34. Ann Arbor (Michigan), America

Here is the blog for Ann Arbor, Michigan!! I hope you enjoyed reading about the treat of a bus trip we had in getting there!! 

 

Day One

We'd arrived!! Wow we were so happy to finally have that journey behind us! Once we stepped off the bus upon arrival we were surprised how warm it was. We had arrived at Ann Arbor, Michigan and couldn't wait to take our jackets off! Let the sun see the skin!

This leg of the trip we were really excited about!  We were to be reunited with a friend we made in Fiji, Jenna! She was kind enough to let us stay at her house and she would show us some fab places Michigan had to offer! It was going to be so fun! 

In the picture below you can see the look of relief on Rachael's face!! No more looooonnng bus journeys!!

Jenna picked us up and we were over the moon to see her. It's crazy to think it's wasn't too long ago that we didn't even know each other and now we were all really good friends. That's a brilliant aspect of travelling the world, you meet and make friends with people from every corner of the globe!

 

We were ready for some substantial food so off we went to an Irish pub. We couldn't wait to catch up on all our adventures! As soon as we got in the car we didn't stop talking. It was hilarious!

The food was really nice. The restaurant did fried ice cream for desert but we were too full to have any! We made the waitress laugh though, because when she said what was avaliable Rach and I both said 'fried ice cream!' at the exact same time and in the same high pitched tone!! We'd only seen and tried it in Thailand so for it to be here, we were surprised! 

We decided we had caused enough noise and comotion in the restaurant, so, moved on to do some shopping!! 

Rach and I spotted this license plate game (pic below) and thought it would have been a great way to have passed the time on the greyhound bus! 

 

We loved this sign but definitely would have bought it if it had said 'We are on Fiji time!' Oh well nevermind! 

 

A lot of fun was had shopping! It is such a homely, lovely place. 

 

 

We mentioned to Jenna about really wanting to go to Costco and she said she would take us! We do have some in England but we have never been! She said today was the day!! 

We set off and were so weirdly excited!! It's always the little things! Ha ha.  

We walked in and couldn't believe the sizes of the things you can buy! It really was buying in bulk!! 

 

Rach was over the moon when we spotted the cookies! It was such a big box but we could share it! We picked one up! 

As we were walking round, people were giving away lil samples. It was rude not to have any! We tried all kinds of things but as the end of one aisle was a cookie sample! It was enticing us to buy the cookie mixture and the thought of freshly baked cookies with a glass of milk was too good an image so we put the already made cookies back! 

 

We gave people the option though....

 

We had become accustom to buying cereal bars and thought we would buy some more. They were such a good price! $12 for 98 bars!!! We decided to buy a box each! The box was SOOO big! This was before we thought,'how are we going to carry these?!?!'.

On the way to the till we bought a punnet of strawberries and a box of blueberries. It would make up for the cookies! 

We were very happy with our purchases and made our way back to the car.

 

Jenna didn't know what kind of foods we liked so wanted to take us shopping. We went to a place called Meijer, I'd misheard her and called it Mary's....this made us laugh and everytime we went passed we called it Mary!

 

One activity we had decided to do whilst here was to go camping so of course we had marshmellows on our shopping list!! 

We shopped till we dropped and headed back home to fill the cupboards! We couldn't wait for the cookies! 

Jenna recommended us try this treat. We didn't really hesitate due to it being called York!! It was very yummy though, just like an English 'After Eight'.

 

Whilst driving back home we came across a lorry carrying a wing from a wind turbine. It was massive!!! We know they are big but THAT big ?! 

 

 

We got back to Jennas and were told about a street festival that happens in town every Thursday. Before we made dinner we decided to have a look! 

 

It was such a lovely atmosphere! People were really friendly and having such fun. People were performing, singing and shops were open too. It really brought the community together. They also show movies but it wasn't a good one this week, so we gave it a miss. 

 

On our travels we walked passed the factory for Jiffy. 

 

Here we are joining in with a band! 

 

 

 

 

 

 

This guy kept us entertained and then we decided to listen to our stomachs, head home and have dinner! 

 

We had such a fun night. Jenna's sister was around so we enjoyed a scrumptious plate of pasta and then played card games. Rach and I learnt a new one and picked it up quite well. We played in teams against Jenna and her sister and won twice!!! Ha ha ha! They weren't laughing! :) 

 

Camping was planned for tomorrow so Jenna booked our campsite and packed our bags. It was going to be a 4 hour drive each way so we would have to set off early. 

