A Hunting We Will Go

While we were on Mackinac Island to celebrate my parents' 55th wedding anniversary, we decided to have a group activity for Saturday afternoon. We thought it would be fun to have a scavenger hunt, and since everyone carries a phone with a camera in their pockets, a photo scavenger hunt was the assignment of the day.

I came up with 20 items (just be glad it wasn't 55!) for each group to include in a photograph. I tried to have a variety of things on the list that would get us out and about between the hotel and the 'downtown' area.

Next, I divided the family into three groups. Team captains volunteered were selected, and Jonathan, Adam, and Evan were excited to lead their teams in the competition. The teams were named in advance, with each name having a significance to Nana and Boomie. Jon's team was called the Panthers, after the Hanover College Panthers, where Nana and Boomie met. Adam's team was the Turtles, in honor of the many vacations they have enjoyed in the Cayman Islands. Evan was the captain of the Volunteers, since Nana and Boomie have spent much of their time volunteering in their community.

Teams set, lists in hand, and we were off on the Sturges Scavenger Extravaganza!
While each team had the same 20 items, the lists were in different order so that we weren't all doing the same thing at the same time. Although each team took a picture for each item on the list, I'm only posting one of each for most of the items.

Most folks arrive on the island by ferry, so we had to get a picture of a Shepler's Ferry boat. Here are the Panthers enjoying a little ice cream down on the dock.

The Volunteers posed for their picture with Fort Mackinac, high on the bluff.

Of course, we had to get a photo sampling the famous Mackinac Fudge. That's the Turtles being photographed by team captain Adam, who doesn't like fudge.

Bicycles are a main form of transportation on the island. Do you think the Panthers swiped these?

The golf course on the island has both a front and back nine, and golfers have to load their clubs on the horse-drawn taxi for the 15-minute ride to the back nine to finish their round. This is a shot of the Turtles in the pro shop.

There are lots of shops in town, and the assignment was to take a picture of your group wearing hats. Here are the Volunteers. Wearing hats.

"Take a photo of your group with a dog." The Panthers checked this one off with a great golden retriever.

For what turned out to be a tricky one, the Volunteers took this picture with a resident of the island.

Of course, with all the horses on the island, there's bound to be, well, you know. The Turtles were happy to pose with it. No s**t!

At the Grand Hotel, there is an area and shop called Margaret's Garden. The Panthers were proud to pose with the sign, especially since some of us knew the Margaret for whom it is named.

We needed a photo with the group consulting a map, and the Turtles found this one at the bike rental shop. I love the worker who photo bombed the picture.

There is a school just down the hill from the Grand Hotel, and the Volunteers enjoyed getting a picture on the playground. Is that Nana pole dancing?

We were there during the Lilac Festival, although with the early warm spring, many of the blossoms were gone. The Panthers managed to find this one for their photograph.

The Pink Pony is a well-known watering hole on the island. The Panthers posed in front for their photo. Each group included an under-21 minor, which prevented us from abandoning our list and spending the afternoon at the Pink Pony. Wonder who thought of that?

Each group needed to take a picture with someone in uniform. The Turtles thought they aced this one with the uniformed guard at the upper entrance to the fort.

The Vols took this one before leaving the hotel. Nana is having a chat with him of course.

The Panthers were creative in their approach, and took a picture of this picture of a guy in a uniform.

The list said, take a picture "at the new horse barn with a broom or pitchfork." Despite the fact that this is the wrong barn, the Vols added an extra degree of difficulty when Ted balanced the broom on his chin. Yes he did. He once used this skill to win the Hanover College talent show.

The Turtles posed while petting a horse in front of the Grand Hotel.

Another creative approach was demonstrated by the Panthers when they found this horse to pet.

For the picture of the group in the Tebow position in front of a church, the Panthers found a big church way downtown. The church is big, but the people are little tiny specks on the sidewalk.

The Turtles posed in front of the church near the hotel.

The Vols posed at the same church, with Nana blessing them.

Another tricky one was to take a picture "with someone in a wedding party." The Turtles finally found one, back on the porch at the hotel. That's the groom getting his boutonniere pinned, a bridesmaid, and the groom's father. Bingo!

Finally, we needed a photo with the group forming a '55' with our bodies. The picture also had to include the entire group, so we needed to politely ask someone to take it for us. Here are the Volunteers in the 55 position for 55 years.

Each group successfully completed the hunt, and we all arrived back at the porch within a few minutes of each other. I believe the Vols were the first ones back, and declared themselves the winners. Thankfully, there were cold beverages being served on the big porch, so everyone could relax and recover from the pressure of the competition.

Adam and Shylah shared a hug while Jon watched. Jim was busy on his computer as usual, but this time, it was to put together a slide show of the scavenger hunt photos. We all enjoyed looking at the photos before dinner, and I think everyone had fun on the hunt!