Aug 18, 2010 - End of UP Tour - Home Again

First thing this AM the little guy from the camp next door jumped on his bike, looked back over his shoulder, and yelled to an unseen somebody at the top of his little lungs, “I gotta go to the bathroom!” Then off he zoomed in the direction of the bathhouse. Seconds later a lady from their camp walked into view and said to us, “Well, so much for peace and quiet, huh?”

We told her we didn’t mind. It seemed like the kids were having fun. Shaking her head, she followed with, “Well, I’m the grandma, and I’m not sure I’m going to make it!” Turns out the HHR was hers, and she was looking pretty hard at our rPod, wondering out loud if her vehicle could pull it, because it might be just the ticket for her. All by herself.

Then it was time to pack and head on home. We took a different route back to the Xway to avoid that nasty washboard road we took on the way in. On the way home we passed an Airstream trailer being pulled by a Lincoln Blackwood pickup truck. Sheesh. Those two things together are probably worth more than my house is right now. I’m not even sure you could call that camping.

We plan to come back to da UP next winter and snowshoe back into some of the frozen waterfalls and ice caves, and maybe next summer to take a shipwreck tour of Grand Island, and get some more waterfall and lighthouse viewing in.

Aug 17, 2010 - Wilderness State Park

Today we took a ride into town to check out some of the other parks in the area, pick up a few staples, and just have a look around. It’s really too cold and windy to sit by the water anyway. Hey, check it out! Next time we come up this way we’re going ziplining!  When we left there was a tiny popup tent in the site next to us, but when we returned later that afternoon, there was a ginormous travel trailer cleverly wedged in that tiny spot, along with a Chevy HHR (obviously not the tow vehicle), several bicycles, a grill, picnic table, cooler, lawn chairs, etc., with just enough room left for the missing tow vehicle. Nobody around. As if the whole mess just fell from the sky and landed there.

Engadine Dolomite. Everybody knows that.

We walked a few of the many hiking trails they have here at the park, then took our bikes out past the camp store with the intention of checking out the four rustic cabins they have for rent right on the water, a 7 mile round trip. Unfortunately, it looked like they were all occupied, so we didn’t get a close look. Afterward, we took a 3 mile round trip back the other way to some sort of giant rock with a big sign beside it.  Every time we pass this thing there’s somebody either sitting on it or having their picture taken in front of it, so we just gotta see what it’s all about.  Turns out it’s a boulder made of engadine dolomite (I THOUGHT it looked familiar) that was pushed there by a glacier from St. Ignace about 10,000 years ago. Huh. Geology. Don’t understand it that well. Must have rocks in my head! Sorry …

Returned to the camp for dinner. It was windy and pretty cool outside, so we dined indoors in Chez Pod. Afterward, Beth told me, “Baby, get out there and light my fire!” She’s a big Doors fan. So, figuring the time to hesitate was through, I hustled out there and started burning stuff. About dusk the neighbors returned, but all we could see was their feet underneath their trailer. Two little kids got out and ran into the RV, followed by three adults. We could hear the two little ones thumping up and down the length of their trailer, giggling hysterically. It didn’t last long, so either they fell asleep or knocked themselves out on something. A simply splendid night for a fire, with lots of coals, and so, lots of marshmallow roasting. Our friend’s father would call this fire a “good potato fire.”

Aug 16, 2010 - Back to Flatland

Left Indian Lake to try for a spot in Wilderness State Park near Mackinaw City, right on the water. Now that we’re back across the bridge and back in flatland²³, we’ll have to drop the Yooper vernacular. Sorry.

Warning: there’s about a two mile stretch of Wilderness Park Road that looks like it was pushed together slightly from both ends; it has a perfectly formed undulating surface with just exactly the right space between humps to make your trailer and tow vehicle seesaw and gyrate like a mechanical bull. The posted speed limit is 35, but believe me, there’s no way you’re gonna drive it faster than about 20 MPH and keep all your wheels on the ground. When we finally got there at the office, there were several parties already in line checking in, which was OK, because while I was waiting I got a chance to let my liver settle back into position.

When I got to the desk, I asked, “Do ooh ooh    yoo ooh ooh   ha ha have  any   si si sites  oh oh open   for    th-th-th-ree    nights ss ss?”

“Rough road, huh?” she replied.

As it turned out they had quite a few sites open, so she marked us up a map with all the open spots so we could take a drive through to scope them out.

