WARNING: There are a LOT of pictures of Michigan’s Fall colors in this post. The pictures were so gorgeous I couldn’t help but share them with you in a blog post! My family and I took a road trip up to Crystal Mountain (not to far from Traverse City) a few days early for a summit that we were working and we had such a fun family mini vacation celebrating my favorite season in the perfect Michigan fashion.

When we arrived at Crystal Moutain everything was in full swing! There were tons of people, events, tents and the overall 75 degree atmosphere were filled with joy and Fall festivities. It was so hard to concentrate on checking in when there was so much to see and do that day. Naturally the Alpine Slide was first on my list! I passed the petting zoo, pumpkin carving, bike race and Oktoberfest tent to purchase my ticket and get on a ski lift for the very first time.

 The lift to the top of the hill was fun, even though my motion sickness was driving me a bit crazy but the sights of Michigan’s Fall colors made it worth it! Once at the top there isn’t really anything to do but get in line for the slide, but it is a great time to look at the slopes for the upcoming winter before they are covered in snow. The yellow carts are pretty heavy, luckily you can roll them with you through the last half of the line before you settle into the top of the slide. (Make sure to pick one with worn pads on the bottom) I witnessed some brilliant parents rolling their kids while they were on the cart in the line! (Genius!) Once you get to the front of the line, you have about five people in front of you on their carts on the top part of the slide. It gives you plenty of time to get settled as well as practice with the handle that controls your speed.

Once the Attendant gives the go-ahead, I was off! You can see a video of my ride at the bottom of this post. I’ll be honest, the first time that I went down the slide I got stuck at the first curve. That’s right, the first curve! I ended up with two people being forced to stop behind me as I had to pull myself using the sides of the slide until I reached a dip and finally got going. That’s why the video is actually a bit slow moving, it’s from my first trip down. The attendants were so kind about it that they sent my Mom and I back up for another ride, this time they told us how to pick a cart. The second time was totally worth it! It was fast and full of colors! Definitely worth the wait!

After exploring the little village that the Crystal Mountain complex is, and enjoying more Fall festivities we ended up eating dinner at the Scottish themed restaurant on site, the Thistle Pub & Grille. I had an amazing Beet Burger and Truffle Fries! (Another First!) Plus we had the spinach salad. Unfortunately I didn’t really take any pictures of the rest of my stay as it rained for three days straight. But at least y’all got to see the beautiful Fall colors of Northern Michigan and I have a new truffle fries obsession!

 

Have a wonderful weekend y’all!