Cruising Westward Across the UP

We departed Newberry Campground on Wednesday, August 18 and continued west through the UP along M-28.  The drive was scenic and uneventful. We traversed the so-called "Seney Stretch" a long section of M-28 that is as straight as an arrow with no curves for 20 miles.  Jeff Daniels describes the "Seney Stretch" as well as some other places in the eastern UP in this hilarious video, one of a series of videos he produced traveling in his RV in the UP in the dead of winter.  Jeff Daniels UP Tour Webisode #7 - Using The Facilities

Matilda can always tell when we are getting ready to roll and gives us this pitiful forlorn look.

As we approached Marquette, the largest city in the UP, Google Maps suggested bypassing the city on secondary roads to the south.  I vetoed Google Maps' suggestion; I remembered downtown Marquette as being rather quaint and scenic and had no problem enduring a little city traffic as we drove through town.  What I hadn't realized was the massive ongoing construction project and the numerous new roundabouts that had been built through town. Our rig abhors narrow construction corridors and tight traffic circles.  And it was a new route that bypassed that scenic downtown area, so all was for naught. While it was not the route we would have chosen if we had been aware, it was not the worst navigational mistake I have made in the last 24 hours (see previous post).

As we continued driving west from Marquette we met a notable number of Airsteams heading back to the east.  Had Wayne and Lynda passed us and doubled back?  I figured there was a rally somewhere. Sure enough, Dorcas looked online and found an Airstream rally was beginning this day in Marquette.

Airstreams galore

Note fishing pole with lure mail box

The first time we drove this highway in 2009 we broke down west of Marquette in front of Stump's Tavern, necessitating a 180 mile tow.  Stump was a grumpy soul, and I don't think he appreciated our rig parked in his parking lot and blocking his patrons for what turned out to be about 24 hours.  Like we had any choice and could just drive away. At that time Stump's Tavern was for sale, and we were curious if it was still there. When we passed we saw the building still existed, but it was now known as the Snowshoe Inn.  I hate change. 

The former Stump's Tavern

We had made a reservation at Munising Tourist Park for one night and had scored a prime waterfront site overlooking the Lake Superior shore. Our drive from Newberry to Munising was only 62 miles.  We arrived at camp very early in the day, in spite of additional construction delays in Munising, and we had plenty of time to enjoy this wonderful site. This park is one of many town and county parks throughout the UP that are very scenic and reasonably priced.  We had full hookups, meaning water, electricity and sewer were provided at the site.  With 50A service Dorcas could run both air conditioners, both water heaters, dry her hair, cook dinner and do laundry, all at the same time.  It was Heaven.  The rooftop satellite dish was blocked by a large pine tree, but I was able to acquire Dish Network using my backup portable dome.  The only negative was that we were at the far end of the campground and could not receive the complimentary WiFi.  However, our cellular signal was excellent, so all was good.

Our home: Site 79 at Munising Tourist Park

"Dorcas, turn around and enjoy the great view!"

As we travel around the country in our quest to find mild temperatures and fine weather, we often tell folks we follow the pollen season.  This is no more true than in Michigan's UP in late August. 

Goldenrod in full pollen bloom

We hated to leave Munising Tourist Park, but we had miles to go.  We took our time breaking camp and resumed our westward trek towards Minnesota. I had been pondering our fuel situation.  Diesel prices in the UP were out of sight, but I believed we had enough fuel to reach Superior WI, where diesel prices were about $0.40/gal cheaper.  But even though we could make it to Superior, our low fuel warning buzzer would sound off and make our lives miserable for the last hour or so.  Suddenly, a Mobil station appeared on the right that had posted prices about 10 cents cheaper than any other station we had seen in the past week.  By the time I made the decision to stop I was passing the station, and it would require a rather abrupt U-turn to enter the station from the other direction.  As Dorcas gouged holes in the dashboard with her toe nails, I went for it.

Will he make it???

We made the turn and pumped a few gallons. Watch the U-turn here:

Eventually, we arrived in Bessemer MI where we had called ahead and secured two nights at Alpine Campground.  When Dorcas had called she talked to "Inga", who had a heavy east European accent.  When I checked in I asked Inga where she was from and she replied "the Old Country".  I naively asked which old country that was, and she told me she was from Germany. 

I'm not sure what a "PULL TRU" is.  Must be a UP thing. 

