2026 Mchigan Trip, Day 7 - Relaxation Day

 Day 7, Thursday 17 September 2026 - Relaxation Day

In other words, I have essentially seen and done all on my list thus far, so I wandered a bit, took very few pictures, prep for two more intense days of sight-seeing and photography, and just relax.

I enjoyed (?) a quick waffle & eggs at a local cafe, then came back to the cabin with a chance to meet the owners; I had nothing bad to say. Then, I made a run to the large Lake View Cemetery to find where my Finnish ancestors are interred. Management is absent, so why not make a run to the lake and pick up rocks? Lake Superior has lots of pretty rocks and I doubt that it will run out of them for a few millennia, so I fill another small bag and take a picture of the light guarding this end of the Portage channel.

Back to the cemetery, staff still absent. Let’s top off the gas tank. Whoa! It’s $4.69/gallon, up 40 cents overnight. Sure glad my RAV-4 is getting 45 mpg!

I think I’ll run down to Houghton visit the rock museum – that’s rock as in minerals, not music. Too bad I forgot the brochure with its address. Guess I will settle for the Isle Royale National Park visitor center – I can find it, such as it is. The small room has 2 desks, one selling boat tickets for a trip to the island, the other selling t-shirts, etc. I buy a zip-up light hoodie. I am now fully equipped for winter.

I’ll return via Lake Linden. Ice is half price at a local grocery store, perhaps it’s on clearance? Then, why don’t I check out the museum run by the Historical Society? The docent tells me how to find Hungarian Falls. I fail to find it/them. I guess I’ll go up to Calumet & try the chicken salad croissant at Jen’s. Plenty of chicken, very little salad, and lots of squishiness.

Back at my room – I organize my suitcases for the return trip and test my loading plan (I got rid of those bug, space-taking pictures yesterday). It’ll work, and the clock hasn’t hit 4, so maybe another Bootjack run? Another stop in Lake Linden, this time for locally-made Jilbert ice cream. Then it’s a back road up the hill to Calumet & Kearsarge, finish the blog, and call it a night.

Tomorrow: Grand Marais (Michigan) via Pictured Rocks.

For the day: 84.2 miles, for the trip: 1330.3

2026 Michigan Trip, Day 6 - Genealogy Day

 Day 6, Wednesday 16 September 2026 - Genealogy Day

Today I set aside for some research, and maybe a pasty. I arose before my 0700 alarm, had a shower, checked emails, and headed for Lake Linden about 0800. I had breakfast at this cafe/soda fountain which looks much as it did when I first saw it in the early 1950s.

 

At 0900 I meet the staff at the Houghton County Historical Society and turn over the family & friend pictures I promised them. They, in turn, showed me where my relatives’ graves might be in the local Catholic cemetery. Sure enough, I found marked graves in two of the plots; the third stone was unreadable because it had once hosted a hornet nest, one that was destroyed by fire. This is a family group stone for my French Canadian 2G grandparents.

My next stop was Bootjack where my grandpa’s cottage was, to scatter my mother’s ashes in the lake near it. Then I walked up the road, talked to a neighbor doing some yard work, and with his assent, walked around the old cottage taking pictures.

Next stop - the area tourism visitor center and a nice chat with the young lady running it. I learned of the pasty house I need to visit. Alas, they only have fresh pasties on Thursday, and I wanted one today (so I’d have time to recover if alpha-gal reacted to the beef & pork in one). I end up taking a frozen one and cooking it in the very-efficient retro-looking microwave in my cabin. Turned out OK.

It was early yet, so I head for the beach to do some rock picking. En route, I stop at another cemetery to see if I could find my Finnish ancestors. It’s really large cemetery so I will need to find a caretaker to locate the graves. It does have a bronze, well-mustached Union soldier on its CW memorial.

They say one can see Isle Royale from this beach, Do you see it?

 

The art of rock picking is trying to keep your feet dry to grab that pretty one between rollers breaking at the beach. I don’t think sitting down will work too well.

After a nice visit with the staff at the Keweenaw National Historic Park, I’m back at my cabin.

Tomorrow: depending on weather, I may make another stab at the big cemetery, and/or visit a geology museum in Houghton.

For the day: 68.1 miles, for the trip: 1246.0

2026 Trip to Michigan, Day 5 - Around the Copper Country

 Day 5, Tuesday 15 September 2026 - Around the Copper Country

I got moving about 0600, not sure what I would do. It had rained overnight and was still cloudy, and the forecast said partly cloudy & lots of wind. I looked out the window, saw some blue sky, and said “Copper Harbor, here I come.”

