Upper Midwest Tour, Day 17 - July 26

We started from our camp site and drove south the rest of the way to Lake Michigan and the town of Manistique.  We were in search of the Big Spring or Kitch-iti-kip, as suggested by a couple we met on Isle Royale.  We found it but it was a tourist attraction/trap.  It is a large spring that flows up out of the ground (full grown) and then into Indian Lake.  Indian Lake is about 5 miles from Lake Michigan.  The spring is part of the Michigan State Park system and operates a cable-pulled glass bottom boat that travels over the spring.  There was a long line of families waiting to board the boat, so we looked over the railing and departed.

The queue for the glass bottom barge.

The barge.

The spring.

Picture Rocks HQ.

A small diversion entitled Art in the Alley.

This is painting, not a photograph - very realistic.

I liked Harvey, the dog.

Back Range Lighthouse (no longer in use)

Front Range Light (provides directional guidance entering the bay).

We drove back roads through Hiawatha National Forest north to Munising.  We had a 3:00 pm cruise departure for a boat tour along Picture Rocks National Lakeshore.  We arrived in town early, giving us time to wander around the town a bit.  A rain squall blew through, raising white caps on the lake, but letting up as we finished our walk at a bookstore/café across from the Picture Rock Interpretive Center.

 

At 2:30 we queued up for the cruise.  Because of the unstable weather, two boats were taken out so that everyone could sit inside if needed.  But the weather improved, and we spent the 2 ½ hour trip on the top deck.  The captain/narrator provided good explanations, naming the many formations and telling a couple of corny jokes.  It was colorful and the photos follow.  Seeing Painted Rocks from the water was the right strategy.

The big vertical rock broke off from the cliff side a long time ago (since there is not rubble around it).

A more recent rock fall, like a year ago.

Indian Chief Rock

Note the lone tree whose root runs back to the 'mainland' and is still alive.

A look back along the shore line.

An original lighthouse on Grand Island.

The vertical lines on the rock faces are caused by water leaking out from the layers of rock.  The different colors are an indication that the certain minerals (sulfur, iron, manganese, etc.) are present in water.

After the cruise we had nice fresh fish tacos at Hippotacos . . .so we would not have to cook and clean up back at the camp site.  

Upper Midwest Tour, Day 16 - July 25

 We drove a hundred and forty miles to do a 3 minute peak bag at Mt. Arvon, Michigan.  At 1,979 feet it is the highest point in the state and, gee, you can almost see Lake Superior.  The timber company that owns the land did provide a lookout point a few hundred feet from the high point where we could see the lake.  We were creative in our drive from Marquette to Mt. Arvon, going the shortest route suggested by Google Maps.  Foolish us.  The last twenty miles Betsy crept over and around rocks and ruts.  Fortunately, no problems with the car or the road (actually barely a track).  It 's a skimobile route in winter.  We didn't meet another car until just 100 yards from the destination.  According to the high point register, the guy who passed us leaving was from Colorado Springs and Mt. Arvon was his 35th high point.

The broad view of the top

The register

 Lake Superior in the distance, forest in the foreground.  The Lyme Timberlands Company cut down some trees to open up this view.

After the high point adventure, we drove back to Marquette and then on to Munising, MI.  This town  sprung up to serve Picture Rock National Monument -- tomorrow's event.  We stocked up with dinner/breakfast supplies and drove south.  In about 25 miles, we crossed a little more than half of the Upper Peninsula to the Colwell Lake Campground, our accommodation for the next two nights. 

We had a snack of cheese and crackers, sampling the cheese from the Wisconsin Cheese shop -- very good - after setting up the tent.  Then we rode our bikes around the campground, just a single road.  We passed the campground host who told us that there was a trail around the lake we could cycle.  It was 3.2 miles around and very pleasant.  While the ride was not a lot of exercise, we felt we had earned dinner.  There were some mosquitos, not swarming but still annoying.

Camp site #9

We enjoyed salted whitefish, pasta (leftovers from last night's dinner) and a 'salad bag." 

Upper Midwest Tour, Days 14 and 15, July 23 & 24

I was too tired yesterday after a very long travel day to write the blog and we had another long day today, however, with another successful State highpoint.  Besides, last evening I had the 4 Isle Royale days  to publish.

Yesterday was 8 hours of riding on the Voyageur II from Rock Harbor back to Grand Portage.  It was a later departure time so we had time for breakfast and some waiting time.  We checked out the Parks Service boats- very impressive RIBs with  twin 250 horsepower outboards.  They had aluminum nose sections and very compact but sturdy looking cabs.  They would be able to outrun almost every other boat in the waters around the park.

Our boat ride took us along the southeast side of the island, past the Park HQ, and two lighthouses.  The waters were calm and temperatures moderate.  We made a two intermediate stops to drop off and/or pick up backpackers.   We stopped in Windigo to pick up about 10 Boy Scouts (including a few  young women), who had walked the length of the island.  Another group of scouts had walked the other direction and had boarded the boat at Rock Harbor.  I talked with the leader who said that both groups knew each other, were from Iowa, and did this type of trip frequently.  They earned their 50-mile hike award.

We reached the dock at  Grand Portage at 3:00 pm on the dot, paid our parking fee ($5 per day), and drove a mile or two to the Grand Portage National Monument, largely to use the restrooms.  We toured the visitor center quickly but did not walk down the hill to the re-constructed fort site.  

Model of Grand Portage during the fur trading days.

Full description for the portage.

And a description of the men who carried the 'load.'  The local Indians trapped, killed, and prepared the pelts which they then traded with the Voyageurs for market goods.  The Voyageurs were the intermediaries between the Indians and the Fur Trading companies.

We then drove down along the Lake Superior shoreline, past Duluth, to Ashland, Wisconsin (also on Lake Superior) which took over 4 hours.  We arrived at about 7:30 pm.  We immediately went to dinner at the one place that was open on a Sunday night - the Stagecoach Bar and Grill.  It was one step down from a tavern.  But the place was busy and the food was good.  We walked back to the hotel and I spent the rest of the evening blogging, etc.

Today, (the next day) we had a good breakfast in the hotel and drove south to Timm's Hill, the high point for Wisconsin.  It is easy to find and forms a small county park.  There are a number of trails in the park and  the shortest walk to the lookout tower at the summit was 400 yards.  

We climb to the top of the tower, gaining some more altitude.

Looking down from the top of the tower.

I thought the street sign was an interesting effect.

Typical Northwoods forest - mostly maple trees.

After the high point, we angled across the back country of Wisconsin into Michigan, ultimately arriving at Marquette, MI.  The  mostly flat country was full of forests, lakes, rivers, some farm land,  a number of small resorts (fishing camps?) and a few small towns with big churches. . With the time zone change, we didn't get to our hotel until 5:30 pm.  However, on the way we stopped in the town of Tomahawk, WI for coffee and a snack.  We found the "sweetest" shop in town, which specialized in candies, and all manner of dessert bars (seven layer bars, revel bars, salted caramel bars, etc.)  We bought a couple for our evening dessert.  We also went across the street to a shop selling "Wisconsin cheese."  We bought a chunk of gouda with herbs and a highly recommended cheddar. 

We completed the drive to Marquette (again on the shores of Lake Superior), found a laundromat for clothes washing, and had dinner at Casa Calabria, a hearty Italian restaurant.