Tuesday August 4th

I get up and pack my clothes, which takes a lot more room than I thought it would. Usually Kellie and I share a bag but I don't think that will work for this trip. I get all my stuff packed and then head to the computer hoping to make some reservations for camp grounds, plenty is open for Tuesday and Wednesday, but the weekend is looking like it will be a problem. I know I should have made reservations already but with the party the funds weren't available. So I book Leelanau for Thursday but no other. We are starting to pack the car and time is really starting to slip away I gripe a little at Kellie because I have no idea how long the drive will take. It was my plan to make it to Mackinac today and do the island the next day. The other problem we have is that nobody would take Ditzy so she was going camping with us. I ran and got ice for the coolers, and took the other 2 dogs to Deb and Bills. I guess when we left with the other 2 Ditzy freaked a little and wouldn't let Kellie out of her sight. We still weren't sure that the Jeep was going to work for the trip but taking the tent out of it's box helped a lot. So just before noon we head out (it may have been 11). I put a general address for Mackinac in the GPS and let it route. We stop for gas and hit the road. I relax a bit and decide it is no big deal if we don't make it to Mackinac today, but plan on doing some tourist things. One of our first options is Bronners Christmas World (Tanis and my first time here). We walk around outside some and then head inside, we drop Ditzy off in the car first (open the roof and the windows) and head in. It was pretty cool. I spend sometime looking around and help buy our first squished penny of the trip. I give Kellie my wallet and tell her and Tanis to have fun but that I wanted to head out to the car and check on Ditz. On the way out I see what I am really looking for.....BROCHURES. I grab a bunch including a KOA. I call the Mackinac city and they have openings, more importantly Traverse city has them for the whole weekend so I make reservations for Traverse city and feel a lot of anxiety lift. Kellie and Tanis come out, Tanis bought a book to hold squished pennies and Kellie bought a thimble. I punch the address into the GPS and realize we can make Mackinac before 8. We stop for gas along the way, and also for cheese. We get there set up the tent and get ready for camping. The tent has a light system witha remote control. The bed has a motor in it, but the battery isn't charged and we don't have c batteries. We fill it until the motor dies. We head into Mackinac City for dinner and find out the whole town basically closes at 10. Out of all we did this meal is the biggest let down. We left a little diner because it was so close to closing and ended up at the Dixie Saloon, both of us had fish and chips that were definitely overpriced. We go back to the camp go to sleep. We roll out Tanis's sleeping bag and Ditzy promptly goes over and pees on it. She had all kinds of chances to potty elsewhere but does it there instead. We figure out arrangements and go to bed. It gets fairly cold overnight but we all make it. Love ya guy