Paint Your Landscape

Houghton, MI ~ #2

September 19, 2011April 8, 2012LuAnn

The day was sunny and cool so we headed north with John and Janie to explore Eagle Harbor, Copper Harbor and Ft. Wilkins State Park. Our first stop was Ft. Wilkins Historic State Park in Copper Harbor, formerly a U.S. Army post built to keep the peace in Michigan’s Copper Country. Located at the northern tip of Keweenaw Peninsula, it was established in 1844 and was abandoned just two years later. The story told is that the miners were law-abiding and the Natives were well-behaved also, so when war was declared with Mexico, the soldiers shipped out. I am inclined to agree with Janie that given the brutal winter temperatures, leaving for warmer climes was too inviting. The fort was manned again for a short time in the late 1860’s and became a state park in 1923. It is presently being painstakingly restored to what army life was like in the mid-19th century.

A restored lighthouse that was originally built in 1848 is reached by boat. Since we were planning to explore the lighthouse at Eagle Harbor, we decided to pass on this one.

There is a wonderful campground in the park, which is big-rig friendly. Had we not already had such an appealing site back in Houghton, this would have been a good alternative.

We continued our journey to Eagle Harbor, stopping at a little gift shop along the way. The homemade fudge was delightful and we were given some tips on places to go by one of the gift shop employees. Heading up Brockway Mountain Drive proved to be a good tip, affording us a view of the bay below. The leaves were beginning to change as well, which was an added bonus.

Next it was on to Eagle Harbor. The lighthouse here was originally built in 1851 and replaced in 1871. It currently houses a museum but continues to be a working lighthouse. The Coast Guard operates the light at the top of the tower, guiding sailors across the northern tip of Keweenaw Peninsula.

A volunteer greeted us as we entered the lighthouse. Being the polite person that I consider myself to be, I continued to acknowledge his musings even though I was attempting to read some of the history of the building. The rest of my party made the wiser choice to abandon me and him when his stories began to put them to sleep. After listening to a story that went absolutely nowhere, I said “I’m done” (to myself of course) and backed away as well.

Me Watching Terry as Janie Snaps a Photo of Him

From here we head back, with a planned stop in Calumet. We stopped for a quick photo of the landscape. Can you see the huge freighter in the background?

The town of Calumet had some great old buildings and a great looking brew pub so we decided to stop and taste the local fare. We had read about the Red Jacket Brewing Company but were sadly disappointed in both the food and the microbrews. Only one of their own was on tap and they were out of several others. Thankfully the company was good and the building itself had a great back bar and ceiling mural.

It was a great day and we still had the Parade of Nations to look forward to. Advertisements for this festival were posted around Houghton and Hancock. This is a multicultural festival honoring the multitude of countries that have come together in this melting pot. The parade was great fun, with participants in their native dress, but the food festival afterwards was most memorable. All countries represented had a food booth so there were foods to sample from around the globe. This was the 22nd year for this festival and it certainly was well attended. The main entertainment was a group from Madison, WI, named Limanya, a West African drum and dance ensemble. They were high energy and very impressive!

Michigan Tech band, not very organized, but having a great time.

Our week in Houghton has drawn to an end and sadly we must say goodbye to John and Janie. We are planning to stay in touch and hope to see them down the road in the future. Janie has an amusing blog entitled flamingoonastick.blogspot.com, which I encourage all to check on. Terry and I are heading on to Munising and Pictured Rocks.

Houghton, MI ~ #1

September 18, 2011April 8, 2012LuAnn

We are spending a week at the City of Houghton RV Park. I have to admit that my first reaction when driving into the park was not as positive as that of Bayfield, WI, our last stay. The sites were closer together and were paved, not grassy. However, when we got settled and I looked out our back window I quickly changed by mind. We sit on the banks of the Portage Waterway and can watch the sunset from our window or while sitting around the fire. Many boats, large and small, travel the waterway, so it has been great fun watching these boats glide by while sitting on our sofa. An added bonus was to have our newfound friends John and Janie as next-door neighbors for the week!

Houghton, an old copper mining town, sits on the hills bordering the Portage Canal in Keweenaw Peninsula and has been tagged as one of The 100 Best Small Towns in America. With a population of 7700, it is the largest city on the Keweenaw Peninsula. Many Cornish and Finnish immigrants came to this area to work in the copper mines and their influence is still apparent in the culture and cuisine in the area.

This historic, photographic town is the birthplace of professional hockey in the US, hosting the Portage Lakers back in 1903. Dee Stadium currently houses a museum as tribute to professional hockey and is home to the Portage Lake Pioneers Senior Hockey Team.

There are some wonderful hiking and biking trails running along the Portage Canal that we were able to take advantage of. We have had a couple of fairly cool days and the leaves on the trees are beginning to change color. We are hoping to see a spectacular color show as we continue to venture further into the UP.

Houghton is also home to Michigan Tech University, best known for its engineering school. We spent some time walking the grounds of the university and could see the international influence here.

Given that Houghton has an average snowfall of 208″ annually, it is sometimes said to have two seasons, “winter’s here and winter’s coming”. This town is host to a number of winter sports: cross-country skiing, Nordic skiing, snowshoeing, ice fishing, snowmobiling, ice hockey, and ice skating. Personally, as we have aged, we have become more warm weather fans but you can see the enthusiasm for all things winter here.

Something we really wanted to do was to visit Isle Royale National Park but realized early on that the season for this trip ended after Labor Day. We were a little bummed but will just have to come back for a visit at another time. We did the next best thing instead, toured the visitor center and watched a video relating to Isle Royale. The 5-hour ferry trip to the island originates in Houghton at the docks outside the visitor center.

After spending some time separately doing some exploring, John, Janie, Terry, and I decided to meet at the town library. John can be a little on the quiet side at times but we knew that he was enjoying himself when we walked in and he was grinning from ear to ear. We didn’t know how long they had been there but Janie mentioned that he loved to read so maybe the library was just what the doctor ordered for him. Oh, did I forget to mention, The Library is a restaurant and brew pub. I’m thinking something else put a smile on John’s face that day. We enjoyed several brews and the best artichoke dip any of us had tasted. We liked both so well that we visited again later in the week.

Connecting Houghton to Hancock is the world’s heaviest and widest double-deck vertical draw bridge, