M is for Muni, Mack and Mich

Ahh Michigan. It is beautiful on so many levels and very under appreciated by the rest of the country. Nobody ever says – "Hey lets go see the dunes of Lake Michigan or painted cliffs of Superior". But they should. Let’s face it the Great Lakes truly are great! Michigan has been blessed with bordering three – Superior, Michigan and Huron. Lake Superior has rugged cliffs and rich maritime history, Michigan is noted for its soft beaches and warmer temperatures. Huron I only got to see little bit so someday I will say more about it. The drive from Copper Harbor to Munising was very beautiful. The trees here were almost at their peak and the weather was glorious. Take the time to visit some of the Michigan rest areas - this state has done it right. They are often are on very scenic spots and are frequent and well maintained. Taking a walk can lead to a waterfall or lake vista. There are plenty of cozy little towns to meander as well so take the time to stop. Remember it’s the journey not the destination when RVing.

Munising is noted for its Pictured Rocks, Grand Island National Recreation areas, waterfalls and trees. Very pretty area. We stayed right on the shores of Lake Superior at the municipal park ( water and electric only). The weather took a turn for the worse for a few days. We were hoping to take a boat tour of the cliffs but the weather did not cooperate. Oh well – we still did some drives and a few hikes. The trees inland were much more colorful then the ones close to water. Very lush forests and waterfalls near the shores.

Next it was time to move on to Mackinaw and the shores of Lake Michigan and Huron. We originally were thinking about seeing the Tahquamenon Falls but needed to start heading south to meet up with family in two weeks. We went straight to the Mackinaw area.
Let me clear it up – something that has been a mystery to me. How exactly is it spelled and how do you say it? You will see the great Mackinac Bridge and Mackinac Island spelled one way and the town another. But rest assured they all are pronounced with a “naw” sound at the end. One is a French spelling “nac” and the other is the English “naw”.

We stayed at the KOA as opposed to one of the lake side RV parks in Mackinaw City because it had sewer and we planned on staying for few days. Glad we did, the trees were beautiful and there is a nice bike path and trail nearby. Mackinac Island is only accessible by ferry and they do not allow any motorized vehicles on the island. So you either have to walk, rent a bike or take horse drawn taxi. Very fun and it is filled with scenic Victorian era houses and more fudge shops than anywhere else per square mile. We waited for nice day weather wise and took the ferry over to the island. Jack and I had lunch on the island at the Grand Hotel and took carriage ride tour of the island. Very enjoyable but I suspect in midsummer the place would be a zoo! A little bit of a tourist trap but fun this time of year when the crowds weren’t too bad. I vaguely remember being in this area with my dad many many years ago when I was a little girl. It was fun to retrace some of my past.

Oh and how can one forget the famous bridge! Crossing it was a little tense with the Biff but we made it without falling off!

Copper and Gold

Copper, gold, orange and red! The trees have started showing their glory! The next week we spent exploring the Keweenaw Peninsula. It is an area filled with history, great views, and trees! And copper! Copper has been mined here by native and some say even pre-historic peoples. It is truly a beautiful and interesting area. We even purchased a few pieces of the raw mined copper - pieces of art in their own natural state.

We stayed a few days in Houghton at the municipal City RV Park. It was right on the canal with free wifi, cable, full hookups and a really good price. It has a good central location to explore the peninsula. There is a pretty circle drive you can take around the whole peninsula as well many interesting stopping points. This area has many old copper mines and lighthouses.

We drove all the way up to Copper Harbor which is at the very northern tip. We decided to come back and stayed three days up there as well. Very small town but it hosts a lot of hiking and biking trails and one of the best restaurants (Harbor Haus) of the whole trip. It was quite the surprise- it didn’t look much from the outside. Very nice at sunset with large windows that look over Lake Superior and all the wait staff runs out and performs a little dance when the sunset cruise returns. Very fun!

We stayed at the Fanny Hooe RV Park on beautiful Lake Fanny Hooe – they do have some full hookups but there is also a state park nearby as well. The state park also has a restored fort worth visiting. Jack and I were walking around the grounds and saw this very large black and white bird with a red head - yup it was the famed Woody wood pecker. He is much bigger in real life - I tried to get his autograph and a good picture but they all turned out too blurry.

This time of year the crowds are gone and it was beautiful and relaxing. Did I say I really enjoyed this area? Oh – and I also got one great massage while I was there at the Spirit of the North.