July 30, 2015 (Ohio)

We woke up again with the birds this morning in order to make it to Sandusky, Ohio. There has been quite a bit of build-up leading to this next destination. Today, we visit the ROLLER COASTER CAPITOL OF THE WORLD!! WEEEEE! But first, I drank an entire pot of coffee and fell asleep immediately when I got in the car. I rode for two hours with mouth agape and drool soaking into my neck pillow. I am that tired.

Mile 1557-Cedar Point is situated on the banks of Lake Erie. It is the second oldest amusement park in the U.S., it features a world-record, 72-ride menu from which to choose. It is the only amusement park in the world with four roller coasters taller than 200 ft!

Roller Coaster pose. Or, bank robbery pose.

Cedar Point is a lot like most amusement parks. No, I would NOT like you to guess my age or my weight. That's between me and Jesus.

But, it is set in a beautiful location, meticulously clean and beautifully landscaped. The food is over-priced and the people watching is epic.
Mr. Bullington and Charlotte got the fast pass so they could cut in line. Not sure what message this is sending, but they wanted to maximize coaster time since we were only going to be there one day.

The little Bullington's and I rode this in memory of Aunt Lindsay's lunch at Lake Winnie in the late '90s. We managed to hold on to our vittles. 

I hung with the younger two. Thomas' courage did not quite match his height in inches so he was a bit of a grump and kept reminding the workers that he was  "NOT A BABY!"

Barf.

This is more our speed

View of Lake Erie from the Ferris Wheel or the Ferrosel as Thomas calls it.

T and his new best friend Owen that he met in line and invited his family to eat lunch with us :/

I caught Thomas demonstrating his new warrior technique to his random friend. He calls it Dance-fighting. It's when you use some rocking dance moves to distract/wound your opponent. Imagine "the sprinkler" to the head. You really have to witness it...

Could I get three of these to go?

Dare Devil Daddy Daughter Duo

Cedar Point was a hot day in the sun and a hit with the kids,  now we are headed to Cleveland. Mr. Bullington sleeps this leg while I pound Red Bulls. We are in survival mode up in here.

Mile 1589.4- Cleveland, Ohio.

All I can say is Wow. I am not sure if Cleveland shines a little brighter because I still have the after taste of Detroit in my mouth, but Cleveland Rocks!

It doesn't hurt that the Marriott points afforded us a Marriott suite in a historic hotel downtown. I actually have a real live door between the kids and the parent sleeping quarters! This current Marriott was historically the The Colonial Motel. It was built in 1890 and still has many historic features. During renovation of this building, they opened up the arcades (kind of like shopping hallways that run through the block.) John D. Rockefeller funded the original arcades and Cleveland's restoration efforts have reclaimed them. 

Ring. Hello, Detroit? This is Cleveland. Sarah asked me to call you to see if you wanted a consult?

A little much needed wiggle room

Cute little door knocker with a cute little door knocker

We figured that after a blazing-hot day at an amusement park the kids would be up for a brisk walk and a nice dinner out. We shoved them full of cotton candy at day's end in hopes that we would maintain glucose levels through dinner.  And, we had a little surprise up our sleeves....

WORLD'S LARGEST OUTDOOR CHANDELIER!!!  She's a beaut! This is located in Cleveland's vibrant theater district.

But, Cleveland. What a big Chandelier you have....

We strolled among the beautiful buildings and finally landed at The Green House Tavern. It's proprietor won the James Beard award and it was delicious. The kids drank sarsaparilla out of bottles and pretended it was beer....precious little imps. It was a really cool space with a vast library of VHS tapes on hand. You could even pick a vidia-tape to play on the VCR behind the bar. Someone had picked out High Fidelity with John Cusak. Fortunately, the kids had their back to the TV so they missed out on the racy scenes.

Green House Tavern

If you build it, they will come.

Looking forward to exploring more of Cleveland tomorrow!

