home from vacation

we got home from our week long vacation around Lake Superior last night. I have to say that this was not one of my favorite vacations but it was one that Bill has been dreaming about for years. we were never able to go for one reason or another especially last year when the gas prices were at their highest. so finally this was the year to go. On August 7th, we drove up to the Upper Peninsula of Michigan and started our trip as soon as we crossed the Mackinac Bridge. we drove to Manistique, Michigan on Lake Michigan and that's were we spent our first night.




Day 2, August 8
Pictured Rocks on the Lake Superior side of the UP.

Sable Falls
since part of the road through Pictured Rocks was closed, we had to drive back to the beginning and drive around and come back in from the other end. we debated whether to take the boat cruise and see the cliffs from the water or to walk to Chapel Beach which is suppose to be the most beautiful spot along the Pictured Rocks. we decided to take the 6 mile round trip hike to Chapel Beach. all we could think about along the hike was "this better be worth it" and it was.

Chapel Rock


we drove to Marquette, Michigan where we spent the night. we went into town hoping to find something to eat. it was Sunday evening and everything was closed. while driving around, we stumbled on the Superior Dome at Northern Michigan University. this was one of the main stops Bill wanted to make while in Marquette and luckily it was open so we could go inside. he was one of the structural engineers on this project while it was being built in 1991. he had to make a couple of trips while it was being built but was never able to get up there to see it finished.
he's very proud of having a part in getting this dome built as it's the world's largest wooden dome.

Day 3, August 9
we drove though Hougton, Michigan and all the way to the tip of the UP (the rabbit ears) to Copper Harbor and then back down to Ironwood, Michigan where we spent the night. and seriously, you would think that with the hundreds of lighthouses Michigan has in this area that we would have been able to find more than one!

Day 4, August 10
we left Ironwood and drove through Wisconsin and into Minnesota. we spent the day at Canal Park in Duluth.


but the most amazing thing that happened that day was on our drive along the Minnesota coastline. as we were driving we noticed that to our right, out on Lake Superior, was a dark cloud even though where we were it was very sunny. I blinked and out of nowhere this appearedyou could actually see the end of the rainbow in the lake. it was so beautiful and amazing!

We finished our day at Grand Marais, Minnesota where we spent the night.

Day 5, August 11
we left the US and drove into Canada where we spent the night in Thunder Bay, Ontario

Day 6, August 12
continuing our drive along the Lake Superior coast, we stopped at Ouimet Canyon just pass Thunder Bay and Aguasabon River Gorge in Terrence Bay, Ontario where we stopped for the night



Day 7, August 13
our last day in Canada, but before entering the US in Sault Ste Marie, Michigan, we stopped in Wawa, Ontario to see two waterfalls.

The Scenic High Falls

and the Silver Falls we spent the night in Sault Ste Marie, Michigan and had dinner at Freighters. a great restaurant overlooking the Soo Locks.

it felt so good to be back in Michigan. Though the scenery in Canada was breathtaking with the high cliffs along Lake Superior, it was desolate and I wondered how people could live in these small towns. I suppose it's all what you're used to and I'm obviously a city girl. we saw very few motels and only one chain hotel between Thunder Bay, Ontario and Sault Ste Marie. It was conveniently the half way point and where we stayed for the night. We also had a hard time finding places to eat. Most towns had only one restaurant and if you blinked you missed it. We stopped in one place for lunch and all we could find was an ice cream stand so that's what we had for lunch.

Day 8, August 14
today we go home but first we make a stop at Tahquamenon Falls.