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Michigan 2021

May - October 2021
A 159-day adventure by Katboz Read more
  • 57footprints
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  • 159days
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  • 5.4kmiles
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  • TravelerMichigan 2021
    Day 20

    75 degrees in Bayfield, Wisconsin

    June 10, 2021 in the United States ⋅ ⛅ 63 °F

    Drove pretty much due north on the interstate today, so travel distance and time was brisk. Back on county highway as we got further north, AND the weather started cooling off. When we got to Bayfield it was a refreshing 75 degrees with a light, cool breeze. Perfect! Spent a little bit of time solving housing, because this area is very popular...but we do have housing for the next 3 nights.
    This is a darling costal lake town and there is tons to do here. Kayaking is one of the biggies because they have an abundance of sea caves. Sailing, hiking, biking, paddleboards, mopeds, island hopping, shopping and eating to name a few.
    We had lunch out by the marina, enjoying the whitefish that is common in the great lakes. Delicious, tender and mild. Then just spent the afternoon making arrangements for some planned activities the next couple of days and just walking the downtown area visiting their marine museum and window shopping. Beautiful day to be outside!    Read more

  • TravelerMichigan 2021
    1
    Day 21

    Wash day in Washburn, Wis

    June 11, 2021 in the United States ⋅ ☁️ 50 °F

    Woke up to a gray, foggy morning as opposed to the crystal blue skies we had yesterday. We had only been able to get one night's stay at the campground so had to pack up and move up to the site we found for the next two nights. We were sorry to go, this campground was nice, great staff, nicely wooded and just outside of Bayfield.
    Once we were on the road up the highway the rain let loose. Just came slamming down. But only for only 10 minutes or so, and then just a more steady drizzle. By the time we got to our new site it had stopped. But because of the weather, and gambling on a better day tomorrow, we bailed on plans to take the ferry to Madeline Island and decided we really needed to get some laundry done.
    New site is at a casino, and while the sites are just pedestals in the grass, our site is right on lake superior, no trees to even impede the view! Instead of backing in, we drove straight in so we would have the view on our big front picture window. Grabbed our laundry and headed back south past Bayfield to Washburn to get it done.
    Washburn is one of the few towns with a laundry, all Electrlux machines, but it was the most expensive wash day ever. 3 big loads, we had linens, we had spent just over $20! Usually we spend about $10. Ouch!
    Stopped at Cocos for lunch, an artisan bakery, yum. Double decker grilled ham and Wisconsin cheddar on wheat, yum, yum! Picked up a pastie and bacon cheddar Mac and cheese for dinner, oh, and dessert rhubarb bread pudding for Tom and a lemon bar for me, yum, yum, yum!
    Drove thru some orchards and took a brief walk at Beaver Hollow, hoping to see some wildlife. So many mosquitos that I hated to even stop to take a picture. Just kept walking and flailing my arms so they wouldn't land. Hopped in the jeep with at least a dozen joining us....
    Back to the RV and just enjoyed our view of the lake. We are parked in a channel around an island so we see sail boats, fishing boats, ferries, kayaks and paddleboards... and of course lots of geese with their flock of goslings. Darling!    Read more

  • TravelerMichigan 2021
    Day 22

    Apostles Islands Cruise

    June 12, 2021 in the United States ⋅ ☀️ 66 °F

    Got up and going this morning for the Apostles Islands cruise. It was a beautiful weather day, blue skies, warm sun, and a great steady little breeze. We were in line by 9 to get seats we wanted, so that meant we were first in line. Coffee shop close by, so we could tag team waiting. Boat boarded at 9:45 and we got seats on the back deck which seemed good at the time, but by the end of the cruise you begin to notice the diesel engine smell. Not bad, just a little noticeable.
    But because we were first in line we were rewarded with this nice little photo book of the islands, so it was worth the hour wait, at least I think so!
    Great cruise, great narrator, couple of cheesy jokes, but nice view, and history, of the islands. Only draw back is that I had expected to see more of the "ice caves", like you see in the photo of lighthouse. Mostly you see slightly carved, low cliffs that are heavily wooded. Saw several eagles, and one large eagle nest. And we saw two lighthouses (out of 8 total) and one fish camp. Several of the islands are accessible in the winter with ice roads... lots of fishing activities.
    Back to Bayfield about noon or so, had a great lunch in a little bistro, more whitefish for us. And then we got to walk the area because they were having their garden tour that day. We didn't do the whole thing but hit about a half dozen homes, inns, or B&Bs that keep up their gardens. Just a nice way to end the day with such beautiful weather.
    Finished the day with a great shower... because of Covid, you get the whole room (2 showers, 3 toilet stalls) to yourself. You just have to sign up for a 30 min. time slot. Spent the evening watching the lake traffic with the binoculars!    Read more

