Mackinac Island

Last June while at Triangle X with the Butcher family, a conversation took place regarding whether or not we would return to the ranch this summer.  The Butcher's had vacationed at the ranch for close to 30 years and they decided that the summer of 2010 would be their last.  While sitting on the porch of their cabin and having this conversation, it was also decided that Mackinac Island would be a great place for us to visit in the summer of 2011.  During our conversation, we took the time to figure out the best dates possible to visit  Makinac Island.  For us, that meant a time of year when children were back in school and the heat of summer had passed.

On September 7th, eight of us met on Mackinac Island for a lovely 4 days in one of the most quaint places I have ever visited.  The traveling group consisted of John and Janis Butcher from San Diego.  I first met John and Janis in 1992 when I began my years at LaJolla Country Day.  Meredith Butcher and her girlfriend Erika Midkiff joined us from their home in Birmingham, Alabama.  I coached Meredith for four years of high school basketball at LJCD.  John and Barbara Neiswender also came along for the fun.  John was my boss for 13 years at both LJCD and Pingry.  John and Barbara traveled from their home in Pinehurst, NC.  My best friend Elaine Velvin rounded out the group of eight.  Elaine and I met in 1986 at the Greenhill School in Dallas, Texas.  During that year, I had the wonderful coaching assignment of Middle School Cheerleading Coach and Elaine was the Varsity Cheerleading Coach!  We have both come a long way since then!

Mackinac Island is a beautiful island off the coast of Michigan.  It is a great place but not an easy place to travel to.  We all had to fly to Detroit and then change planes to Pellston, MI.  At Pellston, we took a 20 minute shuttle ride to the ferry dock.  The ferry transported us across the water and back in time to Mackinac Island.

Ferry Ride

Elaine and me arriving on Mackinac Island

Mackinac Island does not allow cars on the island.  The island looks like it belongs back in the late 1800's.  There are only 500 full time residents and the island shuts down in the winter.  In the 1820's, it became a resort location and has stayed that way ever since.  The group originally planned to stay at The Grand Hotel but problems arose when we attempted to make our reservation and we choose to stay at the Iroquois Hotel instead.  In 1979, Christopher Reeves and Jane Seymor starred in the movie "Somewhere In Time" which was filmed at The Grand Hotel and around Mackinac Island.  It is because of this movie that I always wanted to visit Mackinac Island.

Front of Iroquois Hotel

Back view of Iroquois Hotel

One of the largest attractions on Mackinac Island is Fort Mackinac.  Fort Mackinac was originally built by the British a a means of protecting the fur trade and the taxes they made from the fur trade.

Firing of the cannons at Fort Mackinac

View from Fort Mackinac

The best way of getting around Mackinac Island is by horse and buggy.  At the suggestion of John Butcher (and a wonderful suggestion it was) our group of eight set out on a buggy tour of the island.  Our tour guide Tony had no idea what he was in for with the eight of us, but he did a great job of educating us on the history and fun facts of the island.

Heading out on our buggy tour with Tour Guide Tony

Sites from the buggy tour

Sites from buggy tour

Bike riding around the island is also another favorite for all visitors.  The island is 8 miles round and there are bike rental places on every corner.  The weather was beautiful and this made for a wonderful ride for me, Meredith and Erika.

The start of our bike ride

The Arch - a site we saw on our bike ride

Erika, Meredith and me at the top of The Arch

Our time on Mackinac was great fun.  Being with old friends was great fun.  We were lucky to have the chance to be together and the weather was perfect.  Good times were had by all and much laughter was shared!

Happy Hour on the patio at the Iroquois Hotel

Outside of a church "stalking a wedding"

The Grand Hotel

After dinner at The Grand Hotel

Kites flying at the end of Main Street

Waffles at Corbet's Cabin - YUM !

At the top of the Tram

Corbet's Cabin is famous for their waffles 

Happy Labor Day to everyone.  Heather and Natalie needed to head back to Salt Lake City today, but before they left we a few hours to explore Teton Village and ride the Tram to the top of Rendezvous Mountain.

There is a fire in the Red Rock forest and the smoke from the fire made the view quite interesting.

View from the top of Rendezvous Mountain

View from the top of Rendezvous Mountain

After briefly enjoying the view from the summit at Rendezvous Mountain, it was time to try the waffles at Corbet's Cabin.  I have heard about these waffles for the last 3 months but waited until today to dig in!  They were good ..... in fact they were the best waffles I had ever eaten!

Natalie and Heather at Corbet's Cabin

Enjoying the world's best waffles at Corbet's Cabin

After enjoying our wonderful waffles, we spent a few minutes enjoying the view from the back side of Rendezvous Mountain.  From the back side, we had a beautiful view of The Grand Teton.

