I was totally blown away on this trip and fell in love with this beautiful park.
Pretty sure the kids favorite was the Bear Cave Trail at Petit Jean State Park.
It has lots of rocks and is short, all things they like.
They were less enthusiastic when they found out they had to hike back also and could not take the “short way” back.
After a lot of steps going up and down we did make it back though.
I convinced my husband to take the really long way to Minnesota!
We drove up through Michigan, including the whole upper peninsula!
I had never been up their before and it was beautiful!!!
It was also our first time tent camping with 5 kids!
So of course it rained!
First stop was Ludington State Park and a very wet dinner.
Thankfully it stopped pouring before dark so we could get the tent set up.
Our site was a bit wet but thankfully we found a dry spot for the tent.
This sight was breathtaking though!!!
Lake Michigan at sunset!
The next day was warm and sunny so the walk to the lighthouse before we left was actually nice.
They have a nice walking path that goes back to it so it is a pretty easy walk.
It was a bit of a stressful walk due to our dog not being well trained and lots of people and dogs on the trail.
But at least we have this smiling pic.
ha
Lake Michigan is so pretty!!!
We packed up and headed north to Paradise, MI and more rain!
I am thinking that the next tent camping trip will feel easy without worrying about setting up and tearing down in rain.
That being said, our campsite was beautiful!
We did not stay at Tahquamenon Falls because it seemed pretty full when I looked online.
So I found a forest campground nearby that was rustic but perfect!
This little stove worked great!
I brought my big pot to cook with though, that little pot would not fit all the food my family requires…
Thankfully we did have a few dry spells that felt pretty idyllic. 
Tahquamenon Falls was beautiful!
And I loved all the boardwalks!
Highly recommend!
The trees were so beautiful also! 
We did the upper and lower falls and I really enjoyed both.
The next day was cold and rainy again so we drove around.
We drove out to whitefish point and the shipwreck museum but did not go in.
My kids spotted a sign for a cranberry farm and insisted we get some!
I had never been to a cranberry farm before so it was interesting to see, although a bit too wet to walk around.
We found a nice spot to check out Lake Superior from a different side(we have been to the Minnesota side before). 
We were planning on driving to Porcupine Wilderness and camping one more night but they were calling for another 10 degree drop in temp and snow!
So we headed to Minnesota a day early and got to enjoy what would have closed down the state in Oklahoma…
We went on a trip last month to see family in Indiana and Minnesota!
While there I took some half face shots of my nieces and nephews for a possible grandkids wall 😉
And Nick let me get a shot of him so now I have my whole family!
Not sure what I will do with them yet.
Got some family shots of my sister and their youngest (oldest is an adult so he was not there).
We also took some group shots!
We were so close to having everyone!
My brother and sister and their families were not there and one nephew!
My parents have the nicest walking path nearby!
It was a beautiful time of year to walk on it!
Nick went into the store to get all the kids that braved the walk a treat 😉
It was warm enough to swim while we were up there!!!
The kids had a blast and I am glad we enjoyed the warm weather because it was about to get a lot colder on our next stop 😉