  • TravelerMichigan 2021
    1
    Day 23

    Driving the UP

    June 13, 2021 in the United States ⋅ ☀️ 77 °F

    Back on the road today with serious intentions of getting to Michigan.... finally! We really enjoyed the little bit we saw of Wisconsin and hope to be back for more time to visit.
    Heading east, and since we didn't have any visits planned, I did route us with one drive by photo op. This big guy was found in the town of Ironwood, Michigan; just over the state border from Wisconsin. He, Hiawatha, is the largest Indian in the world. He is 52' tall, and weighs 18,000 lbs. All fiberglass, made in 1964. Not clear why, but he is in very good shape. The name Ironwood comes from the fact that a great deal of iron ore came from this region.
    Lost an hour as we crossed into eastern time zone and realized we were hungry... saw a small billboard advertising the Hoop n Holler tavern on Gogebic Lake. It was only a mile off the highway, and the sign did mention lakeside dining! Found a cute, very old, tavern with good 'ole tavern food, all though they were sold out the "sea salted wings" (?), their specialty. Asked what they did for the winter season and they looked at us like we were from out of state ( oh, that's right we are...) and laughed and said that winter was their big season, lots of snowmobiling in this area and many come by during the day. Great looking lake, their little lakes are bigger than our big lakes!
    Finished our day with salad, ramen noodles and a big, windy, rain storm in the Marquette Walmart parking lot! So nice to actually turn my fan off because it is in the 60s right now!    Read more

  • TravelerMichigan 2021
    4
    Day 24

    Presque Isle

    June 14, 2021 in the United States ⋅ ⛅ 63 °F

    It's nice spending the night at Walmart because you can wakeup and head for breakfast in the store. So McMuffins it was. No muss, no fuss.
    Headed into downtown Marquette, but as is often the case, it was pretty quiet on a Monday morning. Shopped a bit and then visited the lighthouse (closed on Monday), walked the city trail along the lake and then drove out to Presque Isle park. This is pretty much a small peninsula of land that has a nice 3 mile one way drive (or walk) along the edge that has lots of nice view points and stops. Got to the Black Rocks area, which can be busy with kids jumping off the rocks into the lake. None today, it is Monday and fairly cool with cloudy overcast. But it looked very doable and fun. Hope to come back this summer with the Cobbs and try it out...we are about 250 miles from Traverse.Read more

  • TravelerMichigan 2021
    1
    Day 24

    Sculpture Walk in Lakenenland

    June 14, 2021 in the United States ⋅ ☀️ 63 °F

    Had Lunch in downtown Marquette, old building rehab with restaurants and living spaces. Again, whitefish sandwich with dark beer. Just hard to beat. Walked the Marquette Yatch club marina, and drove some of the fabulous older homes near the lake. We had dropped the jeep off the RV in the morning so we could get around more easily. Took awhile, but we finally found where we had parked the RV!
    Drove on to our next RV site in Munising along Hwy 28. Stopped at very interesting junkyard Art Sculpture Park called Lakenenland. Lots of whimsical pieces, but some with personal statements. All free, one artist (welder/ boilermaker) who just started creating these pieces. Think there are over 80 of them now. We both enjoyed strolling them with Auggie through the woods.
    Overnighting the next two nights in Christmas, Mich, which is just outside Munising. Jetboat tour around Grand Island tomorrow. Weather should be fine!    Read more

  • TravelerMichigan 2021
    Day 25

    Afternoon on Lake Superior

    June 15, 2021 in the United States ⋅ ☀️ 55 °F

    Played tourist today. After waking up pretty late, (we are still adjusting to eastern time), and a hearty breakfast (I cooked!) we went into Munising to visit and take a jet boat ride around the Grand Island. It was a tough decision (cruise vs. jetboat) because we did a cruise in the Apostle Islands, so this time we decided to do the jet boat approach. So with this tour you don't actually view the Picture Rock National lakeshore, you take a ride around the island with "caves" and lighthouses, about 35 miles in a jet boat. But you do get some speed, cover a lot of water and take some fast spins and turns that left us wet at the end of the ride! The driver was sensitive (?) to make sure the wettest spin was right before we unloaded. It was a lot of fun, and we really liked the driver, he could turn the boat on a dime practically. 1600 horsepower, hydro jets. The guy designed and built the boat himself. Approved through the coast guard. He is like 3rd or 4th generation fisherman, who put together this dream to do something other than fish.
    Very late lunch in town, (more whitefish), and then visited the Picture Rocks Interpretive Center and shopped a little. Back to camp for showers and a relaxing evening. (Showers were the worst of the trip, concrete block, painted floor, weak water pressure, but I did get my hair washed!)    Read more

