June 2 thru 6, 2024, Pontiac State Park, MI

From Petosky, MI, we headed south to Pontiac Lake State Park Campground in Pontiac, MI. The trip was 235 miles. It was a nice campground but, unfortunately, the mosquitos were now out in earnest and hungry. I tried to stay covered as much as possible while setting up camp but whenever I exposed skin they found it. 

This park was close to our friends Loren and Sharon who were going to Canada for the Fantasy Tour with us but, sadly, had to cancel. We visited them at their nice home on Sylvan Lake about 15 miles from our campsite (almost like we planned it). We love their cottage on the lake and completely understand why they return to Michigan every summer.

They were disappointed they were not visiting the Canadian Maritime Provinces with us but were happy to show us around for a few days before we headed into Canada.

One day they took us to Frankenmuth, MI, a nicely developed tourist destination. We enjoyed a wonderful all-you-could-eat fried chicken feast at the Bavarian Inn. It was served "family style" with so much variety - fried chicken, mashed potatoes, dressing, gravy, cranberries, beans, and more followed by ice cream for dessert.

After dining we crossed the Holz-Brucke covered bridge and walked some of our meal off at the Frankenmuth River Place Shops. It was a beautiful afternoon to just sit in the sunshine and people-watch.

As we were leaving, we stopped at Bronner's Christmas Wonderland. We arrived an hour before they closed or we might have spent much longer browsing the acres of Christmas decorations.

Another day they took us to the quaint small town of Holly, MI, for lunch at the Holly Cafe.  

Once again, after eating more than we should have we walked the downtown area exploring several shops. Traveling with limited space limits the temptation to load up on artsy knick-knacks. Joani was tempted but refrained.

Another day, I had cracked my head pretty good on our slide out and was concussed (according to Joani's Google research) but I fought the urge to sleep and pushed through the nausea. After a delicious bacon cheddar burger perfectly cooked at The Grill, I was on the way to recovery. 

We were pleased to spend time with our friends and sad they could not travel with us to Canada. We waved our sad goodbye's until we see them again in Arizona next Fall.

May 26 thru June 1, 2024, Magnus Park, Petoskey, MI

Rather than push through from Munising to Petoskey we chose to boondock at the Kewadin Casino in St Ignace, a trip of only 125 miles. We ran into thick fog along the Michigan Lake shoreline slowing our progress. The roads Joani mapped out for our trip were beautifully paved with very little traffic. The fog made the trip a bit more interesting.

We had stayed at this casino before, so it was all familiar. We found a level spot in the lot and set up to boondock for the night. We hit the buffet in the casino and returned to find the refrigerator choosing this time to stop cooling. After a couple restarts, to no avail, we pulled up the leveling jacks and circled the parking lot a few times (jostling the fridge has worked in the past). It never did behave, but it was a cold night and the temperature only slowly increased but never to the point of concern for our groceries.

Early the next morning (Sunday) we were practically alone as we crossed the Mackinac Bridge. Apparently, we timed it perfectly to avoid traffic. We continued to Magnus Park in Petoskey, MI. It was a very short and uneventful 48-mile drive.

Where is everybody?

Some confusion over our site led to setting up twice, but we landed on a very nice site and had plenty of time to address the fridge. We loaded 2 bags of ice inside and started it again. This time it cooled as it should.

Of course, Joani immediately hit the shoreline in search of Petoskey stones. She found some interesting specimens that will be heading back to the lapidary in Mesa for processing.

The next day we drove west to Charlevoix. We hiked a few of the trails in the North Point Nature Preserve. Some kind of plant on the beach spread with little tentacles. I do not know what it was but it seemed like a good time for a shadow wave.

Heading into downtown Charlevoix, we passed a house with a most interesting fireplace chimney and had to stop for a few pictures. A woman walking her dog filled us in on the history of the house. It was built for the daughter of Earl Young, the architect of the famous "Mushroom Houses" in Charlevoix. The whimsy was easily seen in the brickwork and the roofing. I'm sure this would be one interesting house to tour.

Applecore Cottage

In town, we headed straight for the Cherry Republic. They still had plenty of samples available for tasting. We left with two bottles of cherry wine, some cherry habanero summer sausage, and some cherry BBQ sauce (see the bags I'm holding below).

We drove by a few more of the Mushroom houses before returning to Petoskey.

