Lake Superior

Janet and I spent a couple of weeks on the shores of Lake Superior, most of it in the U.P. of Michigan and most recently on the tip of Wisconsin facing the Apostle Islands. 

Munising, MI 

Copper Country

Bayfield, WI

Some fun facts about Lake Superior:

• Surface area is 31,820 square miles about the size of South Carolina, making it the largest freshwater lake in the world
• Average depth is 482 ft. with a max of 1332 ft.
• It contains 2900 cubic miles of water, enough to cover the entire landmass of North and South America with one foot of water
• It is known as Gitchigami (Big Water) by the Chippewa, but more familiarly known as Gitche Gumee from a poem by Longfellow and the song "Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald" by Gordon Lightfoot

 Janet and I found the shorelines amazing.  The water is so clean and clear and dotted with islands that can be seen from the mainland.  There are a multitude of rocks that can be found including quartz, granite, basalt, shale and the coveted (and hard to find) agate.  Janet found a new hobby, rock-hounding and we spent several hours looking in the shallow water beaches for various rocks and pebbles.  I do not believe we found any agates, but still had fun wading in the water.  Now we have about 20 pounds of rocks that I am not sure what we will do with.  For now I just keep moving them from the truck bed to the campsite at every stop.  If nothing else, I am getting a work out.

Eagle Harbor, MI

McLain State Park, MI

Quincy Copper Mine, Hancock, MI

Quincy Copper Mine, Hancock, MI

Midnight Train

View from our campsite in Bayfield, WI - Lake Superior and Apostle Islands

Upper Peninsula (U.P) Michigan (continued)

The U.P. of Michigan offers a variety of things to do for the outdoorsy type.  Hiking, fishing, boating, sight-seeing, rock-hounding on the beach and biking are just a few of the activities that one can enjoy up here.  Don't expect too many luxuries (although there are a few resorts in the area) and if you like big cities you might as well stay away.  The largest city is Marquette with a population of about 21,000 and the entire U.P. hosts just under 300,000 people spread across 16,500 square miles.  We stayed in Munising for a few days to explore the Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore.  There are several waterfalls in the area to hike to and, of course, the lakeshore to cruise along.  We took the sunset cruise along the lake shore hoping for some dramatic pictures of the pictured rocks.  Alas, the clouds moved in and we could only imagine how stunning this beautiful shoreline could be with the evening sun hitting them.  Still, it was quite a nice boat ride with some nice views.

Miner's Falls

Grand Island Lighthouse

Miner's Castle Rock

Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore

Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore

Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore

Upper Peninsula (U.P) Michigan

Janet and I have made it across the Mackinac Bridge and are now in the UP.  This area of Michigan has a decidedly different feel then the lower part.  There are many more smaller towns and and much more wilderness.  We stayed several days in Tahquamenon Falls State Park near Paradise and Newberry.  The park is fairly large, but much of it is inaccessible except by foot.  The main attraction is the namesake falls.  There are actually several falls in the park with the upper falls being the largest and the lower falls consisting of five smaller.  The falls have a brown tinge to them as a result of the tannins leeched from the cedar swamps upstream.  

We also spent a day in Sault Ste Marie home of the Soo Locks (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Soo_Locks) which allow cargo ships to navigate the waterway from Lake Superior to Lake Huron and spent a day up at Whitefish Point rock-hounding and sight-seeing.  

We now are slowly starting our way back west along the UP and into Wisconsin and Minnesota.  It is strange not having an agenda... not knowing where we will land next... but it is sure exciting to see all that this land has to offer.

Tahquanemon Falls - Lower Falls

Tahquanemon Falls - Lower Falls Lake

Tahquanemon Falls - Lower Falls

Tahquanemon Falls - Upper Falls

Tahquanemon Falls - Upper Falls

Lower Michigan

One of the problems (or benefits, as some may see it) of traveling in secluded places is the rarity of a decent Internet connection.  Janet and I have been staying in some pretty remote areas of the lower half of Michigan over the last couple of weeks and have been enjoying a technology-free time at the cost of communication.  We have to wait until we get on a highway or arrive in a town in order to even get a couple bars on the cell phone.  

While in lower Michigan we stayed in the Manistee National Forest which is near the western middle of the state and Wilderness State Park in the upper region.  Because of the shape of the state, when folks from Michigan point out a place, they will hold up their hand with thumb extended and point to the palm in the general area they are speaking.  So, for those of you who know what I am talking about, we have been mostly in the area just below the pinkie finger and more recently at the tip of the middle finger (which brings on a whole other discussion :) ).  

Our favorite things so far have been, hiking in Ludington State Park, biking in Petoskey and taking the ferry to Mackinac Island where we biked around the island.   Motorized vehicles are not allowed on the island, so the only modes transportation are walking, bikes and horse drawn carriages.  It makes for a very pleasurable biking experience, you just need to watch out for the road apples.  One of the things that surprised us was the color of the waters in Lake Michigan.  The greens, aquas and blues have a slight Caribbean feel to them.  At one point while on the beach on Mackinac Island, you could almost imagine sitting on the beach in the Virgin Islands.  Here are a few pics of the sights of Michigan (so far).

Lighthouse at Leelanau State Park

Island Trail - Ludington State Park

Mackinac Island

Biking on Mackinac Island

Stone Cairn with Mackinac Bridge in background

Alive and Well in Hoosier Country

I know, we haven't updated for almost a month.  Janet and I have been enjoying the comforts of our native state, Indiana, for the past month and are busy visiting friends and relatives and some of our old haunts.  We stayed in Bedford, IN for a couple of nights and checked out Columbus and Brown County.  Unfortunately we somehow managed to drive right by Brown County State Park (all of the Hoosiers are now saying "How could you do that!").  I hear it is absolutely beautiful there, so will need to save that for another time.  We then stayed at one of our favorite places, Turkey Run State Park.  Janet and I used to camp there when we were attending Purdue.  It is just as nice as I remember it.  If you are ever out this way and enjoy hiking, this is top on the list of places to go.  Janet says the hiking here is on par with many of the National Parks.

Most of the trails meander along creek beds with a forest of oak and maple trees towering above.  some of the more rigorous trails even take you up the creek (without a paddle!) so make sure and where shoes that you don't mind getting wet.

Trail 3 - Punch Bowl Trail

 Trail 3 is especially fun.  As you can see by the pictures above, the trail takes you up the waterfall and in a canyon stream.  If hiking is not your thing, but you enjoy the water, there is canoeing and fishing on Sugar Creek.

 We are now in Ft. Wayne (where we were born and raised) and having fun meeting with family.  We will be spending the 4th of July holiday up at my Aunt and Uncle's cottage at Pretty Lake in northern Indiana.  Cheers to all and hope you have a safe and happy holiday weekend.