Cuyahoga Valley National Park

It has waterfalls? While it is a beautiful park and it's origin came to be because of people in the area wanting to conserve the park... It is also very much chopped and broken up with housing developments and the signs of Cleveland Metroparks still line the park. I know it's listed as one of the 58 National Parks but it seems to be an odd partnership.

The girls were able to see a partial lock demonstration and learn about the shipping history which helped grow Ohio's economy and we were able to see quite a bit of wildlife. It is a beautiful park.... but it truly has an atmosphere different from any other National Park we have visited. I'm not sure if it is a good thing or not. I'd rate it as a 6 out of 10.

Brandywine Falls

Cleveland Zoo

While in Michigan we took a weekend trip with my sister to the Cleveland Zoo in Ohio. We pick zoos because they are a fun mix up to hiking and museums. Because the reciprocal with the AZA only discounts admission to 50% at most larger zoos so we do not pick many and some on the reciprocal list we intend to visit are free. We joined at the Potter Park Zoo in Lansing for the membership benefits because Denver does not reciprocate. Cleveland let us in for free? After closer examination of the list though, I think it may have been an error on employee part?

We chose Cleveland because they have koalas and our three year old had been learning about marsupials, monotremes and placental mammals this year. The other reason was the approximately to a NP we were visiting on this trip. This was a good way to show her some variety outside of kangaroo's we have in Denver.

Things we liked- species variety.
Zoo layout.

Things we disliked- touristy.
Why is there fast food in a zoo?

 They are pretty adorable.

The girls chose to spend their money on a camel ride and later regretted missing the train and carousel. #firstworldkidbudgetingproblems?

A1&2 were quite excited being able to see the koala jump from perch to perch and catching it on video. It was also fun to observe how they move on the perches vs. them sleeping inside. 

The zoo was great, it took us nearly the entire day to get through and explore all of the exhibits but I think it is best for younger children. 

Michigan:)

We've been in Michigan a while now, over a month if I'm not mistaken. We left on this trip May 19th, which puts us out about six weeks give or take.

We've had some highs and lows but overall it's been a great trip. The girls have spent time with family, explored logging museums, nature centers, state parks, parks and more... Really, it's been a low key month with a lot of reading at the Grace A. Dow Memorial Library. Because we are Colorado residents, we are unable to check out books. It's resulted in many trips to the library where we sit and read for hours. The positive of this is so many of the books are rich in culture and folklore. The girls have loved this. The library has also let the girls participate in their summer reading program which ends next week:)

We learned to fish twice, once with some nice people at a dock as a catch and release. The second time with two amish men who were fishing with purpose. 

Blandings turtle

Searching for Petoskey stones and other treasures in Lake Michigan. 

Watching a turtle lay her eggs! 

Dow Gardens, Midland MI

We love Dow Gardens. It is well cared for, has a simple layout and they tend to have a lot of fun events... I should also mention there is an annual membership of $10/ person which is also valid at Whiting Forest. If you opt for a day, $5/ adult and $1 for kids 6 and up. 

We have visited the Garden several times in the past few weeks. Currently, there is a scavenger hunt going on while the Ribbit Exhibit is on display. The girls have loved looking at the frogs on display and the frogs encouraged us to explore places in the gardens we had never explored. (We lived in Midland 18 months in the past.) 

Alden B. Dow Museum, Midland, MI

I wish I could rate this higher than I am. 

4 out of 10. It was free with the ASTC reciprocity. 

1 point because it is in a relatively small town. 1 point because it has relative information to Michigan history and geology. In the past they have had a few traveling exhibits we enjoyed (lizards and snakes around 2009?) 2 points because it reciprocates with some amazing museums and they do not charge additional for traveling exhibits. 

The girls had fun and A1 loves all things Paleontology and archaeological in content so I guess that counts for something. That said, I'm not sure I would recommend going out of your way to visit. 

- A person could likely tackle the museum, Dow Gardens and Whiting Forrest in a single day. 

Isle Royale National Park

Ferry to an island, explore as long as you like, head back. It's a fantastic park and so untouched. We loved it... and no, we did not see a moose. We have just missed several moose on several occasions but we seem to repel the buggers. My kids are desperately searching at this point so if you happen to see one in the wild, moose finding tips are wanted!

***If your tip involves quiet children... We've tried it.***

Make sure to bring a water filter as you need to filter water on the island. As much as Athena enjoyed Voyageurs N.P. both girls preferred Isle Royale and the general ecology of the island.

It's perfect for nature studies! We brought along our pocket microscope, specimen jars and went to town journaling. Athena loved this park!

We left to the island from Copper Harbor but you can also leave from Houghton- though the boat ride is longer.

Apostle Islands National Lakeshore

We visited the Apostle Islands National Lakeshore in northern Wisconsin because we came in prior to the start of the tourist season so we took the boat tour around the islands. It was an interesting way to explore but as much as we enjoyed the boat ride, I think we will plan on exploring via hiking and kayaking in the future. I could definitely see snowshoeing in the winter here. In fact, we've agreed it might be better to experience the park in the winter. This lakeshore is added to our list of return spots and we highly recommend trying it out.

***This was an umplanned stop, I would recommend taking a taxi to the islands and exploring them on foot and camping on the islands.***

We took the Grand Tour with Apostle Island Cruises, for the three of us it was under $70. A2 was a discounted rate of $1.00. Overall, more than fair, the staff on the boat was great but it was difficult at times to hear due to the wind. I would rate the tour, for what it is an 8/10.

It's amazing how life can grow from what seems like nothing.

Devil's Island, I would love to snowshoe and kayak here in the coming years. 

Evil spirits or erosion? A1 and I have differing views.

A little bit of winter lingering behind. 

Lighthouses.

Family picture at the end of the day.