 

To say we really wanted to get to bed early we were up until 12.30am due to all the fun card games!! We had such a fun thank you so much!!

 

The feeling of getting into an actual bed after that bus journey was absolute heaven though!! 

Day Two

Road trip day!! Our alarm was set early so we could have breakfast and head off. Our bags were packed so we placed them in the car. Looking at the trunk you'd have thought we were going for a week not just one night!! We made sure the food was packed. We couldn't be having a camp fire without marshmellows...it's against the law! 

Time to hit the road!! 

 

Our first stop was the shop to get ice for the cooler! This sign was on the door and having worked in retail I think we should make more of these signs!!! 

 

We were back on the road, we were all stocked up on junk food and ready to go! 

 

Whilst driving we passed tons of army vehicles, Rach and I nodded off but when we kept waking up they just seemed to keep passing! 

We were heading towards the top end of Michigan, Mackinac! Once there we were planning on going on a ferry across to Mackinac Island where fudge was invented! Rach was very very excited by this! (Rach: I was so excited!!!)

 

Jenna was doing so well driving but we needed a restroom stop so a little lookout was just the place. I don't really know what the look out was but it was a nice view of the motorway!! 

 

 

After 4 hours driving we arrived at our destination safe and sound. We located the campsite and checked out our plot of land. As time was ticking on we decided to head to the island now and set up the tent later. Hopefully it wouldn't be too dark upon our return! We didn't have our camping expert Deb from St George with us! Hehe :)

As it was lunch time we bought a subway and ate it on the ferry over to the island. 

 

We could see in the distance the Royal Hotel, well you couldn't really miss it!! 

The island is extremely unique as they don't allow public transport on it. The only forms of transport are horse and cart, bicycle or foot. We really loved the  concept!

 

 

 

 

We were going to cycle around but thought we would be proper tourists and enjoy a horse and cart ride. The perk of this would be narration from the carriage driver telling us about the islands history and information about passing buildings. 

 

 

The buildings were so quaint and cute! This church is beautiful! 

 

They had a carriage that could pull about 30 people, no wonder they needed 3 horses! This is the carridge that takes people back to the main street at the end of their tour of the top of the hill. We'll be on that later! 

 

Check out the photo-bomber in the picture below! 

 

We just had to get a picture with the horses! They were so cute! 

 

At the top of the hill we were able to look at the stables and a museum of the carridges. The horses are so well looked after!! 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We then decided to head back down so hopped on the large carriage that I showed you earlier in a picture.  After we had a bit of drama though, I thought I'd lost my ticket!! Luckily I finally found it and we hopped on.

 

The narration wasn't over, the carriage driver gave us information about the new side of the island we were travelling on. 

 

 

We had a little stop at the Arch Rock. This was a stunning look out on to the lake. Looking at the pictures you wouldn't think it's a lake, it's so big!!!

We were told that in a good few years the arch might be gone due to erosion. I made sure I took some pictures before that happened! 

 

 

 

Time to carry on the tour! We ended up getting off at the fort and we timed it right to hear the canon exploding. 

We walked down the rest of the hill looking out on to the beautiful scenary. 

 

 

 

 

We had a look around and then decided enough was enough, it was time to hit the fudge shops!! There are 17 fudge shops on the island and we were on the hunt to get as many tasters as possible. We had found out that if you had a sample from every shop, you'd have eaten a pound of fudge! After a slow start we finally were getting good and probably ended up eating a slice of fudge in the end! 

 

Most of the shops had the fudge making slabs and also people were actually making fudge in front of our eyes. It was so interesting and put us into a trance.

I wasn't too keen on the fudge but what I did have my eye on was a rice krispie square covered in chocolate, this looked very yummy!!! 

 

They had all sorts available, toffee apples, popcorn, chocolate shapes but the squares looked the best. 

 

Jenna and I gave into temptation and went for one! It was sooo good!! 

 

For the guests staying at the luxurious grand hotel this was their horse and carridge. It was so exclusive it cost $10 just to look inside the lobby! We weren't that interested! 

 

Rach was more interested in the fudge on offer!! 

 

 

Time was ticking by so we looked at the sights for the last time and made our way back to the ferry. We did have a tent to put up!! 

