2018 Great Lake States - Munising, Michigan

2018 Great Lakes Trip – Munising, Michigan

Photo link: 

https://photos.app.goo.gl/F6252TCpvCsjEfDs5

Wednesday August 8^th – Tuesday, August 14^th 

Superior Times Resort, AuTrain, MI

After spending a week in the Keweenaw area, we were ready to head on to our next location in Michigan.

So we headed south and then eastward towards the town of Munising. Along the way we stopped at a beautiful roadside park to check out what was advertised as Canyon Falls hike. It was amazing to find this type of hiking trail along the roadside. Michigan has done very well on these parks and provided extra exploring opportunities. The hike back to the falls included the trail along the Sturgeon River Gorge, ultimately to the beautiful falls. Everyone including the dogs enjoyed the hike. We then proceeded eastward until we arrived at the Superior Times Resort and Campground where we had reservations. After getting the campsite setup we realized it was not sufficient, so we just had to work with what we had since we had already paid for it. We regret to say we were totally disappointed in the campground. Instead of being called Superior Resort & Campground, I will call it Inferior Resort. It was probably one of the worst campgrounds we've ever stayed in. They advertised it as being beautiful with great amenities, but it was completely the opposite. Terrible campsites, terrible supporting amenities (such as a trashed game room) and beach and terrible non-caring owners. Everything seemed to be a total mess, not as advertised, so we were ready to get out of there.

The next day we drove into the town of Munising to the Visitor Center to get information on the Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore. We did a short hike from The Visitor Center to the Munising Falls. We also walked down to a sandy beach lake front on a very foggy day. Kurt was able to also get information on paddling his kayak along the Pictured Rocks Lakeshore.

The next day we purchased tickets to take the boat tour out of Munising Marina along the Pictured Rocks Lakeshore. This National Treasure is the main attraction for the Munising area. The tour lasted about two and a half hours and it was very exciting to see the many rock formations and the painted rocks created by various minerals seepage along the cliff walls. We truly enjoyed the tour and would highly recommend it to anyone visiting that area.

The next day Kurt took his kayak down to the Lakeshore and decided to do the same and observe the cliffs from his kayak. He got much closer than we were able to with the boat tour and took some amazing photos. He was excited to say that he has for a second time paddled his kayak in Lake Superior.

The last day we were there Kurt wanted to kayak along the Autrain River which flows from Lake Autrain out to Lake Superior. The weather was perfect and he enjoyed the kayak along a nice flowing river. I decided not to do this paddle because I wanted to spend the day with my boys, Kody and Luca.

After our 5 days there we were ready to move south to the Lower Peninsula of Michigan.

2018 Great Lakes Trip - Keweenaw, Michigan

2018 Great Lakes Trip – Keweenaw, Michigan

Photo link:

https://photos.app.goo.gl/mc1Wd1kbgoc8snMt8

Wednesday August 1^st – Tuesday, August 7^th

Lake Linden Campground, Lake Linden, MI

Our next adventure was in Keweenaw County, Michigan on the northern peninsula. We drove out of Wisconsin heading south and then east, passing into Michigan then continuing along the Lake Superior coastal highway. There were many beautiful views along the way, including the Ottawa National Forest and passing through many small coastal towns. We finally arrived in the village of Lake Linden where we set up at the city campground. The campground was very nice, especially for a small town, and was on Lake Linden. We had a beautiful view from our campsite which was very nice and spacious.

One of the main attractions on this peninsula is the town of Copper Harbor, on the northernmost shore. The drive up to that area was beautiful and we were able to see scenic views of the whole Copper Harbor area from the Brockway Mountain top. This whole peninsula area has a rich history of mining, especially copper and iron. Now Copper Harbor is a lovely lakeside tourist town.

We found a hiking trail in the Copper Harbor area at Hunter's Point Park. The trail followed the narrow peninsula along the lakeshore.  We visited Agate Beach which is made up of nothing but red smooth rocks and boulders, where one could potentially find agate stones. We enjoyed the hike, the beautiful views of the lake and harbor with our dogs.

Another day we drove back up to Copper Harbor along a scenic drive along the peninsula shores. This took us through other coastal towns of Eagle River and Eagle Harbor. The beaches along the lake were beautiful and mostly rock covered with some sand. Along the way we visited three lighthouses, rocky shores and historical towns.