I pull out at 0706, without breakfast, and head north on US-41. I pass through several small former-mining towns and past establishments like The Last Place on Earth and Prospectors’ Headquarters, then I turn off on questionably-maintained Cliff Drive. There once was a prosperous mine under these cliffs.

MI-26 takes me to Eagle River, once a shipping port for the Cliff Mine. A bridge gives me a decent view of Eagle River Falls.

Jacobs Falls is down the road a bit; I always associated them with the hymn.

One stretch of MI-26/Lakeshore Drive along Great Sand Bay has some pretty significant dunes, enough to require a stairway to access.

Eagle Harbor is well-protected by a line of rocks that leave break up storm waves. It also has a scenic lighthouse – I’m trying to find an ideal spot to shoot from, when a gentleman wearing a ‘Vet’ cap says, “follow me, I know the spot.” So I do, he is right.

We got to talking. Small World alert: He was a close friend of my two summer friends from almost 70 years ago! I dig out a few pictures I plan to donate to the local historical society, he tells me his son is an officer on a laker. He tells me one will pass in view shortly, so I head for Brockway Mountain Drive. The road is ill-maintained and I hurry carefully. I arrive, and there it is, MV American Century, a 10000 foot ore carrier. Picture time:

Enough of that gale force wind on the mountain top, I head down to Copper Harbor & Ft. WilkinsState Historic Site. It was established on 1842 to protect miners from each other and the Ojibwa (who were promptly relocated elsewhere). It’s nicely restored and well interpreted; even better in summertime when 1^st person living historians greet you.

I drive through Copper Harbor, noting that the Isle Royale Queen IV did not sail today – rough weather creates clean-up problems. A store advertises gear for Isle Royale hikers, and breakfast pasties. For non-Yoopers, a pasty is essentially a self-contained meat-and-potato pie and is the U.P.’s national dish. I get a veggie pasty while cursing that lone star tick. It’s good! I also pick up a fleece vest & a T-shirt while waiting.

That pasty is hot from the oven, so I drive to a little park in Lac La Belle to enjoy it after it’s cooled a bit. This is Haven Park, home of Haven Falls; it also has a picnic shelter named THE HeAven.

I’m now on the Gay-Lac la Belle Road along Keweenaw Bay’s shoreline. The water is rough, even in this relatively-sheltered bay.

The water glitters by act of sun and wind.

If your town is named “Gay” after some old mining exec, you have to have The Gay Bar.

I now head toward Lake Linden, but first I turn off on the Bootjack Road. I pass the Dreamland Hotel, a restaurant/bar long established even when I was a child in the ‘50s. I pull off in the boat launching area and look in the brush for foundations of my Grandpa’s cottage. Wait a minute! They didn’t take it! It’s still there, two lots away!

I stop at the HCHS Museum in Lake Linden to chat about my research visit tomorrow; a visit to the recently-accessible Houghton-Douglass Falls, highest in U.P., complete my day.

 

Tomorrow is breakfast at Lindell’s in Lake Linden and several hours of research in the morning; afternoon TBD.

For the day: 175 miles; for the trip: 1177.9

2026 Michigan Trip, Day 4 - Ironwood to Kearsarge

 Day 4, Monday 14 September 2026 - Ironwood to Kearsarge

Not a lot of writing, just a lot of pictures, mostly focusing on water. Here’s a Lake Suprior shoreline:

After the traditional QI waffle, I headed out 0705 CDT, temperature 37 degrees cold. I’m driving eastward on US-2, fighting that big orange ball again, but only for 11 miles. Then it’s northward on Presque Isle Road. This road leads me to a portion of the Porcupine Mountains WildernessState Park. I have a nice chat with the lady at the entrance gate as she convinces me to part with $42 for an annual pass good at any state park, equivalent to the price of 3 daily passes.

I take a quick hike to the closest fall overlook, get a picture or twenty, then head for the next overlook.

This one requires a descent via a 100+ step stairway. I take a bunch more pictures, then ascend the same steps to return to my car.

Now I’m driving through woods (again) heading for the real attraction here – Lake of theClouds. A 30-mile drive & an easy walk are followed by some rock climbing then a nice boardwalk to multiple overlooks, each presenting a slightly different view and requiring more shots. The lake is a mile long but only 15 feet deep.

The last overlook presents a panorama of the mountains & forests to the southwest, forests showing very little color yet.

