Great Lakes Trip
Monday morning, I got up at sunrise.. and roamed the area and took more pictures of the marina. A magazine description (Lake Superior Magazine - must get for a tour around the Lake) said the marina was similar to ones in New England.. I'm from upstate New York, so I'll take their word for it. It was nice, with weathered buildings used for businesses selling items to tourists (however, being Sunday, they were closed) and boats docked around the multi-angled marina.. Maybe 50 boats were hugging the piers and a handful being of photogenic quality..
I got up at sunrise too take pictures. We (with some discussion) then decided too skip going up the Keweenaw Peninsula due to time contstraints. We drove to Marquette, Mich. and then up to Big Bay where we stopped at the Big Bay Lighthouse and IRTATPAAR, then back to Marquette. At this city, we transversed the verrrrry long breakwater bolders to the Marquette Lighthouse, which requred a good deal of footwork dexterity. The half-mile walk required walking, hopping, and at one point falling (me) across huge boulders that led to the light-not-exactly-house. More significant the Ontonagens', but not a house. I fell in between the boulders with the tripod (which I never should have brought). Just a few scrapes with minor blood loss from a slightly damaged toe and a broken pair of reading glasses. Alex provided the compassion. Back on the road again, to Munising and a long drive on a narrow dirt road through the Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore (we stopped at one overlook to see the shoreline) to Grand Marais, Mich. where we stayed at the Alverson Motel - a decent motel with a great view and location. We got the last 2 bedder. After checking in, we went back to the sand dunes where IRTATPAAR. We found out later that there were snakes throughout the dunes. I had stayed on the trail, but Alex was wandering around. After this we went to the beach (via a long wood staircase) and viewed a great sunset. Back to the upstairs room and to sleep we went. During the night.
The next morning, we both got up at sunrise and went to the entrance of the walk to the Au Sable Lighthouse. The one-and-a-half-mile walk was one that we'll never forget (also the walk back). We got bit by swarms of mosquitos and other nasty bugs. It was worth it , but we would never do it again under those conditions. Thunder rolled over the lake, so after reaching the car, we headed back to Grand Marais. As soon as we got in the restaurant, the sky opened up and sent torrents of rain upon the scenic little town. But, as with our fantastic timing throughout the trip, the sun was out by the time we left the restaurant.
We then drove down to Seneyand then up to Whitefish Point where there is a lighthouse that gives sailors a clue that Whitefish Bay and Sault Ste. Marie lies closeby (although numerous ships have wrecked off this point). At Whitefish point IRTATPAAR. We then went to the Point Iroquois Lighthouse where IRTATPAAR. Back on the road, we went to Sault Ste Marie and over the International Bridge into Canada and onto Gros Cap where there was supposed to be a lighthouse. There was but it was way out in the lake. We ate at a cute restaurant at the location (after Alex did a bit of hiking up a hill) and he had some wierd (to me) food. I don't remember the names, but it was something like Pirogies. We drove back to Sault Ste Marie (Mich) and stopped at the locks. What we saw was a site we'll probably both remember. Our timing got us there just as a Navy boat came into the lock. It was quite a performance with the Navy guys on deck working and at attention..and with an onboard dixieland band playing. You would have to be there too feel how thrilling it was. After the show we hopped over to St. Ignace (Lake Huron on one side and Lake Michigan on the other). There we secured lodging at a Howard Johnson's motel, then drove over the Mackinac Bridge to the lower peninsula of Michigan and Mackinac City where we roamed through a bunch of stores. Back over the bridge to our motel and off to sleep.
Thursday, we headed down the northern side of Lake Michigan. We stopped at the Seul Choix Point Lighthouse, Manastique East Breakwater Lighthouse, and Escanaba Sand Point Lighthouse where IRTATPAAR. We did some rockhounding on the beach and did some wading. Although we were originally going to be doing the lakes through Friday, we drove to St. Paul and surprised Sue, who was staying at a hotel there. Originally, we supposed to pick her up from the hotel (she had been there all week for work (US West) the reunion took place Thursday. I called her from the lobby, while Alex went to her room. I told her we were in Door County...took stress her about us meeting her at 5:30 Friday. I told her I had something sent to her room and to expect a knock...there was and it was Alex. He had gone up while I was on the phone. It was his idea.
Next day, Alex and I went to the Minnesota Zoo, and then too the Mall of America, then too pick up Sue, then back to Rochester. Mileage.....1,827 miles.
(Superior,Huron, Michigan) Trip
As you read through the narrative, click on the underlined words for the pictures that accompany the text. All pictures have not yet been added to the story.
