Blessed Beyond Measure: Michigan Adventure Day 8: Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore

On Saturday it was our second last day of vacation and time to leave GG Smiley's cottage and head toward home. We loaded up the car, said our goodbyes to Grammy and Gramps and then headed southwest to Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore for the day.

Avery drinking his morning 'coffee'

Grammy & Gramps

The boys listening to Gramps tell them a story before we left.

We had Asher and Avery sit up in the birch tree for a picture just like Eric & I did 16 years prior the first time I came to GG Smileys.

Goodbye hugs & kisses for Grammy & Gramps.

The boys got to open some new 'prizes' to keep them entertained for a bit in the car...some coloring books.

The view of Grand Traverse Bay along the way

When the boys started getting antsy again, they got another 'prize'...Car Bingo. This kept us occupied for the rest of the way to the park's visitor's center.

Once we arrived at the visitor's center, we got our National Park Passport stamps and then looked around for a while.

From the visitor's center we headed back in the car to enjoy the park's scenic drive, a picnic lunch and the sights along the way.

Enjoying a picnic lunch in the park.

The boys working on their Junior Ranger workbooks.

There was a giant hill next to where we had our picnic so the boys couldn't resist running up it so they could turn around and run back down.

This is at the top of the biggest sand dune in the park. It is so steep you feel like you are going to fall off a cliff. Eric took each of the boys down the hill a ways, but with my fear of heights I stayed up top and watched.

This ham refuses to give me a normal smile these days!

When we were done with our scenic drive we headed over to the area of the Dune Climb.

Eric & Asher on the Dune Climb

Tough Guys

Me & My Tough Guys!

I wish we had captured more of Asher's face on this one because I love this pic of my and my guys!

What goes up must go down...

Another NP Passport Stamp!

After the Dune Climb we went back to the park's visitor's center for the boys to get their Junior Ranger Badges before they closed.

Eric & Avery finishing up his workbook to get his Junior Ranger Badge.

Asher finishing up his workbook.

Once the boys got their visitor's badges we had one more little thing we wanted to do before leaving Sleeping Bear Dunes. When we had visited the park four summers prior it was a very cloudy, dreary day. The sky was completely gray with no blue in site and we went on this hike to the dunes. When we got to the end we could hear the waves of Lake Michigan below us but couldn't see anything other than dense fog. Thus, I wanted to do the same hike again on this beautifully clear day to see what we should have seen that day. The boys were ready for bed and getting a bit cranky, so we probably shouldn't have gone, but we did. We made the hike with them whining (mostly Asher) basically the entire way and eventually made it back to our van to leave the park and continue on to our hotel in Ludington for the night.

When we started the hike Asher insisted on not wearing a shirt. Shortly into it he decided he was cold. Thus Eric literally gave him the shirt off his back!

Minutes after getting back to our van and starting our drive both of the boys were completely zonked. Unfortunately, Avery woke up about 20 minutes later and DID NOT want to be in the van any longer. He screamed for almost all of the next hour as we made our way to our hotel.

Finally, we made it to the hotel and Eric went inside to check in while the boys and I stayed in the van to wait...and wait...and wait...and...

Eventually Eric came back out but the look on his face told me that something was wrong. We had reserved our hotel room via Priceline the day before with plans to take the Ferry from Lundington to Manitowoc, Wisconsin in the morning. Apparently Priceline had double booked us and the hotel no longer had any rooms. Thus we had NO WHERE to stay and two very tired and hungry little boys...

The boys and I got out of the van and waited outside while Eric tried to figure something out with the hotel and Priceline. Meanwhile, I posted on Facebook and prayed for a miracle.

That Evening's FB Post: "That moment when you are starving for dinner, dying to get out of the car, and in desperate need of sleep...AND you find out that #priceline double booked your hotel which has #novacancy and there are no rooms available within 50 miles...AND you have a 7am reservation for the ferry tomorrow

😡 #notimpressed #vacationmishaps #prayersappreciated"

God answered! About an hour after we arrived at the hotel, a couple came into the hotel that had accidentally double booked rooms and needed to cancel one!!! We were able to take their room and finally settle down for the night. Praise God!

We got our stuff and went to our rooms. Then Eric headed out and picked up a pizza for dinner while I got the boys bathed and ready for bed. Then we ate and immediately went to sleep. It was a long day but even with it's downer moments, everything turned out right in the end.