MI-64 follows Lake Superior’s shoreline. One gas station is charging $4.65/gallon. A motel sign reads, “Will Canada’s Geese Become Donald’s Ducks?” Ontonagon is the northern terminus of US-45; the other end is in Mobile, AL. I skip site-seeing here and take MI-28 to MI-26. MI-26 passes Boondocks Golf & Cabins and Twin Lakes State Park. Towns along this route include Toivola, Painesdale, Trimountain, and South Range. A sign painted on a barn: “Please don’t feed the mosquitos.”

I finally get to Houghton, largest city in the area, about 1300 EDT, and have lunch at … Culver’s. I’m now on US-41, crossing the drawbridge and stopping at Hancock to visit the Finnish-American Heritage Center, all that remains of defunct Suomi College/Finlandia University. I now the correct pronunciation of my Ammala & Juopperi ancestors’ names.

With time to kill, I took a side trip to F.J. McClain State Park, walk its beach looking for interesting rocks. A couple of Monarch butterflies didn’t make it to the migration; this one was on the beach.

The park also has a life-saving surf boat on display here.

I head back toward my cabin at Vic's; it’s tiny but well thought-out. I may decide to cook something (and then wash the dishes), but not tonight.

 Tomorrow: Up in the air, depending on weather. If clear, I may head to Copper Harbor; if not, I’ll visit some local memories (& maybe get tires rotated & oil change – my Rav4 just crossed 40,000 miles).

For the day: 174.9 miles, for the trip 1002.9

2026 Michigan Trip, Day 3 - Sparta to Ironwood

 Day 3, Sunday 13 September 2026 - Sparta to Ironwood

Sleep, Blessed sleep! Slept 9 hours in that comfortable Best Western, had waffles for breakfast, and hitting WI-27 at 0815. Sky is cloudy with occasional sprinkles and temperature is 59. Terrain is low wooded hills. I pass Cataract, Re-Pete’s Bar, then Black River Falls. The falls are dammed; the Ho-Chunk (aka Winnebago) rez is near by.

WI-27 takes me through several long stretches of forested land; I see my first paper birch about 5 miles north of the Falls. Next up the road is Merrillan, pop. 562. One of its older buildings houses the Depot Hotel & Saloon. A bit farther up I pass a sign for Doc’s Bunkhouse, an RV resort. A deer ‘playhouse’ stand has a chimney. I realize that I’m on US-12 as well as WI-27, that runs but the speed limit is still 55. Just past Humbird, three Amish buggies cross the highway at rapid trot.

I say “farewell” to US-12 at Augusta, home of the Buggy Wheel Apartments. At Cadott I see a sign that reads, “Horses 4 Sale – Singlefooted.” Cadott reminds you that it is on the 45^th Parallel, half-way between the Equator & North Pole. Cornell, pop. 1500, hosts Been Doin’ It Construction Mootridge Brew Pub; the temperature has dropped to 55.

Heading on north toward Ladysmith, I pass Vic’s Vision Rustic Metal Art; his large metal critters are rusty as well as rustic. A round barn house graces a woodland intersection a bit along the road. US-8 crosses WI-27 at Ladysmith, a busy town of 3,000. A hardware store uses a full-size billboard to proclaim itself HQ for deer hunters. Wisconsin’s deer-hunter culture looks to me to be more pronounced than is Missouri’s; even the dummy sitting in a landlocked canoe with his dog is orange-clad.

Hills here are farther apart, with apparent wetlands in the intervening valleys; I look for signs of beavers at work but see none. There’s a sign for Exeland, an ideal location for romantic cast-asides?

I say “farewell” to WI-27 at Ojibwa after 140 miles. WI-70 takes me to Loretta, where I begin a 40 mile run on lightly-traveled Count Road GG. I keep watching for wildlife but see only a lone jake. 10 miles in I pass well-named Rustic Road; 6 miles more & I pass through a stretch adopted by Deerslayers Hunting Cabin. And a hen turkey with half-grown poults:

 

I’m seeing a touch of fall color in the woods as I move into a hillier area. I pick up WI-77 at Bad River town Mellen, center of some serious forest-based industry. A new set of high-current power lines is going in next to the road; they’ve cleared a lot of right-away but saved the logs for use. I’m entering the Iron Belt Heritage Area. Montreal, base on the architectural style of so many identical homes, must have been a company town.

I reach Hurley (WI) and cross the Montreal River into Ironwood (MI). It’s only 1 P.M.; my room at the Quality Inn won’t be ready. What’s to do? A waterfall-hinting trip down to Black River Harbor!

