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.