The "Thatch House" is available to rent (sleeps 12) for a mere $1720 a night.

This little jewel next door to the Thatch House is more my style. It's called "Half House."

On the 30th, I was given the "royal" treatment for my birthday breakfast. This fine dining was just a short walk from our campsite (although it included a very steep uphill grade).

On our last full day, we got in more than 12,000 steps. We hiked several miles along the Bear River. The wealth and variety of wildflowers was a pleasant surprise. The weather was perfect and I don't remember any insects harassing us so I know just how lucky we were.

I was surprised to find a few Petoskey stones on the ridge high above the Bear river.

This was a first for me - a black squirrel. When I asked about them, I learned they are pretty common.

The squirrel is hard to see, he blends so well with the log.

We saw several deer along the trail but they were usually shy. This one posed for me before slowly wandering into the woods.

Downtown Petoskey was filled with charm. We walked along a few major streets and visited an art gallery. We left knowing there was much more to explore and we certainly will be visiting again.

Crooked Tree Arts Center was housed in a beautiful old church.

Almost every storefront included a flower box adding to the overall appeal of the downtown area.

May 20 thru 25, 2024, Munising, MI

Since rain was in the forecast, we broke camp early. The first few drops landed as we finished emptying our tanks. That might have been our earliest departure ever at 7:30am. What was especially nice was how still it was - not a hint of breeze, as can be seen in the lake pics below, and nice conditions for our 186-mile drive to Munising (we visited Munising once before in June of 2018).

Another benefit to the early start was critter sightings. The road had very little traffic, other than us, so we saw a wild turkey, a deer, a momma bear and her cub, a bald eagle (very close to the road at eye level), and a huge heron. They were all elusive enough that pictures were not possible but it made the drive even more memorable.

When we reached Munising the wind was still dead calm on Lake Superior. Our site (number 35) in Munising Tourist Park Campground had a nice view of the water.

With our early arrival, Joani had plenty of time to roam the shoreline hunting agates. A little breeze came along with a light sprinkling before ending the day with a beautiful sunset. 

Several days we had rain which was to be expected this early in the season. Since we were staying for 6 nights we were happy to see a mix of weather. Especially when the light rain was illuminated by the sun creating a beautiful rainbow.

After the rain, we were treated to some awesome cloud drama.

We awoke one morning to some thick fog. Joani opted for the shoreline of Bay Furnace Park (for a second time) for more rock hounding.

I picked up a few interesting rocks but mostly I snapped pictures. It was cool enough that these dragonflies stayed put as I walked by. They were sizable - I would estimate their wingspan at about 4 inches. You have to zoom in to appreciate their vivid colors.

We did not take the cruise along the Pictured Rocks Lakeshore this time. We hiked again to Munising Falls. I thought, with the recent rains, it would have more volume but looking back at pictures from 6 years ago it looked very similar.

Miners Castle Rock looks almost as picturesque from the overlook as it does from the lake level on the cruise.

We were able to hike to Miners Fall, something new to us this trip. The day was perfect with dappled sunshine on huge collections of colorful wildflowers in bloom.

Miners Falls was, hands down, our favorite falls within the Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore Park. I tried to capture the water movement with a long exposure which I thought worked well.

I wanted a closeup of the tiny blue flowers. Unfortunately, I did not review the picture while we were there. Later, I found I had missed focus. I should have used a tripod.

This was our second time in Munising and while some things were familiar, there were some new things as well and we would not mind staying here again. I certainly recommend the "Yooper Burger" and Onion Rings at Foggy's Steakhouse and Lounge.

May 15 thru 19, 2024, Copper Harbor, MI and Isle Royal National Park

Our drive to Copper Harbor was 219 miles entirely on secondary highways. I don't think I ever reached 60 mph. As the roads became narrower, I drove even slower. I knew we were headed to the end of the Keweenaw peninsula but I was surprised that the last 30 miles of Highway 41 was so exciting. 

We set up in Fort Wilkins State Park. Joani reserved a site near the park internet. Without it, we would have been completely isolated. There was no cell phone service anywhere, even in Copper Harbor. Our first drive took us up Brockway Mountain Drive. Signs told us it was a rough road - they were not wrong but the views overlooking the town were worth the effort.

We continued another 10 miles west to Eagle Harbor, another nice small town on the shores of Lake Superior. Of course, they had their own lighthouse.

