biking adventure.  As a result of our missed turn in the trail, we didn't hit the 12 miles that the loop should have been, but we did hit right about 10.5 miles.  Excellent morning ride!

Beth and Bill from Uncle Ducky's with her new kayak!

Perfect timing to finish our ride too.  Just after we arrived back at the car, Beth called to say they were about 30 miles from Munising.  Just enough time for us to head to the motel, take showers and meet them at Uncle Ducky's to pick up their kayak!  People say those goofy contests on facebook to like and share this post are just a scam to get you to a certain website or page... Beth will proudly tell you that they are not!  Thanks to Uncle Ducky and his contest, she is the proud owner of this new kayak!  Oh the places she and Chad will be going now!  So happy for you my friend!!

Muldoon's Pasty's

Once we had her kayak securely strapped to the top of her car, it was time to find lunch!  Where were we heading for lunch?  Why Johnny Dogs of course!  Unfortunately, we pulled into their parking lost to find that they were closed for the day!!!! Closed for private parties/events... What to do next?  So, second best... it was off to try Muldoon's Pasty shop.  Voted best pasties in the entire UP, they must be good.  The wonderful smell of fresh baked pasties really can wake up a person's senses!  The small pasty and gift shop is located in a small house right on the main highway heading out of town.  You can't miss the quaint little house with the huge sign out front advertising their award winning pasties. This was the first time that Beth was actually having a fresh pasty!  The few times she had them before was when we brought frozen ones home and shared with them.  Reheating them is ok, but nothing beats one fresh out of the oven!

Summer fun with old friends, sharing adventures!

Muldoon's Party's go into the oven weighing just over a pound each, filled with beef (or chicken if you so choose), potatoes, carrots and rutabaga, wrapped neatly into that beloved flaky crust!  These were definitely worth the stop for lunch!  We enjoyed our tasty treats outside in the perfect afternoon sun, planning our plan of attack for the rest of the day.  It would be an adventure, taking Beth and Chad to some of our favorite places that we have found over the last 2 years!

After a quick stop at the motel to drop off Beth's car and get some water, we were off!  First destination for the afternoon was Miners Falls and Miners Castle, just a short drive from our motel!  When we arrived at the parking are to Miners Falls, we were disappointed to see a sign that read no pets beyond this point... Beth and Chad were traveling with their dog today and she loves to hike!  She would not be able to join us on this one.  Beth offered to stay behind with Maya in the parking area while we make a quick run down to the falls so Chad could at least get some pictures.  A short time after hitting the trail, we saw at least 3 groups with their dogs... I guess the sign didn't pertain to them.  oh well, we were not the ones that were breaking the rules, we were just out to have a fun afternoon!

Miners Falls

Miners Falls never disappoints.  The viewing platforms at the top, as well as the bottom give you the complete feeling of the power behind this tall but fast moving wall of water!  This is one of those local hot spots that we have stopped at each and every summer we have been here - it is always just as remarkable as the times before.

From Miners Falls, it was on the Miners Castle, just down the road a little further!  Along the way to Miners Castle, you will also find the turn off to Miners Beach.  This is one of the most popular beaches in the area and you will always find a a crowd here!  It doesn't matter if you reason for heading there is relaxing on the beach, swimming orto launching a kayak, Miners Beach is truly a destination!

Miners Castle is probably one of the most recognized areas of the entire Pictured Rocks lakeshore and is visited by thousands of travels each year.  There was a second turret out on the point, but that was lost due to erosion back in 2006.  It is interesting to look at pictures from previous years just to see how things have changed over time, mainly due to the effects of mother nature!  The thing that always amazing me when we visit this area is how clear the water is down below!  One day I will travel this area via kayak so that I can get that unique up close perspective of this awesome area!

