Put In Bay: Day trippin'

War of 18 holes Putt-Putt

Noah did not get the idea of putting. Here is a little sideways video - you'll see what I mean. How in the WORLD are you supposed to score THAT? Is it par?? :)

Here we are enjoying our cheese and grape juice at the Heineman Winery. We are soooooo cultured and refined. I mean, the boys even toasted their drinks!

Ft. A- MAZE - in. I admit. I got lost. Dad helped us from the observation tower.

Crystal Cave. It's actually not a cave, but a giant geode. The crystals are incredible! You can see some of the size compared to other tourists heads below...

The Carousel. One of the last wooden ones in the US. Rode this same carousel as a child.

Put In Bay: Butterfly House

These are pretty self explanatory. It's a butterfly house. Lots of flowers, lots of butterflies. Really cool for Ms. Funderburk the Biology teacher! :)

Noah was ready to leave once one landed on him. That was his only goal. Poor Ethan - he'd have stayed there the rest of the night waiting on one to land on him if I'd have let him. They never did. But I did remind him how many times he's had Monarchs on his head, hands, and nose. That seemed to satiate him.

Put In Bay Vacation: Perry's Museum and Put In Bay Historical Museum

I pray this never becomes more than just a photo with my children... :) I told them to make faces like a bad guy. Why do bad guys always squint and scrunch up their face? :)

Again with the squinting. I think Noah was trying to be pirate here.

My boys favorite parts about history: the weapons. They cannot get enough about guns, cannons, swords.

Put In Bay Vacation: The Perry Memorial

The Perry Monument closed the next weekend for a 2 year renovation. It honestly has not changed at all since I visited as a child.

The interpreter had a lot of interesting information regarding the weaponry and how they fought in the war of 1812. The most interesting part to me was the difference between a musket and a rifle.

A view from the top

This was Perry's motto for his troops (is that what you call navy soldiers or only army?)

The Islands and lake from the top of the monument

This is the main downtown area of Put In Bay (which, incidentally got it's name from Perry since is was one of the only safe and somewhat hidden areas to put the navy ships in the bay to sneak up on the British...)

This is the tippy top structure of the monument.

The marina - lots and lots of rich folks with their nice toys...

The monument from across the lawn. It was the perfect day for this.

They've added a museum building that has models, a movie, and interpretive displays regarding the war of 1812, but most specifically Perry's Battle of Lake Erie. Apparently this battle is credited for turning the war to our favor. I will post pics from that next.

So unfortunately, if you've never been to South Bass Island and Perry's Monument, you will not get to see the monument now for 2 years. Everything else will be open, you just won't get to go up to the observation deck. If you are nervous about heights, this is one of the few open air decks left in the US and it's VERY WINDY!!!! It is surrounded by a concrete wall about chest high (to me), but there is nothing to keep anyone from jumping or throwing things off. Four year olds who like to climb might make their mommies a bit nervous... (I'm OK...now)

Put In Bay Vacation: On the Ferry

The ride over to the South Bass Island is one of my favorite parts of the trip. I never grow tired of riding the ferry. Makes me think that I could really enjoy learning to sail. Or even taking an extended vacation in a house boat. Traveling down the Mississippi from the head waters in Itasca to the Gulf would be a fascinating journey of culture, history, and nature...

I know these birds are basically the rats of the air, but I love the sights and sounds of sea gulls. Perhaps I'd grow tired of them if I were around them all the time...much like I did Canadian Geese in MN (at least Geese don't poop on your head). The cool thing is the way they would follow the ferry if someone had some bread. Dive for it right out of the air. they would do this all day long - back and forth across the lake following the ferry for food.

Ethan and Noah really enjoyed throwing them some bread, even though they couldn't really get it out and high enough. Most of it landed in the water...

The scenery of the lake and the islands and the mainland is beautiful. You see the islands from a perspective you can't when you are on them - the cliffs, the homes built right on the edges, the beaches, and of course, the expanse of Lake Erie...

And if the weather is clear enough, you can usually see the other ferry heading in the opposite direction...

The view on the ferry is also entertaining. Every thing that has to get to the islands must get there by ferry. Tourists with their cars, delivery trucks, semi's, construction vehicles...

...even the garbage trucks. This is the largest thing I've ever been on a ferry with. When it drove on, the entire ship sank down several feet! Mom and Dad both said they've been on with semi's before - including trailers.

Here is Grandma and Grandpa waving to all of us up on the deck. They like to stay below to feel the spray of the lake.

The boys reactions were priceless. Everything I'd hoped for. There was no disguising their thrill and excitement. I believe they could have spent an entire day going back and forth on the ferry.

This is the dock on the mainland... the last thing you see on your way to Put In Bay, the first thing you see upon returning to the mainland.

This was always one of my favorite vacations as a child. I'm glad to say it held much the same feelings for me this time around as well. But the best part was sharing it with my boys. This place is partially responsible for my natural wonder as I fell in love with Biology here...and fishing. It is partially responsible for my historical curiosity as I soaked in information about Perry's Battle of Lake Erie in the War of 1812. It inspired numerous school projects, I learned to ride a 2 wheeler, spent my first summer "sun worshipping" (and learned quickly that my skin tone was not the sun worshipping type...never tried that again - at least not on purpose), along with that, turned my hair green from chlorine plus peroxide (the stupid things we do as teens to try to get the attention of boys...), learned to skip rocks, and made more memories than I can even start to list with family and friends here. Erma's cookies, Grandpa and the other men cleaning the fish (and me playing with they eyeballs), Jimmy Winkler and I climbing trees and picking mulberries until we were sick, campfire stories, collecting rocks and "lucky stones" from the Sheephead's, catching walleye and bass, riding our bikes to Dairy Queen for a Dilly Bar, shopping, the practical jokes played on one another, my brother Brandon having to be flown off the island for an injury, getting to drive Poppie's boat, the storms that could blow up in almost an instant...the list goes on. And of course, bringing back enough fish to last until next year.

It was kind of weird to spend several days on the island and not go fishing. Maybe next time! Don't forget to pack the Hot n' Tots!!!!