Late-August to Labor Day 2020

With only ten days for our Michigan adventure, we carved out a loop that took us up the eastern side of the Lower Peninsula into the Upper Peninsula, and then back down part of the western side of the Lower Peninsula. We planned to at least dip a toe into each of the five Great Lakes. The map of Michigan looks like a left hand mitten, with the thumb off to the right. In the interest of time, we bypassed “the thumb” on this trip.

Michigan Camping

Most of our stops were one-night stays. After a few days, the details of each campsite became a bit of a blur. So I won’t go into those particulars. In general, when campsites have trails, we either ride bikes or take long walks. Often, Michigan parks have water access, good views, and a nice breeze off the water.

We fix most of our meals at our campsite, but we do enjoy going out to sample the local specialties. Michigan is a great place for fresh fish. In Sault Ste. Marie we ate walleye, which sounds much worse than it looks or tastes; it’s actually a delicious whitefish in the perch family. We also had smoked whitefish flatbread, a first for us who are used to red sauce pizzas, but it was yummy. Supermarkets feature fresh, locally caught fish.

We tried pasties (pronounced “past”, to rhyme with past, followed by “ee”). You will be met with a giggle and be pegged as an outsider if you mispronounce them. Pasties are a meat or vegetable pastry pie, often made as a handheld pie for easy eating. This pastry tradition was brought to the Upper Peninsula by settlers from Cornwall, UK, where pasties were often a Cornish miner’s hot lunch.

We often sample local wines and beers. It’s fun to see what’s popular locally. The grocery stores sometimes have a good selection of local brews. John liked Bells’ Hazy IPA. His search for the perfect lager continues.

Water

From anywhere in Michigan, you are never more than six miles from a body of water and you are never more than 85 miles from one of the Great Lakes. We have often visited the Finger Lakes, and thought they were large, but they are dwarfed by the Great Lakes. The Great Lakes are so large, that they have waves like an ocean and vast shorelines. I was surprised to learn that the Lakes provide 1/5 of the world’s fresh water supply.

Our first night in Michigan was at Sterling State Park near Monroe. This park holds the distinction of being the only Michigan state park on Lake Erie. The beach was just a few steps from our site. The water was warm, so we went for a swim after dinner. The lakes have rocky, rather than sandy bottoms, so you need to wear water sandals. We said good-bye to Lake Erie early the next morning, as we were up and out, back on the road, heading north by way of Bay City and Harrisville.

Petoskey Stones

Around Harrisville, along Lake Huron, John started noticing how different the beach rocks were. The stones were so many interesting colors and shapes with mostly smooth, rounded edges. On one beach, we bumped into a fellow who introduced us to Petoskey stones. These are the big thing to collect around here. Rock collectors gather and polish the stones for jewelry making. Petoskey stones are actually petrified coral. The tell-tale hexagonal shape was the body shape of the coral organism; the black dot in the middle was the open mouth of the coral.

We only found a few, but the hunt went on in earnest each time we got close to a beach.

Mackinac Bridge to the Upper Peninsula

At nearly five miles in length, the Mackinac Bridge is one of the world’s longest suspension bridges. It crosses the Straits of Mackinac, where Lake Huron joins Lake Michigan, and connects the span between the Upper and Lower Peninsulas. Because it is a suspension bridge, it does sway. Two of the travel lanes are paved, the others are open grid, to allow for rain and wind to pass through and unnerve drivers.

During non-Covid times, Michigan offers a driver’s assistance program in which they’ll provide a driver for your vehicle to cross the bridge, if you’re uncomfortable driving the bridge.

We crossed on a perfect sunny day. What a great way to begin our Upper Peninsula adventure!

Lighthouses

Michiganders can also boast about lighthouses. At one time, there were as many as 250 of these maritime sentinels; today, the number is closer to 125.

No two are alike and each has an interesting history. The keepers who tended the lighthouses and their families led very solitary, secluded lives. The large number of lighthouses is testament to the dangers of these waters. The estimated number of wrecks at the bottom is over 10,000, and who knows how many souls went down with those ships. Today’s lighthouses are electronically monitored and the role of Lightkeeper is a bygone.