 

 

 

On our way back to the ferry we decided we needed some souvenirs so popped into a few shops. That's all that was down this main street fudge, souvenirs and a few cafés so we were spoilt for choice. 

 

We were very tempted to buy these hats! 

 

 

 

 

Souvenirs bought, fudge eaten, horse ridden it was time to head back!! 

 

From the ferry we took in our last sights of the island. It had been such a lovely day! 

 

We saw these chaps and it reminded Rach of when she tried it on Fraiser island!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Seeing the bikes like this took us back to San Francisco when we hired our bikes and ferried them over to the pier! 

 

We finally arrived back at the campground before dark! We told Jenna that we weren't camping pros so don't expect Bear Grills! 

 

Jenna had a rough idea though and instructions are always handy! The problem was the mosquitoes were out and they were loving us!! We sprayed ourselves with bug spray and managed to do the tent!! 

 

Rach was fire wood lady. We were all quite excited about this lil camping adventure. Rach and I had never roasted marshmellows or even had a campfire we we were ready to get hands on! 

 

Our first mission was to search for fire wood before it got dark. We were near the wood so at least we didn't have far to go but it was scary in the dark so the hunt was on before any bears came out!

The tent was up and firewood was sourced so we decided to have a look around. 

 

One thing you couldn't miss whilst walking around was the massive selection of RV's. There are so many different styles and sizes. I was thinking that I might ask if I can sleep over but I didn't want to be a party pooper! :) 

The search continued! 

 

Ohhh what's in here??? 

 

Ladies toilets!! 

 

We headed back after our exciting tour of the campground and saw Jenna trying to channel Bear Grills and get a fire started. We didn't want to miss the lighting of it so luckily she couldn't get it lit! 

After a good few tries WE HAD FIRE! All them adventure programmes really helped well nah the lighter was primarily number one!! 

 

It was soon getting dark and we thought we had enough wood to last us a good few hours. We decided to crack open the marshmellows though and see what all the hoo ha was all about! 

 

We found our sticks in the wood and Jenna sharpened the ends - she was prepared! I had my hesitations, a dog could have pee'd on my stick and I was going to put it in my mouth!! 

I pushed that to one side and decided to see what the fuss is about. 

Our first attempt didn't go too well. I burnt mine good and proper and Rach burnt her edges! 

We decided to go for it, our first marshmellow. It didn't go down too well due to the burnt texture and taste. We decided to try again so we did until we felt sick! 

 

It was such fun sat around the campfire. All we needed was someone to burst into kum ba ya and we'd be on our way!! 

 

 

 

 

We tried to toast a strawberry which tasted strange. It was hard on the outside and soft in the inside. We needed to mix up the marshmellows! 

 

Rach had some raw carrots so I tried to toast them....it didn't go well! They took so long the end of the stick burnt and fell off taking the carrot into the fire!! 

After they didn't work Rach still had some wraps so she wrapped up some concoction and tried to toast it on the fire. 

Back to marshmellows! 

 

We decided it was game time so we played charades on my phone. It was such fun! We haven't laughed like that for a long time! Our stomachs hurt and our cheeks!! Some strange clues were given!

 

We were laughing and causing such a noise that as soon as it hit 11pm we decided to call it a night. We had to be courteous to our neighbours plus we had had a long day! 

The tent was a 6 person tent so we had plenty of room once we were in there.

 

 

Day Three 

Well that was quite a good nights sleep! I woke up and Jenna wasn't there. I thought 'ohhhh yeah, she's slept in the car!!!' I saw her pop her head out though and she denied it and said she'd just woken up early. I aren't sure about this! Ha ha! 

Our fire was nicely out.

 

We put the tent down and packed away. We had had such a fabulous time and such a laugh! It was a shame to go but a comfy bed was definitely needed after that not so comfy patch of land!!

 

 

This sign made me laugh. I didn't fancy a swimming pool filled full of propane!! 

 

Before we headed back home we decided to check out Mackinac town to see what they had to offer. 

 

Our visit was the same time as a medieval festival. We decided to have a wonder about to see what was happening. 

 

We saw boats, fur and tee pees which was interesting. 

 

We missed the gun shooting but we did see some canon firing. It was sooooo loud!! Our ears were ringing afterwards!! I knew they were loud but by heck don't stand too close when they fire! 

