St Ignace Labor Day Weekend!

My visit to the Shipwreck Museum had me kinda sad thinking of all those souls and MORE who have perished in the cold water of Lake Superior! I don't think I want to go boating....I mailed off my 4 postcards in Paradise then headed back south to pretty town of St Ignace where my cousin had rented 2 KOA cabins and had invited me to come park and celebrate her husbands birthday with them!  They do this every year. 

                                                              Notice my van far right..

In attendance was my cousin, her husband and all his brothers and sisters and their wives, their minister and his wife and 3 grand kids, and my uncle Frank, and my 2nd cousin and his new baby who is a yr old and the newest in their family line... and others who I can't recall how they fit into the picture about 20 in all.  NOT all were staying in the cabins, just my cousin, uncle and 2nd cousin and his family. 

the birthday boy

I had a great shady spot to park right by the firepit where all the food and action took place!!  On Saturday I arrived about 4 pm just in time to help lay out the food and watch my cousin stir up this magnificent cake she called a Dump Cake! 

• One can of cherry pie filing dump it in the bottom of a cast iron pot, she lined it generously with tin foil.
• An entire box of cake mix she used dutch chocolate 
• 1 stick of butter or margarine

then she put the cast iron pot on the campfire...

She let it bake about 30 mins and she turned it a few times so it would cook evenly...it was so moist and delicious, you spoon it out of the pot..yum!

Then the kids did some smores and it didnt take long till everyone was all eating smores!!

one of the minister's grandkids

And a very unusual gift but handmade with love and by the hand of his brother is this Greenbay Packer cornhole set!  It's a backyard or campground game you stand it up at an angle (his had legs that fold out to the right pitch) and you toss a bean bag into the hole...I have never played it. 

then more smores....

Sunday we went down to the Boardwalk at St Ignace where there is a lighthouse, a pier, and the Star Line Ferry to take people over to Mackinac Island.  

Mackinac island is a tourist trap if you like that kind of thing none of us were interested as its like Charleston only with cold air instead of hot air!

We were there for the Sunday Brunch! 

they set up a Brunch inside this RR car! Hard to tell its a RR car from the inside the photo on the left..

IT is attached to the dining area...really cool and somehow I did not get a shot of the outside of the RR Dining Car. Here is our morning crowd...

$7.99 all you can eat...and I did. Notice my plate waiting....and thats Uncle Frank my Mom's brother in Plaid Shirt on Left, Cousin Karen, 

After the Brunch they headed back to the KOA I walked around the board walk and took some photos..

 with my little buddy 

all those tents you see in the distance are vendors selling hand made goods and artisan foods..and the marina and lighthouse is nice!

The Wawatam Lighthouse...and this is Lake Huron in the background...

and this really pretty ring billed gull was just so still and so I had to take his photo..

and the ferry came back with only one passenger!

The Star Line provides free parking, you can take a bike with you for an additional $10 it's $26 to ride the ferry there are no cars on Mackinac Island, you can rent a bike or walk or go by horse drawn carriage, its full of Fudge shops and shops of all kinds and the home of the famous Grand Hotel 

I had a great visit with my northern family and then it was Monday and Labor Day! One tradition is that on Labor Day the bridge is closed on one side from 7-11 am and everyone who wants to can walk across it! I did not...many did tho...

and I headed West on Hwy 2 to continue my journey. 

Beautiful views all the way!

PEACE

Eleanor Roosevelt: You must do the thing you think you can not.