Tuesday, September 13, 2005
Michigan Update
Bicycling in Wisconsin (9/8)
There are so many good places to bike in Wisconsin. We came to Woodruff because there were choices. So we decided to do the Lac Flambeau road loop because it sounded so “Wisconsin”. Lac Flambeau is an Indian Reservation and apparently casino funds were being used to upgrade the roads. The start of our bike route was all torn up and the vibes were bad. So we went to Minocqua and rode on the Bearskin Trail. (an old RR turned bike trail). We had to pay a hefty fee which I was OK with—supporting the trails and all that. But when a guy in a truck came down the trail to check our passes I felt less altruistic. (We were 10 miles out). We turned around after 11 miles because there were a few drops of rain and then it turned out to be a fine sunny afternoon.
I thought Minocqua was a cute little Wisconsin town until I discovered there were at least 8 shops in town just selling Minocqua T-shirts and not many stores selling things real people need. Kit finally found an open barber shop and got his hair cut. (I was worried about getting out of the shop with my scalp intact because the barbers and a visitor got into a heated argument about eliminating the estate tax. Later I asked about why the parking meters were located next to the building instead of by the curb but they got into an argument about that, so I never really found out why. Next time I’ll pick a place where they stick with sports and hunting and fishing – Kit). We had to drive 6 miles south to find the fabric shop.
By the way—Wisconsin may well be micro-brew capital of the US. We found an awesome grocery store/ liquor store. I think there were more micro-brews to choose from than the Pacific NW. It was hard. (after those prairie states where we were lucky to find any.)
A Do Nothing Day in Michigan (9/10)
Yesterday we had a long driving day across the UP. Michigan back roads for the most part are pretty good—with lots of nice roadside rests (so you don’t have to starve looking for a place to stop for lunch). When we left Wisconsin we intended to go to Porcupine Mt. SP but it was a bit of a step back west so at the last minute we decided to go east far enough that we could take a day off and do nothing. After one camping reject we came to Grand Marais and Woodland Park Campground and said “Halleluiah!” This public campground is right on Lake Superior, for long beach walks. There are plenty of roads for walking/ biking. It’s very scenic here. And we love the tiny town of Grand Marais. There is even a brew pub (complete with juke box and animal heads over the bar) where we had dinner. No, I did not try the blueberry beer.
So it comes to our do nothing day. Sigh! We are caught in the middle of a thunderstorm—rain, rain, rain. The forecast says it will clear off and be 80 degrees this afternoon but so far we aren’t seeing any sign. My idea of doing nothing was sitting in my chair in the shade reading, and walking on the beach. Kit’s idea was a long bike ride. I guess we can’t complain. This is the first really rainy day we’ve had since we left home.
The rain eventually let up and we decided to hike out to the Au Sable lighthouse: a nice 4 mile (RT) hike through the woods along the shore. Sunday will be the do nothing day.
Lake Superior
The lake is a surprisingly Caribbean turquoise color. Beautiful. The resemblance does not end there. This part of the UP reminds us of nowhere more than Hawaii with the wrong kind of trees. It is almost unbearably hot and humid. (not QUITE Costa Rican hot) But the bartender does not come bringing tropical fruit drinks.
Kit was talking to a full time local who says winters here (on the south side of the lake) are the worst in Michigan. The Canadian north side of the lake is milder. AND I was asking why there is so much rock hounding when the rocks are always the same (no tides). The icebergs dredge up new rocks in the spring. Definitely not Hawaii.
I think the locals are fixated on rocks because there is nothing else. The Lake is really boring. The man at the National Lakeshore visitor center says every rock is identifiable. (This is intriguing to me). They also say here that our beach agates are NOT agates. Agates have to have bands of color they say and are usually not translucent. What do these Michiganites know, anyway.
I had a long walk on the beach and the only life I saw was a group of red headed ducks. No driftwood. Not flotsam and jetsam. No critters along the shore. The horizon is FLAT and there is almost no boat traffic though in a day of watching I finally saw a ship.
Hot and Crabby (9/12)
We left Grand Marais sort of intending to go to T. Falls State Park,
but it was too darn hot for hiking or doing anything outside and the flies were biting so we decided to keep going east. We did take a swing around route 123 to see the country (but not pay the fee to stop at the falls). It was our intent to stop in Paradise at the famous brewpub for lunch. I found a fabric shop in Paradise and THEN found out the brewpub was 14 miles back at the falls. NO SIGNS! and Laura, you did not tell us this. It was too big a trek for us to go back so we had sandwiches at a picnic stop instead. Came to Sault Ste. Marie hot and crabby. The campground we picked was a little frustrating to get into but it was right on the water with ships going by and we were able to make a short bike ride to the Sugar Island Ferry and in the other direction, to the locks. We were surprised the locks weren’t more grandiose. (like the Panama canal). The ships were bigger (so the locks were too) but they really aren’t much different that the ones in Seattle.
