My Week that Was - October 12

Santa in front of the casino in Christmas, MI. 10/4/24 dwm

 We started vacation a week ago Friday, driving from Madison to Munising, Michigan for the first of an eight day trip.

 As we say in our family, 'we made good time,' reaching the destination around 3, giving us an opportunity to get photos of three lights.

 We started in the tiny community of Christmas. Yes, it's a real place, less than five miles west of Munising. We saw two bigger than life Santa Claus.' Besides the one at the Casino there was another standing next to a pole, 'north' written on it, and an empty building.

My wife was happy to find a quilt shop in Munising which had fabric she didn't have in her stash, so she took care of that. We took a short walk to see Munising Falls (more on that in a future blog), then ate at the Dogpatch, a nice bar and grill across from Lake Superior with a Lil' Abner theme inside and out.

We heard the Northern Lights would be visible Friday night with a high likelihood of seeing the lights between 10 pm and 2 am. We went out after 10, saw lots of stars, but no sign of the 'lights.' Maybe they made an appearance later, if it happened, we missed it.

Ace Hardware downtown Munising. 10/5/24 dwm

Saturday morning was supposed to be cold, getting into the low-30s. I thought that was too cold to ride so I decided to walk.  

Ace Hardware sits on a corner downtown. My hands were cold and I didn't have gloves with me. The gloves I've been wearing the last few years aren't keeping me warm, so it was time for a new pair. 

Then I saw a bank thermometer that read 53! That was a warmer than 30, so I walked back to the motel and went on a ride before we headed to the next stop.

Grand Marais, Michigan is a surprising community. Not that it's small, but for how nicely the town's homes are and a downtown with several thriving stores.

Miner's Castle above the Lake. 10/5/24 dwm

 On the way, we stopped to see Miner's Castle in Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore. The park stretches from Munising to Grand Marais along Lake Superior's south shore. 

 Unlike other attractions, where you need a boat to see them, the castle is accessible, with a short walk from the parking lot to an observation deck.

 My wife dropped me off to walk to the next lighthouse, then after she picked me up we checked out the range lights in Grand Marais. Two days in, five lights were added to our collection.

Archie's Diner in Grand Marais. 10/6/24 dwm

Sunday morning we ate at Archie's Diner. The dining car came from New Jersey and has been part of this lake-side village for several decades. 

It's connected to a house with additional dining space available on the first floor with gift shop shelves and displays in the corners and on the second floor. It's cute, charming, and delicious.

I ordered authentic Upper Peninsula Maple Syrup to top my Belgian Waffle. Our server Judy, was delightful and friendly. She gave us good advice and directions for the cross-country drive we were starting after breakfast and one thing she said, "don't go by Muskellunge Lake," was critical. Thanks to Judy and the diner's young owner, for a great experience.

Gravel and sand road trip. dwm

 There will be more on the drive to Crisp Point in the blog coming in a few weeks. Less than five miles out of Grand Marais, we saw the last bit of pavement for 60 miles. We were driving through the wilderness.

 

 Our journey to the point was successful and afterwards, we eventually reached highway M-123 and pavement for the rest of the trip. The rest of the drive was quick as we reached Paradise, no kidding, and headed to Whitefish Point.

 We spent at least 90-minutes at the Whitefish Point Lighthouse complex and could have spent more. It was sunny when we arrived, before we left it was raining. It's blog will go live the week after Crisp Point.

 Returning to Paradise, we checked into our room at the Magnuson Grand Lakefront Hotel. Our room faced the east, overlooking Whitefish Bay. Thanks to being in the Eastern Time Zone for this trip, we arrived with time to spare to watch the Packers play in Los Angeles. 

Green Bay needed a win after a home loss to the Vikings a week earlier. Things slowed down after a long touchdown drive for the Pack, then they got on the board again before the end of the half, in the second half, offense and defense played better. The Packers turned over the Rams three times and after some trouble, Jordan Love put up points to establish a lead. The defense stopped a late L.A. drive, leaving the Pack to run out the clock.

Monday we circled around the bottom of Whitefish Bay, stopping at Point Iroquois before landing in Sault Saint Marie, our home for the next two days. We arrived early enough to check out the next light on the list which required taking a ferry. I misinterpreted the ferry schedule and there was no trip when I thought, so we changed our plans to visit Neebish Island the next day.

The American Integrity in a lock. 10/8/24 dwm

The day became a day to relax and shop - something I don't often do but was during this trip. In Sault Ste. Marie, I bought jeans and several moisture wicking t-shirts. It was a relaxing day, just what vacations need.

Tuesday morning, we went back to the ferry, joining a line of eight cars and one dump-truck for the four-minute passage, then we headed to the north point of the island where I took a nature walk. It was a bit more than I expected, with an uneven trail, hip-high grass, and traipsing through marshy areas. More about this visit in a few weeks, the good news is I survived the trip, even if it took it longer than I expected.

In the afternoon, my wife shopped while I took the Schwinn to visit the Soo Locks, try a pasty, and go up the Tower of History. By mid-afternoon, we were decompressing in a hot tub. 

That object is a lighthouse. 10/9/24 dwm

 Wednesday morning I had my first workout on the trip thanks to a fitness center in our Hampton Inn. After that and a nice breakfast, we set out to see the last four lighthouses on our list. Blessed by another sunny day, we could even see the DeTour Reef light in Lake Huron; the visit guide I use suggested it wasn't visible from land.

 That meant we picked up five final lights and re-visited  a light in Mackinac City where I toured the Old Mackinac Lighthouse. I took pictures of it the first time, but didn't take the tour. The return means, later this year, this light will be featured here again.

A Whitefish sandwich w/mashed potatoes. dwm

We spent a few hours in Mackinac City, including a stop at Darrow's Family Restaurant where we enjoyed their Whitefish sandwiches, made with fresh fish. It's simply good food!

Thursday morning we went west on U.S. 2, hugging the southern shore of the Upper Peninsula from St. Ignace to Marinette, Wisconsin.

It's our third time in this area over the last ten years, and it's one of our favorites with blue water stretching to the horizon. We had another tasty lunch in a family restaurant and after some shopping, settled in for the last night on the road.

After a workout Friday morning and breakfast, we filled the tank and made it home with two stops. First was Primitive Gatherings, a quilt shop owned by a YouTube Quilter my wife loves, I walked in to check the place out (it is very nice), then retreated to the car while she shopped. The second stop was Beaver Dam for lunch at Walker's Cafe. 

We were home before 2, had the car unpacked and clothes in the laundry a short time later. It was a great week, thankfully there are two days to recover before heading back to work.  I hope you have a great week!