Blogs from Michigan, United States, North America - page 7

Today, our plan was to drive through Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore on our way to Copper Harbor. We hit a few snags with Google Maps and ended up bypassing the national lakeshore, and I didn’t realize it until we were on the western end of it. We opted to drive into the area to see a few sites on the western side before turning around and heading back out the way we came in. We stopped first at Munising Falls, which is a nice stop for a road trip. It’s easy to park, use restrooms, and take a stroll up to the water falls. It’s shaded and beautiful. From there, we drove to Miners Castle. It's a rock formation that's stunning against the beach and colorful rocks below. If you've ever seen advertisements for Pictured Rocks, ... read more

We've had fun camping at our KOA, and the kids got to do fun activities like pan for gems & gold, ride a "train," play oversized chess, and watch family movies. Still, we're looking forward to a real bed tonight at our inn at Mackinac Island. We set out early and opted to take the more scenic route through the state. We drove through forest and along lake shores. We were charmed by the little town of Charlevoix. We giggled at the next town, Bay Harbor, that seemed very elite and had a country club, equestrian club, yacht club, and golf club all in a row. There were a number of Victorian homes along our drive, and homes overflowing with flowers. We passed countless numbers of cherry orchards. In all, we were enchanted by this stretch ... read more

Isle Royale, Houghton, Michigan We were up early again on our third day at Isle Royale - I couldn’t miss my free breakfast. (OK, pre-paid breakfast is more like it.). And we had another full day of hiking planned for us. Weather was a bit uncertain, but we decided that even if it did rain, it wouldn’t be a downpour and we wouldn’t melt. So, dressed in layers, we were going to hike, rain or shine. The day before we headed northeast up to the point of the little peninsula that Rock Harbor is on. This isn’t a huge chunk of the island, by any means, but as I indicated yesterday, unless you are prepared to do some serious backpacking, wilderness camping, and/or boating, then there are going to be limits to how much you will ... read more

We left Chesterton, Indiana for the next stop on our Great Lakes Vacation: Traverse City, Michigan. While it's not on the lake, it was the closest campground we could find to Sleeping Bear Dunes! On our drive, we stopped for lunch in Holland, Michigan, and we decided to take our food to Holland State Park. We didn't realize there'd be a beach there! The cost was $9 for a non-resident day pass, and it came with access to bathrooms, showers, and changing rooms. The picnic tables were shaded and readily available. We ate our "picnic" there (Wendy's), and then walked along the beach and the pier. The beach was a popular destination for families and sunbathers. The shoreline was full of colorful umbrellas and towels. Our kids wanted to swim, but we just didn't have the ... read more

Keweenaw National Historical Park, Calumet, Michigan We completed our survey of this park yesterday by driving back down the thirty miles or so to Calumet, Michigan. We took a slightly different path this time, taking 26 over to Eagle Harbor instead of 41. Instead of going down the center of the peninsula, we skirted the northwestern shoreline. It was a cool drive because the fog covered Lake Superior, but ended right at the shoreline. So there was plenty of sun on the highway, but fifty feet into the lake was completely fog covered. Not sure I’ve seen such a distinct fog boundary like that before. And the fog was still there when we returned in the late afternoon. Eagle Harbor was an interesting port town too. It has a lighthouse which is available for tour, as ... read more