Alex and I left Rochester, Minnesota late Sunday morning in a rented Olds Achieva and headed up the freeway to Duluth, Minn (where we visited last year), and Superior, Wisconsin. We zipped by and through these cities and started our journey up Lake Superior to Cornucopia, Wi. where we decided to find a place to stay for the night. We stopped at one standard-looking small-town motel (rectangle box, partioned) and then, after waiting quite a few minutes in the office for someone to show up, left. So we then went to the more interesting looking 2-story rustic dark-brown Village Inn Motel (not associated with the more famous VI Restaurant). It had a cute restaurant, so we registered. We had the choice of the autumn, spring, and summer rooms, but not winter, which will become evident why later. Being it was a hot summer day, we chose the autumn room in hopes that it would be a cooler room - it was. The rooms were upstairs from the restaurant/bar and were reached by climbing a set of wooden stairs, interrupted briefly by a pot of flowers. With the assurance of a roof over our head to spend the night, it was on to the Siksiwit marina (down the road a football field away and across the street) where we parked, walked around the marina, and headed for the beach. We waded in the very shallow and cool-yet-warm-after-awhile waters of the bay. It was so shallow (how shallow was it?) , one could walk miles out into the lake (well many feet, anyways). Then I proceeded to roam the area taking pictures, and Alex roamed. When Alex got hungry and exhausted, (which was before the greatest sunset ever - note, I have no pictures of the greatest sunset of all times here in Cornucopia), we went back (after a lengthy discussion and with great reluctance on my part) to the restaurant and had an excellent meal. To me a meal is excellent if the fries are perfect (long, with skin, not seasoned, golden brown, preferably doubled-fried)...and they were. I don't remember what else we had, but I'm sure it was some fried animal. Once our mouths got tired of the flow of food, I retired to our room, while Alex stayed at the bar for awhile. In the room they had a little diary for users of the room to write little stories of how they enjoyed this little town and little motel/restaurant (Alex wrote a little story in the little book). Alex returned and we fell to sleep in the single bed. In the middle of the night, a black bear, who was getting ready to hibernate in the adjacent winter room, knocked on our door and asked for a pina colada...which we didn't have. The bear (a female), obviously upset, pounced on Alex. I grabbed the bear by the hair on his chinny, chin, chin, swung him around and threw him out...thus saving Alex's life. Alex must have a bad memory, as he didn't remember any of this the next morning.
After Alex arose, and breakfast fare filled our tummies, we drove up the Bayfield Peninsula to the town it was named for ...Peninsula. No, it was Bayfield and while we were waiting to board a tour boat that would take us to the island in the next sentence, we roamed the town together. After this quality time, we took a 30 minute (one-way) passage on a tour boat to Raspberry Island (one of the Apostle Islands) to visit the Raspberry Island Lighthouse. I Roamed The Area Taking Pictures, And Alex Roamed (and got bit by bugs and collected a goodly amount of sneaker mud hiking to a beach). The more astute of you may see a pattern forming here, so from know on I'll refer to this roaming as IRTATPAAR. The grounds were quite interesting with a croquet setup., a vegetable garden and beautiful flowers tastefully arranged in a cornucopia of non-flowering plants. We eventually merged in front of the lighthouse and climbed the winding, wood stairs to the top where the light used to be. The rangeress was there and as Alex discussed the state of the union with her, I took pictures. The view across Lake Superior was magnificent with pretty white clouds shading pretty blue waves of the pretty big lake. One cannot imagine the immenseness of this body of water without driving along it shores for awhile - or viewing it from above. Well, time flies when your at the top of a lighthouse discussing the state of the union with a ranger..it was time too leave. Back down the 100 steps of stairs to the boat...oh, did I not mention that the stairs. from the boat to the lighthouse was many in number a steep in slope? A-sailing we did go, and, thirty minutes later, we were back in Bayfield. Just before docking at Bayfield, Alex asked me to take a picture of a window-laden house. on a hill, overlooking the lake. After a short drive around the town, we (actually when I say we, I mean I - which was the case for 95% of the trip - a Don thing) drove to Ontonagon to see the Ontonagon Lighthouse. that was supposed to be there. It was..but, both the lighthouse and Ontonagon was a dissapointment (although I've since seen a picture of a lighthouse at Ontonagon that looks bigger - the locals we talked to didn't know of it). The town just wasn't interesting, although it does have a nice long beach with plentiful campsites available. So, too make things exciting, we trespassed to the back of a large manufacturing plant to get to the beach where you could see this little lighthouse..basically a small enclosed light on 4 legs at the end of a relatively short breakwater. We had to go through the parking lot, under some overhead loading tubes, and through the back lot. Although the light.uuhmm..house wasn't much, it looked like we might get a good sunset..and the beach was filled with driftwood....which held promise for some good pictures. Just before dark, we left (after viewing a dead seabird)..and while driving through the back lot, a security car came down the road..we waved too them, they waved back and we drove on. A quick trip took us to Silver City where we got the last room available at a Best Western Motel. We had supper there earlier, before we drove to Ontonagon.