The "Mighty Mac"

31^st July – Mackinac Bridge

We had spent the last week in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan.  Now we started our journey southwards and drove over the “Mighty Mac”.  This 5 mile suspension bridge links Michigan’s Upper and Lower peninsulas over the Straits of Mackinac, with Lake Michigan on the west and Lake Huron on the east side.  

Our campsite was right on the shores of Lake Huron and we could see people para-sailing over the waters with the bridge in the background.

1^st August – Mackinac Island

In the morning we took the hydro-jet ferry over to Mackinac Island which was completed shrouded in fog. We didn’t see the dock until we were within around 100ft. The Island was originally the second National Park in USA but at the end of the 19^th Century it was transferred over to the state and has been a major tourist destination ever since. 

 

The Island has kept its ‘Victorian charm’ by not allowing any motorised vehicles on the island; so it is back to original horse-power with over 600 horses on the Island.  Even deliveries of supplies are transported from the docks on the back of horse drawn wagons.




We visited Fort Mackinac which had soldiers in period costume giving a variety of presentations including canon firing.




We hiked through the woods to the arch, and also took a self-drive horse and carriage out for just over an hour which was great fun – although we did have a difference of opinion with our horse as to what was a reasonable ‘going home’ speed. We were going to visit "The Grand Hotel" but they wanted $10 each just to walk past the entrance.

 

2^nd August – Rendezvous Fair

The weekend was the 18^th Century Rendezvous in Mackinac City (many towns have these events during the summer).  It commemorates the Fur Trapping and Trading days and people dress in period costume and engage in re-enactments of particular events for the region.  In this case it was the fighting between the local Militia and Native Indians with some British troops, playing bagpipes? thrown in for good measure.  We followed the skirmish, which included the firing of canons and muskets from the Marina into the shopping area with Indians taking cover behind parked cars – which then set off car alarms. Highly entertaining for all concerned!  There was also some (pre-agreed) ‘looting’ from the shops with the bounty being presented to participants later in the weekend.

 3^rd August – Travel South

We drove from Mackinac City to Honor along the western shoreline of Michigan.  This region is well known for growing cherries but it has to be said if you are a Golfer then this area of Lower Michigan is the place to go, as we lost count of how many golf courses we passed.

4^th August – Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore

We spent the day visiting Sleeping Bear Dunes.  In places these sand dunes rise 450ft above Lake Michigan.  At one overlook on the scenic drive, the slope down to the water appeared to be almost vertical.  We watched many people going down the sandy slope, swim in the lake and then make their way, laboriously, back up the 450ft climb arriving red-faced and breathless an hour or so later.

We decided to wimp out and opted, instead, for the 100ft sand dune climb further down the road.  We did this bare-foot and half way up discovered the sand was red hot.

Afterwards we visited the villages of Glen Haven and Glen Arbor.  At Glen Haven we walked down to the beach where some people were swimming.  We dipped our toes in the waters of Lake Michigan but it would need to be a lot warmer before we were likely to get further into it.

5^th August – Bass Lake

We took a quick drive around the area checking out the village of Interlochen and Turtle Lake.  In the afternoon we did a 3.6mile hike through the woods around Bass and Otter Lake in the Dunes Park.   
 

At our camp fire that evening we enjoyed the company of Marv and Betty who were staying in one of the cabins in the campground with their two grandchildren.

6^th – 9^th August – Tubb’s Lake

We drove further south to a series of inter-linked lakes, one of which was Tubb’s Lake with a campground right on the lake edge.  We are now spending the next few days exploring the 3 larger lakes via the various channels.

Michigan - Upper Peninsula

24^th – 27^th July – Michigan – Upper Peninsula

And so we arrive in yet another state – Michigan – Hurray! (33 now)

We found a peaceful spot by a lake (Marion Lake) in the National Forest to do kayaking and fishing for a couple of days. 



On the Saturday we took a little excursion out for a couple of hours to Bond Waterfall and found some pasties to eat on the way.  Apparently pasties (as in the Cornish variety) are part of the culture here – yummy!

Those living in the Upper Peninsular call themselves ‘Yoopers’.

On the Sunday we travelled on to Munising on the Michigan shoreline of Lake Superior.  (Three American states share the Superior shoreline).   It wasn’t the best of weather when we arrived and we sat in the RV watching the trees being blown by the wind and the anchored boat being tossed about on the waves of the Lake.

28^th July – Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore

Next day the weather front had passed through and we had a pub lunch, sat in the sun overlooking Munising harbour – eating more pasties. 








In the afternoon we visited a couple of waterfalls on the edge of town and then went back to the harbour to board for our evening cruise of Pictured Rocks shoreline.

