The Weekend Getaway

Recently, our kids and grandkids decided that we all needed a weekend getaway! We found a state park with a wonderful old inn that was a short drive (less than 200 miles) for all the family to meet and the facilities were great for the entire crew. Pokagon State Park is at the intersection of I-69 and I-80/90 and is only about 3 hours from Wright Patterson AFB, OH, 3.5 hours from Great Lakes Naval Training Center,IL and 2.5 hours from Selfridge Air National Guard Base, MI.

The park had hiking trails, a horse barn for saddle enthusiasts, an indoor pool to entertain the younger set, a game room with air hockey, ping pong, and video games, various restaurants and fun spots just to hang out. We actually found an outdoor porch on the second floor that with a quilt or two provided a lot of evening entertainment as well as we sat and overlooked Lake James.

The weather wasn’t very cooperative with a mix of rain, snow, wind, cloudy days and cool temps but hey some of us lived in Iceland for almost three years. We found a way to make outdoor adventures work and three of the guys actually went for a very short swim in a lake that was about 35 degrees (of course they did have a hot tub nearby but the 100 yard run back to the inn was a bit chilly!).

Two went horseback riding, some hiked and visited a nature center and we all found ways to save a few dimes by packing breakfast and lunches for the whole crew for 2 days! We found another place to enjoy ourselves and probably will go back, too!

This was a great time to stretch out and relax after a rather long Midwestern winter and we also honored one of our own who will soon deploy as well. Thank you is a simple thing to say but we wanted to do more. We all understand the challenges; sometimes we just have to make an effort to let them know we understand!

Have a favorite weekend getaway spot? Tell us about it and why you like it!byColonel KonWednesday, April 16, 2008Email ThisBlogThis!Share to TwitterShare to FacebookShare to PinterestMilitary Life:Col K,deployment,Great Lakes Naval Training Center,Selfridge Air National Guard Base,stress,travel,vacation,Wright-Patterson AFB