Day 28: Sault Ste. Marie

 

On leaving Tahquamenon State Park heading for Sault Ste. Marie, we decided to take the  scenic route which was part of the Lake Superior Trail.  We were delighted when we came to Point Iroquois Lighthouse overlooking Whitefish Bay and stopped to explore.  From the walkway along the bay we could see wind turbines across the lake in Canada and a freighter in the distance.  We climbed the spiral stairs to the top of the lighthouse for a great view and visited the 1950’s light keeper’s home before continuing our drive.

When we reached Aune-Osborn Campground in Sault Ste.  Marie, we were surprised and pleased that we could have a water front site for two days but would then have to move to our original site.  Almost as soon as we had parked, a large freighter came by heading toward the locks and Lake Superior.  What a sight to see from the coach! 

We bicycled to a park downtown where there was a farmers market which we'd heard advertised on the  radio.  It was interesting and varied – all kinds of veggies, fresh herbs, breads and pastries, preserves, fish, flowers,  birch baskets, used books, and note cards.  We bought choke cherry preserves, green beans, smoked white fish, and fresh salmon which we ate for dinner. The fish came from a local fisherman. George said the Atlantic salmon prepared by Irene with teriyaki sauce and brown sugar was the best fish he has ever had.

 On the way to the farmer’s market, we passed by a very striking, very large stone structure which we learned is the Edison Sault Electric Company, a hydro-electric plant built in 1902.  It’s the world’s largest horizontal shaft turbine hydro-electric generating plant – and the stone work is beautiful.

 

Day 27: Tahquamenon State Park

 

Tahquamenon State Park is largely wilderness with a number of hiking trails, but it’s two special features are its waterfalls.  The Upper Falls are nearly 50 feet high and 200 feet wide at its crest making it the third largest falls east of the Mississippi River.  In addition to its size, the color is very striking because of tannin in the  water.  There are a number of viewing points, and despite the number of stairs, we visited all of them.  The boardwalks and stairs were well constructed and built to last.

While the Lower Falls are not as high, they are also impressive with multiple lower falls divided by an island.  There was a nice boardwalk to the viewing platforms for this falls also, but no stairs, thank goodness!  While the Upper Falls are larger, we were much closer to the river and falls at the Lower Falls and the power of the river was really apparent. 

In addition to the falls, George especially enjoyed the local cafe in Paradise, MI, where we ate lunch.  The ladies there really knew how to bake a blueberry pie!

Day 26: Whitefish Point

 

We arrived at Tahquamenon State Park to find the best camp site we’ve ever had outside of the RV resort condo parks. We are in a  paved boomerang shaped pull through surrounded by Christmas trees - spruce, hemlock, and a large white pine tree.  The only flaw is that there are LOTS of aggressive mosquitoes.

Upon arrival we headed thirteen miles up to Whitefish Point to the Great Lakes Shipwreck Museum. There we saw displays about several of the most infamous wrecks of the area which is known as the grave yard of the Great Lakes. Each display had artifacts of the wreck as well as the facts of the accident.  The renovated light keepers house was also open for tour.

Whitefish Point Light Station is the scene of the most ship wrecks on Lake Superior. It is a place where the lake narrows and ships are funneled to the locks at Sault Ste.  Marie. In the old days there were 3,100 ships on the lake with no radar. Collisions were common. Today there are about 200 big freighters. The most recent (1975),  famous, and mysterious ship wreck is the Edmund Fitzgerald. It was caught in one of the worst storms ever on the lake with 90 mph winds, 30 ft waves, and blinding snow. It is now believed the Fitz struck a shoal and gradually began to take on water.  The bow sank low shifting the iron ore load forward which, along with the stress of the waves, caused the ship to split in half and sink suddenly taking all lives aboard.

Our most interesting experience at the museum was meeting a docent, Bill, who had been a deck watchman aboard the Anderson which was following seven miles behind the Fitz. He said contributing factors to the loss of the Fitz were the light at Whitefish being out due to an electrical short, the Fitz having lost her radar, blinding snow, and the Coast Guard cutter at Sault Ste. Marie being in dry dock. The Anderson was asked by the Coast Guard to go back into the storm to look for the Fitz which it  did. Bill said the Anderson provided the first direct evidence that the Fitz had sunk as she recovered some debris with the ship’s name.

We walked out on the point and saw sand dunes and a freighter coming off the lake headed for the locks.   Unlike the rocky shores we’ve seen before, the lake looked like the Florida Gulf or the Atlantic beaches.

