Lake Superior

berry · Post by **berry** » Thu Dec 13, 2012 8:53 am

bcone1381 wrote:Pictured Rocks national Lakeshore, the west end is at Munising, MI. I recommend the Pictured Rocks Cruise. Are you camping? If so, camp there at Munising on Grand Island...it sits in Munisng bay, and is a hoot to camp and explore, as I understand.

Also, I have not visited Ilse Royal yet, but I have flown over it. That is a Kayak Paradise like I have never seen anywhere else anywhere else in the world. Don't take the boat from Michigan, instead go from Thunder Bay, Onterio. It is only about 10 miles across. If you are rustic campers, I think Isle Royal by kayak would be fulfilling enough for any trip. I hope to do that some day.

Camp, unfortunately no. We camped for years with a canvas unit and Coleman lantern and stove. But sad to say we're done camping. I have Stage IV CKD and sleeping on the ground doesn't help my kidneys. But we always enjoy the parks and campgrounds are usually great place to stop and have lunch. And we are hikers.

I wish NPS would let people visit in the winter. It would be super for snow shoeing and cross country skiing. And after a morning out it would be fun to read in front of the fire at the lodge. But sadly only NPS staff the moose and wolfs get to spend any time there in the winter.

Here's a piece of cocktail trivia. What is the name of the largest island in the largest lake on the largest island on the largest (surface area) fresh water lake in the world? Ryan Island. Ryan Island is found in Siskiwit Lake, which is the largest lake on Isle Royale, and Isle Royale is the largest island in Lake Superior, the largest lake in the world.

letterk · Post by **letterk** » Thu Dec 13, 2012 9:46 am

Oh and I forgot, but my parents who went through Duluth last year visited the Glensheen Mansion. Looks like the UMD is responsible for running it.

https://glensheen.wp.d.umn.edu/

Glensheen, a historic estate on the shores of Lake Superior, offers a slice of turn-of-the-last-century opulence. Its 1908 collection is intact, completely immersing you in the life of one of Minnesota’s most influential families.

Beyond the 39-room mansion, visitors can also explore seven-acres of formal gardens and working vegetable gardens, the tennis court and bowling green, and the carriage house featuring the Congdons’ carriages and Glensheen’s Museum Shop.

dforeman · Post by **dforeman** » Thu Dec 13, 2012 9:58 am

The little town of Grand Maranis on the Northern Shore also runs a Ferry out to Isle Royal. I'm not sure the distance though.

reible · Post by **reible** » Thu Dec 13, 2012 12:45 pm

If your travels will take you near the Keweenaw Peninsula there are a lot to see there. Like wise the rest of the UP. I never seem to see it all despite having lived near buy in my youth and returning more times then I can count over the last 42 years... and that is hard to do when I'm still 38. I'm most familiar with the western UP and love to explore, hike and photograph the area.

I mean who would want to see sights like this in the fall?

[ATTACH]19493[/ATTACH]

I'd also allocate at least one clear night of sky gazing away from lights and on the beach. Yep the milky way is still there. Seeing the heavens like that is not to be missed. Awe inspiring each time you see it, it really makes you notice how small and insignificant we are. OK better stop here. Just do it.

Ed

tomsalwasser · Post by **tomsalwasser** » Fri Dec 14, 2012 8:01 am

Be sure to stop in Duluth for a little ship watching.

letterk · Post by **letterk** » Fri Dec 14, 2012 10:20 am

And don't forget your Gordon Lightfoot CD.

berry · Post by **berry** » Fri Dec 14, 2012 1:21 pm

letterk wrote:Oh and I forgot, but my parents who went through Duluth last year visited the Glensheen Mansion. Looks like the UMD is responsible for running it.

https://glensheen.wp.d.umn.edu/

I understood Glensheen was severely damage in the flood this summer?

spiderclimber · Post by **spiderclimber** » Fri Dec 14, 2012 2:57 pm

I don't know what time of year you are going but you can walk the Mackinac bridge on Labor day. They shut down half the bridge, the northbound lanes, and thousands of people walk it.

If you don't want to walk the bridge, just avoid the bridge that day as traffic will be horrendous from 6 am through 3 pm.

If you are taking the trip, you might as well stop at Sault st Marie Michigan and see the locks, the Lock museum, and go the the Antlers Restaurant, which has taxidermy of all sorts that was traded for meals, as well as a ton of other cool decor.

I second the Mackinac Island trip. If you go, take, the boardwalk toward the library. There are tennis courts off to your right, head across the grass toward those. You come up to a fitness trail that drops you out in the gardens at the back of the hotel, which you can then walk up the steps, right to the landing above, where the Somewhere in time scene was filmed where RICHARD!!! was yelled when Elise found him. A very cool walk and a neat area to get to.

Good luck on the trip.

berry · Post by **berry** » Fri Dec 14, 2012 5:37 pm

spiderclimber wrote:I don't know what time of year you are going but you can walk the Mackinac bridge on Labor day. They shut down half the bridge, the northbound lanes, and thousands of people walk it.

If you don't want to walk the bridge, just avoid the bridge that day as traffic will be horrendous from 6 am through 3 pm.

If you are taking the trip, you might as well stop at Sault st Marie Michigan and see the locks, the Lock museum, and go the the Antlers Restaurant, which has taxidermy of all sorts that was traded for meals, as well as a ton of other cool decor.

I second the Mackinac Island trip. If you go, take, the boardwalk toward the library. There are tennis courts off to your right, head across the grass toward those. You come up to a fitness trail that drops you out in the gardens at the back of the hotel, which you can then walk up the steps, right to the landing above, where the Somewhere in time scene was filmed where RICHARD!!! was yelled when Elise found him. A very cool walk and a neat area to get to.

Good luck on the trip.

Typically we go on vacation in late September or early October - cooler temps, fewer mosquitoes and fly's, autumn colors, and fewer visitors to contend with in parks. The downside of a later autumn trip is some places are 'closed for the season'.

Clearly we'll have to make sure we visit again and walking across the bridge would be swell. A couple years ago we did a trip in California and biked across the Golden Gate. I think I'd have enjoyed it more if we'd walked but...

When we were young we took a camping trip around Lake Michigan and visited Mackinac Island. We couldn't afford a meal but it was a fun day.

One night in the UP we had a campground pretty much to ourselves. About 10 we finished the cherry cobbler my sweetie had made on the campfire and we walked to the john to take care of business before turning in. When we got back to camp a family of skunks in our camp. As we approached their decided to leave without sharing their obnoxious scent. It was a tense few minutes.

To give you an idea of how long ago this was we were driving a Plymouth Valiant with the old Slant Six. The engine and transmission on that car were great but if you watched the body you could see rust forming. And the fit of the doors to the body was so bad after a heavy snow we have to brush snow of the seats of the car before leaving in the morning.

Once again to all who've made suggestions - THANKS!

letterk · Post by **letterk** » Fri Dec 14, 2012 8:16 pm

berry wrote:I understood Glensheen was severely damage in the flood this summer?

I don't think it must have been too bad. They went through like three weeks after the flood. We kind of recommended that they many should skip Duluth, but they went ahead anyways.