Most Upper Part of the UP

We packed up early and got on the road to push about 300 miles further north. Our destination being Copper Harbor where we had reservations at Fort Wilkins State Park for eight days. We arrived and set up then headed straight for the Nature Trail. It was a windy day so when we reached the shoreline huge waves were crashing on the rocks, It really reminded me of Maine and was just beautiful.

 

Mark discovered there was a biking trail that took you to the northern most point in Michigan (High Rock Bay) and it was one of the coolest rides we've done. It's like a roller coaster that ends with an incredible view. In this picture I'm showing off my "HandUp" biking gloves that say "Merica" when you hold your hands together. Thanks Laura Ann for my awesome gift.

Michigan Cherry Pie and Markie's Lake Challenge

One of the things Michigan is known for are it's cherry trees. Mark and I passed through Traverse City, Michigan (nationally known as the Cherry Capital of the World) on our way to the park and realized one of the first things we needed to do was locate a couple pieces of cherry pie. The Berry Patch restaurant, in what's ironically called Paradise, Michigan, had two pieces so we brought them back to our camper to have with our afternoon coffee. I can't even describe how good this pie was. We know we can't eat pie every day that we are here, but surely every other day isn't too excessive.



Another goal or "thing to do" on our Michigan list is to swim in any of the Great Lakes we visit. It was an easy thing to do during our Dune stay on Lake Michigan but moving further north we discovered that Lake Superior was a lot colder. I decided to revise my "to do list" but Mark refused to be detoured, so at 59 degrees with 14 mph winds at noon today, he took the plunge. I took this picture from the safety of shore in my nice warm down jacket.

Tahquamenon Falls State Park

Tahquamenon Falls (rhymes with phenomenon) has, as you would imagine, some pretty impressive waterfalls. We hiked the trails around both the Upper and Lower Falls and were impressed with the volume of water as well as the unique color of the water caused by natural tannins that leach into the river from the cedar swamps surrounding the river.



Another fun thing we did in the area was riding our bikes out to Whitefish Point, on Lake Superior, to see our first Michigan lighthouse. We've discovered that our favorite way to sight see in an area is on our bikes.

 

The biggest city near our campsite was Sault Ste Marie. One day rain was in the forecast so we decided it would be a great place to not only sight see but also resupply and do laundry. The city is among the oldest in America and ended up being so close to Canada that our IPhones thought we were in Canada and alerted us that we would have uninterrupted coverage during our stay there. We loved reading about the history of the town and watching the ships go through the locks. We also went to Lake Superior State University and played a round of disc golf on the course they have on campus. It was a fun filled day

Welcome to the UP

 

The only thing we dreaded about going to the Upper Peninsula was crossing the Mackinac Bridge. It has it's own webpage so you can check weather conditions for fog or wind that could make crossing over challenging. The weather was perfect and Mark did great getting us across.

Going through the toll booth, on the other side, made it seem like we were crossing the border into Canada. Ironically, as we traveled another 100 miles or so to Tahquamenon Falls State Park the vegetation and cooler temps made us even more sure we had crossed the border.

Starbaby is excited that the Upper Peninsula seems to be home to a large population of chipmunks!

Dunes and more dunes

What a great visit to Warren Dunes! Not only did we have fantastic trails to hike on that were dog friendly, but also a beach that allowed furry friends. We hated to leave but were excited that our next stop was Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore that promised even bigger and better dunes. The only negative about Sleeping Bear was we only had about 24 hours to stay before pushing farther north to a campsite in the Upper Peninsula before the Labor Day crowds descended. We made the most of our time and decided we would definitely like to return to Sleeping Bear when/if the opportunity ever presents itself.

 

Ohio to Michigan

Our first State Park in Ohio was not only beautiful but had the added perk of having a rated mountain bike trail in the park. Even though we only had two nights there, we got in a ride and loved our secluded camp site. (M10). We drove close to 300 miles, on Sunday, to reach Warren Dunes State Park. We made it to Michigan! We had just enough time to hike to the top of a dune and get a peek of Lake Michigan. It is spectacular! Looking forward to exploring the Dunes the next couple days. We have another great (level) campsite. (117)

Mt. biking obstacle course 

Made it to Michigan

Late Summer/Fall trip to Michigan

Total Solar Eclipse 2017

After experiencing the eclipse with our youngest, Will, in Lebanon, TN, we got our earliest start ever (5:30 am) and headed straight to Jackson Center, Ohio to the only factory in the world that makes Airstream's. We had a service appointment for Wed. to deal with our leaks and door not shutting properly and ended up staying 3 days because we kept adding things to our list. You have to get appointments there about 6 months in advance because their technicians are so good. We feel like we have a brand new trailer and ended up meeting so many interesting people because everyone having work done can stay in Airstream's Campground for free. They have a great system: they pick up your trailer every morning at 7:00 am and return it around 4:00 so you can sleep in it and not have to get a hotel room. We took a plant tour, while we waited for our "to do" list to be completed, and we're impressed with the workmanship and attention to detail. If you buy a new Airstream, you can make an appointment and follow your unit through the plant as it's being assembled. When we finished up on Friday afternoon we went about 60 miles, down the road, to Alum Creek State Park to enjoy our leak free camper.