We drove up to Whitefish Point, which juts northward into Lake Superior. The lighthouse complex and the Great Lakes Shipwreck Museum are well worth a visit. The museum has effective interpretation and artifacts. And fittingly, Gordon Lightfoot’s recording “The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald,” plays in the background when you get to that part of the museum.

One of the other buildings in the complex is dedicated to the history of the surf men who performed daring rescues of sailors in shipwrecks and storms. Talk about nerves of steel and determination.

More water…inland

On our second day in the UP, we drove to Sault Ste. Marie to see the massive locks, which were impressive.

Tahquamenon Falls is actually two waterfalls that are more wide than high. The locals call this “Rootbeer Falls,” due to the water’s color and foam. The brown color is a result of tannins leaching from cedars upstream.

Kitch-iti-kipi Spring, within Palm Books State Park, is an interesting phenomenon.

For visitors who want to see the spring from above, there’s a self-guided observation raft. The raft is on a cable and pulley system. Visitors load onto the raft, and then they take turns at a large captain’s wheel, turning it to pull the raft out into the middle of the lake. From there, they can view the spring directly below. We joined a small group and helped propel the raft out onto the water.

More than 200 feet across and more than 40 feet deep, the spring gushes 10,000 gallons of water per minute. The clear water stays at a constant 45 degrees. Impressive. Lots of very large fish hang around the center of the bubbling waters (an angler’s dream – but the fish are large because they are protected).

Lower Peninsula Highlights

Traverse City and the Mission Peninsula We crossed the Mackinac Bridge and returned to the Lower Peninsula. We spent a day on the Mission Peninsula, near Traverse City.

We visited the Mission Point lighthouse and a couple of wineries. A rainy morning turned into a stellar afternoon and we enjoyed the wines and views from the wineries. Covid has changed the practices for visiting wineries. Most now require an on-line reservation, masks, social distancing, and there’s a fee. Post-Covid, I wonder if free wine tastings will return or remain a thing of the past?

Western side of the Lower Peninsula

We hiked to the top of Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore, for breathtaking (literally breathtaking…these are tall dunes) views of Lake Michigan.

The water is shades of navy blue and aqua -really stunning. And the dunes are still moving. As Lake Michigan continues to push sand up and over the moraines, the shape of the dunes continues to evolve.

We also climbed the Empire Cliff Bluff, which provided amazing views of these dunes from the other side.

We drove scenic M-119 through the Tunnel of Trees, between Cross Village and Harbor Springs. Along the way, we stopped at Legs Inn, an iconic Michigan landmark.

The railing on roof of the building is made of legs from cast iron stoves. Like many Michigan buildings, this one is constructed with heavy, rounded stones, looking much different from the stone houses we knew in Pennsylvania. Although the restaurant was not yet open for the day, one of the gardeners invited us to tour the garden and enjoy the views.

Reviews say that they have great Polish food. Our timing was off for a meal – hope to enjoy pierogis another time!

In a serendipity moment, we stopped at an interesting looking farm for lunch. Pond Hill Farm’s entrance caught our eye. You have to admit that this is an interesting way to use trees.

We had a wonderful lunch. John tried their beer made from beets, which he gave a thumbs up. We strolled around pumpkin fields and enjoyed the farm atmosphere. This place has something for everyone, especially families with kids.

We finished our afternoon adventure with a stop at Lavender Hill Farm. A fragrant finish to a lovely afternoon.

Michigan – parting thoughts

Our blast through Michigan was fast, fun, and an education. We saw tourist highlights and explored back roads. You learn a lot by getting off the beaten track, seeing small towns, and shopping locally. We saw that many homes had a fifth wheel, or travel trailer, parked by their house, ready to make their winter escape.

The Upper Peninsula had more forest and open farmland than we expected. Sizable towns were few and far between, as were east/west major roads. We stumbled into and made our way through the unpaved maze of the Hiawatha National Forest. (Don’t always believe your GPS when it indicates that an unpaved, dirt track is a viable route.)

We’d like to return when we have more time to explore!