My first impressions of Alpine Campground were mixed. Inga informed me that the WiFi was out of service due to a lightening strike.  The repairman was supposed to have come but didn't show.  The rate she charged was a few bucks higher than posted on their web site.  When I asked her about that she was vague and muttered something, perhaps in German, about electricity.  She went on to advise us to use the air conditioning sparingly due to electric company orders.  And then, when I whipped out my credit card, she told me she accepted cash or check only.  OK.  No WiFi, limited power; shades of Newberry Campground, where at least our plastic was good.  However, when Inga escorted us to the site, it was pleasant and situated on nice level grass, with no other campers nearby. 

Our home at Alpine Campground

The Alpine Campground in on the banks of the Black River, which flows out of Wisconsin, then north about 14 miles and empties into Lake Superior.  The Black River National Scenic Byway runs from near our camp though the Ottawa National Forest to Black River Harbor Recreation Area at the mouth of the river.  The river was running very low and it was very rocky and not suitable for paddling, but there were several significant waterfalls along the way, so we made a road trip on our layover day.

We drove north to the end of the road at Black River Harbor and made that our first stop, then doubled back to tour the waterfalls.  

Black River harbor is the only boat harbor operated by the USFS

The Nancy Jean served the Black River Harbor fishing fleet until the 1930s and was one of the last fishing vessels operating in the area.  It was found abandoned nearby and restored and placed on display here.

Black River Harbor

More goldenrod.  Ahh Chuuu!

The beach at Black River Harbor

210 foot bridge over the Black River just above the harbor

The steps to Sandstone Falls were steep up and down, and steep side to side

Sandstone Falls

Sandstone Falls

Sandstone Falls

Sandstone Falls

Potawatomi Falls

Potawatomi Falls

The Black River gorge carves its way through conglomerate formations.  This conglomerate consists of sandstone filled with small igneous rocks. This conglomerate is very difficult and hazardous to walk on!  The small stones are slick and break out very easily!

Conglomerate Falls

Black River

Along the Black River road was the Copper Peak Ski Flying Complex.  We declined their offer to ride up the lift to the top of the mountain and tour the jump for $25.00 each.

This is Big Powderhorn Mountain ski area.  Doesn't look like much of a vertical drop from here.  I would hate to see Little Powderhorn Mountain!  Perhaps there is more to it than we could see. On their web site they claim 9 lifts, 45 trails and 622 feet vertical drop. And they typically get 17 feet of natural snowfall each winter.  That's not too shabby. 

Michigan has a very strong bottle bill.  Ten cents are collected for each beverage bottle sold.  The bottles can then be redeemed at grocery stores for cash or credit. When we go to Michigan we avoid buying deposit beverages in the state, and carry in as many empty bottles from out of state as we can, for redemption there.  It could be a lucrative cottage industry. We sell cans for diesel!  

In an episode of Sienfeld, Newman and Kramer execute "The Michigan Bottle Scam". You can view a clip HERE.

On Saturday August 21 we departed Alpine Campground and Bessemer MI and continued west towards Duluth MN.  Within about 15 minutes we crossed into Wisconsin. 

Wisconsin is glad to see us

When we drive through Ashland WI, we love to stop at the Northern Great Lakes Visitor Center just west of town. The facility is operated jointly by the US Forest Service, National Park Service, US Fish & Wildlife Service, Wisconsin Historical Society, UW-Madison Extension, and the Friends of the Center Alliance, Limited.  It has many interesting exhibits, murals and trials and an observation tower atop the building,  

Not my photo: lifted from NGLVC web site

There is plenty of RV parking at the NGLVC in Ashland WI

\

DANG!!!!!

Crossing the St. Louis River into Minnesota

Minnesota is glad to see us too.

On Saturday afternoon, after cruising only 117 miles, we checked in at Lakehead Boat Basin, a favorite stop for us when passing through Duluth.  Stay tuned for an important and significant trip update!!!

Paddle Two Hearted River and the Canoe Shuttle From Hell

The best laid plans of men are often thwarted.  That is certainly no more true than when paddling a remote wilderness river.  This is a rather long post filled with tales of misadventure and woe.  If you make it to the end of this tale, I don't think you will be disappointed.

The Two Hearted River is a world class trout stream and was made famous in Ernest Hemingway's Nick Adams stories (although most sources suggest he was really describing the near-by Fox River).  The river flows almost parallel to the Lake Superior shore before finally emptying into the lake. 

We have paddled the Two Hearted River twice before.  On the first occasion we were traveling alone in 2013, as we are on this trip, which can make the shuttle a challenge.  On that trip I dropped Dorcas and the gear at the put-in, drove to the take-out and hitched a ride back.  That's the short version.  You can read all the gory details of the shuttle for that trip HERE. 