There were also mountain biking opportunities in the area. Just south of Lake Linden is Michigan Tech University. So therefore, there were some great trails near there. We spent some time riding the fun trails and enjoying the exercise. Another day, Kurt drove back up to Copper Harbor to ride the trails there. They were more difficult and technical, so I chose to pass on those trails.

We enjoyed our time in this area of Michigan. Now onto our next location in Michigan.

2018 Great Lakes Trip - Bayfield, Wisconsin

2018 Great Lakes Trip – Bayfield, Wisconsin

Photo link:

https://photos.app.goo.gl/rX8oPvFuZsrzx4SJ6

 

Wednesday, July 25^th – Tuesday, July 31^st

Apostle Islands Area Campground, Bayfield, WI

For our next adventure we headed towards the northernmost point of Wisconsin, a peninsula on Lake Superior. The town of Bayfield on the south shore of the peninsula was our destination.

This cool, small harbor town dates back to 1856. The town is surrounded by the Chequamegon National Forest and the Apostle Islands National Lakeshore. The crystal clear waters of Lake Superior and the Apostle Islands is an adventure haven for fisherman, kayakers and beachcombers. Also in the area are networks of trails in the surrounding hills for hiking, biking, skiing, dogsledding, horseback riding, snowmobiling and ATVs. There are orchards for strawberries, blueberries, raspberries, blackberries, cherries and apples from spring through fall. The little town of Bayfield is filled with great restaurants, art shops, cottages and inns, all looking towards the beautiful waters of the lake.

We camped at a wonderful local campground surrounded by forest, just about a mile from Bayfield. So far this was our stop that had the coolest weather. One night the temps actually got down to 49 degrees and averaged in the upper 70s during the day.

The first day, as usual, we drove into town and around the area to check it out. We found a really nice lakefront hiking trail that started in Bayfield, so we decided the next day to bring the dogs and do a wonderful hike.

Just across the bay from Bayfield is Madeline Island. One day we took the ferry to the Island with our bicycles. We were able to tour the island on our bikes and check out the town and the countryside. It reminded us a little bit of Martha's Vineyard, but more quaint and not so upscale. The weather was perfect and we had a wonderful day.

Nearby Bayfield we found a great mountain bike trail system on Mt. Ashwabay. We spent two days there riding the fun trails, which were really well designed and maintained. Just our style of mountain biking. At the top of the mountain were great views of Lake Superior and Madeline Island.

The main attraction near Bayfield is an offshore series of islands called the Apostle Islands.  These islands are an archipelago of 22 islands formed by ice, wind and waves. Over time the sandstone eroded, creating cliffs, sea caves, windows and arches. A few islands still have the historic light houses in place. A portion of the National Lakeshore lies on the shore of the peninsula on the northwest side.

Also along the northern peninsula shore are a series of sea caves. One day Kurt took his kayak there and paddled along the sea caves, going in and out of some of the open caves. The geologic changes to the sandstone cliffs in this area are amazingly beautiful and unlike anything else we've ever seen. He truly enjoyed the day.

There are cruise boats that can take people out to the Apostle Islands and cruise around several of the main islands to view the cliffs, sea caves and light houses. We chose instead to take a small boat tour along the lakeshore caves, as this captain only takes 6 people. Because of the smaller size of his boat, he can actually take you back into a lot of the caves for a close up view.  We took this tour and really enjoyed Captain Mike's narration of the geology and history.

We also really enjoyed touring the town of Bayfield, it is so beautiful and filled with a lot of historical mansions, which many have been converted to inns or Bed and Breakfast. There were plenty of shops and restaurants. We celebrated our 24th anniversary one evening in the town of Bayfield at a really nice restaurant. We indulged in lake trout and other local seafood. We enjoyed walking around the town looking at the historical buildings, the boats in the harbor, all the beautiful flower gardens and checking out some retail shops.

The last day there we found a gorgeous little beach south of Bayfield on the lake.  We took the dogs and enjoyed the afternoon just relaxing and looking at the views of the lake.

We truly fell in love with Bayfield. This has been added to our “go back” list. Hopefully, one day we can return to Wisconsin and visit our favorite places.

