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Our Getaway

Part of my birthday present from Michelle was to take a couple nights away by ourselves.  We planned out the date and when we spoke to Michelle's mom about taking the boys she bought into this being a 4 night getaway.  Plans were made and on Thursday we headed for Crystal Mountain in Northern Michigan.
 


We arrived around 7pm and got checked in and to our room.  We ordered pizza and stayed in for the evening.

On our way up we encountered snow on the ground and the fall colors were incredible.



 
The weather was going to be cold and possibly wet the entire time.  But we were not going to let that stop us.  We got up Friday morning and had some breakfast.  Then we headed out for a mountain bike ride on the mountains trails.
Ready to ride!

Colors were awesome on the trail.
 
We got back from our ride and had left over pizza and salad for lunch.  We then got cleaned up and headed for Frankfort.
We went out to the Lake Michigan Shore and the Harbor.
 
The Lighthouse

The waves were big.
 
We stopped at the Stormcloud Brewery.
 
We then headed back to Crystal and had dinner at the Thistle Pub and Grill.  After dinner we retreated to the room for a movie.
 
Saturday was windy and rainy when we woke up.  I decided to head out for a short ride while Michelle enjoyed some quiet time in the room.  After the ride we had a nice lunch in the room and then headed out for the day.  We went to Sleeping Bear Point and hiked up part of the trail to the point.
 
Hiking up the trail.


A view of the dunes.

Historical barn.

Dune climb.
 
We then headed back to the mountain for the rest of the day.  We had hoped to do the Alpine slide but it was closed due to the weather.  So we took the ski lift to the top of the mountain.
View from the top!


My beautiful bundled up wife!

The fall colors.
 
We made our way down the mountain and went in search of our dinner.  We decided to go to the Thistle again.  Once there we were seated and decided to have an appetizer, which was really good.
 
Rock Steak!
You actually cooked the steak on the rock at the table! Yummy!
 
After dinner we headed back to our room for relaxation and a movie.
 
Sunday morning was beautiful.  Windy and cool but no rain.  We decided to go out for a mountain bike ride.  This time though we rented Fat Bikes from the mountain for our ride.  This was a new experience for both of us.  The bikes handle differently than a regular mountain bike but they are very comfortable.
 
Getting used to the Fat Bike.
 
We did a lap together then I went back out for a lap.  I decided to climb the back of the mountain and take the technical trail back down.  The climb was challenging and I made it up without walking.  The ride down was a blast.  After the ride we had lunch in the room again and headed for Traverse City for the afternoon.  We walked around downtown for a while and went to the Mackinaw Brewing Company for supper.
 
Pot Roast

Mac n Cheese
 
It was after 6pm when we left Traverse City and headed back for the mountain.  We rested and watched a movie.  We were both pretty tired from the weekend. 
 
We both had a great time and really enjoyed this time together, just us! 
 
On Friday we will be leaving for Iceman after a short work week.  Then the biking season is officially over, not that I will stop riding.  But we need to get wood cut for the rest of the winter.
 
 
 
 
 
 


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