To sum it all up...

So it all began with a crazy day...

Monday, July 4, Daniel and I were busily working on the last things for our trip to Canada. A few more grocery items, some more suntan lotion (I tend to turn lobster red with any direct contact with the sun), a few snacks for the trip, etc. Early afternoon Daniel left for work and I finished packing and cleaning...and oh yes, 34 articles were due by 10pm that night too. Suffice it to say, the evening did not drag. I had just finished the last thing when Daniel drove up at 11:30. All the bags were quickly loaded and we were off and on our way to Canada!

The original plan was for me to sleep for awhile so we could take turns driving on the way up. Unfortunately, I have trouble sleeping in a car when it's dark, so I didn't get much sleep. Onward and upward we went through the mountains of West Virginia...we stopped to get some breakfast around 7:30--the goldfish just weren't quite cutting it anymore. My turn to drive came after breakfast. The only problem however was that the sun was up now and it's almost impossible for me to stay awake in a car when the sun is out (thank you Mom and Dad). So, while Daniel slept I did everything in my power to stay awake--finally, we made it to Sandusky, OH about 11:30am. I was absolutely amazed how large Lake Erie was! I had never been to any of the great lakes before, so I was quite impressed. If I didn't know any better, I would have thought I was standing on the beach of either the Atlantic or the Pacific...and the smell...it was exactly like the ocean smell (minus the saltwater) that brings back so many pleasant childhood memories...

Our ferry didn't arrive until 3pm, so Daniel and I walked around Sandusky for awhile, exploring some of the little shops, eating a picnic lunch by the lake and grabbing some much needed coffee. The Pelee Islander arrived shortly after 3pm. Standing in the shade of some nearby trees, we watched everyone disembark and walk through customs, trying to patiently wait our turn to board...Our trip to Pelee Island took a little over 1 1/2 hrs, giving us time to relax from the drive and enjoy all the views.

On the Pelee Islander just leaving Sandusky, OH

Daniel's mom was there at the docks waiting for us when we arrived--we quickly loaded up all our luggage and off we went. Everything was very unique and charming. In some ways, it was almost like taking a step back into the past. On the way to the cottages, we passed a few small farms lining the dirt road (the ones with the red, old wood barns), a Mennonite boy driving a horse and buggy, long shorelines...and I thought to myself, "I think I'm really going to like this place."

The Pelee Islander

The cottages were all on the east shoreline of the island, four in all. We unloaded the luggage into our cottage and were soon free to explore. I met Daniel's aunt and three cousins--quite fun. Throughout the week we enjoyed exchanging comments about Americans vs. Canadians. As the day was rather warm and quite humid, swimming seemed the only logical option...and the water was so warm! After driving through the night and staying up for 24 hrs straight or so, taking a dip in the lake felt amazing. Biking to the island cemetery, enjoying a wonderful dinner, building a fire on the beach, making smores, and shooting off fireworks finished our first day on Pelee Island.

View of the sunset from our beach

The following days were filled with a mixture of activity and relaxation. In the mornings Daniel and I got up at 6:30 to go running around the island and enjoy the morning sunrise. One of our first excursions was to Fish Point, a large sandbar extending into the lake. We all enjoyed walking the shorelines together looking for lucky stones and lake glass, catching the waves and they came in and watching the hoards of seagulls gathered on the beach... 

Erica and I following the shoreline

Vacationing by a lake obviously means going fishing. Daniel, his dad and I went fishing later one evening. Lake Erie is filled with Sheephead fish. Unfortunately they're not edible, so we ended up throwing them all back. They do put up quite a fight though, so it was enjoyable catching them. About an hour into our fishing trip, I felt a little nibble on my line...I waited until the fish completely took my bait and then hooked him. It took awhile, but I finally managed to reel it to the surface. When it finally got it up to the surface, I noticed that it looked different than the other fish we had been catching. Daniel took one look and exclaimed, "That's a walleye...a huge walleye!!!" It was quite exciting--even more enjoyable because Daniel was so ticked that I had caught the only walleye and the biggest fish that day. ;)  (4lbs) We were out late enough to catch the sunset (no pun intended)...it was completely breathtaking...