2018 Great Lakes Trip - Chippewa Falls, Wisconsin

2018 Great Lakes Trip – Chippewa Falls, Wisconsin

Photo link: 

https://photos.app.goo.gl/k7rr6GwjRhGjpjZv5

Wednesday July 18^th – Tuesday, July 24^th

Eagle Ridge Campground, Chippewa Falls, WI

After traveling west about 100 miles, we arrived at this campground. This campground is very nice, with a campground host that is the best. After getting settled in, we drove into Chippewa Falls and checked out the Visitor Center. The Chippewa River flows through town, providing water recreation for those in the area. There are also mountain bike trails at a nearby county park in Eau Claire.

The next day we drove into downtown Chippewa Falls and went to the visitor center for detailed information. We also went to the Leinenkugel Brewery for a tour and beer tastings. What a great, well run business. The Leinenkugel Lodge was well stocked with a beer tasting bar and products related to the beer and outdoor activities. The brewery was founded in 1867 and has been in this location since then. The company was wrapped up in a purchase by Miller Brewery in Milwaukee, which now is all owned by Molson in Canada. Too bad none of these great American beers are no longer owned by Americans…

Nearby is Loopy’s, a business on the river which includes a bar and grill, canoe, kayak and tube outfitter and shuttle service. We went there on Friday for the Fish Fry and more Leinenkugel beer! We also had fresh fried cheese curds, YUM. It was all delicious. Another day we used their shuttle service to drop us on the Chippewa River for a 6 mile downstream float, then pick us up. The weather was perfect and we took the dogs for the trip. We were able to stop a couple of times at gravel bars along the way.

We visited Lowes Creek County Park on two days for some fun mountain biking. This is an urban park that is a huge forested area with a creek running through it. There were numerous mountain biking trails and for the winter sports, ski/snow shoe trails. The trails were fun and presented some challenges, but we enjoyed them. The most exciting event was when Kurt rode up a trail and noticed a momma black bear and her two cubs on the trail. He stopped when she noticed him and then she stood up tall. He then waited to see how she would react. After a couple of minutes she went down off the trail with the cubs. Kurt waited a little more, trying to decide if he should go forward or turn around. She then came back up on the trail and looked right at him. At that time he turned around and rode the opposite way. He later saw a ranger and reported the incident, the ranger had not heard of any bears in the park this year. They really should put up some bear warning signs. Regardless, it was a fun ride!

Our last day there we decided to ride a paved trail that winds through the city of Chippewa Falls, along Duncan Creek and out towards a State Park. After riding several miles through residential and industrial areas, we finally followed the trail along the Chippewa River to a downtown riverside park where Duncan Creek converges. It was not really the ride we anticipated. But we did get some good exercise.

We enjoyed our time in this area, but not sure if this is on our “go back” list. Next heading north to a peninsula on Lake Superior.

2018 Great Lakes Trip - Wausau, Wisconsin

2018 Great Lakes Trip – Wausau, Wisconsin

Photo link:

https://photos.app.goo.gl/VZkFbV4yPDoTea9S8

Friday July 13^th – Tuesday, July 17^th

Marathon County Campground, Wausau, WI

Leaving Door County, we drove southwest towards central Wisconsin, headed to Wausau. Here we stayed at a really nice county park campground that was in the city. It sounds strange, but was nicely laid out and many trees for shade. Also, the location was convenient to everything we wanted to do.

Another nice surprise that weekend was a hot air balloon rally and rib fest that took place at the local airport. We attended this event and watched several balloons fly, ate great ribs and met some very nice local people. We also ate our first fried Wisconsin cheese curds, so yummy! We stayed for the evening event of the balloon glow. This is when the balloons line up and at dusk inflate the balloons for a spectacular show set to music. After dark, there were fireworks that were very well done. It was very entertaining and an all-around fun time.

One day we traveled east into the country to the county park, Dells of the Eau Claire. We took the dogs so they could also have a day of hiking, which they really enjoy when they can get in a river. The Eau Claire River flows through this park, which has several hiking trails and water activities. The rock formations in the river are the main attraction at this park. Also, part of the Ice Age Trail converges with the hiking trail along the river. The Ice Age Trail is over 1200 miles long, reaching from Sturgeon Bay in Door County, south through many multi-use trails, private lands, city parks, state parks, county forests and national forests. The trail heads northwest and ends in St. Croix Falls overlooking the St. Croix River. This trail follows the path of ancient glaciers.

