Bittersweet Michigan

“It’s a moment that I’m after, a fleeting moment, but not a frozen moment.” ~ Andrew Wyeth

I’ve been waiting for a chance to use this quote and I’m woefully late in writing about our Michigan trip back in September.  Considering that I’m writing this in the midst of a rare snow/ice storm in southern Louisiana, it seems that moment has arrived.

Why has it taken me 5 months to write this? I could blame the second hurricane, Delta, which brought a new level of devastation to our community just one month after Hurricane Laura. I could blame it on COVID fatigue or being busy with work dodging the 2020 bullets. But honestly, I didn’t write about this trip because I was pissed.  And the reason I was pissed is because we had to cut our trip short and fly home early.

Now before you judge me, know that I’ve already judged myself. Poor pitiful me flew to Michigan, while her hometown was literally in pieces. Poor pitiful me took this trip because we couldn’t live at home due to no electricity or water. But our house was structurally sound and we had family to live with, luxuries which many of our neighbors and coworkers did not have.  Poor pitiful me carried the weight of that guilt for a week, while enjoying the splendor of the Upper Peninsula.  When the weather turned nasty, Eric and I had a lot of time in our cabin to ponder…and that pervasive sense of gloom and urgency to get back home was what sealed the fate of this trip.

So now that I’ve unburdened my shame and explained why our trip was shorter than planned, let me tell you what I LOVED about our trip to the UP!

We flew into Wisconsin and drove through pastoral landscapes to reach the Porcupine Mountains. The nickname “Porkies” was enough to entice us. Our AirBnB on Lake Gogobic was a great location, with beautiful sunsets and a resident mouse who I named Ferdinand (Eric was not a fan of Ferdinand).  Finding food was a little extra work, as grocery stores were few and tiny and many restaurants were closed due to COVID. But Eric has become a pro at cooking with whatever he can find (thank you Faroe Islands) so we never went hungry.

Hiking in this area was plentiful and the weather was great.  The first day we hiked trails in the Presque Isle River area, which were popular and we could see why.

My favorite portion of the Presque Isle River trail was where it opens up to Lake Superior. This was our first glimpse at one of the Great Lakes and it surpassed all expectations!

Peek at Lake Superior

Lake Superior at Presque Isle River

The second day was super windy, so instead of hiking we opted to drive up Hwy 26 through Houghton and explore the Keweenaw Peninsula. I imagine it’s pretty all year, but the fall colors made this drive stunning!  The portion just after Delaware and lac la Belle exit was especially pretty.  We went all the way to Copper Falls at the tip, stopping along the way for anything that struck our fancy.  We bought saffron/cardamom cookies, blackberry butter and thimbleberry jam at Wood’n Spoon, where we watched the owner create his uniquely flavored concoctions.  They had an eclectic selection of locally made items and it was just the sort of place we like to frequent.  At Copper Falls we indulged in coffee and thimbleberry donuts from Jamsen’s Fish Market & Bakery. Our intention was to get lunch there, but due to low tourism they had stopped fishing.  So we waited in line outside to eat at Tamarack Inn (which was worth the wait and we enjoyed chatting with people in line despite the masks).

thimbleberry donut

We headed back on the road that follows Lake Superior, stopping to enjoy beautiful views and buy more sweets at the Jampot, where Byzantine monks sell delicious baked goods to hordes of tourists.  Seriously, it was so crowded I stayed in the car and sent Eric for retrieval. We stopped at the Eagle Harbor Lighthouse and wandered the historic streets of Copper City, near the Keweenaw National Historic Park in Calumet.  Further south on Hwy 41, Peterson’s Fish Market caught our eye so we stopped in and bought smoked salmon and whitefish spread.  Yummmmm…

Eagle Harbor Lighthouse

Keweenaw Heritage Center

Calumet streetview

Hancock across from Houghton

Lake Superior

Clare @ Lake Superior

Lake Superior

For our last day in the Porkies area, we hiked the Escarpment Trail (longer portion of Lake of the Clouds). I knew it was pretty, I’d seen the Instagram photos, but it was so much better in person. Photos cannot fully capture a landscape so vast, made more beautiful by the fall colors.  A beautiful and challenging trail, just the way we like it!

Lake of the Clouds

Lake of the Clouds

Clare on trail

Lake of the Clouds

Eric on trail