Marquette Michigan
Munising Michigan
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| lots of waterfalls in the Munising area I didn't explore them much on this trip |
U.P. part 2
Campground: Ojibwa
Casino. This was plan A. In the past they had about a dozen nice
campsites in a pine tree setting. Due to rebuilding and enlarging the
casino it has been torn down. Not even enough parking for Rv’s in
the parking lot. Lots of construction going on. As of June 2019.
Campground:
Chocolay River Rv Park. This was plan B. It’s a Passport America
campground. New. Unfortunately when I tried to get a site, the new
campground was completely full due to workers in the area building a
new pipe line. As of June 2019 (will probably be full up for the
next year.
Campground: Plan C.
Kewadin Christmas Casino, near Munising Mich. Cost: Free. 30/50
amp electric. No water or sewer, but that’s available across the
street at a Forest campground. Setting is parking lot style and
sites are close together as two campers can use each electric post.
Note: would not
recommend Bay Furnace Campground, National Forest. During June
anyway, the mosquitoes are terrible, even during the daytime. But they do have water and a sewer dump ($5 for non campers)
Well every Rv-er
knows it’s good to have a backup. Didn’t expect to have to go to
plan C, but it still worked out. I have a few things I want to tour
in the Marquette area and will be able to do that in a few days with
my friend Ron the Ranger.
Munising.
This is a
beautiful area to explore and of course see the Pictures Rocks
National Lakeshore. A number of lighthouses are in the area as well
as numerous waterfalls. I’ve seen many of these things in the area
in the past so I decided to do something different this time.
I took the Glasss
Bottom Shipwreck Tour, $31 senior rate. Well worth the price. A two
hour tour traveling the west side of the bay opposite Picture Rocks.
The scenery is stunning, a spectacular lighthouse, wonderful rock
formations along the shoreline, with caves and arches of sandstone.
The glass bottom views of the ship wrecks were good and you could
even see much of the wreckage over the side of the boat as well.
Later this summer they should have their new, larger glass bottom
boat in service. Should be quite the ride.
Perfect day, sunny,
great day for picture taking. The town is worth checking out. See
if you can count how many “Visitor Centers” there are in town.
Most are gift shops with good info on the local area. Try a Pastie,
have a meal at the Dogpatch, a local favorite. During the summers,
they have free concerts at the Bayshore Park. Nice place to sit out
on the grass and listen to some good music.
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| Munising Michigan lighthouse |
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| Shipwreck boat tour wonderful tour |
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| could see the shipwrecks thru glass bottom boat and even over the side of the boat |
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| Grand Island Lighthouse |
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| all pictures are on the opposite side of bay from Pictured Rocks NP |
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| water colors were spectacular |
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| Grand Island waterfalls |
Mosquitos and Horseflies
Somethings bugging
me. Mosquitoes and horseflies are starting to get annoying as well.
Having grown up in the Copper Country region of the U.P. I don’t
ever remember them being a problem. Even on this trip while
traveling around the Keweenaw Peninsula, staying at the Hancock Beach
and exploring all the way up to Copper harbor, I didn’t encounter
any mosquito or horseflies.
Which may be a good
tip for the summer traveler. The time frame is important as well as
I’m traveling up here mid June through July. Mosquitoes and
horseflies are less later in the season…. Say late July, Aug and
Sept.
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Copper Country region, fine for your hikes and touring , little to no mosquitoes.
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Marquette to Munising, The towns are fine, but anywhere you enter the “woods” heavy bug spray and hat nets are recommended. Ekk.
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The route I took between Marquette and Munising, along hwy 28 is lined with wetlands, like if that isn’t a major breeding ground for bugs, I don’t know what is.
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Most highways in the U.P. are now 65 mph, previously they were 55. Hwy 75 is now 75 mph.
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Many WaySide Parks throughout the U.P.
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Munising has lots of waterfalls just a short drive away.
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| Lake Superior shoreline, your choice sandy beaches or rocky |
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| Marquette Area |
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| plein air painting great way to spend an afternoon |
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| Ranger Ron and I enjoying some time along the shores of Lake Superior |
Ishpeming, Negaunee and Marquette
My good friend
Ranger Ron had the day off so we did a bit of touring up here in Da
U.P. The route along hwy 28 between Munising and Marquette is a
perfect area for stopping frequently at the many Wayside stops and
Scenic Viewing areas. You’ll have your choice of beautiful sandy
beaches or agate beaches along the shoreline. And your more than
welcome to take a dip in the lake. Personally I don’t being a wimp
and no longer used to 48 degree waters.
I’m using the App.
“Atlas of the Obscure” and found a number of interesting places
to explore. Of course it being Sunday, all the attractions are
closed so it was just a day to take outdoor pictures and use the
internet to learn more about each site we stopped at.
Cliffs Shaft Museum
This was high on my
list to visit. It’s an Iron Ore mine and two of the shafts have
Egyptian Revival obelisks. The elevator works and hoist is called
the HeadFrame. In 1919 the wood headframes needed to be replaced so
the newly formed Cleveland-Cliffs Iron Company wanted something
distinct since they would be seen throughout the region. The
obelisks were designed by Prairie School architect George Washington
Mather.
Even though I wasn’t
able to go on the tour which bring one inside the obelisks as well as
a newer modern headframe it still made for a great adventure.
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| built in an era when everything was designed to look Egyptian |
A quick stop at “Da
Yoopers Tourist Trap” is always a fun stop, right on U.S. 41 it has
a lot of quirky displays outdoors and of course every tourist do-dad
must have for vacationers.
The Superior Dome.
Loving architecture, this was a must stop and was really hoping to
see the inside the Dome, unfortunately it was all locked up until
after the 4th of July. It’s the largest freestanding
wooden dome in the world. Part of the NMU sports complex it’s a
multi-function facility. Structurally it’s a geodesic dome. 781
massive Douglas fir beams. Still I got a good look from the outside
and was impressed that it can be seen throughout many part of the
town.
Lakenenland. A
large one-man sculpture park, just outside of Marquette. It’s open
to the public for free, including a newly built bandshell, covered
picnic area with a large stone fireplace. The main draw are all the
mental sculptures. Depending on the time of year (I’m here the end
of June/ first of July) I would recommend just driving through the
displays on a circle dirt road….. why you ask? Thousands of
mosquitoes! don’t even think about getting out of the car without
bug-spray on. 100% deet recommended. As this is the beginning of
that stretch of the U.P. that’s swamp/wetlands. Ekk.
You’ll find it
east of Marquette on M-28.
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| stay in vehicle, the mosquitoes will eat you alive |
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