We woke up to high winds and kind of chilly weather. The beach at our campground was deserted so I found some cool rocks, then came back to the campsite to look them up. Our original plan was to take a boat cruise to see Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore from the water. We were kind of relieved when the company canceled and we were able to reschedule for the following morning.
So plan B for the day was to go on a hike. We went to the Miner’s Castle lookout and then hiked about a mile to Miner’s Castle Beach. The water near shore was a beautiful aqua blue which is due to how shallow it is and the clear, unpolluted water.
The hike was definitely a moderate level, lots of stepping over tree roots and rocks. The views were fantastic, both in the woodsy area and out on the sandy beach. Huge waves that were pretty loud, but great for taking pictures.
Once we hiked back to the car, uphill and climbing over tree roots most of the way, we were famished and decided to get fish and chips for dinner from a food truck on the way back to the campground. It was freshly caught and delicious! Early to bed since it was chilly and we didn’t feel like having a fire.
The birds were enjoying the waves.Collected lots of colorful rocks, and discovered there is a Rock ID app!Chicken sausages from Aldi’s, eggs and toasted naan bread. Breakfast tacos. They had a Little Free Library by the campground office. Some kids were stopping by to check it out. The water, such a cool color!Miner’s Castle rock formationIt was like a soft green carpet on the forest floor.The trail followed this picturesque creek to the beach.Not sure how this tree was still upright.Remnants of a pinecone that a squirrel ate. Big wavesCarson pondering life.Attempted to write in the sand but it didn’t work in the dry areas and kept getting washed out by waves in the wet area. Pincushion moss. Circular patches of it all over in one area of the forest.Cool shelf mushroom.
Highlights for today were the Great Lakes Shipwreck Museum and Tahquamenon Falls. Jeff’s must see stop on our roadtrip was the museum and it did not disappoint. We listened to “The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald” on the way to give the boys some context. The museum was a lot more than I thought it would be. One main museum-y building with displays and info on some of the main shipwrecks around there. It is known as the Graveyard of the Great Lakes because so many ships sunk around there. Bad storms that come up quickly, busy shipping lanes, and underwater shoals caused a lot of the sinkings.
Other buildings there focused on the lighthouse keepers and their families. The Whitefish Point Light Station was the first lighthouse on the Great Lakes and was so important to saving lives. The building attached to the light station set up in different time periods as if the families were living there. There were 2 light keepers and their families so the house is kind of a duplex with a connected hallway to get to the light station. It sounds like a monotonous and very isolating job.
There was also a very interesting building that housed a life rescue boat. I never knew that there were self bailing boats. Cool! The men who worked the shipwrecks sailed out in some of the worst weather-cold, gale force winds- in order to save people.
Once we finished the museum, we went to Tahquamenon Falls. First we stopped at the Lower Falls. They have a paved path to follow that takes you to great viewing spots of the falls which is split in half by an island. Lots of people were there swimming and climbing around on the rocks. Then we went on to the Upper Falls a few miles down the road. That It was much easier to get a photo without people at this area. The falls has a 50 foot drop and is 200 feet across. The water is a brownish color because of of the tannins in the swampy areas near the source of the river, caused by the trees. All natural, not polluted. Hurray!
Another 1.5 hours in the truck and we got to our campground in Musining. Normally we camp in state parks but this is owned by the town. Lots of highway noise and we are on the driveway to go in and out, but the site is level and gives a good view of the sky and water.
A replacement bell was lowered to the wreck with all the passengers names engraved on it as a grave marker. This bell is the actual bell that was on the ship.For each wreck, there was a model displayed of the different shops.A fresnel lense which was used in lighthouses until more modern lighting was available.A diving suit from the 1930’s. Someone on the surface had to hand pump the air for the diver.Looks just like the Singer sewing machine Mom gave me! Rescue boat that has a self-bailer.They all tried skipping rocks.They are both such good sports and go along with the crazy adventures of their parents without too much grumbling.Hordes of people! Spencer and I hiked a little longer.When it is done, the North Country Trail will be longer than the Appalachian or Pacific Crest Trails.Selfie by the Upper FallsView of our campsite from the driveway of the campground.
Sunset. No Northern Lights, but if there were, we would have had a great view!
The big event for the day was experiencing Mackinac Island. We bought ferry tickets online from the Mackinac Island Ferry Company and also had them come right to the campground to pick us up. Very easy strategy, since then we didn’t have to deal with parking and we could leave our vehicle right at the campsite so it looked like it was occupied.
The ferry ride was beautiful. Our boat’s name was Cadillac. We sat on top and had a great view of the Mackinac Bridge with a freighter just getting ready to go under it. We also had a great view of the grand hotel and “cottages” along the island coastline.
Since our main goal was to visit Fort Mackinac, we did not rent bikes or the horse carriage tours this time. At some point Jeff and I will go back for a weekend to do those things and explore the rest of the island trails.
We walked up the long pathway to enter the fort and toured all the buildings. It was very interesting! I didn’t know (or don’t remember ) that there was an actual battle between the British and the Americans on the island. It was the first battle of the War of 1812. The island also was later designated the 2nd National Park (1st was Yellowstone). As the fort got decommissioned, the park became Michigan’s State Park. Motor vehicles got banned in the 1890’s because they spooked the horses that were already used to transport tons of tourists around the island. The horse drivers lobbied and won and to this day, there are no vehicles beyond emergency vehicles allowed on the island.
Even though we were there on a weekday, there were so many tourists, but we waded through them in the town area and got some Murdick’s fudge, which we immediately gobbled up while standing on the sidewalk. It was delicious! Then we walked to another place to get ice cream, I got Mackinac Island Fudge ice cream of course!
Spencer and I peeked in to the library for a minute -very cute! Then we were just about to walk up to the Grand Hotel, when we saw some dark clouds to the north, heading our way. It was already 4:30 and we were not planning to stay on the island for dinner so we went back to the ferry.
Jeff and I decided to sit on top again, while the boys sat inside. Well, the boys made the better choice on that one! The water was very choppy and we were going against the wind, plus it started sprinkling as we crossed the Straits of Mackinac. It was a long 15 minutes, but thankfully the storm never really hit. I wonder what the boat people would do if it started lightning?
We got back to the campsite, had a light supper-cheese, sausage, etc then sat relaxing until it got dark and we went to bed.
The boys were not quite as interested in the history of the place as I was. LOLWe heard a demonstration of a canon being blown off. Too crowded to get close enough the watch the presentation. You can watch the fudge being made at Murdicks and many of the other fudge shops. These were gorgeous dahlias!You can see the dark clouds behind the ferry. Easy camping supper of cheese, sausage, kippers and tricuits. We had a big lunch and all the fudge and ice cream so weren’t that hungry. Catching up on the days news and watching 40-Year Old Virgin.
Kline Road Trips 