Pulling a Mr. Bean (Our Day On Mackinac Island!)

This past Friday we spent the night in Mackinac City's Wilderness State Park. We were there to pick up Autumn from her week long adventure with Grandma and Grandpa Eles in their new RV. Autumn had a great time with them. She showed us all of the neat fossils she had found on Black Lake in Onaway, and was really excited to show us all around this campground. She never got homesick, and seemed to relish her time away. We were very pleased to find her in a state of such excitement, and are lucky to have grandparents with the energy and time to take their granddaughter on such an excursion.

We decided since we were down there we would make the week even sweeter for the girls and take them to Mackinac Island and actually bring our bikes so we could explore. (Somthing we had always wanted to do). We debated whether we should pull Alaina in her bike cart or let her bike on her own. We decided on the latter, and I am glad we did because Alaina did an amazing job! She managed to pull off two full laps (about 16 miles total) and stay in good spirits.

It was hot and sunny all day, so on our first lap we were on the lookout for a good place to swim. We passed by some kids jumping off of a large boat dock and went to check it out and see if it was safe. It was more than deep enough, so Steve and Autumn took the first plunge. They let out lots of woops and hollers as they realized Lake Huron is COLD! I wanted to jump in too, but I didn't want to bike further to find a bathroom, and there was nowhere in site where I would be safe from other swimmers/bikers eyes. Then, I remember an episode of Mr. Bean that I had just let the girls watch....
You have to watch the episode to fully understand the humor in what I decided to do next.....
Here it is:

So, anyways, I think to myself "I wonder if I could pull a Mr. Bean??" So, I snuck down onto the beach next to a larger rock that did little to protect me from curious eyes, but made me feel a little more confident in the event of a fail, and set to work putting on the bottom of my swimsuit over my bike shorts. Since Autumn and Alaina had just watched this episode hilarious giggling and exclamations of "silly Mommy!" ensued. Steve looked on with curiousity and terror........except for the moment where I almost lost my balance (which could have been disasterous) I found that pulling the bottom half of a "Mr. Bean" was easier than I had imagined. And since I had a T-shirt on, the top half was even easier. By the time I was done we were all laughing hysterically at my ability to change into my swimsuit in broad daylight in front of dozens of strangers.

Here I am displaying the end result of my "Reverse Mr. Bean." You can't help but laugh a lot while trying this.

We went on to jump off that "pier" dozens of times....the water was cold enough that after a few jumps you got the shivers...but not cold enough to make you gasp. In other words, just right!

At the end of the day we stopped at a beach that had hundreds of rocks stacked up into rock towers by all of the tourists, and we decided to join this special club and make our own rock towers. I was tired of wearing my wet bathing suit and decided to see if it was possible to pull a reverse "Mr. Bean." We all laughed even harder at my shenanigans this time, as I discovered that "yes" a reverse "Mr. Bean" is possible!!!! (DISCLAIMER: For those of you who sometime in the near future will attempt this AMAZING and MIND BAFFLING feat to impress your buddies or girlfriend, I must disclose the fact that my cycling shorts were very stretchy, thus creating a false sense of ease. I recommend practicing a few times in the privacy of your own home if you plan to perform a "Mr. Bean" while wearing somthing less forgiving....say, like a pair of blue jeans. I claim no responsibility for any embarrasing accidents that result from attempts of such amazing feats :)

When we got back into town we decided that it was time to eat somthing more than a granola bar. On our first lap we had seen a girl advertising for an all you could eat pizza buffet for only $8 dollars! "Too good to be true on Macinac Island," we thought. But, it turned out it was better than true!!! The  buffet was in Murray's Hotel, and not only did it have the most delicious variety of pizzas, but it had a salad bar with toppings that we couldn't believe, like peanuts, walnuts, yellow raisins! They even had soft serve ice cream, doughnuts, and cinnamon buns. (We burned a lot of calories ok?...) After a long, long day, we had found our oasis. It is hard to find unless you happen to hear the pizza girls siren songs, so remember : Murrays Hotel ,,,,in case you are on the Island, are famished, and want to eat amazing food without spending all your money.

We walked out of that buffet as happy as four gluttons could be, retrieved our bikes, and lined up for our ferry. While we were waiting we were given one more gift to add to our bag of wonderful memories of the day...a family of otters were swimming around the docks! They were fun to watch, and we were amazed because we didnt realize they lived in the lake! There was a sunset on our ride back to Mackinac City, which gave us all the chills since we decided to sit at the top of the boat. As soon as the girls climbed into the warm car they were out!

What a memorable day! If you ever go to Mackinac spend the tiny bit extra it costs to bring your bikes with you....we found out it is the only way to really experience the island!

Here are a few videos and pics of our day: