Day 12 - July 8th

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Day 12 - July 8, 2013



Today’s journey takes us from Duluth through the Upper Peninsula (UP) of Michigan, skipping along the southern edge of Lake Superior and into Sault Ste. Marie.

For the most part, the highway was two lane with occasional passing lanes added. It wasn’t as bad as it sounds since traffic is minimal, albeit much heavier now than five or six months from now. The landscape is rolling with both lakes and higher mountains visible through the conifer forests that line the road.

We don’t mind driving long distances so sitting in the car watching the countryside pass our windows is a pleasure. However, we always make it a habit to stop and do something to get our muscles moving. We look forward to it and doctors highly recommend doing so. It just so happens that the area around Ironwood, MI is noted for its waterfalls. There are five located off of one road so we thought we’d take this opportunity to stretch our legs and see a few waterfalls.

We found the parking area for the first waterfall and pulled into an empty spot. As we opened the door, three mosquitoes flew in – an omen of things to come. As we headed down the trail we noticed a sign stating the waterfalls was ¾ of a mile down the trail, a bit farther than we expected, but we’ve hiked much farther before. By the way, when I say we headed “down” the trail, I mean that literally. The path descended rather quickly into the woods. It had just rained so the dirt path was slippery, as Jill soon discovered. I opted for hiking boots, whereas Jill, thinking it would be an easy walk, decided her flip-flops were good enough. After about 100 yards down the wet, almost slimy path, Jill lost her footing and down she went. I looked back and she’s cleaning tiny bits of gravel and mud from her scratched and bleeding knee. I went back to help her, but she waved me off, got up, and continued her trek toward the falls we could now hear roaring in the distance.

We picked our steps more carefully as the path got steeper. After walking through the woods about 15 minutes we were at the falls. Recent rains had the water level high and the falls were roaring with the high water the stream was now carrying.

We soon realized the spot where we were standing at the top of the falls was swarming with mosquitoes. I was killing them three at a time, trying to get them off my legs. We took a few pictures and quickly got out of there.

We pushed back up the path quickly and seemed to reach the car faster than we got to the falls. Out of breath, we didn’t waste any time getting back into the safety of the closed car, and as soon as we got rid of the three mosquitoes that came when got out, we headed down the road. We unanimously voted not to hike to any more falls!

On the way down the road that leads to the falls, we noticed a tall structure jutting out of the trees. It was curious since this structure was not vertical, but closer to 45 degrees. As we were heading back to Ironwood, we decided to investigate this structure.

The structure we found, it turns out, is extremely unique and sadly also a dinosaur. We found Copper Peak. This inimitable structure is a “ski flying” hill. It is the only ski flying hill in the Western Hemisphere. Unfortunately, the last competition held here was in 1994 as it no longer conforms to regulations of the governing body (FIS). There is good news however on two different fronts. Firstly, the hill has currently been repurposed. It is now a three-season tourist attraction called “Action Rides”. Visitors have the opportunity to ride the chairlift to the top of the hill then also can ride the elevator to the top of the ski jump for an unrivaled view of up to 85 miles. Secondly, it is said that investors have been secured to modify the hill to bring it into conformity with current international regulations. What a boon that would be for the people and businesses of Ironwood.

Speaking of businesses in Ironwood, I’d like to give a shout-out to the folks at “Our Daily Bread”. This mom and pop bakery, trying to make it in a small town, has added sandwiches to their offerings. We ate lunch here and the sandwiches (subs/hoagies) were delicious, and filling. I’ve always said the bread makes the sandwich and this bread was terrific!

After this (late) lunch, we continued our eastward trek. After a couple of hours we made a planned stop in Marquette. Why stop here? Marquette is he home of Northern Michigan University. For those of you that are not hockey fans, NMU is a relatively small school, yet consistently is found in the NCAA national hockey championship final-four against such schools as Yale, Harvard, Boston College, and similar schools. Go Wildcats!

Who can resist an old fashioned ice cream parlor? This truly olde-time establishment was a real find. “Frosty Treats” offers, fresh fudge, hand-dipped ice cream, and phosphates, when was the last time you saw phosphates on the menu?

OK, back on the road for the last leg of the day, destination Sault Ste. Marie. Did you ever wonder where the name Sault Ste. Marie came from? Well, I did. “Sault” is a French word for a small waterfall or rapids. So latterly the name means St. Mary Rapids. The St. Mary River connects Lake Superior and Lake Huron, a distance of about 75 miles.

Thanks for reading,

Don and Jill

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Photos

Swollen River
Looking upstream before the waterfalls

Copper Peak
Here the scale of the ski flying hill is apparent.

Marquette iron ore loading dock
Now obsolete, this dock once loaded ships with iron ore to be transported across the lakes.

A smiling Jill
Despite a bleeding knee and swarming mosquitoes.

Copper Peak
Sign at base of ski lift