June 5, 2022
Some mornings it’s really hard to leave the cocoon of the camper. It’s toasty and cozy and you can sip your coffee in your pajamas at the dining table and look outside at the gray, damp and your poor neighbors who are tent camping and probably soaked to the bone, and be happy to be inside.
That was this morning. Last night I had fallen asleep even before did the “truffle shuffle” in the Goonies last night. My body is demanding rest and it’s an indulgent luxury to be able to give into it while I’m on vacation. I don’t feel too guilty about sleeping in (until 9:00) since I was still up before any of the children.
One by one kiddoes emerged from their bunks in various stages of grumpiness, sleepiness, and hunger. We did what had to be done to get them moving….
Family trip to Walmart. Honestly, one of my favorite things to do on vacation is check out the local Walmart (although we were told we should have checked our Meijer… missed opportunity). Usually you can find local goodies and stock up on things you forgot or used up, or just want to have (paper towels, juice boxes, Bayer Back and Body, POP-Its, etc.). Rob and I have learned that the best way to get kids moving is to lure them out with the promise of retail and then fool them into having fun.
On the return ride home, we just so happened to take a detour… you know, right through Traverse City. Before anyone could complain, we were parking on the upper level of the Hardy Parking garage and heading into downtown TC to find food and fun! We were not disappointed.
There is no shortage of eateries in TC. From fine Italian dining, to natural and vegan options, BBQ, bakeries, pubs, and good old American fare, restaurants are tucked in among the holistic healing stores, upscale clothing boutiques, souvenir emporiums, and other small eclectic stores selling cherry everything from coffee to barbecue sauce. There’s literally something for everyone. We settled on Mackinaw Brewing Company, primarily because it was the one of the first restaurants we came across, and with blood sugars plummeting all around us, we sent up the “may-day” and put in for our party of five.
A 45-minute wait. Yikes. Knowing that the city was teeming with tourists, we kept our name on the list and did a little window shopping. We made it to exactly one store: Rocket Fizz.
If you have ever wanted to visit Willy Wonka’s chocolate factory, it wouldn’t be as incredible as this candy store. Do you remember that candy you loved when you were a kid? The one you haven’t seen for 35 years, but you can remember the taste like it was yesterday? Rocket Fizz has it. Not only do they have shelves of nostalgic American candy: Whatchamacallit, Chuckles, root beer bottles, Necco wafers, Boston Baked Beans, but they also have international favorites from Mexico, Canada, Switzerland, Japan, and so many other countries. You can also find gourmet treats like moodibars with flavors like “Wake Up” or “Hangover.” Hammond’s even makes a Pigs N’ Taters chocolate bar with bacon and potato chips inside. The store boasts an entire section of penny candy and the walls are covered in old fashioned tin signs with funny sayings on them, “Don’t Hog the Bathroom” (picture of a pig), “It’s like mom always said, ‘what the hell is wrong with you?’” or “Don’t trust the dogs and the cat’s shady too.” Kai marveled at the selection of sodas in Rocket Fizz. He struggled to make his selection… I mean, how do you choose between Chicken Enchilada soda and S’Mores flavored soda? He landed on raspberry (womp, womp) and said it was delicious. One fun find was a whole selection of Avery’s Soda straight from New Britain, CT. So cool to see Hard Hittin’ New Britain represented all the way out here in TC, Michigan!
Thank goodness our table was ready at Mackinaw Brewing Company or we would likely have spent another hour making bad decisions and purchasing too much candy we didn’t really need.
Lunch was great! Standard pub fare, but I didn’t have to make it or clean it up, so it was superb!
Seemingly everyone was in a good mood and ready to hit the midway at the National Cherry Festival. The kids had a blast in the Magical Maze, the bumper cars (Rob got in on this one), and one something called O.M.G. With a name like that, you can imagine the insanity of this particular ride. I love rides, but I politely declined a turn and took pictures instead. Marlie and Kai are the daredevils and Alyssa, Rob and I were happy to send them off to this stomach-churning attraction.
Miraculously, everyone survived and we headed over to the actual Cherry Festival in search of all things cherry (my absolute favorite flavor – I get it from my dad) and also churros. The fair has a lot of vendors selling cherry food products, potpourri, clothing, soaps, lip balm – you name it, they have it! The nightly entertainment schedule is packed with headliners including – Sheryl Crow, Tesla, Collective Soul, Nelly, Jim Gaffigan, and Boyz II Men this week. There is a Cherry Queen that is crowned and plenty of pie eating contests and even a boat parade. The Cherry Festival is no joke.
While we did not find any churros, the girls did get friend dough (same thing, different shape, right?), and I got a giant cup of fresh cherries (sweet and tart) and split a slice of cherry crumb pie and ice cream with Kai – it was absolutely delicious.
The Cherry Festival was everything I wanted it to be!
Seeing the kids enjoy themselves is amazing, especially since they had woken up so grumpy. We headed back hot and tired to the campground. What’s up next? A couple of rounds of Gaga ball, a nice campfire and our dinner will be steaks on the grill and potatoes cooked in the fire – probably charred, and s’mores for dessert.
And definitely another glass of wine.
Happy campers all around!
P.S. Happy Birthday to my Mom!!! Love you!
Wandering, But Not Lost 