Cabela's

So, even though Michigan offers the beautiful Mackinac Island and the interesting Henry Ford Museum, a National Historic Landmark, the most popular tourist attraction in the state is, in fact, Cabela's, the ultimate outdoorsman's outfitter, a hunter's and fisherman's paradise -- not kidding! Since it's only about 20 minutes away, we decided to take a field trip...

But first, here is Blanden reading this morning. Clearly, he has chosen Phoenix's favorite cozy spot for his own.


And before Cabela's, lunch: pizza for Blanden, a favorite!

Checking out some giant fish pillows by the aquarium inside the store -- after all, who wouldn't need a giant fish pillow? (Just kidding -- we are not bringing one home with us.)

But Blanden did enjoy watching the real fish in the large tank full of the local species ...

We spent a long time here.

Here we are checking out a baby turtle.

And feeding live fish in a stream that runs throughout the store! Blanden thought that was fun.

This is a decoy deer. Blanden walked right up to it, gently pet it, and then gave it a big hug...

That's my boy! No future hunter here. :)

The enormous statues of giant fighting bear outside -- statues that happen to have come from a bronze factory in Lander, Wyoming (where Mommy lived for a brief time), while Mommy was living there and the store in Michigan opened. ... Blanden also enjoyed checking out the many dioramas full of, ahem, "stuffed" real animals. We called them pretend animals -- everything from polar bears to an elephant to moose and deer and wolves.

And what field trip would be complete without a stop off for ice cream afterward?