Circle Around Lake Michigan
Part 2
After the hike at the logslide lookout, we set out to find camp along the shoreline to close out our Monday. We backtracked towards Lake Superior and were able to find some boondocking sites right on the lake. It was amazing. We walked the beach, collected a few rocks, and as the temperature began to drop, we started dinner, which that night was hamburger patties with hash browns and corn on the cob. Interesting concoction if you ask me, but we had a slight incident with the fridge popping open after Topher took a bump a bit too fast. (Turns out we busted a shock, as we found out later as we inspected the truck and found the shock covered in oil). As we were cooking dinner, Topher noticed there were wild blueberries all around where we were. So I quickly jumped at the opportunity to pick some after I laid Kaylee down for her nap. I was able to get half of a large cup full before my back began to ache from bending down. We pulled out our chairs and Kaylee’s outdoor mat and nestled on the hill of the beach to eat and watch the sunset, trying to keep an eye out for a moose because it is on our list of want to sees. It was a nice and cool evening and we all slept great listening to the sound of the waves as they crashed on the shoreline.
Tuesday, we ventured off down the Pictured Rocks lakeshore to check out the various attractions including Miner’s falls, Miner’s castle, and also Munising falls. We grabbed a pasty at Muldoon’s for lunch and purchased our tickets for the following mornings cruise. We found camp at Au Train, a small two loop primitive campground that has a small beach area and boat launch. We had a hodge podge dinner that night with sautéed chicken sausage and zucchini and fried potatoes. It was actually very good! We attempted to give Kaylee another outdoor shower before the bugs got bad and calling it a night. Let’s just say she was still not a fan!!!
Wednesday morning we woke up early to catch our Pictured Rocks cruise at 11. We wanted a decent spot on the boat that we could take pictures from so we made sure to line up early. There were already a lot of people there when we were. Following the cruise, we grabbed lunch at Johnny’s Dogs where I got the mac attack dog and Topher got the bacon bleu burger and fries. Both were delicious! The burger was huge!!! We ran to a local store to grab some more beverages and a few things we were running low on and then set our way to camp, which we were gracious hosted by Dave Berg and his family to camp at the base of their homebuilt fire tower. We had the opportunity to meet and socialize with him and his daughter Elisa that afternoon and later in the evening his wife joined us and we made up some garlic herb chicken thighs with rice and baked beans for their kind hospitality. The fire tower reminded us of one of those fancy tree houses or tiny living homes. It was really neat! Up at the top was a beautiful view of the tree tops and Lake Superior. On a clear day, you could see for miles. Unfortunately, it wasn’t super clear for us but still beautiful. He said we were welcome to come back and we definitely will have to take him up on the offer. Would love to see what it looks like in the winter, as he said you could see in all directions and also actually catch the sunset or sunrise. We had all intentions of seeing it, but got caught up in the awesome stories sharing camping tips with each other. We can’t thank the Berg family enough for their tips on this trip especially.
The following morning was even more overcast and foggy. We stopped at Presque Isle state park and Little Presque Isle, however, couldn’t see much of anything so we figured the hike up Sugarloaf Mountain wouldn’t be worth it. So this saved something to do and see for the next trip. Passing this up, we set our path south to stop at the Palms Book state park and see the Kitchitikipi Spring. This was pretty cool. The water was such an amazing turquoise color and they stock it with fish each year. As we were waiting in line to catch the cable drawn barge that goes out into the middle and back, we watched the fish (some of the which were 2-3 feet long). We wanted to keep the day semi short so once again decided to forgo the Fayette Historic Township and we found camp at the Flowing Well campground in the Hiawata National Forest.
Knowing we had quite a bit of laundry to wash, Topher needed a haircut for work and I start class up again on Monday, we decided to push home Saturday instead of visiting Door county. There was just too much we wanted to do and see up there so we decided to make a mini trip out of it another weekend. With 6 hours ahead of us, we knew we had to stop to at least get out to stretch our legs and get Kaylee out of the car seat for some time. So using my navigation and research skills, I found the Fonferek’s Glen City Park that had a season waterfall. As we arrived, it was nestled in a farmer’s backyard so it was quite interesting. And it turns out there hasn’t been enough rain lately and it was not the “season” for the waterfall, but it was still a really cool place to walk around and see the riverbed and imagine what it would be like with water.
Overall this was an incredible trip. Every day there was something new and cool to see! From a tire sensors going bad, to headlights going out, to breaking a shock, there was never a dull moment. With the beautiful views, the gorgeous water, the amazing tours, and Kaylee’s giggles and smiles will make this trip a lifetime memory!