The shoreline stretches for nearly 40 miles and the boat trip is the best way to see the ‘Painted’ cliffs.  The sandstone cliffs rise up to 200 feet in places and are stained with the colours from elements, such as copper and iron, from the water seeping out from above.  There were carved sea caves, arches, sandy beaches and cascading waterfalls. 

29^th – 30^th July – Sault Ste Marie

Our next journey took us through the Hiawatha National Forest along route 28 which is described as the ‘most curve-less’ stretch of road in Michigan – which means there are a lots of straight bits, the longest stretch being 25 miles.  It was this area that inspired the H W Longfellow's poem The Song of Hiawatha (Part XXII - Departure) – “By the shore of Gichie-Gumee, by the shining Big-Sea-Water, at the doorway of his wigwam ………..."

The town of Sault Ste Marie is where the waters of Lake Superior empty into Lake Huron via the rapids of Saint Mary River.  The USA town has a sister city of the same name in Ontario on the Canadian side of the river. 

Travel between the two countries is over the International Bridge.  The bridge was opened in 1962
and measures 1.9 miles with around 1.9 million vehicle crossings each year (which must keep immigration and customs busy).

Our campsite was right on the side of Saint Mary River and we watched the freighters sail pass.  On one occasion we saw a big freighter take on an extra crew member. 



A tug kept pace at the side of the freighter and a man (the pilot) jumped from the small boat onto the rope ladder and climbed up without either boat changing speed.

As we were on the banks of the river Paul thought it would be rude not to go fishing, he came back with a 4lb Northern Pike. More fish for supper.

The Soo Locks are the means by which ships and boats bypass the rapids and travel the 21 feet differential between the two Great Lakes.  The first Locks were built on the Canadian side back in the late 1700s but were destroyed in the War of 1812.  The next Soo Locks were then built on the US side in 1853 and have been
re-constructed/refurbished over the years to their present day operation, which is now fully automated.

We spent an hour one morning on the viewing platform watching a 1000ft freighter going through one of the Locks.  The 1200ft lock emptied the water in less than 15 minutes which was very impressive.
Later in the evening we did an evening dinner cruise.  This took us along the shoreline of both side of the river below the rapids where there were many lovely water front houses.  We then went through the locks up the upper part of the river which was more industrial, and then back down through the lock again for a close up of the rapids where there were several people out fishing in their boats.  We had a lovely evening enhanced by the company of two ladies, Rita and Sandy, who we shared the table with (and a sense of humour).

Wisconsin

21^st July – Wisconsin

Monday morning we set off heading for our next state – Wisconsin.  We drove the Lake Superior Scenic Byway to Bayfield; occasionally getting glimpses of the Lake through the trees.  We stopped at Cornucopia for coffee where there was a beach and people were swimming in the Lake waters –  not quiet warm enough for us. We arrived and our camp site and after setting in we drove the short distance into Bayfield were we took a stroll around the harbour. Once a thriving town with the logging, mining, and fishing industries its main business now comes from visitors and there are more properties in the town than permanent residents.

22^nd July – Apostle Islands National Lakeshore

In the morning we hopped on a boat tour around the Apostle Islands. There are 22 Islands of which 21 belong to the National Lakeshore and we were able to see all the islands on the cruise, albeit some in the far distance.  The Islands range in size from over 10,000 to just 175 acres.  All, but North Twin Island, were logged, some as recently as 1950s, and they have now re-grown although it has changed the distribution of tree species. 

As part of the Captain’s narration he described how the logs would be floated down the lake in flotillas 1 mile long and ½ a mile wide. 

Once it was decided, back in the 1970s, to protect the Islands the Government had to purchase them individually.  The logging companies were happy to sell but some people had homes here and hence there are still one or two residents on some of the Islands.

We sailed around Devils Island which not only has a lighthouse, but also the Sea Caves. The sandstone cliffs, rising 60 feet above water level, have been undercut by the Lake water to create a honeycomb of caves.  These caves were particularly popular this year when Gitchi-Gami (Ojibwe name for Lake Superior meaning Big Water) froze over, allowing people to walk to see the caves with their massive frozen icicles.  The last time it was possible to walk to the caves was in 2009. 

 During the first 2 months of 2014 there were over 138,000 visitors compared to 148,000 during the whole of 2013.

There are bears on the Islands and that evening we learned from the TV news that one of the Islands was closed to visitors because a particular bear was causing a problem.  Our Captain had earlier told us a story of one bear that had been re-located 300 miles west on the mainland many years ago but had still managed to find his way back to the Islands 6 months later.

In the evening we went back into town for the Concert on the Lake.  We sat on our picnic chairs with a drink/ice cream in the Waterfront Park and listened to a due called Brave Cowboy play and sing folk and blues with the Lake as a back drop.  Very relaxing!

23^rd July

We had hoped to book a kayaking trip to see the Sea Caves up close, but all tours were fully booked so we had a restful day at the campsite with a little excursion to one of the many fruit farms in this area.  Here we purchased among other things, some tasty non-alcoholic apple and blueberry cider.

