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Once we were all dressed and ready to go we headed out of the water park to find Tara and Mugsy. We walked outside, said our goodbyes, and climbed into the Enclave for the long ride home. We were finally on the road by 4:15pm, which meant that we would be missing a significant portion of the game. The kids had a great time all weekend, so I guess it was a sacrifice worth making…

We had a snowy start to our drive, but nothing too terrible. As usual the only thing keeping us from making good time is the overly cautious drivers that we always seem to get stuck behind! We made two stops on our way home – one at a gas station for some beverages, as the heat in the water park had left us parched, and another at McDonalds once again to use the restrooms.

By the time we pulled in the driveway at home it was 7:30pm. We quickly unloaded the car so that we could settle down to have a bite to eat (the youngest three opted to reheat leftovers while us older folks made homemade tacos) and watch the game. It was fitting end to a long but enjoyable weekend.

The Long Road Home
	For much of the way home the road was covered in snow except for the tire tracks.
	Another look at the trees and road during our drive home.
	A lone horse standing in a field enduring the cold wind and snow.
	A look at the snow covered trees that lined the roads on the drive home.
	Another view of snow covered trees.
	More snow covered roads.
	One last look at the snowy roads.

Trip Summary

What a crazy, fun, whirlwind weekend! We packed a lot of activity into a 48 hour period, but it was well worth every minute. If the chance ever arises to take this kind of getaway trip again, I am sure that we would do our best to take advantage of the opportunity!

I’ll start off my summary talking about the hotel. The Great Wolf Lodge is a hotel based around an outdoors theme (think cabins, wolves, moose, deer, bear, etc.) with a water park attached. Tyler and Samantha had been to a similar resort (Kalahari Resort in Sandusky, Ohio), but for the rest of us this was an entirely new experience. The hotel lobby has an outdoorsy feel as well, with a giant fireplace and antler chandeliers dominating the open space. Our room was on the third floor, and was a KidCabin Suite. This provided sleeping for 7 – three in the kid friendly “cabin” bunk area (this was designed to look like a cabin inside our room, creating a second bedroom) with a single bed and two bunk beds, a queen bed, and a sleeper sofa. The main area of the room consisted of the queen bed and sofa, along with a small table with two chairs. We also had a fireplace in our room with a TV on top (although disappointingly not a flat screen HD TV). There was a sliding glass door that led to our balcony, which overlooked the water park. We also had a fully enclosed bathroom (with a shower, toilet, and sink all inside – some had the sink in the main area of the hotel room). In addition, there was a small kitchenette area that included a refrigerator, a microwave, a coffee maker, and a small bar-style sink. All in all, it wasn’t a bad room. Not the fanciest place ever, but that really isn’t reason you stay at a water park hotel anyway…

The main draw to the Great Wolf Lodge (especially for the kids) is the water park. While it pales in comparison to the one at Kalahari in Sandusky, it was a good place for us to get our feet wet (pun intended) in the water park arena. When you walked in to the water park there is a giant climbing structure with a variety of water related activities. On the top of this structure is a huge bucket. Every 5 minutes this bucket dumps 5,000 gallons of water onto the (un)suspecting people below. There is also two water slides accessible from this structure, neither of which require the use of a tube to go down. To the right of the entrance is the toddler pool area. We didn’t spend much time here, as Jayden was the only one small enough to explore it. There is two small slides here, as well as a shallow pool area for the little ones to play in. To the left was a pool that had some basketball hoops in it and an open area for swimming. We didn’t spend a lot of time here either, although Tyler did shoot a few hoops.

Beyond the climbing structure was the area where we spent most of our time… this is where the three big slides were, as well as the lazy river (which might have been Jayden’s favorite area to spend time) and an area where the kids can cross the pool on floating lily pads with a net overhead. The slides were the main draw for the oldest three. They all required tubes in order to go down them, but the tube capacity varied. The yellow slide to the left was capable of taking down three riders at a time. There was two slides to the right, one of which was for single riders only and the other was for either double or single. The kids spent most of their time here with their friends (from hockey), and I spent most of my time here watching them and taking pictures. I rode my share of slides as well, but it was more fun seeing the smile on their faces at the end of each slide. In addition to all the fun stuff to do, there was two hot tubs for use – one kids friendly, and one adult only. I never could figure out what the difference was, as they were both set at the same temperature, and everyone was wearing clothes in the adult only hot tub. Hmm…

We didn’t spend much time – or any time, really – exploring Traverse City beyond our treks for food and to run back and forth to the hockey arena. Tara has always said that she would love to live here, and this trip did nothing to change her mind. While the temperatures weren’t any worse than at home while we were here, there was definitely far more snow. I am sure that the lake effect played a part in that. It was a very pretty place in the wintertime, that is for sure…

The main purpose of our trip was so that Drew could play hockey, and play he did! Instead of the originally scheduled 4 games, Drew was asked to play for an additional LCHA team, giving him a total of 8 games overall, for a total of 120 minutes of ice time. He scored 3 goals overall, one in the first game on Saturday and two in the third game on Sunday. As far as hockey goes, it went about as well as could be expected.

The Centre Ice arena where the games took place was nice, with plenty of locker rooms. I must admit that I was a tad disappointed in the arena, considering that this is where the Detroit Red Wings hold their training camp. The locker rooms were actually smaller than those at the Polar Palace in Lapeer, although there were more of them to use. The seating was nice – fiberglass instead of the ice cold aluminum that we are used too. Beyond that there really isn’t too much to add about the arena.

All in all it was a very nice weekend. We spent some quality time together as a family, which we desperately needed. We also got to experience some new things together – the water park and the overnight, two-day sports events (something that I have a feeling that we should get used to with kids playing hockey and soccer). As I said, I am sure that we would jump at the chance to do a similar trip in the future!

Great Wolf Lodge Water Park

Samantha in the water watching as Jayden makes her way across the lily pads.

A look outside provided a quick reminder of just what the weather was really like.

Jay, Sam, and Tyler at the end of one of the slides.

Jay and Sam enjoying a relaxing float in the lazy river.

Another look at Jay and Sam on the lazy river.

Drew also made his way around the lazy river.

Drew standing under the downpour of water from the bucket high above.

Jayden and Drew in the water being dumped from the bucket.

A look back at the climbing structure as the bucket is dumping.

The Long Road Home

For much of the way home the road was covered in snow except for the tire tracks.

Another look at the trees and road during our drive home.

A lone horse standing in a field enduring the cold wind and snow.

A look at the snow covered trees that lined the roads on the drive home.

Another view of snow covered trees.

More snow covered roads.

One last look at the snowy roads.

Trip Summary