Location of the Two Hearted River

On this trip we had a similar plan: drop Dorcas and the gear at the put-in at Reed and Green Bridge, drive to the take-out at the Mouth of the Two Hearted Campground on Lake Superior and, in this case, bike about 10.5 miles back to the put-in.  Simple right?  What could go wrong?  

It was a beautiful day, and the drive to the put-in was uneventful, along wide graded gravel roads. When I arrived, unloaded the bike and prepared to ride I discovered a problem with the bike.  After fiddling with the bike for about 15 minutes, I was forced to accept that it would not go on this day.  I won't say now what was wrong with the bike.  I am starting a new contest called "Guess the Bike Malfunction".  Post your guesses as an online comment to this post, and I will announce a winner in the next week or so.  Stay tuned. 

Now back to our regularly scheduled fiasco.  My first reaction was to say screw it and drive back to the put-in, collect Dorcas and the gear, and go home for an early happy hour.  Dorcas had not been keen on paddling this day anyway; that would probably make her happy and be right with Karma.  I got into the car and began to leave, but, at the last moment I decided to drive around the campground loops and see if I could find another paddling party that might be willing to drive me up to the bridge.  No success.  I then drove up to the Rainbow Lodge which has provided canoe shuttles in the past.  The door to the lodge was locked and no one seemed to be home.  I then saw two women walking towards a barn, and I headed over to talk to them. When I got to the barn they seemed to have disappeared, but I finally found them behind the barn taking a smoke break.  I explained my dilemma, that I needed a ride to Reed and Green Bridge.  They told me Richard, the lodge owner, sometimes does that, but he was gone, but that he should be back soon.  They suggested that one or the other of the two campground hosts might be able to help, so I headed back down the hill to the campground.  

At the first host site I talked to a young lady who said she'd be happy to help.  But wait, on second though, her husband was gone, she didn't know the way to the bridge, she was actually on duty and her toddler was giving her fits.  Maybe she couldn't help after all.  She suggested I talk to Ken, the other camp host, who was not on duty this day.  I drove to Ken's site, and found him standing outside his trailer.  As I walked over to speak to him a large limb fell from a tree and landed 4 feet in front of me.  Was this another omen???  I should have just walked away. Ken was hard of hearing and loved to talk ... and talk, and talk and talk.  I was eventually able to explain what I wanted, and he suggested I talk to Richard at the lodge.  Done that.  He also mentioned another outfitter back in Newberry, a one hour drive back to town.  He produced a map and showed me how to find the outfitter and how to get back to the bridge (I already knew that!) and began sharing a plethora of other useless information. Time was running out; it was not a short paddle, and if I couldn't find a ride soon, I would have to give up.  About that time Ken said he didn't usually do this, but he would be willing to drive my car back to the put-in and return it to the take-out.  Not an ideal plan; I had hoped he would drive me up in his truck.  He spent another 10 minutes telling me how that would all work, and where he would hide the key.  He then said he needed to turn some things off in the camper and lock up.  I think this is the slowest individual I have ever met.  I tried to politely move him along, but everything I said seemed to distract him and slow him down.  Remember when I said time was running out?  OK, we're about ready to go when a patrolling Luce County Sheriff's deputy drives by.  Ken says the deputy is his best buddy and stops him to say hello.   They chatted for a while, and it is obvious Deputy is trying to find a way to escape too.  In the meantime I'm tapping my foot and looking at my watch.  Finally Deputy says he needs to head over to Muskallonge Lake State Park and continue his patrol.  That's when a bell went off in my head. I knew that Muskallonge Lake was beyond Reed and Green Bridge, and Deputy would likely be driving directly by our put-in.  So, I asked if he was able to give me a ride and he quickly said yes.  That gave us both a chance to bolt and escape from Ken. Ironically, Ken seemed disappointed I had found another ride. I'm not sure if it was because we were all leaving and he would have no one to talk to, or if he realized that he may have lost the fat gratuity he would have gotten for taking me to the put-in.  You snooze, you loose. I jumped into Deputy's truck, and we split in a cloud of dust.