We took the ferry to Isle Royal National Park on Friday. The morning was overcast as we started our 3-hour 45-minute cruise across the inland sea known as Lake Superior. We were fortunate to have little wind and the smooth sailing meant there were no incidents of "seasickness."

We were greeted at the National Park dock by rangers who suggested, with our limited time, we should hike the Stoll trail.

The park certainly had a rustic appeal. Many fellow passengers planned on staying a week or more. I think backpacking around rugged backcountry is for younger folk although there was a couple about our age planning a 29-night stay. 

We stuck to the trail and took no chances that might lead to a twisted ankle. The boat was leaving on schedule whether everyone was there or not so we made sure we were back to the dock early. I finished my book on the way back and suspect I might have napped a bit. I did catch the Copper Harbor lighthouse as we headed back to the dock. This was as close as we could get - there was no driving or hiking option to this lighthouse this early in the season.

The staff at the Harbor Haus restaurant always stage a homecoming dance and wave as the Archipelago returns from the sea.

I had always wondered about Isle Royal, the least visited (but we were told it's the most revisited) National Park in the lower 48 states. Now I can say we hiked there, we have the stamp in our National Park passport and bragging rights.

The next day we stayed closer to home and walked next door to the Fort Wilkins State Historic Site. The fort was built in 1844 to provide an army presence to maintain order between miners and the Ojibwa during the copper rush in the area. It wasn't really needed since the miners were law abiding and the Ojibwa were welcoming, so two years later the soldiers left to fight in the Mexican-American war. It was re-occupied for a few years after the Civil War but was finally abandoned after 1870. It was restored by the state of Michigan and outfitted as well as any I have seen.

Attention to detail was evident everywhere - even the flag was correct for the period with 26 stars.

In the summer, the fort has more than 40 actors dressed in historic costumes to play the roles of real people who lived at the fort during the 1870s.

Inside the armory, displays of weapons and stores appeared very authentic. Displays inside every building gave a good idea of life in the fort long ago. Soldiers quarters, officers and enlisted, the kitchens and mess, the hospital, the quartermasters all were outfitted as they might have been originally.

We stayed busy on our last day. Up early and out to Horseshoe Bay for some rockhounding. I knew the road was unpaved and it started out well.

It quickly degraded to the point Joani was very concerned about getting stuck in the mud and said let's just turn around and forget it.

We made it to the parking lot where we then had to hike another quarter mile to the beach. Joani, of course, is in her hiking flip-flops.

We had the beach to ourselves, but alas, we did not find that elusive, museum-quality Lake Superior agate.

Next up, we explored the Delaware Copper Mine. The docent was very knowledgeable and enthusiastic. We were the only visitors when we arrived so he was happy to answer all our questions.

The tour was self-guided so we were on our own in the cold damp tunnels. It was a bit unnerving to think about the nine flooded levels below us. I don't mind saying, I was ready to get back to the surface.

I heard the docent say the nine levels below won't drain until the ice plug melts at the base of the hill.

According to the National Park Service: "The Delaware Mine was in operation for forty years but never turned a profit for its investors. Despite this, it stands today as a prime example of mining in the Keweenaw during the 1800s."

100 stairsteps down into mine.

It was cold in the mine, approximately 45 degrees, year-round, but this shimmering white stuff baffled us. It looked exactly like frost but it was not cold. We found out later it was a type of harmless fungus that grows in the tunnels. 

I had fun watching my breath swirl in the beam of my flashlight.

The remains of two rather large buildings top-side hinted at the true size of this operation. These buildings housed the air pumps for machinery. Lift engines to pull the ore up, and pumps to keep the mine shafts dry.

We headed back to the coach by way of Eagle Harbor again where we had a nice lunch at a place recommended by the docents. They told Joani about a shortcut that was unpaved but freshly graded. We rounded a corner and found a tree down across the road. Fortunately, someone with a chainsaw had cut away just enough that our car fit through with only a little bit of rubbing.

We had time to stop at one more beach to hunt agates again. Hunter's Point Park was just off Highway 26 so it was more popular. We were told we had arrived before the mosquitos and biting black flies but the itching red welts on my neck and arms say we were not so lucky after all.

So we wave a fond farewell to Copper Harbor and the Keweenaw peninsula.