Back from vacation! You didn’t even know I was gone did you?

I took my family “up north” last week for our semi-annual get away. What makes this kind of vacation different from others is the fact that it is what I call an “unplugged holiday”. Sure, there are computers lying around at my in-law’s house and probably at least 10 cell phones but the cabin that we drive up to from there has no sign of that kind of technology. Going without a computer, a PDA, or a cell phone for an entire week is kind of a big deal for me. My kids and my wife going without video games and eBay is probably equally as cruel. We survived it though…and had a blast doing it.

Our family’s cabin has it’s shoreline right on the Escanaba River. The river is low, only about knee deep, but very rocky. Plus the river moves at about 2-3 miles an hour. It’s southing to hear the water rush over the rocks. Very relaxing. On the hottest portion of the day, which seemed to be from about 3:00-5:00pm, you could often find me and some of my in-laws sitting in the middle of the river on lawn chairs sipping a beer or a soda. That may sound very “white trash” but boy…does it feel good in the heat.

There is so much to do for relaxation up there. Trail riding on our ATV’s, walking up and down the river side exploring, swimming, drinking lots of beer :), sitting by our camp fire that blazed 24/7, gazing at the stars, bar-b-q’ing, and viewing all the wild life that comes passing by (deer, turkey, wolves, fox, rabbits, eagles, ospreys, and water chickens among others).

It was truly a great vacation and a great way to recharge one’s batteries for a while. There are so many places to visit and vacation in the United States but I am more than happy to keep going back to that one special place that feels like a second home to me. God bless the U.P.