Ely!!!

We pulled into Ely MN about 2:00 PM on Monday August 19. Ely is one of our favorite places.  Our drive from northern Wisconsin was 175 miles and uneventful. We stopped in Virginia MN for groceries and lunch.  When we arrived at Fall Lake Campground the manager came out to greet us. We have been here so many times they remember our names from year to year.

We spent an hour or so poking around the shops in town, but mainly we did internet chores and organized and packed for our Boundary Waters canoe trip.

Our camp at Fall Lake

Probably the most excitement we had was watching the Franklin's ground squirrels. For some reason they were much more abundant than in years past.  They were bold and curious.  Obviously they were used to being fed.  They entertained Matilda to no end.

Franklin's ground squirrel

Dorcas and Matilda at the Fall Lake boat ramp 

Happy hour at the campfire is a tradition

We will put in on Thursday August 22 at Moose Lake and stay in for 14 days.  This will be basically the same trip we did 2 years ago.  That year, Dorcas and I went by ourselves, but this year Wayne and Lynda are back with us.  To read about that trip in 2017 click HERE.

We should be in for some nice crisp fall weather.

During the next 2 weeks we will be incommunicado. If you leave us a message, we will get it about September 5.  BON VOYAGE!!!!

Northern Wisconsin

While paddling on the Au Train River it occurred to us that we would be moving the next day, but had no definite home for the next three nights before our reservation in Ely MN. The next night was a Friday, and it is always scary trying to find a new home on a weekend.  We wanted to be somewhere between Ashland and Iron River in Wisconsin so we could paddle the Boise Brule River.  While on the river, Lynda told us she had inquired about Twin Bear Campground operated by Bayfield County, but they were full up for the weekend.  However, the lady had also told Lynda they had another campground nearby, Delta Lake that did have space. We stopped on the side of river and made the call.  Ultimately, we scored 2 adjacent sites at Delta Lake Campground.

The badger: Wisconsin's official mascot

We departed Christmas MI on a rainy Friday morning and drove 244 miles to Delta Lake Campground east of Iron River WI. While passing through Ashland we spotted a station selling diesel for $2.899, which was a nickel or 2 cheaper than anything we had seen since leaving Ohio, so we stopped and pumped 84 gallons.

We really hadn't expected Delta Lake to be a great park, but I was mildly surprised.  Our 2 sites were really more like one one large double site with lots of grass.  The voltage on our pedestal was good (rare at small public parks) and the internet service was outstanding.  Usually internet at parks like this is very slow, with a weak signal, if it even exists at all.

Camp Delta Lake

The weather had improved and the rain had stopped when we arrived at camp.  The forecast for the next day was excellent, so we decided we would take a cruise through the Apostle Islands National Lakeshore. Dorcas went online using our superfast internet and bought us tickets for the 10:00 tour the next morning.

Gull's eye view of camp

Bayfield Commercial Fisherman's Memorial

Our boat, the Archipelago 

Waiting to board the Archipelago

Captain Zack

There are two abandoned brownstone quarries in the Apostle Islands. Stone was mined, cut and shipped all across the midwest for building.

Brownstone blocks

Devil's Island is the northernmost post in Wisconsin.

Devil's Island Light Tower

Lighthouses of the Apostle Islands

Wayne complained about not being able to see anything. Go figure

Cranberry Island Lighthose

Our cruise was about 50 miles

After the cruise we had a nice lunch at the Copper Trout and then visited the Bayfield Maritime Museum. At the Maritine Museum they had 5 live sea lampreys in a tank.  Sea lampreys are invasive and parasitic and entered the Great Lakes from the St. Lawrence Seaway  By the 1940s lampreys had decimated the lake trout and whitefish populations.  Today lamprey populations have been reduced due to the use of lampricides to kill larval lampreys and the use of barriers and traps to prevent spawning in creeks.  The lake trout and whitefish populations have significantly recovered.

Finally we visited the Apostle Island National Lakeshore headquarters and visitor center so Wayne could buy some patches, and we could get our National Park Passport books stamped.  The headquarters has 2 RV overnight parking spaces in their parking lot. In September 2013 we camped here. The price was normally $8.00 per night, but with our senior's discount it was $4.00.

File photo from 2013

On Monday we move to Ely MN!!!!