July 29, 2015 (Mich-again)

Mile  1449- The Ford Factory Tour
We woke up at 4:00 am for the 4.5 hour drive to Detroit, for we had an appointment with innovation! Y'all, we have seen it all today. We toured the Ford Rouge factory where they make the F-150s. It is so cool because you get to walk on these catwalks above the plant and watch the miles of assembly line. I was amazed at the precision of the assembly. Everything just fits together and lines up perfectly. It really made me appreciate the genius of Henry Ford and what his innovation did for this fine nation.  No pics from the tour because it is big time against the rules.

After the factory we toured The Henry Ford Museum. If you ever take a wrong turn and end up in Detroit, seek refuge in this place.  Here is a sampling....

Weinermobile!!! Are you kidding me right now?

At The Henry Ford, you don't have to just wish you were an Oscar Mayer Weiner...

And, one of the temporary exhibits was about the 30 year exploits of John Margulies and he is my hero! He is is personally responsible for Roadside America, a website that records and chronicles fading roadside stops across america. I get a lot of our travel destinations from his writing AND they had a picture of the wigwams from #2 Wigwam village!! FULL-FREAKING-CIRCLE! I love it when that happens!

Shout out to WWV #2!

There is just too much to include without boring you out of your mind, but here is a sampling...

The bus that Rosa Parks rode on and refused to move. You can get on it! And SIT IN THE ACTUAL SEAT! I got chills.

The Chair where Abraham Lincoln sat when he was assassinated. You can see the blood stains. John Wilkes Booth, you better be glad they burned you up in that barn before I got ahold of you.

The car where Kennedy was assassinated.

I could have camped out in the RV portion museum for a week because there is so much to see. I may have to come back to Detroit....yikes.

Adjacent to The Henry Ford is Greenfield Village. It is 80 ACRES of historic structures that Henry Ford bought and moved to the site. Just a few worth mentioning, Thomas Edison's Lab where he invented the light bulb and the phonograph, The Wright Brothers house and shop where they built the first plane, working farms from the 1800s and little model Ts tooting around the streets in the place of modern cars. And look who I bumped into in the merchantile!

He couldn't believe it either! I think he's really missed me since I visited him in Springfield a few summers ago.

The kids were starving and wanted to eat lunch. Again. Sure, we could've gone for corn dogs but not when they are serving up food prepared from 100 year old recipes at the Eagle Tavern!

My kids just love experimental cuisine! (And, I am a liar)

Charlotte's chicken was shaped like the state of Michigan! She wanted to save it to sell on Ebay.

Mae Yucking it up with the Tavern owner.

We toured more homes after lunch until the thunder rolled and the rain started to fall. We ducked into a structure that was actually a historic courthouse from Logan County, Illinois. Because we were stuck inside with the docent during the storm, we got to hear her entire spiel on the history of the courthouse. I bet you can't guess what young lawyer practiced law in that very courthouse? You guessed it! My man A.L.!

No living history village is complete without Victorian tomfoolery!

You can't Detroit without a visit into the Detroit part of Detroit. John had been pretty insistent that we get the full "see the nation" experience. You have to take the good with the bad, right? I have been following the city's downfall from a historic preservation perspective for several years and I really needed to see it for myself. I dialogued with myself that it probably just had some rough pockets that existed within larger pockets of transitional neighborhoods that are on the up and up.  I was particularly interested in the old Michigan Theater that I can equate to The Fox Theater in Atlanta. Several years ago they put a parking deck INSIDE it.

The parked cars are such an improvement!

It was a little tricky to find because obviously it's not called the Michigan Theater anymore. Unless you want to don a frilly frock and pay money to stare at the back of a rusted out Corolla. We finally found it on a shuttered block near "Park Avenue". It was locked up tight as a tick but I did jump out to shoot a few pictures through the razor wire. You can still see some of the stamped copper (or maybe plaster) ceiling in my picture.