Now it's time to head to the other side of Munising for out next stop of today's adventure!  Scott Falls is just West of Christmas, about 15 minutes from Munising.  This waterfall is right along the side of the highway and I don't know how many years I drove right past it growing up before I even realized it was here!  It is a small waterfall that you can walk right up to, behind, under, through, whatever your choice for the day might be!  as you can see from the picture, Darrin opted for the INTO the waterfall option.  Yes, the water was cold, but it actually felt very refreshing after being out in the warm summer sun all afternoon!

One of the cool features of this falls is that you can easily walk from the base of the falls to the top via a short trail just to the left of the pool at the bottom.  Give you a totally different perspective of a waterfall when you can literally stand in the water right at the top, just before it makes it decent of the edge!  By the time we left Scott Falls, I thing each of us had somehow found our way into the water, even if it was just walking in the cool pool at the base of the falls... including Maya!  It is a good thing that we always have a tote filled with towels in the back of the car!  Darrin needed to sit on one and Beth needed to try and contain Maya's muddy paws so they didn't get the car covered in mud!

From Scott Falls is was a short drive to Bay Furnace.  A local gem that we found 2 years ago on our first trip through the area.  Bay furnace is the location of a huge stone blast furnace that was was used when iron ore was smelted in the forge and melted into pig iron.  The stone furnace is the only things that remains of the small town that once was in the area.  One of Darrin's favorite things to do when we visit Bay Furnace is to do a little "rock" picking.  If you look carefully you can find some awesome purple "rocks" that were created years ago when the melted iron was cooled in the cold waters of Lake Superior  Darrin has found several of these awesome purple treasures over the years and was having fun this year finding some for Beth.

Beth and I at Bay Furnace

While Darrin and Beth were carefully searching the waters for treasures, it gave Maya a chance to burn off some energy and tear up the beach.  Once again, good thing we had those towels in the car, she was really going to need it now as her white fur was now caked with wet sand from the beach

Our final stop on our adventures for the afternoon was at the Munising Lookout to get a true birdseye view of Munising Bay, all the way out Pictures Rocks.  This was a quick stop tho on our whirlwind tour as it was quickly approaching the dinner hour and we were very much looking forward to a cookout for dinner to complete this awesome day!

Once we made a run through the grocery store, it was back to the Sunset Motel to fire up the grill!  That is one of the best perks of the motel!  They have grills, charcoal, grill utensils and everything  that you need for a cookout without having to haul everything with you!  There is nothing better than a cookout, right on the lake to follow up an afternoon adventure with good friends!  Darrin got to work right away to get the coals just right for our feast of burgers and hot dogs, along with some cold beer and chips!  Everything was cooked to perfection and Darrin was now referred to by the hotel staff as the weekend grill master!  Pure perfections!

After we got everything cleaned up from dinner, we had one last adventure for Beth and Chad before they headed home... the true hidden gem of Munising!  Tannery Falls is virtually just across the road from the motel, up a short trail.  This, in my mind is the coolest waterfall in the area. It is not well advertised so there is rarely anyone else at the falls when we have been there.  I have heard tho that you do need to make sure NOT to park on the main road near where the trail starts or you will be ticketed.  There are areas close to the trail where you can park, so that might be your best option!  :) The walk back to the falls takes you right along the end of a rock cliff through a narrow cavern.  The tree cover of the cavern always keeps the air temps a little cooler that what you leave from when you start the hike!  Just when you are really getting into enjoying the quiet hike, you round a bend and discover a breathtaking little waterfall (i say little, but it is in actuality 40 feet high).  This again, is one of those falls that you can really interact with!  Today, this was where Darrin took his 3rd shower of the day, as he had to walk into the water again!  This falls is right near one other waterfall (Memorial Falls) which we had not made it to yet so that was another adventure for later (later tonight as it would turn out...).

Tannery Falls

Darrin was actually not the only one that tried out the water at Tannery today.  Beth and I also had to show him that we were out to have just as much fun as him!  And I will tell you one thing - that water was cold.  Much colder than the water at Scott Falls earlier in the day, but we were not about to let a 15 year old have all the fun!!

