Michigan Trip, September 2026 – The Wrap Up
This trip had 4 objectives: genealogy, photography, exploration, and memories. Let’s see how I did:
Genealogy: I donated pictures of my Godin great-grandparents to the Houghton County Historical Society. Unfortunately, they had no family clippings files for the Godin or Amala names. They did have a cemetery plat map of the local Catholic cemetery, where I found several Godin markers, including that of my great grandparents. I couldn’t make a connection with the Lake View cemetery near Calumet; several Amala connections are buried there.
Photography: I expect to have some good pictures among the 800 or so taken. Whenever possible, I take multiple shots with more than one camera; I don’t want to lose a winner to a camera or media malfunction (like last year at the Tetons). Fall is not the best time of year to catch waterfalls, but it does make the geology of the falls more evident. Between falls and lakes, I shot a bunch of water. Wildlife was not cooperative.
Exploration: About 60% of my 2666 miles driven was done on “virgin” roads, one’s that I’d never previously driven. Much of the rest was on roads that I’d not driven for around 50 years. I tested my travel memory at places like Effigy Mounds (1973) and Tahquamenon Falls (1978).
Memories: From 1950 to 1960 I spent almost of my summers in my grandfather Godin’s cottage on Portage Lake in Houghton County, MI. I had presumed the cottage was long gone, torn down for a state boat launching area. I was wrong: I pushed through some brush on the state property and discovered that the cottage was still there! What a high point for me!
In those days we made an annual visit to the Copper Harbor area, including a trip up Brockway Mountain Drive for the views and Ft. Wilkins State Park. Seeing a laker from the mountain was always a high point; this year I hit a jackpot – not just a laker (ore carrier), but a “footer,” as the modern 1000-foot boats are known.
Travel Comments:
The total trip was 2666 miles. Michigan took the biggest share, 1181, all in the U.P. No real problem with the paved roads, but unpaved backs roads were treacherous. I drove about 540 miles each in Iowa & Wisconsin, with no real complaints. My 340 miles of Missouri roads showed that MODoT has used that increased tax money (that we didn’t get a vote on) effectively. I also drove 21 miles in Minnesota.
Total cash cost of the trip was $1503. I calculated an average gas price of $3.91/gal, surprising lower than I’d have expected with Michigan prices all over $4.50. My 2024 RAV-4 hybrid averaged over 41 MPG. Since I purchased some of the IHG points used at the Holiday Inn Expresses, I can impute about $350 more for lodging, bringing the real cost of motels to $800. Cat boarding cost a $10 more than dining.
September is a “shoulder season” in the U.P. – too late for summer, too early for fall color viewing or winter sports. Consequently, room rates are generally lower than those in high-demand times. Even so, the big names’ rates are higher than I like to pay. I stayed at 5 chain motels, one night each, and a total of 6 nights split over 3 independents. The chains, a Best Western, a Quality Inn, and 3 Holiday Inn Expresses, were all very satisfactory; only the QI and one HIE were in the U.P. I chose independents based on location and price. I can recommend one and would avoid the others.
Vic’s Cabins, Kearsarge, MI (N of Calumet on US-41). My cabin was well thought-out and used the limited space very efficiently. The bed is very comfortable. Drawbacks are road noise and rather thin curtains. It’s a good place for the self-sufficient at an attractive price for the area.
Country Cabin, Chariton IA. See my day 2 comments. I would not stay in the main building; the separate cabins may differ.
Dunes Motel, Grand Marais, MI. For $100+, I’d have expected some basic attention to detail: for example, a lamp was unplugged; I had to stand on the bed to turn the ceiling fan light. Exterior maintenance left something to be desired as well. Note that I left at 0445.
Conclusion: I had a great trip. Would I go back? If I were younger & hadn’t been bit by that tick, definitely! Regrets? Only one pasty and that the leaves had only started to turn, so no good color in the forests.Next year? Canadian Rockies via North Dakota, return via Death Valley & New Mexico – health permitting.
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