The arched window was once part of the theater facade. But, they had to lop it off as to allow all of the traffic into the parking garage. I think I am going to be sick....

Dah-ling I love you, but give me Park Avenue.

This building was once Michigan Central Station. See how you can see light through it? That is because most of the windows have been broken out.  It was once the nation's tallest train station. 

Roads? We don't need no stinkin' roads!

Blocks and Blocks of this.

I just feel bad for Detroit. You get glimpses of the past. Neighborhoods full of historic houses that people would be clamoring for in Marietta, sit sadly drooping with neglect. And, there are "pockets" of rebirth. Cool little neighborhoods that seem to have united and gotten it together (Corktown seemed to be moving in the right direction) But, next block there will be a HUGE group of people just hanging out and pan-handling. I hope this fine city can get it's act together. 

The Bullington's do love a contrast, so we left 8 mile for our residence for the night. The Henry Hotel in Dearborn (Metro-Detroit)

Is it Narcolepsy or STNBG fatigue? The child can sleep anywhere!

We had to feed the children (for like, the 3rd time today) We heard about this awesome little neighborhood pizza joint called Buddy's. SO GOOD.  I think I might have sweet-talked them into opening a franchise in Marietta.

I love how they pile up like dogs under the porch. These days are numbered.

July 28, 2015 (Michigan)

When left to sleep unencumbered, I discovered that I could sleep until 10:00, probably later, but bacon and pancakes and eggs and hash browns and coffee smells were wafting from the kitchen. Friend Dana has this weird glitch in her personality that jolts her awake before the rooster crows and makes her want to cook breakfast for everyone. She has cooked breakfast for me every time I have found myself in some sort over night situation with her. You should definitely get a friend like Friend Dana. Friend Dana is also known as Nurse Dana, because she is a nurse. She has cared for Mae's Frankentoe and it is healing nicely!

Today was a chill day. After 6 days living out of hotel rooms and packing and re-packing the car, it was nice stay in one place. Especially when that place is Sequanota. Friend Dana set up chairs on the beach for us AND bought the newest issue of People magazine.  See why you should get a friend like her? We spent the morning watching kids dig in the sand, jump on the water trampoline, and get blasted into orbit from The Blob. You've probably seen one. Some skinny kid gets at the end of the pillow (like a partially deflated air mattress) then someone who is...ahem, larger, jumps on the opposite end thus catapulting skinny kid into the air. It was all fun and games until Master Thomas decided he wanted to give it a go. Daddy did the honors and Thomas will henceforth be known as the skinny kid who pierced the atmosphere at Sequanota. He flew waaaay up into the air, and had just enough hang time for terror to register in time for the trip down. He cried a little, but didn't break anything. Whoot! I imagine he'll want to put a few more sleeps before his next Blob encounter.

Charlotte on The Blob

We took the boat into Boyne City to the Red Mesa Grill for lunch. They had $3 Margaritas. I hate Margaritas and it is opposite day.

You can't have her, she's MY friend!

Thomas falls asleep sitting up

I know it's blurry, but I love Joy! It is my favorite!

Happy boy

We came back to Sequanota and beached around a little more before heading to the cottage to get ready for dinner. This is one of the quaint things about this place. Everyone dresses for dinner and eats together at the main dining room.

They ring the dinner bell at 6:30 SHARP and everyone spills out of their cottages and walks down the sidewalk towards the club house. We sat at the same table that Chris Ervin's family has sat for a million years. During dinner different people would tap their glasses and make announcements such as, "The plumber is here and has corrected the blockage at the Smith's cottage (name changed to protect the offender)." and "The Jones family won the annual Treasure hunt", "Soft shoe tournament starts at 6:00 on the shuffle board court". My kids were captivated...

Seriously, it wasn't the announcements that put them to sleep it was because we wore them out! Score additional cocktails on the porch!

Then came the birthday parade! It was so cute. All of the kids go back into the kitchen come out banging pots and pans and sing happy birthday to someone. We only missed it by one day. Dang!