Day 25 Pictured Rocks

 

 After a very rainy day on Saturday, Sunday emerged sunny, clear, and blue-skyed -  but VERY windy.   There are a number of waterfalls in the Munising area, and we visited Munising Falls in the morning.  We climbed to lookouts on both sides of the  falls and enjoyed the views.  We then went to the park visitor center in Munising and afterwards had lunch in town.

After lunch we drove to the Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore and visited Miner’s Castle.  The many formations in the rocky cliffs were formed when softer rock eroded faster than the hard rock in the multilayered formations.  We had intended to take a boat tour but the trips were cancelled due to wind and water conditions on the lake, and with whitecaps in the harbor, Irene wasn’t willing to risk seasickness for the afternoon trip.  Nonetheless, we were able to get land views of the rocks and beaches which were really impressive.  After the storm the atmosphere was very clear and sunny giving great views.

Day 24 Heavy Weather Coach Wash

No, this is not an emergency coach decontamination procedure.

Rather than sit in the coach all day during the rain, George decided to to wash the coach and truck. The advantages are many: better use of time freeing up better weather for touring, no need to dry coach due to soft water rinse of the rain, no need to wet before washing, and no evaporation allowing washing of large areas at a time.
Happiness comes in unexpected ways!

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Day 23 Munising, MI

 

Last night our campground neighbor brought his three young girls and boy over to see Tina. George arranged a dog and pony show in which each girl was taught how to walk Tina in a circle around the picnic table. The show and petting session was enjoyed by all with the possible exception of Tina. The young boy was a total failure as a dog walker. In fact the father had to intervene. We enjoyed them as neighbors and coveted their open-fire cooking. One night they had venison and the morning coffee was brewed on the fire in a blue steel coffee pot.

This morning we heard the characteristic sound of rain on the coach roof, but fortunately it stopped when George needed to disconnect the coach for the road. Our 180 mile trek eastward to Munising was on good roads though rainy conditions. To our amazement we passed by the infamous Stump’s Tavern near Michigamme, MI, where our friends Myron and Dorcus recently broke down. We stopped for lunch at the Marquette, MI, Wal-Mart and made an obligatory visit to the store.

Munising is an interesting looking port town that looks like it would be a good biking venue. However, the weather forecast looks rainy, windy and cold. The good news is that we should then have good weather for the next week at least. The way to view the Pictured Rocks located in the Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore is by boat and it looks like we may not be doing that either.

Wandering Wheels CG has good utilities, cable TV, and working wifi, but it is primarily a place where we will hunker down to weather the coming storm. Another saving grace feature is that there is no rule against coach washing, so that will happen here for sure. The happy bus has to look good at all times.

Day 22: Porcupine Mountain Wilderness State Park

 

What a day we’ve had exploring Porcupine Mountain Wilderness State Park.  We took in the three “must see” scenic areas of the park and enjoyed another day of lovely weather.  Our first stop was Lake of the Clouds,  the most-photographed area of the park.  We walked up a steep trail to the spectacular viewing area atop a 300-foot precipice that overlooks Lake of the Clouds and the heart of the Porcupine Mountains.  As an alternative to the steep walk, there’s an accessible boardwalk to the viewing area which is fairly new and opens the area to more people.   

Our next stop was Summit Peak, the highest point in the park.  It’s reached via a half- mile trail which rises 300 ft. under a dense canopy of hardwoods.  Stairs and  boardwalks protect ancient lava flows and lead out onto a large viewing deck overlooking the Little Carp River.  At the top, a lookout tower provides a panorama of the park’s rugged wilderness with Lake Superior visible in the distance.  It was a steep half-mile but well worth it – and there were well-designed benches with comfortably slanted backs along the way.  We stopped and ate our lunch at one of the benches at the end of the trail.

Presque Isle River provided quite a view with its waterfalls and rapids as the river flowed toward Lake Superior.  We first crossed the river on a small suspension bridge and then walked along it to the lake.  The shore was covered with smooth oval stones.  We followed the river upstream seeing the rapids and were surprised by the large circles smoothly carved in the stone by the force of rocks and grains of sand in the river.  Then we reached the largest – and very dramatic – falls named Manabezho after a powerful spirit-god of the native Ojibwa people.  The boardwalk – with many flights of steps – provides observation platforms to view the Presque Isle River, one of Michigan’s wildest rivers. 

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On the way back to the coach, we stopped again at the Wilderness Visitor Center to see the video which we missed the day before (because we were now in the Eastern time zone but didn’t realize it and the center was closing).  It gave an excellent history of the area and told about the geological features and scenic areas of the park.  We were not surprised to learn that there was consideration of the area as a national park before Michigan set aside funds to purchase the land which became a Michigan state park in 1945.  Yes, the Michigan state park fees are high, but based on what we’ve seen in this park, it is well worth it.