Paddling in the UP: Manistique and Au Train Rivers

On Wednesday August 14 we paddled the Manistique River. It was a great day for paddling, sunny and mild. The Manistique passes through the Seney National Wildlife Refuge, and there is no development along the river.  We put in at a highway roadside park at the MI 77 bridge near Germfask and took out at Mead Creek Campground in the Michigan State Forest.

The put-in for the Manistique is about 45 miles east of our camp in Christmas. We doubled back east on MI 28 and enjoyed a fine breakfast buffet at Dogpatch Restaurant in Munising before continuing to the river.

I have the least best view of the river than anyone in our boat

Lynda making a fine draw around a stump

Taking a stretch on the Manistique

White-tailed deer on the Manistique

What are you looking at?

Trumpeter swan at Seney NWR

Checking out the visitor center Seney NWR

The next day we paddled on the Au Train River, only about 6 miles west of camp. The Au Train is unique in that you can paddle an 8 mile section of river, but the road shuttle is only 1.2 miles, because of the way the river meanders.  A few years ago we paddled this river and were by ourselves, and Dorcas walked the shuttle with Matilda.   Today we put in at the bridge just below Au Train Lake and took out at the mouth of the river on Lake Superior.

Put-in on the Au Train River

Passing a beaver hut

Ducks on the river

Checking out the lilies

Lunch break

Approaching the take-out at Lake Superior

Tomorrow we continue westward into Wisconsin.

Photo of the Week -Trumpeter Swans

We drove through the Seney National Wildlife Refuge and stopped at the visitor center.  There we found a pair of trumpeter swans on the pond near the parking lot.  I couldn't decide which of these 2 photos I liked the best, so I posted them both.

I watched these guys for about 10 minutes and never saw both of them with with their heads out of the water at the same time.  It reminded me of the proverbial ostriches with their heads stuck in the sand.

About that time some idiot's car alarm went off, and both swans raised their heads to see what the ruckus was about.  So I snapped this shot.  This was just after Dorcas had gotten tired of waiting for me and had gone back to the car to wait.   We had left Matilda in the car with the windows down and doors locked.  Dorcas had reached through the window and unlocked the door from the inside.  That is when we first realized the Pilot even had an alarm.

Michigan's Upper Penisula

On Tuesday we crossed the Mackinaw Bridge, the "Mighty Mac". The Mackinaw Bridge crosses the Straits of Mackinac and connects Michigan's lower and upper peninsulas.  The Mac is a very impressive structure.  It was completed in 1957 and is 4.995 miles long.  It has the longest span between anchorages of any suspension bridge in the Western Hemisphere, and the total shore-to-shore distance is 5 miles. The maximum clearance to the water below is 155 feet. Driving across the bridge is a little daunting. The bridge authority provides a service for those psychologically unable to drive their vehicle across the bridge.

Crossing he Mighty Mac

Mackinac Island from the bridge

I happen to be a bridge nut.  I chose to become a civil engineer because of my fascination with bridges.  However, after taking my first course in structures at NC State, my desire to design bridges was diminished.  Consequently, I changed my specialty to environmental engineering.  So bear with me as I indulge:

Facts and figures (Ref: Wikipedia):

The Mackinac Bridge is currently a toll bridge on Interstate 75 (I-75). Prior to the coming of I-75, the bridge carried US Highway 27 (US 27). It is one of only three segments of I-75 that are tolled, the others being the American half of the International Bridge near Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan, and Alligator Alley in Florida. The current toll is $4.00 for automobiles and $5.00 per axle for trucks.^[3] The Mackinac Bridge Authority raised the toll in 2007 to fund a $300 million renovation program, which would include completely replacing the bridge deck.^[20]

Every Labor Day, the bridge is open to walkers for the Mackinac Bridge Walk.