 

 

It was then time to try and bag some samples! They had restaurants, souvenirs shops but of course fudge shops!! You know where we went!! 

 

Luckily whilst in the USA the only bear we saw was in Yosemite National Park! These two were cute though!! 

I then saw a big N just for me!!

 

This has definitely been the motto for our travels and I hope we have inspired you to go out there and see the world!! 

 

This lady was pretty freaky, at first glance I thought she was real!

 

 

Rach and Jenna bought their fudge and I treated myself to another Rice Krispie square. It was time to leave but not before we went over the bridge! 

 

The Mackinac Bridge is 5 miles long and we just had to drive over it seen as we were so close! 

 

We didn't realise it was so expensive though which was a bugger. We only wanted to hop over and go straight back but we had to pay twice. Our British accent didn't help us on this occasion! :( 

 

 

 

 

 

 

It was great to say we had driven over it though. Once we drove over and back again it was time to drive back home. Rach and I didn't nod off as much as we did driving up so we helped pass time by singing to the radio and making each other laugh. Jenna loved our crazy antics! 

 

 

We got home and wow we were ready for a relax! What a few days! Dinner was delicious, we decided to treat ourselves to a pulled pork sandwich from a place in town. We had to collect it and when we did we noticed how busy it was, it was jam packed with people so we were glad we ordered a take away. 

 

When we were full to burst we decided to wrap up cozy in a blanket and watch titanic!! 

Even the dog wanted to join us! 

Day Four

Today was a proper American day. We were going to shoot a gun!! Obviously they aren't in our culture at all, so it was pretty intimidating the idea of it all :S 

Just seeing the bullets was fascinating enough before we even got close to the gun! When we were shown the gun we would be using we were surprised at how big it was!

 

The targets were set (bottles) and we had our safety briefing. We felt ready to shoot. 

 

The thing we noticed was the weight of the gun, they were so heavy! 

Rach felt comfortable if I went first so off I went. I felt nervous but was told I was a natural with my hand and feet positioning. 

I lined up the bottles on the scope and took a deep breath to steady my hand and the safety was turned off. I pressed the trigger!! 

I was just over the top!!! The thing that surprised me the most was the kickback! It surprised me but because of my position I had it under control and didn't feel it too bad! 

Rach was up next! 

She was nervous but because I'd showed her it's not too bad she was settled. 

 

She was a pro!! She hit the bottle first time!! Straight through the middle! Here's the picture to prove it.

 

 

We were told we were like Annie Oakley. Of course we didn't know who that was until we googled her! We found out it was quite a compliment! 

 

We had a go with a handgun and you could not at all aim with that!! I tried my best but wow the kickback was the big surprise. For such a smaller gun it had a big kick. You definitely needed a strong grip on that! 

 

In total we shot three guns. Two shotguns and a handgun. I finally hit my target, the bottle of root beer! We kept them as a souvenir. What a day! 

 

 

We headed home and this sign kept popping up. I just had to take a picture. This is what you call justice! It took us back to New Zealand when Rach knocked a stop sign with the wing mirror. It made us giggle! 

 

We then played outside with the doggies. They are just too cute!! It will be a shame to leave, we have had such a fabulous time! 

 

 

I had a flat battery in my watch and I asked Jenna where could I find one. She said a shop and I asked would they be able to fit it there and then. She shocked me when she said I would have to do it myself! Whaaat! This made us giggle! She is sooo good and sorted it out for me so I'm not tick tocking away with the correct time! 

I quite liked not knowing the time though because when my watch was working it reminded us that we were leaving! We had had such fun!! It was fabulous that we could fit this visit in and who would have thought we didn't even know each other before Fiji! It just felt like we'd known each other for years! 

 

Jenna drove us to the bus stop where we would wait. It's the only time we have had to wait early morning outside on the street. She left us as long as she could before she drove off. The bus was late....typical!! We got talking to a randomer like you do - trust us! He meant no harm though, talked about Jesus then asked for a dollar and went on his way. 

 

We were thankful when the bus turned up!! 

Time for New York state! Niagara Falls to be precise! 

Lots of love,

Nat xxx 

P.S We are sending a big thank you to Jenna for being such a fabulous hostess! We had such a fantastic time!!! See you in England hopefully one day where we can be a hostess with the mostess!! :)