Blurry Birthday parade. It did wake Mae up, briefly.

After dinner we retired to the porch for a cocktail overlooking this beautiful, perfect place. We packed the car and we are doing something we've never done before. We are sleeping in our next-day clothes because we have to leave this slice of heaven in the middle of the night to get to The Henry Ford Museum in time to see them build a truck in front of our very eyes! Yes, we are following Sequanota with Detroit......Detroit. I just set my alarm for 4:00. I should probably hit the hay.

July 27, 2015 (Michigan)

Our day started early with breakfast in bed for the birthday girl! I have been smuggling birthday presents across state lines for the last 5 days, so it was nice to lighten my load. We had convinced Mae that she wasn't getting anything on her birthday because we let her open her big gift before we left. So she was tickled!

I am sure this breakfast looks lovely, but my eyes are glued shut from exhaustion. 

Mr. Bullington's face when he learned it's Mae's choice for the radio today. We started with a Kidz Bop 27 appetizer, followed by the main course, Teen Beach Movie 2 soundtrack. Why yes, we do have room for dessert. We'll just split an order of Radio Disney on satellite radio until our ears bleed. Check please!

Mobile birthday Party headed to Sleeping Bear Dunes

Mile 1096- Sleeping Bear Dunes
We are a little over half way through our trip and we are meeting our friends the Ervins at Sleep Bear Dunes National Lakeshore. It was Good Morning America's most beautiful place in America and they hit the nail on the head!

http://abcnews.go.com/Travel/best_places_USA/sleeping-bear-dunes-michigan-voted-good-morning-americas/story?id=14319616

We climbed up the ENORMOUS dunes of sand and got real sweaty so the sand would have something to stick to.  It was so gorgeous and the pictures don't do it justice. You should go to there.

Ervin and Bullington kids carefully not leaning back.

And with the help of a little natural history exhibit we learned that what we saw last night crossing the road was a giant porcupine, not a creature from the Dark Crystal.

I'm gonna party like it's my birthday!

Old Man Takes Flight, Lives to Tell About It. News at 11:00.

Sand Herkie. Yep. Still got it. Cheerleading squad didn't know what they were missing.

So Chris Ervin has a firm grasp on the types of sites that we Bullingtons are into. It just so happened that on the way to Charlevoix he had scheduled a couple of "extra stops". Including Home of the WORLD'S LARGEST CHERRY PIE!! (actual pie is gone, obviously, but a concrete realistically painted slice remains to remind you of the glory days!) (Pretend you're reading this next part in a hush)You should pretend it's 1976 right now because, The glory days only lasted 11 years. That dern Traverse City robbed Charlevoix of it's title. Word on the street is that the Traverse City pan is just leaning against some bushes near the old bakery where it was made and now stands vacant because they were bought out by Sara Lee! Then in 1992, Traverse City got it's hiney handed to them by some little town in Canada. But, Charlevoix still has the monument so they win.

World's 3rd Largest Cherry Pie!!

Party on the 45th Parallel! We're coming for you, Santa!

8 years old, finally old enough to have your birthday party in a pub. Have party hats, will travel.

Birthday Candle in a root beer float. Life on the road = non-traditional birthday celebrations

Mile 1173-So we are staying with our Marietta friends Dana and Chris Ervin and their kids, Charlie and Sarah Grace. Chris' family has a house on Lake Charlevoix that has been in the family for 70 years. The homes within The Sequanota Club have been owned and passed down within the same families for over 100 years. There are only 22 homes in the club and they all sit right on the lakeshore. It may be the most beautiful place I have ever seen. And they people are SO NICE! Everyone knew we were intruders, but they were just as hospitable as could be. I got some excellent travel tips from the lady two doors down. And, there are far worse places to tackle my weeks worth of laundry!

"I don't know, maybe we should just go back to the Courtyard Marriott. I kinda miss my view of the Cracker Barrel parking lot" said, no one ever.