Painting of the bridge takes seven years,^[21] and when painting of the bridge is complete, it begins again. The current painting project began in 1999 and was expected to take 20 years to complete because the lead-based paint needs to be removed, incurring additional disposal requirements.^[22][23]

The bridge celebrated its 150 millionth vehicle crossing on September 6, 2009.^[24]

• Length from cable bent pier to cable bent pier: 7,400 feet (2,256 m).^[1]
• Total width of the roadway: 54 feet (16.5 m)^[1]
  • Two outside lanes: 12 feet (3.7 m) wide each^[1]
  • Two inside lanes: 11 feet (3.4 m) wide each^[1]
  • Center mall: 2 feet (0.61 m)
  • Catwalk, curb and rail width: 3 feet (0.91 m) on each side
• Width of stiffening truss in the suspended span: 68 feet (20.7 m).^[1]
• Depth of stiffening truss: 38.1 feet (11.6 m)^[2][1]
• Height of the roadway at mid-span: approximately 200 feet (61 m) above water level.^[1]
• Vertical clearance at normal temperature:
  • 155 feet (47 m) at the center of the main suspension span.^[1]
  • 135 feet (41 m) at the boundaries of the 3,000 feet (914 m) wide navigation channel.^[1]
• Construction cost: $99.8 million (equivalent to $696 million in 2018^[12])^[1]
• Height of towers above water: 552 feet (168 m)^[1]
• Max. depth of towers below water: 210 feet (64 m)^[1]
• Depth of water beneath the center of the bridge, 250 feet (76 m)^[1]
• Main cables:
  • Number of wires in each cable: 12,580^[1]
  • Diameter of each wire: 0.196 inches (0.498 cm)^[1]
  • Diameter of each cable: 24.5 inches (62.23 cm)^[1]
  • Total length of wire in main cables: 42,000 miles (68,000 km).^[1]
• Total vehicle crossings, 2005: 4,236,491 (average 11,608 per day)
• Speed limit: 45 miles per hour (72 km/h) for passenger cars, 20 miles per hour (32 km/h) for heavy trucks. Heavy trucks are also required to leave 500 feet (150 m) spacing ahead.

The Mackinac Bridge looking back from the UP

After crossing the bridge we turned west onto US 2, then north on MI 77, and west on MI 28 to Munising, along the so-called Seney Stretch. The actor Jeff Daniels is from Michigan and is also a musician and an RVer. Several years ago he produced a series of hilarious videos while driving his RV to various venues in the UP on a winter concert tour. One of the segments involved using the RV facilities while driving the Seney Stretch.  Click HERE to view this video.

Finally we arrived in Christmas MI and parked at the Kewadin Casino. The Kewadin Casino has 13 free RV sites with 50 amp power.  Sweet!  We have stayed here several times before, and we know these free sites fill quickly.  But today we were lucky and secured a nice site. There is a very nice National Forest campground, Bay Furnace  directly across the highway, but it was full up.  Our friends Wayne and Lynda managed to snag the next-to-last site at Bay Furnace.

Camp Kewadin

We had happy hour with Wayne and Lynda and then a nice dinner at Foggy's Bar and Steakhouse, just across the road.  Now that we have caught up with Wayne and Lynda, we plan to do some serious paddling in the UP

Our weather has been great on this trip.  When we left NC it was hot and humid with temps in the 90s. Miserable. Since entering Michigan the high temps have been in the low 70s, with lows in the 50s. Driving conditions have also been ideal, with minimal winds, headwind or otherwise.  Consequently, our fuel mileage has averaged about +9.5 mpg, which is a pretty good number for us.

I expect we will spend about 3 nights at Camp Kewadin.

Mackinaw City

On Monday we departed Ohio and entered Michigan. We pretty much ripped through lower Michigan with just a few rest breaks. While driving north through Michigan 3 river otters crossed the road in front of us.

Take my word for it ... there are 3 river otters scurrying across the road

We arrived in Mackinaw City (the tip of the mitt) in late afternoon.  There we settled in at the Odawa Casino for a night of free camping.

Camp Odawa Casino

Mackinaw City is on the Straits of Mackinac where Lake Michigan and Lake Huron join and is at the southern end of the Mackinac Bridge. Note that the spelling of the city and the geographical features are different, but they are all pronounced the same, with a silent "c".  Mackinaw City is said to be the most popular tourist city in the state of Michigan.

We explored town for a while before sunset.  We had fish and chips at Scalawags White Fish and Chips and bought an obscene quantity of fudge at Joann's Fudge.

Old Mackinac Point Lighthouse

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Kinda makes us feel a little homesick...

Mackinac Bridge from Mackinaw City

I'll speak more on the Mackinac Bridge in my next post.