Ford Country #2

The old Henry Ford property has been privately owned for many years, and is no longer open to the public. However, the owners do have a private marina and 5 space RV park. We talked to Lily, the 91 year old co-owner - she is sharp as a tack and full of wit and energy.

We both fell I love with the place. The little-used RV sites are right on a very sheltered calm bay, and they are huge! We talked to a couple people at the marina and discovered Coho salmon are currently being landed from shore. We can fish, kayak, relax and enjoy the water and sunsets right from our trailer. We are moving there next - probably Friday!

Ford Country

Our excursion yesterday took us to Pequaming, a once-busy model community owned by Henry Ford. This building was a production plant.

Abbaye Point

The west side of the Peninsula is the windward - rough water & waves - side, Keweenaw Bay. The east side is leeward - calm water, Huron Bay. Both sides are beautiful with crystal clear water and both sides have gazillions of biting flies on the Rocky shores.

Checking out Abbaye Peninsula

Today we drove along the Keweenaw Bay shore of the Abbaye Peninsula (Huron Bay is the other side of the peninsula) on Lake Superior. We are really in the 'Middle of Nowhere' - again. The road out to the Point is dirt, rutted with nasty mud holes, and one lane - do not get off the main track or you'll be very very sorry!

The area is very remote, to the point of still having functional pay phones! We love it 😊.

Monday, Moving Day in the U.P.

Today we moved from the Garden Peninsula on Lake Michigan to L'Anse Township Park on Lake Superior. Once again, we have a delightful campsite; we overlook Keweenaw Bay.

We have a view of the Lake/Bay out our big back window, and our roadside front yard is a grassy wooded park setting. Rumor has it we will get spectacular sunsets here . . . and maybe a showing of the Aurora Borealis! Now wouldn't that be special?!?

Exploring the U.P. #6 - Pictured Rocks #5

A perfect ending to a perfect evening, the sun through smoke from the Canadian wildfires. This was taken at 8:30; it is still just dusk at 10:00.

Luckily, our drive back 'home' through the forest was relatively uneventful. For a split second we thought we would hit Bambi - a fawn which still had its spots leaped out of the ditch right in front of our truck. Quick reactions from Jamie and great brakes saved the poor little thing, but I bet it was traumatized. . . . I know I was!

Exploring the U.P. #5 - Pictured Rocks #4

Wind and water erosion cause the few arches along the shoreline. Several other arches eroded away over the years.
This tree was once on solid ground; now it survives with only one airborne root attaching to the land away from the spire it sits on.

Exploring the U.P. #4 - Pictured Rocks #3

The water in Lake Superior is amazingly clear; it is the cleanest of the Great Lakes. In places the water was Caribbean Turquoise.

The captain drove the boat into this little cove where we could look down through the clear water and see the rocks below.

Exploring the U.P. #3 - Pictured Rocks #2

The colors in the rock walls are really quite astonishing. Various minerals color the sandstone; if you see turquoise, it is copper.

Exploring the U.P. #2 - Pictured Rocks

We drove from the north coast of Lake Michigan across the Upper Peninsula to the Village of Munising and took an evening cruise along the Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore on Lake Superior. The colors in the rock walls are caused by the variety of minerals. It was quite lovely; the water was calm and it was very warm - the breezes on the water were most welcome.

This is the boat we were on, not too big so not a huge group of people.
I obviously thought this giant pink flamingo, at dock, was worthy of a picture -- I think it looks like a fantasy Viking ship!
This is the oldest lighthouse on Lake Superior. This lake, in case you didn't know, is the largest body of fresh water in the world.

Exploring #1

Lake Michigan water level continues to be historically high. This is the dock at our RV park. The owner raised the docks recently, but they are again threatened. The water level fluctuates considerably; note the water line debris.

This is one of the little beaches we stopped at. The water is typically fairly smooth in the inner bay.

The Village of Garden has a wind farm. These shots are from across Garden Bay. The turbines are adjacent to our campground and we often hear the gentle woosh of the blades. I love it!

U.P. Stop #2

We had a short drive today, only about 60 miles from Log Cabin RV campground near Curtis to Bay Ridge RV Park at Garden, Michigan. The new spot is on the Garden Peninsula in north Lake Michigan, and we are right on Garden Bay within Big Bay De Noc.

Once again, we lucked out with a great site for our 5th wheel and in a beautiful setting.

Ahhhhh

We picked a perfect day to visit Mackinac Island - it was a perfect day for sailing too!

Victorian Island

I am always drawn to the amazing Victorian architecture. Many of the homes on Mackinac Island have been well-maintained in their original state, and some are downright spectacular. I love this peachy-colored one with flower plantings to match!

Horse & Buggy

Mackinac Island has no motorized vehicles, so people get around by walking, biking, or horse & buggy. Supply boats unload at the docks, onto delivery wagons pulled by horses. We secretly speculate that there's a motorized ambulance and fire truck. . .

Island History

One of the best ways to track the history of a place is through its churches. This one has been an integral part of Mackinac Island for a very long time.

Butterflies

We saw many more Monarch butterflies on Mackinac Island. The Milkweed on the island are different from the Swamp Milkweed we see on the lake shores; these are growing in dryer soils.
And they are again different from the Milkweed I'm familiar with in the Rocky Mountain West.

This other butterfly is a stranger to me - oh how I wish I still had my butterfly identification book! - but was captivating, black with white & deep orange markings. Darn thing refused to open his wings for me. You see it is feeding on white blooms; different butterflies require different host plants.

The Bridge

Mackinac Bridge, also spelled Mackinaw, is a 5 mile long suspension bridge spanning the Straits of Mackinac. It connects Michigan's Upper Peninsula to the Lower Peninsula. It is the longest suspension bridge in the Western Hemisphere, and the 22nd-longest main span in the World.

We crossed the bridge with our 5th-wheel RV when we came to the UP. And we got to see it from the bottom when our ferry to Mackinac Island went under the bridge - a special route that only goes a few times a day. It's pretty much impossible to get the entire bridge framed in a photo, but we did get some good views of it from the island and on our return ferry ride.

Day Trip to Mackinac Island

We drove to Saint Ignace in the U.P. today and took a ferry to Mackinac Island, where we spent the day being tourists - nice lunch at the popular Sea Biscuit (race horse) restaurant, followed by a long walk along the shore and then some mighty good ice cream.

Mackinac Island sits in Lake Huron, between Michigan’s Upper and Lower peninsulas. Mackinac Island State Park, with trails, woods and the limestone Arch Rock formation, covers most of the island. Founded in 1780, Fort Mackinac is a walled cluster of military buildings on a coastal bluff. The Richard and Jane Manoogian Mackinac Art Museum has local works, including Native American art, maps and 19th-century photos.

Area: 3.776 mi²

Population: 492 (2010)

U.P. Lake Country

This morning we took a little drive around the immediate area. There are many many lakes, and they are truly pristine. Water lilies are blooming everywhere; I promise to find a better vantage point for a great painting reference! I don't know what this blooming plant is, but the Monarch butterflies sure do like it!