My Week that Was - September 22

Comfort Suites, Marquette, MI. 9/16/22 dwm

There was so much happening this week it started early.

 

We began our vacation with a long drive through Wisconsin into Michigan's Upper Peninsula.  It was going to be a five-hour drive.  It became a nine-hour trip when at the last minute it became more important to deliver a care package than make a quick trip.

 

The planning began last winter with reservations secured with plans places to visit and sights to see.

 

There will be plenty of stories to share from the trip starting with tomorrow's (Sunday) blog.  September 25 marks the return of weekly Sunday posts on the lighthouses we've seen.

 

Marquette, Michigan was our first stop.  While we didn't get there early, we still had time to get down to find and photograph the first subjects before darkness fell.

We enjoyed our supper at Hudson's near our hotel.  It is one of a delightful small chain of restaurants found only in Michigan.  Our server attends the local school, Northern Michigan University.  We learned she is majoring in marketing while trying to decide how to use it.  We wished her well, gave a tip, and the next day drove to the other major state school in the U. P.; Michigan Tech.

Mural above bar at the Ambassador. 9/17/22

 Houghton is home to the Michigan Technological University.  It's twin-city across the Keweenaw Waterway is Hancock, home to Finlandia University.

 It was raining hard when we arrived at the hotel.  The road we were on driving into Houghton didn't reveal any restaurants, so we checked with the clerk who recommended the Ambassador across the street (photo left).

 We ordered pasta and enjoyed it.  It was a treat getting to choose a "small" size which was plenty yet an amount we could finish in one sitting.

That day (Saturday) was our most productive in terms of lighthouses.  We visited six, mot including a return trip to the Marquette light for one more shot before leaving town.

Ironwood is home to Stormy Kromer 9/19/22

Sunday we made our way to five more before arriving in Ironwood, Michigan with plenty of time to unpack and relax before Green Bay played Sunday night (Packers won).  We spent that night and the next in Ironwood.  I took a morning ride each day and we drove all around the Ironwood area visiting various attractions.

 

One of them was the Stormy Kromer factory and retail shop.  Stormy was a train engineer.  Because heavy smoke made it tough to see, he poked his head out the window to see what was ahead.  The wind frequently blew his hat off and his ears were cold.

 

He made a design which his wife sewed, a warm cap with ear flaps which folded into position and a string to tie the cap into place.  

 

The Stormy Kromer was born - an article of clothing you want in the frozen north.  The cap was originally made in Wisconsin but when the shop was going to close a businessman bought it and brought it to Ironwood where lots of folks already wore the Stormy. 

Ironwood was the first place we found in Michigan with a Kwik Trip.  The Ironwood store opened a  few days earlier, we waited to check out in a 12-person line.

 

The balcony for our hotel room. 9/20/22 dwm

 The last stop was Bayfield and the Apostle Islands where we stayed at Plaza Pier lodging. 

 It was a cozy room with a walk-out balcony mere steps from the Lake Superior shore, in the center of the Bayfield business district.

 The small community is an idyllic town and tourist attraction with an intact downtown, locally owned restaurants, and several attractions.

 It was a fun place to spend four days and three nights; you will read about some of those and other adventures from the trip in the coming days.

Meanwhile, we got home yesterday, ready to rest before returning to work Monday.

Enjoy your week!