To find the waterfalls, I must pass ski areas. First is Big Powderhorn; next is Copper Peak, a specialist in that peculiar Nordic discipline of ski jumping – this is the top of one the jump towers.

 

I eagerly pull off at the sign for Potawatomie and Gorge Falls. The walk to the 1^st overlook is short, with a few stairs to navigate. Access to the remaining falls is closed, so I settled for a few shots of Potawatomie.

 

The road ends at a USFS fee day-use area. I paid no fee because that senior Pass I bought 20 years ago at Ft. Larned, price $10, is still good. A CCC-made suspension bridge crosses the river just above its mouth.

 

 The harbor has a breakwater that provides calm waters for boaters and beachgoers

 

The harbor is protected from Lake Superior’s fury, but trees in the picnic area are not. Quite a few trees received significant damage fairly recently – and November’s not here yet!

 Finally made it back to my motel, unloaded, then drove back to Wisconsin to save about 20 cents/gallon. The family restaurant I’d spotted earlier doesn’t serve supper, so I settled for a BK chicken sandwich. Meh.

Tomorrow: Depending on weather, visit another set of falls, visit a mountain lake overlook, and end up near Calumet.

For the day 273.1 miles, for the trip 817.9.

2026 Michigan Trip, Day 2, 12 September - Chariton to Sparta

 Day 2, Saturday, September 12, 2026 – Chariton to Sparta

Let me start by telling you about my room last night: no bath mat, no drinking glass, no clock, couldn’t get hot water and the bed was far from comfortable. I guess that’s what I get for $60. I ended up leaving by 0530, driving in the dark. Fortunately, the road is pretty much empty of traffic & critters,

Finally, the dawn starts breaking as I cross a long bridge over the Des Moines River; obviously, there’s a dam somewhere downstream. IA-14 takes me through some small towns and a lot of farmland. Monroe has an octogon-shaped house. Lovel features homes built partly of round grain bins. Marshalltown’s claims to fame are big railroad yards and $4.20 gas.

I turn east on IA-96 right into a blindingly bright orange ball, my reward for such an early departure. Gladbrook calls itself the “Heart of Corn Country” and has a festival to prove it. The corn planted here has shorter stalks than we’re used to seeing – different conditions require different varietals. Some soybean crops are ready for harvest!

Traer is home to the Pied Piper Preschool – do I detect a veiled threat to parents who fail to pay? East of town on IA-8 a farmer doubling in folk art has welded old equipment parts into a dinosaur. IA-8 becomes US-218, bringing me to Vinton, “City of Lights.” I cross the Cedar River here; I miss the name of the river at Independence. Independence hosts the Wapsec Valley Creamery (est. 1906) and museum complex centered on an old red brick depot.

I’m now heading north on IA-150 toward Oelwine, hoping to find a cafe for the breakfast I missed. No luck there, or at Strawberry Point. I turn north on IA-13, the Iowa Bluffs Scenic Byway (the terrain is definitely changing). A bit up the road I stop at Clayton County’s Osborne Conservation Center’s Welcome Center. The little park is laid out like a small 19^th Century village, complete with tour guide 

The main building provides two needs – comfort facilities and directions to Johnson’s Restaurant in Elkader. A 3-egg omelet fills my internal void and none too soon.

I’m now on US-18, crossing Bloody Run Creek to Marquette on the Mississippi River. IA-76 takes me to Effigy Mounds National Monument, a place Sandra & I visited on 1972. I can see some of the bear- shaped mounds by taking this 2 mile trail. The problem is, the mounds (and some river views) are about 500 feet higher than the Visitor Center and the trail is steep, even with switchbacks. Yes, I did it – and survived without requiring outside assistance or EMS. Pictures are proof:

Two hours after staring my little hike, I’m back on the road passing riverside homes and campgrounds at places like Harpers Ferry. The bridge to Wisconsin at Lansing is getting a new deck, but there’s a ferry if one cares to wait. I didn’t. IA-26 becomes MN-26 at New Albin. I pick up I-90 at La Crescent (Apple Capitol of Minnesota – yes, they have a festival), cross the river to La Crosse and on east. I-90 is the Ho-Chunk WW-II Code Talkers Memorial Highway. It brings me to Sparta, arriving at 1545. I’m staying at a Best Western that’s well east of town. The truck stop around the corner includes a Mexican restaurant with copious platefuls of rather tasteless food. Now I’m in my room, one that has all the amenities missed yesterday.

Tomorrow: Ironwood, MI, mostly via WI-27.

For the day: 333.7 miles, for the trip 544.7