This afternoon spent with Beth and Chad was an amazing afternoon.  It really makes you realize how much friends can make a difference!  This summer I have come to realize that I have some simply awesome friends and family that I have been able to share unforgettable memories with!  The summer may be winding down quickly but I am determined to make the most of the summer days that are left and start thinking out the next adventures and see where they take me!

the quiet evening sunset over Munising Bay, Sunset Motel

Annual Mom and Son Weekend

The 3rd Annual Munising Weekend has finally arrived!  The weekend that Darrin and I head up north for a weekend of hiking, biking and waterfalls around Munising Michigan.  It all started in 2011 when I found an awesome deal on a Pictured Rocks Kayaking trip.  Last year we biked the entire loop around Grand Island.  Each trip is also full of hiking to the many beautiful waterfalls in the area, checking out new, fun places to eat and relaxing on the lake!  This year we left all of our plans up to whatever we felt like when we got there!  With the car packed and bikes loaded up, it was time to hit the road!

This year we started out the adventure with a visit to Fayette State Park with my parents.  Darrin had actually been traveling in the area with them for the past few days so I drove up to meet them Friday morning.  It still amazes me that I grew up just a few hours from this park and never visited it until today! This is definitely a park with a great deal of history and being able to walk through the remains of these buildings really makes you wonder what life was really like when this was a bustling iron smelting community!

We were able to spent a good part of the morning wandering through the open buildings, walking the various trails around the park and taking in the natural beauty of the surrounding cliffs.  It is amazing how easily we forget to stop and take a look around us each and every day!  Walking through the beauty and history of this park really helped me to remember to slow down and enjoy things.  In the every day hustle and bustle of life, being able to slow down and just enjoy the little things is something that I need to do more often - starting today!

After we spent the morning at the park, Darrin and I started out weekend adventure by heading the rest of the way into Manistique where we had to target destinations - the Mackinaw Winery and lunch... not necessarily in the order!  It was all going to depend on which one we found first.

As it turned out, the winery was right along the highway, next to the marina, as we drove into town!  I guess we knew where we were meant to stop first. Mackinaw Trail Winery is a family owned winery with locations in Manistique, Petoskey and Mackinaw City.  With a little bit over everything, you are sure to find something that you will enjoy!  My favorites?  I will have to say that the Blackberry was amazing as well as the late harvest Riesling.  Both of these made their way home with me, long with a few other selections!

Next order of business?  Lunch.  When Darrin and I travel together we have a few "rules" when it comes to where we eat.
1.  No fast food.  We don't eat much fast food anyway, so why eat it when we are on vacation?
2.  No place that we can eat at home - which pretty much eliminates any chain type restaurants, forcing us to find those local hidden gems!
3.  No place that we have eaten before.  This encourages us to continually try new places.  Now, we have found that we have broken this rule a few times, and have added a condition to this rule - if we go someplace that we have eaten at before, we have to get something different - no ordering the same thing from the menu!

Since this was the first time that we were traveling through Manistique, we knew that we had many available options, so when we were at the winery, we asked for a recommendation.  The gal that was working suggested Upper Crust Deli, which was located right across the river from the winery.  With the crowd that was already sitting in the restaurant, we knew that we made the right choice!  Unfortunately, we now had the next big decision to make - which of the dozens of amazing sounding sandwiches did we want to enjoy?  I opted for the Ultimate Grilled Cheese - complete with several kids of cheese, mushrooms and Canadian bacon (hold the red onions please).  served with a side of chips and a pickle, this was just what I was looking for!  I don't remember what sandwich Darrin ordered, but it was piled high with pastrami, mushrooms, cheese and onion.  The best part of the menu here is that you have your choice of several different fresh baked breads to build your sandwich on!  This was the perfect place to stop to refuel for the rest of vacation, day 1!

