We arrived in Michigan near midnight on Thursday, April 18. Our first stop was the storage unit where we had stored our beloved VW station wagon. The big question on our minds was, “Would she start?” We should have never underestimated that German engineering. She fired up on the first try! Things were coming up Kizer. We quickly transferred our stuff from the rental car to our VW before turning in the rental.
We made to Chelsea after midnight, tucking into my parents’ house for the week. We happened to be there just in time to celebrate my Mom’s birthday. The birthday celebration started with a rock painting party in downtown Chelsea, a true hometown tradition.
The week really flew by! It was so nice to spend time with so many of our loved ones and to be in one location for a bit. We ate some delicious food that we had really been missing, including Susan’s famous chicken enchiladas.
Before we knew it, it was time to pack the car again for our final leg of the journey north. We had a wonderful group of little “helpers” (aka our nieces and nephews) who came over to say goodbye. There was a lot of debate about whether all of our stuff would fit in our station wagon. But, once again, that German engineering came through. We filled every crevice of the car and nearly fit everything we planned to bring. Success!
We set off on Saturday, April 27, arriving in Petoskey in the evening. We ate a quick dinner and then went to bed early. The next day, our journey north would officially end and our summer on Mackinac Island would begin.
A huge thank you to our families and friends for housing, feeding and communing with two salty sailors!! We love you all so much.
