Marquette, MI

I went to college in Michigan, so that is where all my college pals are from. Nikki and Amy are from the same town in the UP (Upper Peninsula for all you non Michigonians), and I have had several trips up there over the years. Juan had never experienced the UP, so we decided to make a stop there before heading down to the southern part of the state on our way out East.
Gary and Janet, Amy's parents, always welcome me into their home, and this visit was no exception. Gary built their log home himself, and they have lots of fruit trees, berry bushes, grapes, and gardens around the house. He also built a sauna separate from the house, complete with shower and changing room. This was fired up and ready to receive us after two days of camping, canoeing, and long-distance driving. Janet had also planned a delicious dinner for us when we got out- I felt like we were in a spa! Good conversation, signature Graham margaritas, and close games of cribbage made us not want to leave. (Gary, I'm going to have a chance to redeem myself when you get to Maine next week!)

We did have an incident with the canoe, which I'm not ready to talk about yet, though I will say no one was hurt, the canoe is still in our possession, and the Marquette Coast Guard is an attractive bunch.
Here are some pictures of our Marquette visit:

The Mackinac Bridge (pronounced like Mackinaw) connecting the UP to southern MI.