On two other days, we went to Nine Mile Forest for great mountain biking trails. These were really fun trails, nicely designed and maintained. It was great to get back on some amazing trails.

Kurt decided to go on a hike at Rib Mountain State Park. He hiked to the top of the mountain and had great views of the valley and the city of Wausau. This park also has downhill skiing and cross country skiing for the winter, which is common for many mountain areas in Wisconsin.

Again, as we have experienced in this state, the people we have met are just hard-working, middle class, good people.  It’s so refreshing to see regular Americans living a good life.

Next, on to explore Chippewa Falls/Eau Claire area.

2018 Great Lakes Trip - Madison & Door County, WI

2018 Great Lakes Trip – Madison & Door County, WI

Photo link: 

https://photos.app.goo.gl/asDMkgou73vmJkQv7

Monday July 2^nd – Thursday, July 5^th  

Lake Farm Campground, Madison, WI

Our next stop in Wisconsin was Madison, the Capital City. The campground I found was south of the city in a nice preserve area, Lake Farm. This campground is very nice and has great spacious campsites. This area has an amazing bike trail system, mostly paved but some areas are gravel. Bicycling is a major activity in the area. The only downside for us is the county requires a permit to ride these trails. Since we are not local residents, a daily pass costs $5 per bike, WOW! We also took the dogs to a nearby dog park, where the fee was $5 per dog, needless to say, we didn’t take them in.

When we arrived and setup our campsite, we were immediately assaulted with swarms of mosquitos! It was so crazy, we had to stay inside as much as possible. The poor dogs were covered with these beasts just trying to walk them. At least the weather was a little cooler here. 

Our plan was to spend the Fourth of July here celebrating, but it was a challenge to be outdoors. We did drive into downtown Madison to check it out and find where the fireworks were going to be. Apparently, the smaller communities around Lake Monona have their own displays, so they can be viewed from any location around the lake. 

The next day we drove into town to an outdoor sporting goods store and purchased an outdoor screened room. We were finally able to sit outside and enjoy our nice campsite. Kurt was able to ride some of the trails and he really enjoyed them. However, I caught some kind of 24 hour bug that kept me inside with a fever. Oh well, I didn’t want to sit outside anyway. Since I was not well enough to go to watch fireworks, Kurt went into the city. I watched the celebration on TV of the NYC/Macy’s fireworks and music extravaganza. That worked for me!

So this stop was pretty much a bummer for me mostly, and for July 4^th celebrations! We were ready to move on to our next location, north to Door County.

Friday July 6th – Thursday, July 12th  

Baileys Grove Campground, Door County, WI

Our drive north into Door County, the peninsula between Lake Michigan and Green Bay, was very pleasant. We immediately enjoyed the cooler temps and were amazed to view the lakeside from the highway. This peninsula is not more than 10 miles wide at the most. The shoreline is enormous, with many parks and harbors along the waterfront. Door County has many lighthouses, several of which date back to the 19th century. Near the town of Baileys Harbor, the Cana Island Lighthouse offers Lake Michigan and peninsula views. Lake Michigan is cold enough to moderate the temps along the peninsula. Door County is also famed for its cherry orchards, many of which offer cherry picking. 

We stayed at Baileys Grove campground and really liked the property and campsites. We got settled into our site, which had full hookups. The campground offered many amenities; pool, laundry, wifi, and free popcorn every evening! The campground was about 1 mile from Baileys Harbor, so we could ride our bikes into town and enjoy the views. 

We also drove to the west side of the peninsula to visit Peninsula State Park. While there we hiked with the dogs one day and another day we took our bikes and rode the trails in the park. We also visited some small harbor towns, with their marinas and lovely beaches; Fish Creek, Egg Harbor, Sister Bay, Ellison Bay, Gills Rock and Jacksonport. In various places there were lighthouses and sunken ships in the water.  We even got our kayaks in the water and paddled along the shore of Cave Point Park. This was a very interesting rocky shoreline with carved out caves. There was so much to see and do there, we really fell in love with this area.