Time to move this adventure to Munising!!  I think this year was the first time that we were not at the motel to check in early!  On our first trip to the area, Darrin and I were lucky enough to have received a recommendation on where to stay that has turned into the only place we stay when we are in the area!  The Sunset Motel on the Bay is an awesome little motel, right on the lake that never disappoints!  Over the next few days, I will add more about this gem of a property!

Since we ate lunch later today, we were off to find some waterfalls!  Darrin's choice for our adventure this afternoon was Laughing Whitefish Falls, about 30 miles from Munising, just outside of Chatham.   From the parking area, it is a short 20 minute walk to the top of the falls.  From there, you can take a few flights of stairs down to a lookout point at the base of the falls.  This is one of the tallest waterfalls in the area, in fact I thought I read somewhere that it could be the tallest readily visitable waterfalls in the state.  Breathtaking views in the quiet serine area make this a place that I could just sit for hours...  unfortunately, dinner time was approaching and Johnny Dogs was calling our name, so we made this a short visit and headed back to town!

Johnny Dogs is one of those exceptions that we have made to vacation dining out rule #3.  We discovered Johnny Dogs on our first trip to the area and have to stop at least once each time we visit the area.  The menu is filled with gourmet hot dogs, burgers and wraps, as well as fries and a variety of other sides.  Each time we visit, we order something different and have never been disappointed!  Darrin says that we have to keep vacationing in Munising until he gets through the entire menu.  I think that will be a never ending task, as each year we come back, there are new things on the menu!  This time, it was the Guadalajara dog for me (Lime Creme, Pico and avocado) and the Homewrecker for Darrin (Deep fried hot dog, homemade chile, smoked bacon, cheddar cheese and fried onions.   Instead of eating there, we grabbed our food to go and headed back to the motel.  Nothing better than enjoying Johnny Dogs outside, sitting along the lake with the waves softly rolling in!  Sorry, once again, we were too hungry to post pics of our dinner... will have to try harder next time not to forget!!

We closed out the evening with watching the Packers Pre-season game - at least until we both fell asleep from a wonderful, exhausting day!

Tomorrow the adventure continues!

Warrior Dash Wisconsin! Get ready to get muddy!!

It's another weekend adventure!  For the second year in a row, we were Warrior Dash Bound!  The trek down to Johnson Creek for this event is always full of fun and laughs.  We didn't really know what to expect last year when we went, we had a awesome time and decided that we had to go back again this year!

This year John and I made more of a weekend of it and headed to Milwaukee on Friday afternoon to check out the Wisconsin State Fair.  When we went to the Brewers Game a few weekends ago, the tickets that we had included free passes to the state fair.  So, what did we really have to lose?  It was nice that we were able to get there early enough in the day to park right on the back stretch of the Milwaukee Mile Speedway - probably the only time that John can say that he actually got to drive on a speedway!

Ok, don't' get me wrong - thousands of people enjoy going to the fair for various reasons but you can only look at so many cows, horses and chickens in one day!  Oh yeah, and walk past more food vendors that I can to even try and count!  All in all, it was an entertaining afternoon... walked around the fairgrounds, had a beer, watched some people getting their (overpriced) Polaroid picture taken with a monkey, tasted some new wines and left.   We were there for about 2 or 3 hours and left... I didn't even have a cream puff!  They looked good but I really didn't feel like waiting in line to get something I really didn't need to eat!  John was tempted to get the chocolate dipped bacon, but in the end, the only thing we bought was a few beverages!

Once we left from the fair, we headed to Johnson Creek for the night, grabbed dinner at The Pine Tree (local truck stop) - good food, large portions at a great price and then hit the outlet mall for some shopping.  After that we headed back to the hotel to relax for the evening.

The joys of sleeping in a hotel, you never know what you are going to get.  Unfortunately, this hotel was not the quietest... the truck parking lot was right outside our window, there were a bunch of kids staying in the hotel (we think there was a softball tournament or something in town) and we ended up with a bed that was not the most comfortable.  Needless to say, I was up at the crack of dawn and couldn't sleep anymore.

