A Ridiculous Road Trip Part 2: MI and the UP

Middle Michigan: Getting to spend 18 or so hours with my friend Sarah was such a pleasure. We met maybe 10 years ago teaching together several times a year at STITCHES Knitting Expos. Along with a wonderful group of other fiber professionals,  we have built a friendship one 4-day working weekend at a time, with lots of skype calls and emails to strengthen the bond. Sunday's long drive got us to her home around 8pm.

I loved seeing her home for reals after seeing the rectangle of whatever is behind her when she's skyping. It's a warm and welcoming home filled with books, art and yarn. We had a lovely relaxed dinner, then the next day I got to see Woven Art, the classy and well-stocked yarn shop where she works. I may have purchased some souvenirs yarn. We had lunch in the arts district of Lansing, Michigan, did a little shopping, and will forever have the memory of that time when I bought two small items at a tony gift shop and got the full Mr. Bean treatment from "Love, Actually." Sarah needed to get to work, so it really was that awkward moment when I was ready to just stop the shop girl from wrapping my items, placing them in "so much more than a bag," tying on a piece of greenery and spraying the bag with fragrance and just run away. But we stayed and my bag was indeed memorable, so much so that I couldn't bear to just toss it and pack my stuff in the car. I actually moved things around so I could keep it for just a little while longer.

Then it was time for hugs and get on the road. It was an easy goodbye because I know I'll see her soon, but it was truly the perfect beginning for the westward expansion phase of my trip.

We had a pleasant drive up to the Upper Peninsula of Michigan, hereafter known as the UP. The blustery, rainy weather I had been seeing in the forecasts for the last 10 days was indeed in place, ugh, but oh well. There is no such thing as bad weather, only bad clothing, and I was definitely prepared in that sense.

It was very exciting for both of us to cross the Mackinac Bridge, with Lake Michigan on one side and Lake Huron on the other.  The bridge is really beautiful, and the straits themselves are quite dramatic.

We made it to the UP!

We found Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore and drove straight to a beach where we could watch the sunset over Lake Superior and then I could say that I've seen all of the Great Lakes. That makes me happy in a travel-geek sort of way that I can really only explain to other travel-geeks. We took a hit by catching the sunset on the lake because we had to put up our tent in the dark, but we managed. Headlights to the rescue.

Lake Superior!!

Full moon rising behind our tent. 

Tuesday started out so beautifully hopeful, but in the end it rained all day. It was a misty, light rain so we didn't let it stop us from exploring a few trails in the park. We did a nature loop near Little Beaver Lake and a stretch of the North Country Trail (which I'd never heard of till now) to the Au Sable Light Station. We were right along the shore of the lake for that hike, and then through a break in the trees, suddenly the light house became visible. It's a really beautiful structure. It wasn't open the day we were there, but it was enough to walk around, read the park service pamphlet, and imagine the light and its importance to the mariners of Lake Superior. There were many shipwrecks marked along the shore where we walked, and it was sobering to to think about the power of the lake. It really is astonishing to use the word "lake" yet look out across that water to a seemingly endless horizon.

Au Sable Light Station

That afternoon we went on a boat cruise to see the sandstone cliffs that give the park its name. It was so cold and wet, but I still stood out on the rear deck of the boat and took a million photos. The shoreline was absolutely captivating, and the trip itself was very pleasant. The captain did a great job navigating, and the crew and shore staff were super-helpful when we boarded and realized I'd bought tickets for the wrong day. Luckily it wasn't crowded and they were able to instantly swap my tickets.

Grand Island East Channel Light 

After the cruise, we shopped a little in the town of Munising. I found an old wooden bowl, an antique, from the days when Munising had a thriving wood works and produced well-known bowls, plates and other wood goods that are now collectors' items. It's exactly the kind of souvenir I like--something that has a connection to the place.

We had a lovely Pasty (meat pie) at Muldoon's and it was seriously the perfect way to warm up after a long day of windy, rainy, chilly adventuring.

It rained pretty much all night, but our tent did the trick and we were DRY! That is success in camping in my book.

In the morning, we went quickly over to one of the viewpoints along the shore of the park, got our last look at Lake Superior and the cliffs of Pictured Rocks. Then it was back to pack up the campsite and off we headed to Pepin, Wisconsin.

Miner's Rock, Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore

 We got there in time to go watch the sunset over the Mississippi and begin our Laura Ingalls Wilder adventures.

Sunset over the Mississippi River