There are so many good places to bike in Wisconsin. We came to Woodruff because there were choices. So we decided to do the Lac Flambeau road loop because it sounded so “Wisconsin”. Lac Flambeau is an Indian Reservation and apparently casino funds were being used to upgrade the roads. The start of our bike route was all torn up and the vibes were bad. So we went to Minocqua and rode on the Bearskin Trail. (an old RR turned bike trail). We had to pay a hefty fee which I was OK with—supporting the trails and all that. But when a guy in a truck came down the trail to check our passes I felt less altruistic. (We were 10 miles out). We turned around after 11 miles because there were a few drops of rain and then it turned out to be a fine sunny afternoon.
I thought Minocqua was a cute little Wisconsin town until I discovered there were at least 8 shops in town just selling Minocqua T-shirts and not many stores selling things real people need. Kit finally found an open barber shop and got his hair cut. (I was worried about getting out of the shop with my scalp intact because the barbers and a visitor got into a heated argument about eliminating the estate tax. Later I asked about why the parking meters were located next to the building instead of by the curb but they got into an argument about that, so I never really found out why. Next time I’ll pick a place where they stick with sports and hunting and fishing – Kit). We had to drive 6 miles south to find the fabric shop.
By the way—Wisconsin may well be micro-brew capital of the US. We found an awesome grocery store/ liquor store. I think there were more micro-brews to choose from than the Pacific NW. It was hard. (after those prairie states where we were lucky to find any.)
A Do Nothing Day in Michigan (9/10)
Yesterday we had a long driving day across the UP. Michigan back roads for the most part are pretty good—with lots of nice roadside rests (so you don’t have to starve looking for a place to stop for lunch). When we left Wisconsin we intended to go to Porcupine Mt. SP but it was a bit of a step back west so at the last minute we decided to go east far enough that we could take a day off and do nothing. After one camping reject we came to Grand Marais and Woodland Park Campground and said “Halleluiah!” This public campground is right on Lake Superior, for long beach walks. There are plenty of roads for walking/ biking. It’s very scenic here. And we love the tiny town of Grand Marais. There is even a brew pub (complete with juke box and animal heads over the bar) where we had dinner. No, I did not try the blueberry beer.
So it comes to our do nothing day. Sigh! We are caught in the middle of a thunderstorm—rain, rain, rain. The forecast says it will clear off and be 80 degrees this afternoon but so far we aren’t seeing any sign. My idea of doing nothing was sitting in my chair in the shade reading, and walking on the beach. Kit’s idea was a long bike ride. I guess we can’t complain. This is the first really rainy day we’ve had since we left home.
The rain eventually let up and we decided to hike out to the Au Sable lighthouse: a nice 4 mile (RT) hike through the woods along the shore. Sunday will be the do nothing day.
Lake Superior
The lake is a surprisingly Caribbean turquoise color. Beautiful. The resemblance does not end there. This part of the UP reminds us of nowhere more than Hawaii with the wrong kind of trees. It is almost unbearably hot and humid. (not QUITE Costa Rican hot) But the bartender does not come bringing tropical fruit drinks.
Kit was talking to a full time local who says winters here (on the south side of the lake) are the worst in Michigan. The Canadian north side of the lake is milder. AND I was asking why there is so much rock hounding when the rocks are always the same (no tides). The icebergs dredge up new rocks in the spring. Definitely not Hawaii.
I think the locals are fixated on rocks because there is nothing else. The Lake is really boring. The man at the National Lakeshore visitor center says every rock is identifiable. (This is intriguing to me). They also say here that our beach agates are NOT agates. Agates have to have bands of color they say and are usually not translucent. What do these Michiganites know, anyway.
I had a long walk on the beach and the only life I saw was a group of red headed ducks. No driftwood. Not flotsam and jetsam. No critters along the shore. The horizon is FLAT and there is almost no boat traffic though in a day of watching I finally saw a ship.
Hot and Crabby (9/12)
We left Grand Marais sort of intending to go to T. Falls State Park,
but it was too darn hot for hiking or doing anything outside and the flies were biting so we decided to keep going east. We did take a swing around route 123 to see the country (but not pay the fee to stop at the falls). It was our intent to stop in Paradise at the famous brewpub for lunch. I found a fabric shop in Paradise and THEN found out the brewpub was 14 miles back at the falls. NO SIGNS! and Laura, you did not tell us this. It was too big a trek for us to go back so we had sandwiches at a picnic stop instead. Came to Sault Ste. Marie hot and crabby. The campground we picked was a little frustrating to get into but it was right on the water with ships going by and we were able to make a short bike ride to the Sugar Island Ferry and in the other direction, to the locks. We were surprised the locks weren’t more grandiose. (like the Panama canal). The ships were bigger (so the locks were too) but they really aren’t much different that the ones in Seattle.
# posted by Carol Harma @ 12:08 PM 