OK, we're off, and life is good again!  We'll be on the river in no time!  But wait, about a mile from the Mouth of the Two Hearted we approach a man walking along the road.  He flags the deputy over and, of course the deputy stops to see what the problem is. Oh Crap!!!!  It turns out that this Poor Soul had gone off the main road and gotten stuck in the soft sand on one of the ATV paths.  I think "What an idiot". (Spoiler alert: this is foreshadowing). Poor Soul couldn't accurately describe where his car was, but he had probably walked more than a couple of miles.  Thankfully for me, Deputy said he couldn't pull him out, but he could radio for a tow truck (there was no cellular service here).  The problem was Poor Soul couldn't say exactly where his car was stuck.  About this time Richard (remember Richard of the Rainbow Lodge?) comes by and stops.  It is agreed that Richard would take Poor Soul back to the Rainbow Lodge, and Deputy would send the tow truck there.  Then the tow truck driver would take Poor Soul back to his car and free it, if they could find it.

OK, crisis solved and Deputy and I are back on the road.  Deputy was very interesting, and we had a nice chat.  He is one of the few people I have talked to outside of Minnesota that knows of the Boundary Waters.  He had taken his family to Colorado a few years back and had done some whitewater rafting.  He and his wife would be retiring in a few months, and he had bought an RV and planned to spend the coming winter in Arizona.  In no time at all we were at the put-in, now running only about a hour behind schedule.  I offered Deputy some money, but as I expected, he declined.  I said he could take something to put into the collection plate at his church or something for the children or another charity, but he still declined.  Dorcas was already worried because I was late, but she really panicked when she saw me arrive in a Sheriff's truck.  She rushed up and began asking about a hundred questions all at once.  I told her that everything was fine, that it was a long story, and that I would tell her the whole tale when we got on the river.  

Dorcas waiting not so patiently at the put-in

It was a beautiful day and a wonderful river.  The water level was low, and we had to maneuver to avoid numerous gravel bars and fallen trees. 

Lunch stop

A friend joined us for lunch

We saw a bit of fall color

Towards the end of the run the woods gave way to more open terrain featuring high sand bluffs

Wilderness rivers present a number of types of hazards

After about 4 hours and 11.5 miles we passed the bridge at the Mouth of the Two Hearted Campground signifying the end of our trip.

The mouth of the Two Hearted

Our route

The Chapel of the Two Hearted

When we paddled the Two Hearted River the first time in 2013 the chapel had been destroyed in a recent fire, and some folks were rebuilding it.  In fact these folks shuttled us back to our car.

The Rainbow Lodge had also been destroyed in that previous fire.  Here is the re-built lodge. 

OK the paddle is over, the boat and the gear are loaded and the only thing between us and happy hour is a moderately short ride down well-graded gravel USFS roads.  What could go wrong????

Since I had hitched a ride back to the put-in earlier, there was no reason to drive back there to pick up the bike.  Consequently, we could drive directly back to camp.  I knew there was a good road that turned left and south a few miles ahead that, would take us directly to M-123 a major paved road.  However, we didn't come in that way, so I didn't know if I would recognize it when we came to it.  I love Google Maps and have come to depend on it regularly, but it is not infallible and should not replace common sense.  I knew that this part of Hiawatha National Forest was extensively criss-crossed with sandy, rutted pig paths, made for ATVs, where one could get stuck.  Remember Poor Soul?  I'm not that guy, right?  Well, as we are driving along a perfectly fine well-graded, hard-packed road, Google Maps suggested I take a left fork.  I was looking for a left turn anyway, and before consciously thinking it through, I took it.  Bad plan!!!  I immediately realized it was a mistake, but it was too late.  The surface immediately turned soft and rutted;  I couldn't turn around, and the only choice was to keep up as much speed as possible and hope we made it out alive. My thoughts went back to Poor Soul, and I desparately didn't want to be that guy.  If we got stuck I'm not sure we would be as lucky as he was to find a deputy to radio for help.

This image shows the fine well-graded hard-packed road we should have stayed on

This video shows the ill-fated left turn:

There were some bumps, but I dared not slow down. We were slipping and sliding and clawing for every bit of traction we could get.  Dorcas was screaming words I didn't think she knew. 

The roads continued to degrade, and we continued to take numerous forks without the luxury of stopping to think where they went. When would it end?

And then we were in the trees.

After what seemed like forever we finally found our way back onto the main bad road.

We finally found our way to M-123, the paved highway that would take us home.  As far as could tell no damage had been done.  We stopped in Newberry at Seder's Pizza for some subs and a take-out pizza.  As much as I had trashed Newberry Campground in my last post, I sure was glad to see it now.  Now it was time for an adult beverage or three. 

This picture is from 2014 after paddling the Two Hearted with Wayne and Lynda.

Can you believe it?  They named a river after a beer???

The life of a wilderness paddler and a silly RVer is not for the faint of heart. Life is good again ... I think.