View of The Grand Teton

Heather and Natalie Come To Town

Me, Heather and Natalie at Inspiration Point over looking Jenny Lake

I met Heather while working at La Jolla Country Day.  She now lives in Salt Lake City and is currently a principal at a K-8 school.  Natalie and Heather have been friends since 1st grade and it has been good fun getting to know her.  They arrived late on Friday night and we have spent hours just talking and catching up on things.  We enjoyed strolling around the Farmer's Market at the Town Square on Saturday morning and a late breakfast at Lotus Cafe.

Natalie buying a glass of lemonade at the Farmer's Market

On Sunday we decided to hike around Jenny Lake and climb to the top of Inspiration Point.  It was a beautiful day and we all enjoyed the hike, scenery and views.

On our way to Jenny Lake

View from hiking Jenny Lake

We choose to take the boat across the lake and begin our hike with a mile climb up to Inspiration Point.  The view from "the point" was beautiful.

From "the point" we headed back down for a mile and then continued on for another 5 miles around the perimeter of the lake.

View of Casade Falls

      

View of Jenny Lake

Fly Fishing in Idaho

Fly Fishing with "Captain" Dave on Teton River in Idaho

On Thursday afternoon, Vicky Johnson and I headed out on our first ever fly fishing trip.  It was Vicky's idea to head out on this fishing adventure.  When Vicky first brought up the idea of a fly fishing adventure, I attempted to book a Triangle X fishing guide to take Vicky and I out to the river.  The Triangle X guides were booked solid so no trip could be planned.  On Monday, Vicky and I were having lunch together in town and my tennis friend Susie joined us.  Vicky and I were talking about our fishing trip desire and the fact that the Triangle X guides were booked solid.  Susie volunteered her husband Dave to take us out for our fishing adventure.  Dave is the Head Tennis Pro at Teton Springs Resort and I had previously met him while playing mixed doubles with he and Susie.

Creekside Deli for great sandwiches

Dave went above and beyond in his taking Vicky and me out on the river.  He had to teach us quickly, because neither Vicky nor I had ever been fly fishing before.  As a good southern lady, I made sure to bring food and beer for Dave.  Before driving over the Teton Pass, I stopped at the Creekside Deli in Jackson to pick up a few provisions.

Vicky and I met up with Dave at his office in Driggs, Idaho.  He set us up on the lawn and had us practice casting for 30 minutes to help us feel the rhythm.  Dave was smart enough to make sure our practice fly casting took place without hooks!

Once we arrived at the Teton River, Dave launched the boat and we began our fishing float.  Dave tied up special hooks and flies for both Vicky and me.  He educated us in the secrets of Idaho fly fishing and our trip began.

Vicky with her fishing rod.  She was a casting pro!

The fishing was fun and the scenery was spectacular.  We got on the river around 6:00pm and fished/floated until close to 9:00pm.  We enjoyed great views of the Idaho side of the Tetons.  As the sun set, beautiful colors crossed the sky and the temperatures dropped quickly.











We also saw interesting things along the way!  Vicky continually received compliments from "Captain" Dave on her casting skill.  She came sooooooo close to catching 3 fish.

A real pro

These guys were hoping we would catch a lot of fish and give up beef !

View from the Idaho side of the sun setting behind the Tetons

Fun Things This Week in Jackson Hole

A good time has continued since Sunday in Jackson Hole!  On Sunday, I accepted an invitation from my hiking friends Craig and Carol to play in a "chip and putt" golf gathering.  As most of you know, I do not play golf, but Craig said "rookies" were welcome and I knew that anything Craig and Carol organized would be fun.

My group at the "chip and putt" party

The "chip and putt" party was a lot of fun and I met interesting and fun people.  When I arrived at the party, Craig had me pick a tee out of a cup and the blue tee I picked placed me on the blue team.  My team members included Mike from Atlanta and a big Georgia fan, Gloria from Dallas, Pam from Jackson Hole and Alan from Jackson Hole.  Playing with them was a lot of fun and they did not mind having the "rookie" on their team at all.

Captain Mike lining up a chip

On Monday morning I had a nice tennis game with Susie, Faith and Ellen at the courts at Jackson Hole High School.

The courts at Jackson Hole High School

Wednesday morning found me joining Vicky, Marla and Mike on an early morning hike to the top of Snow King.  Snow King is the ski resort/slopes located in downtown Jackson.  It was a great hike with good friends and a perfect way to start the day in Jackson Hole.  The hike covered 5 miles and allowed us to get a nice cardio workout and then I could get to work at the ranch on time.

Mike and Marla leading the way 

View of town of Jackson and the Tetons

Mike, Marla, Me and Vicky at the summit of Snow King. 

View from the back side of the summit at Snow King

Mike on the way down from the summit

View on the way down of Jackson Hole High School and the athletic facilities.
Was wondering if this was a subtle way of reminding me where I used to be during that
hectic "back to school" time.