The Ewe Pea

Jon took a couple days off from work, and the three of us headed north to The UP, or as Brighton says it, "The Ewe Pea." We took the S.S. Badger across Lake Michigan; what a fun experience that was! Then we stayed in a hotel just outside of Munising that had a nice pool. We spent a couple days exploring the Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore. We went on a few short hikes where we saw shipwreck remains, waterfalls, and we toured the Au Sable Lighthouse. We eat some great fresh fish out of Lake Superior and we also each had our first pastie.
It definitely surpassed all of our expectations. We had a grand time; it is a very impressive and beautiful part of our state.

Lake Michigan Lighthouse

We had an overcast day while we were at the Raterink Cottage, so we decided to hop in the car and do some exploring.
We stopped at Little Sable Point Lighthouse and Beach.

A few years ago they started allowing folks to climb to the top of the tall skinny lighthouse, so we decided to give it a try.

Brighton even walked all the way up and all the way down.

We spent a little time on the beach before we headed back.

Bapa's Work

On the way to the Raterink family cottage, we stopped in Grand Haven at Bapa's work. This was a first time visit for Brighton.
The most memorable part of the visit was a trip to the snack machine...another first for Brighton. Coins, pushing buttons, and snacks - whoa!

Fair Fun

This year at the Ottawa County Fair, Brighton was big enough to ride the rides. Yahoo! We did also check out the animals and the dirt bike racing on Tuesday night, but the rides definitely were the highlight for Brighton. What a fun night!