lake erie vacation-day 1

On Tuesday, we drove two hours to Lake Erie.  We drove right into Presque Isle, a little peninsula on Lake Erie.  It was a very warm day, so we decided it would be a great day for the beach.  We made it part way around the peninsula and parked near the closest open beach.  It wasn't very crowded and we found a great spot.

SJ was right in the water.  Thank goodness he was over his swimmer's ear.  My husband and Bob joined him a few minutes later.  I sat on our towel and enjoyed watching them play in the lake.  The waves were pretty strong and were pulling the boys down the shore.  They had a great time.  SJ stayed in the water the whole time we were there.  Even the dead fish that washed ashore was not a deterrent for him.

We stayed at the beach for a few hours and then went to check into our hotel.  We stayed at a Hilton Garden Inn.  We had a very nice hotel room and the boys started to explore the room.  It had two queen beds, a nice bathroom, a living room area with a sofa bed and a fridge, microwave and coffee maker.  Standard hotel room, but it was in very nice condition.  The boys were excited that they had a TV in their area and we had one in ours. 

After we unpacked, we went to dinner at O'Charleys.  I am not sure if it is a chain or a local Erie restaurant.  SJ did not want to order anything.  No surprise there.  He ended up ordering a plate of fries.  Bob ordered chicken fingers and fries.  My husband got steak and salmon while I got steak, broccoli and smashed potatoes.  The potatoes were so yummy!  They had bacon and cheddar cheese in them.  Yum! 

After dinner, we went back to the hotel.  The boys went swimming in the pool.  They were there alone for a while when another family joined them.  We let them swim for about 45 minutes.  We went back to the room and Bob still wanted to do something.  (It was only 9 p.m. by the way.)  We decided to take the boys mini-golfing.  The only mini-golf we could find was down on the bay side of Presque Isle. 

It was called Harbor Golf.  It looked like any other mini-golf place.  However, they had a mischief wheel on each hole.  You had to spin it before your first turn.  Bob loved this idea.  (I did too!)  SJ did not love this.  He kept getting mischief choices that he didn't like, such as golfing with the club behind your back. 

It took a lot of talking him out of tantrums on that course, but my husband and I somehow worked our magic on him.  He finished the course and didn't come in last place.  (My husband did purposely mess up quite a few shots, but that is a small price to pay to not have a tantrum!) 

After golf, we drove back to the hotel and had the kids go to bed.  It was a full first day.  This is a typical vacation day for our family.  Have fun until you'll pass out.  And that is exactly what we did!