Northern Vacation - Day 4

Sault Ste. Marie to Gaylord

Seems the boys like to sleep in when we are in hotels, so Tina and I take turns going to breakfast, which is a nice break from the hectic 'hotel life'. Tina went down first and brought some stuff up for the boys, who were just starting to wake up.

Each Holiday Inn Express has a standard line of breakfast items - cinnamon rolls, boiled eggs, bread, bagels, cereals and drinks. Some have additional items like omelettes, sausages, or local specialities like biscuits and gravy. Tina told me than had omelettes.

I went down and had a couple of warm omelettes, coffee, OJ, banana, toast and an omelette. It was tasty and filling. The boys finished their breakfast - cereal, oatmeal and whatever else Tina brought them. We packed up and checked out and headed to the Soo Locks Boat Tour dock. We arrived just before the 10:00 am departure. It was a overcast day - much cooler compared to when Tina and I took the same tour about six years ago. The boys seemed excited.

We arrived in the lock and Corbin was mesmerized by the rising water level. A friendly employee of the dock shook Corbin's hand when the boat was rising above the top of the dock. Jeremy was confused as to what was happening but seemed interested in the boat ride. About two hours later we arrived back at the dock. We were going to play some mini-golf, but Corbin had a small breakdown at the gift shop, so we nixed that adventure for now.

The last time Tina and I were in the Soo, we happened upon a small Italian restaurant, Ang-Gio's, on the main road into town. It's a fairly non-descript building in a plaza, but the food was amazing. We were hoping that the place was open for lunch - fortunately it was. I ordered fettuccine alfredo with fried mushrooms, Tina ordered fettuccine carbonara, Corbin ordered spagehtti, and Jeremy had a grilled cheese. We also ordered garlic bread with cheese. Our orders also came with a side salad.

The food came out quick and hot. The sauces are homemade and are downright sinful. They are rich but not in the usual overpowering way. I ate all my plate - there were plenty of mushrooms. Even the boys finished their meals. Tina was happy again. So we headed down to Mackinaw City.

It is about an hour's drive to Mackinaw City from the Soo. The drive was pleasant - sunny and warm with little traffic. We parked on the main road and proceeded to find a restroom because Corbin needed to go. With that out of the way we checked out the shops and bought a few things like candies and popcorn and some toys for the boys. After spending about an hour, we headed down to Gaylord, which is about one hour south of Mackinaw City.

We stayed at another Holiday Inn Express in Gaylord. We checked in and set out to find the Bavarian Falls adventure golf (mini-golf) - one of the things on this trip is that we were going to play mini-golf with the boys. After a round trip around the town, we found it. We got out clubs and balls and proceeded to play 18 holes of thoroughly enjoyable family time mini-golf. Corbin and Jeremy had to be told to sit a few times. Jeremy would have gotten a hole-in-one if Corbin didn't stop his ball from going in the hole. Everyone had a good time.

Before stopping at the hotel, Tina went to the Wal-Mart behind the hotel and got some pop and munchies. Back at the hotel, Tina supervised Corbin while he swam and I watched Jeremy.

Posted by Adam