I think there’s only one thing more fun than getting dumped off the tube out on the lake, and that’s probably driving the jet ski trying to dump people. It looks like everyone is really enjoying themselves. While everyone else is just chilling on the dock. They even managed to flip the jet ski. Looks like Gordon and the girls did a bit of exploring. Then its over to Bootjack Fire & Rescue for the stupendous annual chicken BBQ ritual. Monica enjoyed the burros we passed everytime we drove to town. ...

Charlotte and Monica drove down to Newberry to pickup Gordon and Annie. It’s a pretty long drive, but happy to have Gordy’s kids join the crew up in Bootjack for the week. They got back home just in time for another great sunset.

It’s a great morning to go exploring around Gay, home of the Gay Bar, the Gay Parade, and other sites. I often ride my bike through this tiny little town, that I suspect doesn’t have a single gay person in it. A few cute photos from Monica on the way back to the cabins. It’s been a really long day in the saddle, as you can see from the huge salt stains on my arm warmers. It was a great ride out to Copper City via Brockway Mountain Drive, and back through Lac La Belle and Gay. Can’t wait to put in some quality recovery time. ...

Today we’re heading into Houghton with the whole crew to check out the very cool rocks and minerals at the Seaman Mineral Museum at Michigan Tech (MTU). I like their funny shoplifting sign in the gift shop. I suspect lots of little kids are very tempted. They have an unbelievably large collection of specimens (over 5,000), and I hear that they have way more than what’s on display in the back rooms (over 26,000 in total). It’s hard to pick a favorite, but they are known for their copper and iron pieces. ...

Pouring over the rocks you’ve collected is almost as much fun as picking them at the beach. Everyone is working hard identifying all their little treasures. I guess playing with the rocks resulted in a few hungry stomachs. Nothing like a salty matzah ball or two to get your energy levels back up. I don’t think this is a typical U.P. treat, but I know my family loves them. Of course we also love the local pasties as well. ...

Good morning Bootjack! Let’s see what’s waiting for us out there today. One of our local bald eagles, some pretty flowers, grandma’s place in the garden, an evil squirrel, happy dancing Charlotte busy cleaning, and some of grandma’s artwork. We’re off to town today, specifically Calumet to play tourist with Ira and Karen. This place has plenty of old, cool buildings. A favorite place of ours has to be Copper World. What’s not to like, they’ve got copper, cool hats, cool signs, funny finger puppets, fudge, licorice pipes, and did I mention copper? ...

Another beautiful morning in sunny Bootjack Michigan. Gracie enjoy her favorite pastime, fetching a frisbee while the wind is blowing pretty hard off the lake. Nick and I just got in from Califorina after a good amount of excitement. I just finished up with a week of backpacking in Alaska you can read about in previous stories. You can probably tell there’s still a little bit of stubble on my face. I figured it was pretty novel, and the family would enjoy it. Nick did not enjoy the flight out here given the drama of our departure. I flew through SFO a few too many times and headed to the wrong airport this morning. Let’s just say we had a very fast car trip down to San Jose, but we just managed to make the flight. Now that was a little stressful. ...

Grandpa Ira and Karen drove up for a visit this year for the first time. Sounds like time for some fishing at the south entry in Jacobsville. Now that’s one cool shore bird. Charlotte’s sister Karen thinks it’s from Alaska. Pretty good omen considering my recent trip to Alaska. I’m not sure if Gabe caught any fish on this trip, but I do recall that he caught someone’s lake trout rig that got stuck in the pier. ...

Gabe is loving his new cycling cap the girls brought back from Jelly Belly. Only problem is, I love it too. You know I’ll be borrowing it on rainy days for sure. Gabe and Doug sure have a great time hanging out with each other. And there’s almost nothing better than hanging out in Bootjack. Looks like it’s still kinda rough out on the lake for fishing. ...

The girls spent last night at the Winfield Inn in Bayview. Looks like a very beautiful place, especially the gardens. And a lovely koi pond. Plenty of statues and views. Charlotte would love to come back and stay again sometime. Charlotte and Monica went for a run along the Lake Superior shore before heading out for the last stretch of driving. Then it’s off to the Apostle Islands lakeshore area. It’s definitely an area I would love to go visit, especially for some fishing with Gabe. ...