Careybear

Hey I can't wait to meet you all who are going. I've been to Mackinac Island a couple times...once when i was really little and the last time on my honeymoon with my second husband in 1997. This time should be much nicer..lol Actually we had fun...it was just the couple years afterward that mostly sucked...hee hee :scared:

Anyway, I emailed the Dixie Saloon on their site and they said it was a family restaurant and it was okay to bring Christopher in. They said the live entertainment doesn't start until 10 p.m.

Have we decided if we're going to Mackinac Island on Saturday then? I'm thinking about just booking Friday night at the econolodge because it's only $58 on Friday and $78 on Saturday...Silly me is paying back payday loans i took out over the last few months...bad idea. So i'm scrounging the money to come

This is going to be so much fun. Any of you play poker? We're bringing cards and chips with us. We've been totally addicted to the world series of poker and totally playing on PartyPoker.com. Texas hold'em is the best!! Anyway, just wanted to let you all know we plan on being there.

Carey

Manc

we ain't gonna make it, I have 2 footy games to coach next weekend. Although I'll take a raincheck on the poker...........I'll have to steal your money another time.

scratch that, wife on the phone with Jen, staying the night at theirs.....

I'll bring some poker money too.

thing1

Hiya Carey,

I don't play poker but would be willing to learn.

We are staying at Econo Lodge (there are two in Mackinaw City) for $52.50 (AAA discount price) Friday night. We were going to book a second night but were told it would cost us $180 the second night for the exact same room/cottage. So we are changing hotels the second night and are staying at Budget Host the second night. We are limited because there are few places we could find that allow pets.

That is good news about the Dixie Saloon being family friendly! My main concern was whether they had anything this long time vegetarian could eat...and they do, so it looks like we are both going to happy campers with the restaurant choice.

So it looks like the couples going to be meeting for dinner are:

me and thing2
Manc and his wife
Jan and her husband
Jenn and Chris
Carey and Paul (and baby)

Is this list correct?

Thing1

Careybear

Well we weren't gonna bring poker money...just chips..lol I'm too broke to gamble..hee hee

Carey

Careybear

Well I went to the site you have linked and it was the one by the arnold ferry. I chose the cheapest room and it would be $78 for the second night...what was the price at Budget Host? I like the map on that site for all the hotels that's a good site.

Was the plan to go to the island on Saturday?

The list looked right to me unless my other two kids can't go to their grandma's then they'll be with us as well.

Jan Alaska

Bring yer warm clothes ..... therye giving snow :scared:
The trees are all beginning to change so it should look nice fer ya tho ....

thing1

We chose a non-smoking cottage with one queen bed at Econo Lodge. Maybe the cottages are considerably more on the weekend. Our room at Budget Host is $68 for Saturday night and it is very near the Mackinac Bridge (http://www.budgethostmackinaw.com/ ) which is handy as we would like to definitely go across the bridge just to say we have been in the U.P.

As for the island Saturday, I don't know of anyone but us who are planning to go to Mackinac Island for the day. We definitely want to see the island. I'm not sure if Jenn and Chris want to visit the island or not. She didn't mention it when I spoke to her, but that doesn't mean they aren't going. The only real plan we have is to wander around the island and see the sights, take pictures and what-not. I even bought a stroller for my dog ( http://www.midnightpass.com/kifiavepetst.html ) so we could walk the entire island. LOL We looked into those baby tents you attach onto the back of bikes but we found the bike rental sites to say, "Sorry, no pets." Sadly, we had to forget about that idea and come up with a new one. So you'll be walking with baby Christopher in stroller and I can be walking beside you with Phoenix in a stroller. hehehe I always told my husband that my plans before I met him was to be that crazy lady down the street with a house full of dachshunds who would eventually will everything to her canine kids. I think he finally believes me now after the above mentioned purchase.

We are really looking forward to this trip.

I was afraid that might happen. We'll have to go to the basement and dig out our winter clothes. We keep hearing from people that the fall season up there is gorgeous. We are looking forward to seeing it with our own eyes. We have had someone tell us we should also go to Pictured Rocks in the U.P. Not sure if we will have time as there is so much we haven't seen up north...like everything! Thanks for the heads up about the weather. It will prove useful for when we are packing.

thing1

Jan Alaska

Hi thing1 & 2 ... re: your comment on visiting the Pictured Rock National Lakeshore. Its about a 2 hour drive to Munising from St. Ignace and then I would say probably another 2-3 hour drive along the lakeshore with stops to see Miners Castle, the wood slide etc. I would say its probably best left to another visit as the best time to go is early or late summer. I know alot about that area as its one of our favourite haunts (Grand Marais in particular).
Please feel free to look at our own website which has pics of the UP --> www.dog-berry.com

See you at the Dixie Saloon @ 7:30 on Saturday !

Careybear

Well just call me a dork...the whole time I was thinking we were meeting up at 7 p.m. on FRIDAY not Saturday...duhhhhhh :scared: ...anyway I reserved our hotel room for Friday night at the mackinaw city site at the starlite budget inn...get this for only $28 plus tax!!! The rooms looked nice on their virtual tours on their site and what a cool cheap price. So things....whatcha doing Friday night then? Since I thought we were getting together on Friday we could do something then too. We're following Jenn & Chris back to their place after the get together as are Manc & his wife (what are your real names by the way Manc?, you're not in my yahoo group are you?) Anyway....thing1 when are you going to the island? Guess we should touch base on this. Is anyone else going to the island? I can't wait to see you pushing your dog in a stroller next to me...hee hee That'll be so cute!!

I can't wait. I'm taking probably half the day off on Friday. I need a vacation.

Thanks all for coming because how long have we been trying to do this now Oktobre?

Jan Alaska

Friday is my usual day off and I wont be doing anything in particular. On the Saturday during the day we're heading off to the apple fest in Charlevoix. We've already had our fix of the Island this year (we went with the kids). If youre going to be passing by on Friday give me a shout and I'll get the tea / coffee pot on !

Manc

Ok then Saturday night it is.

where? time?

Jan Alaska

[QUOTE=Manc]Ok then Saturday night it is.

where? time?[/QUOTE

Looks like 7:00 - 7:30 at the Dixie Saloon in Mackinaw City, you cant miss it straight ahead right by Sheplers.
And Manc if youre travelling up on Saturday just a note that Charlevoix will be a MAD house as the apple fest goes on into the evening so might be an idea to take US 131 up thru Kalkaska and Mancelona.

And once again if anyones coming this way Friday I'm home all day so give me a shout !

Manc

[QUOTE=jan_michigan] such is life, we're going to Petosky first, so if you wanna pm me your phone number, if we're about your way on Sat afternoon we'll try hook up.

thing1

Carey, thing2 and I have taken Friday off and are planning on heading up early Friday morning. We have no definite plans for what we are going to do Friday. We were just going to play it by ear. Maybe we'll go bug Jan since she has offered. Do you still have my numbers? We should have a chat on the phone about all of this.

Jan, how do we get in touch with you and what is your area? Where in Northern Michigan do you reside?

Carey, as far as I know, no one else but you and Paul and thing2 and me are going to the island. We hadn't decided what time to hit the island. The most likely time will be about 10:30ish A.M. If you want, we can plan to meet up at the ferry and go over together as a group. We were planning on using the Arnold line ferries (http://www.arnoldline.com/). Again, as we both have mentioned, we should talk to each other to sort some of this out.

Jan Alaska

Sent you a pm with infos