When my husband and I were trying to decide what kind of a trip we could afford to take this summer we decided to do a tour of 4 of the 5 Great Lakes with most of our time being spent in Michigan.
After several days of research and planning I had an itinerary all planned and hotel stays booked.
I had been saving for a vacation since Christmas and planned to pay for everything with cash. I also planned to cook a lot of food ahead of time so we would only eat at a restaurant one time during our 6 day trip. I was hoping to not only have our vacation be fun but frugal as well.
After several days of cooking, packing, cleaning, and organizing we set off from home at 8:00 a.m. on Thursday, June 25, 2015.
National Museum of the Great Lakes (Toledo, Ohio)
Our first stop (other than bathroom breaks) was the National Museum of the Great Lakes in Toledo, Ohio.
We were very thankful that we didn’t drive through much rain. We seemed to be following a storm but only had to deal with light rain in Toledo. While it wasn’t ideal, the rain didn’t hinder our visit to the museum.
We purchased a family membership which saved us $24 from what I had thought we would have to pay. While I don’t intend to go back during this coming year, it was nice to save money.
We toured the building pictured above which was full of exhibits about the Great Lakes, many of which were interactive for kids. We learned many things about the history of ship travel through the Great Lakes. It was very nice.
The membership we purchased also allowed us to tour a huge ship called the Col. James M. Schoonmaker.
The climb up the metal bridge and walking around on the top of the ship was a little bit treacherous due to the light rain. However, it was really a fun experience to walk around on such a large ship.
At one point this ship was the largest to travel the Great Lakes. It took its maiden voyage in 1911, but has been a museum ship for the past few years.
We really enjoyed this museum and found it to be a fun learning experience for our family.
Maumee Bay State Park (Oregon, Ohio)
After we left the museum we traveled a few miles to the Maumee Bay State Park so that we could see Lake Erie.
Because of the rain we were able to drive right up to the lake because no one was at the beach that day.
The only downside to going on a rainy day was that we couldn’t see very far out onto the lake due to the fog that had rolled in. It was still impressive and the kids enjoyed hunting for shells.
Janna missed out on the fun though because she had fallen asleep almost as soon as we left the museum. 
After we left the beach we traveled to Saginaw, Michigan for the night and stayed at a hotel. We took the route that the map on our phones said would be the quickest but we should have traveled through the town of Toledo and headed north on a different road to avoid the Detroit traffic we got tangled up in on the bypass.
Even so, we made it safely to Saginaw, just a little later than I had anticipated.
Mackinac Bridge (Mackinaw City, Michigan)
On Friday, June 26, 2015 we headed north from Saginaw towards the Mackinac Bridge.
The Mackinac Bridge is the longest suspension bridge with two towers between anchorages in the western hemisphere. It connects the upper and lower peninsula of Michigan where Lake Michigan and Lake Huron meet.
It was very impressive and quite fun to ride over. Although, if you ask my husband I am sure he will tell you it was kind of stressful.
Soo Locks (Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan & Ontario, Canada)
After we crossed the Mackinac Bridge we continued traveling north to the Soo Locks in Sault Ste. Marie because we were going to take a Soo Locks Boat Tour through the locks on the St. Mary’s River.
In my research I had thought the tour would be about 2 hours but in reality it took us about 3 hours. I guess we really got our money’s worth.
We were some of the first people on the boat and we headed to the front of the boat on the top section to get the best view on the tour.
What I forgot to do was put sunscreen on everyone. So, Janna, Joseph, and I ended up going towards the back to ride in the shade, but the rest of my family stayed in the front. It really was the best view.
When we entered the lock (just like all of the big freight ships do) they shut the doors in front of us and behind us. Then the lock started filling up with water to raise our boat 21 feet. That is the difference in height between Lake Huron and Lake Superior.
Once we were completely raised up the door in front of us opened and we headed out and saw the bridge that connects Michigan and Canada, a steel mill, and plenty of seagulls.
We went back to our starting point through the Canadian Lock which is for pleasure boats only. It was kind of wild to be 21 feet higher than the water just ahead of us. It is hard to see in the picture below but it was neat.
Once inside the lock the water was lowered by 21 feet so that we could head back to the dock.
For part of our boat ride we were in Canada and we didn’t even have to have a passport. That was really cool and now my kids can say they are international travelers. 😉
The ship above went through the first lock right beside us on its way to Lake Superior. There wasn’t much clearance on either side of it when it was in the lock.
While the boat trip was one of the more expensive things we did on our trip (besides stay in hotels), the kids loved it and it was worth it to us. I did save on the kids’ tickets because I had printed off some coupons from the boat tour website.
Not only was the boat ride fun, but we learned quite a bit thanks to the gal who was narrating the whole trip.
Castle Rock (St. Ignace, Michigan)
On our way back to the lower peninsula that same day we stopped at Castle Rock in St. Ignace which is just before you cross back over the Mackinac Bridge, right on the highway.
I hadn’t planned to stop here when I was planning our trip, but we saw it on the way to the Soo Locks and thought it would be fun.
We went inside the gift shop, paid $7 so that we could walk up a bunch of stairs, and then headed up over 170 steps to the top.