We so much enjoyed our relaxed time here and we would love to return one summer, except to stay at least a month!

2018 Great Lake States Trip - Milwaukee, Wisconsin

2018 Great Lakes Trip – Milwaukee, WI

Photo link: 

https://photos.app.goo.gl/HhqKx4ovnbqsfob38

Wednesday June 27th – Sunday, July 1st

Milwaukee Fairgrounds RV Park, Milwaukee, WI

We next headed due north to Milwaukee Wisconsin. Our dear friends Diana and Tom had really enjoyed it there and advised us not to miss it, especially with the German heritage influence. We camped at an RV Park in one of the suburbs of the city at the Wisconsin State Fairgrounds. This RV park was nothing more than a parking lot setup, but we did have water and electric. It was suitable for our needs because we would spend most of our time in the city.

We decided to drive around the city and get our bearings. We took our bicycles down to the Lake Michigan water front and rode our bikes along the paved trail. From there we saw beautiful views of the city skyline and were amazed at what a modern city this is. There are several green space parks along the waterfront, marinas and beaches. The weather was perfect and we really enjoyed our time on the lakefront. We also stopped at a great beach side cafe and had a nice lunch.

The next day we drove to the north side of the city and checked out an area called North Point. We visited an historic lighthouse there and walked through a beautiful park. After that we headed down into the city to a tour of the Miller Brewery. We found out that Miller owns almost all the former American beer brands, including Kurt's favorite, Icehouse. The Miller Company was ultimately bought out by Molson from Canada. We were able to tour the brewery and check out the process and at the end we sampled several of the beers at a nice outdoor beer garden. Many of the buildings were original historic buildings that are still used for production and others were more for touring.

While in the city we found out about the traveling beer gardens, so of course we had to try those out. The traveling beer gardens were organized by the local craft breweries and the county. Beautiful, green County Parks were used as the event locations and local breweries would set up to sell their beer. There were food trucks and on certain nights live music. Each brewery would be at each location for a week. So on one evening we went to a traveling beer garden in McCarty Park and then a couple of nights later we went to another beer garden in Grant Park. This was so much fun as the beer gardens are set up with community tables where you would sit with other people, have some brews and meet friendly people. Thanks to the Germans for this tradition.

One evening we went downtown to the Lakeshore Brewery which was one of the biggest craft breweries in the city. They also have a wonderful restaurant. We did the brewery tour, which was quite unique, with a really funny young man who narrated the whole process from start to finish, including some historical background on the brewery. During this tour we drank beer at the beginning and throughout the tour, then we were ready to sit down for dinner. We were there for the traditional Friday night fish fry, which turned out to be excellent food. We also sat outside after dinner on the Riverwalk and had our final sample beers. It was a really fun evening and we enjoyed the tour.

We spent another day again down on the Lakeshore riding our bicycles from one end to the other. On the southern end we rode through Lakeshore State Park. From there we again saw the beautiful skyline and got up close with the Milwaukee Art Museum, which is a very unique architectural design. This modern designed building has winged shape flaps that open and close at certain times of the day to shade the building. We never got to see the wings move, but I am including a video here at this link to show you how it looks.  https://youtu.be/eGQJPkQL0fU?t=61

The beaches along the Lakeshore were packed as it was a gorgeous weather for the weekend and it was very hot in the city. Being on the lakeside with the winds coming over the cold water  was like a huge air conditioner blowing. It was a really fun day and we truly enjoyed the city again.

On our last day there we had planned to go back into the city, but there was a major electrical outage throughout the Milwaukee area.  We couldn't leave our dogs unattended in the camper without AC. This time we were stuck at the camper without AC in the extreme heat wave that had moved across the whole state. The temperature was around 95 degrees with a heat index over 100. The power actually came back on after 3 hours and then a couple of hours later and went off again so it was a pretty miserable day our last day there. 

I have to say I'm not really a beer drinker, but I did drink more beer there in the few days than I have in probably a year. Despite the power outage we really did enjoy Milwaukee, the wonderful atmosphere and the friendly people. We truly enjoyed our time in Milwaukee.

Our tour of Wisconsin continues!