Lake Superior. North Shoreline.

14^th July 2014 – Travel to Temperance River SP

We set off in the rain to drive a short distance back down Lake Superior’s shoreline.  Cascade River SP did not have any suitable camp sites for our RV so we carried on down to Temperance River SP.  This was actually nicer and we were camped very close to the Lake. 

When the weather finally cleared in the late afternoon we took a stroll up the gorge to see the waterfalls and rapids of Temperance River.  This is the only river feeding directly into Lake Superior without a rock or sand bar at the river's mouth.

15^th July – Lutsen Mountains

We drove a few miles up to the Lutsen Mountains just 10 miles up the shoreline.  The village had numerous ski lifts and was obviously a place for skiing and winter sports.  We took the gondola lift up Moose Mountain and were treated to a gorgeous view over the Lake.

Then we tried the Mountain Slide which involved a ski lift up another mountain and then grabbing a toboggan-style tray and sliding back down the mountain on a concrete course.  Great fun!

On our way home we called into an Outfitter and booked an afternoon to kayak on the Lake.

Later Paul went fishing and caught a White Sucker fish – which tasted very nice.

 

16^th July – Superior Kayakers

With a surface area of 31,700 sq miles Lake Superior is the largest fresh water lake and holds 10% of the world’s fresh water.  However that water is only 4C and wearing wetsuits is recommended.  The Lake ‘behaves’ more like the sea and we did not feel our inflatable kayak a suitable vessel so we went out with an outfitting company who provided the correct gear. 

Two ladies (Rita and Rosanne) joined us, our guide Dave took us along the shoreline to the mouth of Temperance River, where the water was considerably warmer and people bathe in it. 

We stopped on the beach and Dave pointed out Agate stones which Superior is renowned for.  Had we known we were coming down to this state park we would have brought our front door key and we could all have had afternoon tea as we were only 100 yards from the RV.

The water was a little choppy at times and the journey back was quicker as we were travelling with the wind, which was pretty cool.  From the water we could see the houses that were hidden

from the road by trees.

Now that we have been out on the biggest lake we can call ourselves ‘Superior Kayakers’.

17^th July – Travel to Duluth

 

Travelling further south the next day, we stopped at Gooseberry Falls SP for coffee and to see the waterfalls.  All along this shoreline the rivers have some form of ‘drop’ down into the Lake with either rapids or waterfalls. (Alison has a "thing" about waterfalls).

We eventually found our campsite, on the south of Duluth, around lunch time.  We got a spot right on the St Louis River.  This river marks the state line between Minnesota and Wisconsin. 

It was  quiet and peaceful and Paul wasted no time getting his fishing rod out. In the evening we went into town and found a place advertised as ‘English pub atmosphere, Italian chef, Celtic music and several different beers’.  With Guinness and Strongbow on tap what more could you want.

18^th July – Canal Park Duluth

We first drove into the town of Superior for some shopping and to find a branch of Bank of America.  In order to apply for an extension to our visa we need to obtain a Bankers Draft (or similar) and hence need a branch of our US bank.  Having consulted the Internet we thought this would be straight forward – wrong!  We spent 2 hours driving around Superior and Duluth trying to find a branch of Bank of America without success.  Minneapolis and St Paul have the only branches in Minnesota and Wisconsin has no branches at all.

So we gave up and went for lunch at the Canal Park in Duluth; part of the Downtown on the harbour front.  It was very busy with shops and eating places and was right next to the Aerial Lift Bridge.  We saw the bridge raised a couple of times to let ships pass in and out of the harbour.

At the mouth of the St Louis River is a spit of land which created a natural harbour; however the natural entrance was 5 miles further along the shoreline in the town of Superior so another man-made entrance was created back in the late 1800s at the Duluth end, for which the aerial lift bridge was necessary.  The Maritime Visitors Centre Museum was very interesting and explained how the harbours were built and also of tragic shipping accidents in the Lake.  The Ships main cargo is coal, grain and iron ore.

The Blue Heron is a Large Lakes Research Vessel owned by the University of Minnesota and was in the docks for an Open Day, so we hoped on board and had a guided tour by 3 of the personnel

including the Captain.
Some of their data collection included water temperature at different depths and the plankton type food at those depths.  It all fitted in with the depth that Paul had been fishing on lake superior, as the temperature affects where the food for the fish is and hence where to find the fish.

When we got back to our campsite we discovered there had been an invasion – the place was packed for the weekend with little children running here there and everywhere. (Hundreds of the little blighters, they had no respect for other campers and ran everywhere).

19^th & 20^th July – St Louis River

We spend the next two days by the river fishing and kayaking.  Our neighbours Griffin and Helen, a couple of University students took the kayak out for a while too. I think they need a bit more practice.