First, I took a picture of my husband and kids with Paul Bunyan and Babe.
It was quite a climb to the top and as we got to the ramp only James, Joshua and I were brave enough to go al the way out.
I’m glad we did because we had a great view of Lake Huron. Thankfully, the walk down was much easier.
That night we traveled south to Grayling, Michigan and stayed in a “cabin” which was really a trailer. It had lots of bedrooms, 2 bathrooms, a kitchen and more. It was different but it was nice to have plenty of room for our big family.
Point Betsie Lighthouse (Frankfort, Michigan)
On Saturday, June 27, 2015 we headed west towards Sleeping Bear Dunes. I thought I had programmed in the correct destination on the map on my phone but in reality didn’t get the right visitor’s center.
This meant that we drove all through the countryside and actually drove through the dunes and some lovely scenic areas without meaning to.
When we finally arrived at the visitor’s center we decided that we didn’t need to spend the $10 to go through the dunes and instead headed south to the Point Betsie Lighthouse. The lighthouse was on our itinerary, we just got there earlier than I had thought we would.
The lighthouse was a little off the beaten path but we parked right next to it and walked straight on to the beach at Lake Michigan. We skipped rocks for a long time just soaking in the view and the beautiful weather.
Next, we took the tour of this working lighthouse and learned a lot about its history and the history of lighthouses on Lake Michigan in general.
We got to go up into the tower, 3 or 4 of us at a time, and looked out at Lake Michigan.
Seeing a real lighthouse is something I have always wanted to do and this one was so nice. We really enjoyed the tour.
We could even see some of the dunes from the lighthouse.
When we finished our tour we headed south to Kalamazoo where I had made a hotel reservation for the night.
Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore (Beverly Shores, Michigan)
On Sunday, June 28, 2015 we left Kalamazoo and headed south to Indiana to a spot that we have been to a few times before, the Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore. We stopped at the visitor’s center first and then headed to the beach.
There is a beach at Beverly Shores that is always so beautiful and fun to enjoy playing in Lake Michigan.
It had been four years since we had been to the beach and we were surprised to find that much of the shoreline was now under water. However, that didn’t deter us from having a wonderful day at the beach because there was still plenty of the beach left.
The kids built sand castles, dug holes and tried to fill them up, and splashed and played in the water and waves until they were exhausted.
It was an absolutely gorgeous day and, from what we understand, a rarity during the month of June because of all of the rain and cool weather that area has had.
When we left the beach we traveled to my aunt and uncle’s house (my mom’s sister and brother-in-law).
We had not been there in four years which meant I had not seen my two cousins and their kids for that long either. It was such a blessing to get to stay two nights with my family visiting and enjoying being together. I am thankful for their hospitality.
On Tuesday, June 30, 2015 we traveled home and arrived safely in the late afternoon.
God’s Provision on Our Trip
Vacations are something we don’t get to take very often. Our home is like a retreat and so we don’t feel the need to get away all of the time. Plus, we usually can’t afford to take long trips.
However, now that our kids are getting older we have decided that we would like to take them on longer trips. We were thankful to have been able to save up enough money to do just that this summer.
Our main vehicle is a 2005 Suburban that we love because it is roomy enough for all 7 of us and is paid off.
When we set off that first morning we thought everything was fine with our vehicle. My husband did notice that the automatic four-wheel drive button was on but he thought that one of the kids must have played with the buttons. It worked fine when he switched it back to two-wheel drive.
When we parked at the Great Lakes Museum the Suburban kind of rocked and rolled forward a little when it should have just stopped. My husband had to put it into four-wheel drive to back up.
We thought this was odd, but we continued on with our trip because it started working fine again. As we were crossing the bridge in Toledo we seemed to be in neutral even though the vehicle was in two-wheel drive. My husband quickly got it into four-wheel drive and we were able to make it up and over the bridge.
While my family’s safety was a priority I knew that finding someplace to fix our vehicle while traveling was not going to be a convenient or cheap thing. I also didn’t want to stop our trip. So, we kept going and made it to our hotel the first night driving the entire way in four-wheel drive.
I had texted my parents and asked them to pray for our vehicle and we prayed, too. I truly believe that is how we made it safely to our destination that night because we drove through some major traffic near Detroit.
On the second day of our trip we were able to drive pretty much the entire way in two-wheel drive. It really was like a miracle.
On the third day we started having some troubles, but putting the vehicle into four-wheel drive allowed us to get everywhere we needed to go for the rest of our trip.
The entire time I kept praying that we would be able to make it home on Tuesday and we did. Yesterday my husband took our Suburban to the shop and we are waiting to hear what the total will be to fix it. The good news is that it isn’t our only vehicle and we don’t have many places we need to go right now.
Sometimes I feel selfish in my prayers because we have so many things and yet so many people in this world are suffering. How can I pray for a vehicle to get us safely everywhere on a vacation when there are so many people who are homeless or don’t have enough to eat?
Yet, God was with us the entire way and I honestly believe that when I prayed each time we got in our vehicle for Him to send his angels to surround us that He did just that.
Today, I am so very thankful for the memories we made on our Great Lakes trip, for the fun times, and especially for the safety God provided for us the entire way.