Our crew this year, before the run

Right on schedule the rest of the gang arrived at the hotel so that we could carpool to the Milford Hills Hunt Club for the run!  We were scheduled for the 10:30am heat and had to get there with enough time to pick \up our race packets, so we were on the way by 9am.  20 minute drive to the club, another 10 minute walk from the parking field and we were there!  Since it was still early in the day, the lines for packet pickup were not very long so by 9:45 we were ready to go!  now we just had to wait... oh wait, we are not going to!  We were rebels and jumped into the 10am wave start and were on the course early!

Before the run...

 One drawback to this event is that they do not allow spectators along the course (safety reasons) so even though we had John with us, the only pictures that he was able to get were from before and after the race.  I thought about trying to figure out how to attach Darrin's helmet cam to a baseball cap or headband but ran out of time before we left home.

Once again, the course did not disappoint!  There was plenty of fun to be had!  By the time we got done, we had crawled under barbed wire, over walls, through mud, traversed rope walls, over cargo walls, jumped fire and had plenty of laughs!  We did some of the same obstacles from last year, but were pleasantly surprised with many different challenges. We did notice that there was more water involved in many of the obstacles.  Nothing major, but just a light mist straying or water trickling down over the boards that we had to walk across or walls to climb over!

notice the "wheels" on the 4-wheeler...

This year they added a mud splatter, sponsored by Gander Mountain.  So, if the course did not successfully get you covered in mud, they would make sure that you were covered from head to toe!  Of course, the boys all wanted to do this, and all the mom's couldn't let the boys have all the fun!  A few signed waivers and we grabbed the goggles to get splattered!

I can honestly say that I could tell a huge difference between this year and last year for me personally.  Last year, by Saturday afternoon I could hardly walk because I was so sore. This year, after doing more strength training and running, I felt awesome!  If fact, I even went out and ran 10 miles on Sunday!  All of the sweat and hours at the gym and running all those miles really paid off!

All in all, another absolutely amazing fun day!  Will we do it again next year?
Without a doubt!  You in for the fun next year!?!?

Will you survive the Warrior Dash?

Come join us next year to see if you can! (yes, I know you can do it!)

The group - after the run, but before the mud spray

successfully covered from head to toe!

The Biggest Loser Challenge at work

This round of the Biggest loser at work came to an exciting conclusion at work yesterday!

I started participating in these challenges several years ago and they have been a huge source of inspiration in my journey.  I may not have been in the running for prizes or lost huge numbers on the scale, but these challenges have helped me to keep my focus and make many of the changes that I have made for myself over the last few years.

This time, with the encouragement of my amazing friends, my running partner, co-workers and family, I was determine to step it up this round!  I knew that I had all the tools at my disposal that I needed to succeed, I just need to apply them everyday!

I turned more of a focus to being honest with myself about what I was eating, putting 100% effort into each and every gym workout and added a few more miles to my running.

Don't get me wrong, I didn't give up everything that I enjoy.  I still enjoyed beers around the campfire, Chinese food (a huge weakness me but the sodium is always a killer), my favorite wine and even a few Choco Taco's during Summer Celebrations at work or a big ol' cheeseburger after a long day!  But everything in moderation!  I know that in order for me to be successful, I still need to be true to myself and I am not going to deprive myself from those things that I love!

There were several of us that were neck in neck throughout the entire competition, which for me was another huge motivator!  I am proud to say that in the last 3 months during this challenge, I have removed (not lost, as I don't intend to go back and find them again) 14.3 pounds and a total of 7.46% of my starting weight. With our final weigh in's complete, this was enough for 3rd place!  A huge congratulations goes out to Sallie who came out with a huge number at the end to pull out the victory!  Thank you Sallie for the challenge and I am so proud of you for everything that you have done - you look fabulous!  One day, I know I will get there too - it's just a matter of time!

Next round of the Biggest Loser at work as started.  I am ready for the challenge, are you?