Standing in front of the Pelee Island Lighthouse

Another excursion we made was made to the Pelee Island lighthouse. I've always enjoyed going to see lighthouses, and this was certainly no exception. It had been reconstructed, but it still retained the old, historic feeling. I would have liked to have been able to walk up into the lighthouse, but it wasn't open for that as of yet. The walk back was interesting...Daniel decided to play explorer...we got lost and took several dead ends walking through marsh and clawing our way through low bushes and tree limbs...sigh...we finally ended up making it back to where we started and going back the way we came. Walking on the beach was so much more enjoyable...

Friendly bike race :)

Daniel, Erica and I took a few bike rides around the island together...to the North Docks, to the West Side, to the bakery (yummmm). Riding bikes was a great way to see the island...no windows, so you can easily take pictures and you can take everything at a slower pace...For our longest bike ride, Daniel ended up with the best bike. One tire was broken and both  tires were flat. Needless to say, he wasn't able to go very fast most of the time. ;D

With all the activity, it was nice to take a break every once in awhile to just sit by the lake, listening to the waves and watching the birds, reading a book...every wave rolling in calming you down...


I tried kayaking for the first time--absolutely loved it! Daniel took me around the point to Hulda's Rock. According to Indian folklore, an Indian princess through herself from the rock after being spurned by her lover. Quite a sad tale, but a beautiful spot on the island. I was amazed by how much work it was to maneuver a kayak through water! I was definitely feeling it by the time we got back to our beach! :) One downside to the kayak trip however--Daniel and I both got amazing sunburns...

Our time on the island came to an end all too quickly--time truly does fly by when you're having fun. We took the Pelee Islander back to Sandusky, OH and drove out to Marblehead to see another lighthouse and tour the park area. The lighthouse was really quite beautiful. As we walked out to the lighthouse, we saw someone having the wedding there on the grounds. The groomsmen were wearing shorts and flip flops and the bridesmaids we wearing a motley assortment of dresses...it was rather...too unique--but enough of my fashion critique...There were hundreds of people out on the lake boating and fishing.

Posing in front of the Marblehead Lighthouse Museum

Perry's Monument

Statue of Commodore Perry

We stayed the night in Fremont, OH and then took the ferry out of Put-In-Bay to South Bass Island for the last day of our vacation. We picked up a golf cart and began our tour of the island, stopping first at the Perry Monument. Unfortunately it was under construction, but we could still see the majority of it even though we couldn't walk up to it. The museum of the battle on Lake Erie was quite impressive as well--very informative.

Inside the biggest room

Touring around the island, it was quite apparent that it was more of a party place--every other building it seemed was a bar of some sort. We did enjoy watching all of the boats (lots of yachts). I found it funny seeing all of the golf carts. Instead of being lined with cars, the roads were lined with golf carts. They had golf carts that could seat up to 10 people! Quite impressive... ;) We also made a stop at Perry's cave. History side note--While Perry's troops were waiting for the British to arrive, they ran out of fresh drinking water. Somehow they found the cave system and the underground lake that furnished them with the water they needed--There were a lot of people on the tour, so it was a bit cramped a couple times, but the history was interesting. Interesting part of the tour for me was climbing down all of the steep narrow steps into the cave with a recently broken toe...but that's another story...

Our ferry to and from South Bass Island

Early afternoon, we had to head back as we still had a 12+ hour drive back to Greenville...sadness...Coming back on the ferry, it was hard to believe that our vacation had come to an end so soon! We had had an amazing week though, with many many memories to forever cherish.

Taken on the ferry heading back from South Bass Island

More pictures will be posted on facebook shortly...