Up to Yooper Land

On Wednesday we crossed the Mighty Mac and landed in the land of the Yoopers (i.e UPers, those of Michigan's upper peninsula). The Mackinac Bridge is a very impressive structure. We have crossed it three times now in the motor home and every time it was windy. I think it is always windy there. One of the two lanes was blocked, as it was the first two times we crossed, and we ambled over at a modest 25 mph. After a relatively short drive we landed at our camp Clementz's Northcountry Campground north of Newberry "the Moose Capital of Michigan". We had originally planned to stay at Tahquamenon Falls State Park. However, Michigan has a ridiculous policy regarding vehicle entry fees. To stay two nights at the state park would cost us: $23/night x2 (campsite fee) + $8 (reservation fee) + $8x2 (entry fee for car) + $8x2 (entry fee for coach) = $86. Now, we have heard that Tahquamenon Falls State Park is a very nice park, but come on! Instead we elected to stay at Clementz's Northcountry GC ($10 per night with our Passport America discount) and visit the park on a day pass ($8). After we visited the state park CG we agreed that the private CG was nicer and less crowded than the state park CG. The temperature plunged to below 48 degrees Wednesday night. After the scorching summer we have experienced, this felt downright cold!

On Thursday we toured the area, heading first to Whitefish Point and the Great Lakes Shipwreck Museum. Whitefish Point is known as the Graveyard of Ships because more ships have been lost here than anywhere else on Lake Superior. The museum memorializes many of the wrecks, including the Edmund Fitzgerald which sank off Whitefish Point in 1975. The Edmund Fitzgerald is the last of the wrecks on Superior. Presumably safer hull designs and improved navigational aids have resulted in safer passage through these treacherous waters. The very first vessel known to have sailed on Lake Superior, was also the first to perish and was named, ironically, "Invincible". I was particularly surprised at the number of wrecks that were the result of collisions with other vessels. Many occurred in good weather with excellent visibility. My favorite wreck was the "Myron". It went down in November 1919 in icy waters. As the ship was going down the captain ordered the crew to the lifeboats, but he elected to stay with the ship. Ironically, all crew members were lost, but the captain was saved the next day, 20 miles away, clinging to a section of the pilot house.

There is also a light house with an attached keeper's house at the point. The house is very unique as it is a duplex for the keeper and the assistant keeper. It is a two-story house, but split vertically down the middle. There is a single front door and single rear door, but there are separate interior doors which separate the two apartments. They share a common passage way to the light tower, which could be accessed without going outside.

In the afternoon we visited Tahquamenon Falls State Park. The Lower Falls is a series of falls, best viewed by taking a rowboat or a canoe several hundred yards to an island. Then you can walk the trails on the island and get a good look at the 1/2 dozen or so small waterfalls. The Upper Falls is four miles upstream and is much more impressive. It is 200' wide and plunges 50' and is claimed to be the largest falls east of the Mississippi River. I don't know exactly how they figure that. There are many falls in NC that are much taller. Maybe it's a volume flow thing. I assume Niagara Falls is #1. At the Upper Falls there is a reconstructed logging camp that is now a restaurant and the Taquamenon Falls Brewery. After a day of hard site-seeing it sounded pretty good, so we went in. Dorcas ordered Blueberry Ale, which was served with fresh blueberries floating on the surface. They didn't serve pitchers of beer, but would draw you a growler. Amazingly, you could drink your growler at the table and then take home the leftover. I ordered a growler of Blond Beaver Ale. Not bad. It is ironic that at NC State parks the rangers will come onto your campsite and pour out your beer, while a Michigan state park has a resident brew-pub. Go figure. I guess this partially negates their silly-ass entry fee policy.