Our spot was pretty small, and when we got the pod pulled in it was just big enough for it and truck, but not big enough to put the rDome out without totally rearranging everything, or possibly the use of a chainsaw. A short trip to the camp store for some firewood and ice and we were settled in for the day. We were in the Lakeside campground, which is the older and smaller of the two campgrounds in this huge 10,000 acre park. The sites here are pretty small, as I mentioned, and some are uneven. Most are suitable for tents, popups, or pods, although we did see some pretty big rigs cleverly wedged in, as we’ll explain later. The other campground is the Pines campground, across the main road back in the woods, and it looks newer, with larger level paved sites, but not on the water. Either one would be a good choice.

There’s plenty to do in the area. You can go shopping in Mackinaw City if you’re so inclined, where you can get some famous Mackinac Island Fudge. (Side note: in 1998 we went to Sedona, AZ, and the first store we saw when we drove into town was “Kilwin’s Mackinac Island Fudge.”) Colonial Fort Michilimackinac is there in town. Or you take the ferry to Mackinac Island, getting a cool view of the Mackinaw Bridge and several lighthouses in the process. You can’t take your car though; only bicycles and horses allowed on the island. You can also buy more fudge on the island if you run out. They also have an excellent selection of Minnetonka moccasins, and you can stock up on rubber tomahawks as well. When you disembark from the ferry, you’ll be struck by the two predominant smells on the island: fudge and horse poop.

I kid about the island because I’m a native Michigander and so have an automatic license to do so. It’s actually very beautiful. Rent a bike and circumnavigate the island. Take a horse drawn guided tour, or, if you’re really brave, rent a rig and drive your own. The horses know where to go anyway. It’s not all shops; there’s beaches, rock formations, some beautiful old homes, as well as the harbor if you’re a boat person. It just so happens there’s another fort there too: Fort Mackinaw. Lots of skirmishes involving the French, British, and the upstart Americans back in the day.

Aug 15, 2010 - Da Big Spring



Kitchitikipi

 Headed out today to Palms Book State Park to see Kitch-iti-kipi (big spring), pronounced with all short “i” sounds like in “wind.” The water is about 40’ deep and emerald green, spring fed and a constant 45 degrees year round. You can take the self-powered, cable guided, glass bottom raft out to the middle of the spring to get a great view straight down to the bottom. You’ll see spots where the water is gushing up from underground, trout or other trash fish²¹  that appear to be suspended in midair, and the occasional pair of sunglasses.



Palms Book State Park



On the way back to camp, we tried to find a couple of geocaches but had no luck at all. It did give Beth a chance to walk in the water in Lake Michigan, which she says was warm like bathwater. The rest of the day was spent relaxing at camp, enjoying the view of the lake, and a cold kalja²².



21. Fish other than native brook trout

22. Pronounced “kay-yah”, Finnish for beer, also known as the “nectar of the gods.”

Aug 14, 2010 - Fayette Historical Village



Snail Shell Harbor - Fayette State Park

 Today we went to Fayette State Park to visit the Historical Village there. Fayette was an iron smelting town in the 19^th century, and many of the old buildings are still standing, in various states of repair. The old hotel is still standing; when it was in operation it was equipped with a fancy-schmancy two-story outhouse. Also remaining are parts of the old coal burning power plant, machine shop, company store and several houses. The remains of the old piers are still visible too.

This weekend is their annual Heritage Days; they have organized activities for the kiddies like egg toss, croquet, hoop toss, sack races, watermelon eating contests, etc. Well, the parents can play too. They also have folks dressed in period costume scattered throughout the park, explaining what you’re seeing in front of you, and how the town and households in it functioned back in its glory days. Also available were horse-drawn carriage tours, a blacksmith demonstration, and the Escanaba City Band. If you got hungry, you could take advantage of the concessions being provided by local civic organizations (whitefish dinner, yum), or go to the park’s visitor center for some hand-dipped ice cream.



Inside the Charcoal Kiln



The harbor itself is pretty small and was crowded with private boats tied to the docks, but a significant part of the space was taken up by the tall ship Madeline, which was open for tours.

