Wednesday, July 12, 2017

Boardman River Nature Center and The Blue Tractor

I am taking this opportunity to recap our 2017 Michigan vacation to Kingsley, Michigan. To get caught up, you can get the recaps here:
Day 1, June 25, 2017: So we rented a cabin in Michigan
Day 2, June 26, 2017: Just chilling at the cabin and making s'mores over a fire
Day 3, June 27, 2017 Part 1: G. T. Butterfly House and Bug Zoo, and the Jolly Pumpkin
Day 3, June 27, 2017 Part 2: Mission Point Lighthouse and S'mores
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Wednesday June 28, the weather forecast called for rain most of the afternoon/evening. We decided to head out early and do some sightseeing and grab lunch and then head back to the cabin before the rains came as we were pretty nervous about driving the dirt path if it got muddy.

So Wednesday morning found us heading out to the Boardman River Nature Center, located about 10 minutes from where we were staying.


The Nature Center has a gallery that highlights the animals and plants that are found in Michigan.



They also have many different nature trails that our family loved exploring.



















We also were able to see an old dam that they are actually in the process of shutting down. That was kind of neat seeing. They are building a newer dam farther up the river to meet the needs of the river.








After leaving the nature center, we checked the radar and figured out we had enough time to head and get lunch before the rain hit. So we headed into Traverse City to eat at The Blue Tractor restaurant. (Fun fact, The Blue Tractor was one of the featured restaraunts on and episode of The Food Network Show "Burgers, Brew, and 'Que.") 




Honestly, I would give the restaurant an okay ranking. I ordered a pulled pork sandwich. The bun was yummy, but half of the meat was very fatty and grisly. It was supposed to come with homemade bbq chips-- well they tasted like stale chips out of a bag.  It really turned me off. My hubby loved his burger and his homemade onion rings were very yummy.  The kids also liked their food. The service was okay. Took a while to be served even though there were plenty of empty tables. Maybe we just hit it at a bad day.




After lunch, we headed back to the cabin before the rain hit. It rained pretty steadily most of the afternoon and evening. We spent time reading and the kids watched a SpongeBob DVD.

We had pancakes with the maple syrup the homeowners left us and fruit for dinner that night. We also watched the dvd "Sing" and ate popcorn before heading off to bed for the evening. It was a relaxing way to end the Wednesday.


4 comments:

  1. I love seeing your vacation recap, the picture of your kiddos and hearing what you did.

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    1. Thanks. It has been fun recapping and reliving the memories. :)

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  2. Just wanted to let you know that I can see the results of your weight loss :) The trails look very inviting!

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    1. Thanks Jane! Although the weight loss has stalled...given the craziness of Summer, not able to walk as much, etc. It is nice to see that maybe my efforts are paying off. :) Michigan did have some lovely natural scenery.

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