  • TravelerMichigan 2021
    211
    Day 26

    Big Spring in Psalms Book State Park

    June 16, 2021 in the United States ⋅ ☀️ 73 °F

    Nice easy travel day, well except the 15-20 mile highway detour which put us on a hard packed gravel roads. (Tom dreads what these roads do to the jeep we are towing!)
    Our drive included a fun stop at Big Spring, aka Kitch-Iti-Kipi. It is a beautiful big pool that is fed by a big spring. Per the info board, 10,000 gal per minute! The set up is really fun, you all get on a fairly good size barge that is connected to a cable suspended from either side of the pond. In the middle of the barge is a glass window that allows you to see down into the pond. But the water is so clear, not sure the window is necessary! Beautiful turquoise, blue and teal colors, you see the spring bubbling up, and lots of big trout. The water is 42 degrees even though in full sun. The barge is propelled across the cable by turning this big wheel. The kids had a lot of fun turning the wheel. Just a great family park visit.
    Stopped for lunch at the Big Spring tavern, excellent salad. Big enough to eat some and save for dinner. And as usual we typical split a beer, today's choice, the "widowmaker", nice dark ale.
    Found a site on lake Michigan, Big Hog Island state park. Very rustic, but excellent views to the lake!    Read more

  • TravelerMichigan 2021
    1
    Day 27

    Macinaw City

    June 17, 2021 in the United States ⋅ ⛅ 70 °F

    So we are now following the Michigan lake shoreline on Hwy. 2. Our site last night was pretty rustic, no weed trimming here, sort of over grown, and as a result I had my first tick encounter. Yep, found it crawling up my pant leg. Was not a "happy camper" at that time!
    After recovering emotionally, we headed east to the "bridge". Mackinac bridge one of the longest suspension bridges in the US. Safely crossed, sighting a couple of jet boats heading to Mackinac Island, and was sort of envious. We have been a couple of times, but it is still a fun place to visit!
    Visited the US Coast Guard ship, the Icebreaker. The name speaks for itself. One of the largest ships used to break the ice in the lakes so shipping can resume in the spring. Lunched in town and as we sat down at our table found another (!) tick on my arm! I am now getting a little put off by this and Tom won't sit next to me! I guess everything is supposed to be "bad this year", like the heat, drought, mosquitos, cicadas, etc. Gosh I hope I don't find more of them this summer working at the state park?!
    We then drove around with just the jeep to do a little sightseeing. I always enjoy driving neighborhoods and seeing homes on the lakeshore...
    We had a little problem with electrical cord connector to the jeep, so will have to problem solve that tomorrow.
    Got a site in the Petoskey State Park for the evening. Just a short walk to Little Traverse Bay... park is pretty full, maybe 90%. Sites a little old, and definitely not level.    Read more

  • TravelerMichigan 2021
    Day 132

    Summer End

    September 30, 2021 in the United States ⋅ ☀️ 66 °F

    So have created one footprint for a summers worth of fun! I know I should have created footprints for all our adventures out here in Traverse; but I didn't. I am sure I will regret it when I am 80 years old and looking back.

    Traverse IS living the lake LIFE! Our Cobb family had us either boating on it, swimming in it, hiking to it, biking around it, barbecuing on it, ATVing near it. I have very clearly begun to appreciate that the color of the sky (and the wind) has everything to do with the color of the lake. Beautiful shades of grayes, blues, and greens. We had 3 months of living Michigan life with our kids and grandkids. Just a huge blessing and it's of fun.
    We visited Northport (Driers home), Suttons Bay, Leland (Fish Town), Manistee, Frankfort, Marquette, Houghton, Copper Habor, Glen Arbor, Empire, Sleeping Bear Dunes, Torch Lake, Power Island, Crystal Lake just to name a few. And we worked 3 days a week at Traverse City State Park for the first two months and completed the last month at Holiday Park Campground.    Read more

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