The blacksmith had a good fire going, and I kept circling back there hoping he’d be hammering on something so I could get some good photos. However, the entire time we were there he was occupied helping kids make interlocking puzzles out of two twisted horseshoe nails. He had a little jig clamped in his vise, and he’d show the kids how to set the nail in the jig just right, and then use a small pipe to bend the nail into a circle. Two of those make the interlocking puzzle. It went something like this:



Historical Reenactor Fayette SP



"Hokay, just drop da nail inna this little slot here, and make sure da head of da nail is up tight again dis liddle bump here. Den take dis here pipe, and sorta wrap da nail aroun like dis until ya bump up to dis little thing right here. Good job! Holy smokes, ya gotter bout perfect dere!"

He must have had a box of 50,000 horseshoe nails, and the line of kids stretched forever. So no blacksmith pictures. But he and the kids were both having a great time.

On the way back I was impressed with the sisu¹⁹ shown by the Yoopers. You do what ya gotta do to get by, like the sign in front of one business: “Holistic Medicine & Seasoned Firewood.” Or this one: “Small Equipment Repair”, and underneath that, “Homemade Pasties.” It looked like a lot of the locals had turned their crotches²⁰ into home businesses.

19. Loose translation of a Finnish word meaning endurance.    

20. It means garages. Get ur mind oudda da gutter!

Aug 13, 2010 - Munising to Indian Lake



Had to have this for the rPod


I know I’ve been hitting the Yoopers pretty hard here, but seriously, this is some gorgeous country, and we’ve never been treated with anything but courtesy by any of the locals. We’ll still be in the UP for a few more days. Today we leave Munising, but we’re coming back this winter to snowshoe back into some of the falls and see some of the ice caves in the area. Our destination today is Indian Lake State Park in Manistique.

On the way out we have to stop at the sanitation station, to, you know, dump the dootaa ¹⁶.  However, when I donned my latex gloves and went to get the sewer hose, a situation presented itself. Somewhere between our first stop in Onaway and here, the cap came off the sewer hose storage tube. Now the hose is gone.

Aaaaooooggaaahhh! Aaaaaooogggaahhh! Red Alert!

Geez, hopefully it didn’t end up wrapping itself around some biker’s neck.

Thankfully, they have a replacement at the camp store right there by the dump station, very reasonably priced (ahem). After I told my story to the lady behind the counter, and handed her my credit card, she said, “Ya, well, ya know it’s gonna be a good day when ya can spend ur raha¹⁷ on a new sewer hose, ya know¹⁸?”

So the situation was contained. Or maybe it would be more accurate to say no longer contained.

Cancel Red Alert!

It’s only a little over an hour to Indian Lake. This is an old state park; the pavilions were built by the CCC during the Great Depression. Not to say that it’s run down. On the contrary, this is a great park, with picnic areas, playgrounds, nice showers, a buoyed swim area, boat rentals, boat launch, and lots of sites right on the lake. We scoped it out for you: the best sites are 79, 80, 86, 88, 90, 91, and 94-109. All are level and are either on the lake or have unobstructed views of the lake.

Once we got set up we headed back up the Seney Stretch to the Seney National Wildlife Refuge, where we took a self guided driving tour. Lots of Trumpeter Swans there, as well as loons, eagles, and other wildlife. We may come back here and do some snowshoeing or XC skiing next winter.



Trumpeter Swan - Seney National Wildlife Refuge



16. Sitt
17. Money or other exchange medium.
18. See footnote #5

Aug 12, 2010 - Grand Marais



Chapel Falls

Today we decided to drive to Grand Marais, and take in some more waterfalls in the process. Luckily the nice lady at Fuzzy’s had clued us in about the detour between Munising and Grand Marais; part of the paved road was completely closed, so we had to detour down 12 miles of gravel road to get there. Along the way we noticed all the snowplow guards in front of the mailboxes, and also that most of the speed limit signs had two parts: one for cars, and one for snowmobiles. They get lots of snow up here. I’d be willing to bet that once the snow starts to fall, you’d better have yourself a Yooper crotch rocket¹³ to get through until spring. Either that, or you’ll have to get out your lats¹⁴ or maybe stay snowed in¹⁵.

Chapel Falls was my favorite of the day. We also saw Sable Falls and the Sable Dunes. But once again, it was too stinkin’ hot to hike out to the AuSable Light Station. We’ll save that for next time.

13. Snowmobile made up of random parts, held together with duct tape
14. Skis
15. What a Yooper is when da wife is sick and can’t shovel.



Miner's Castle - Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore Trail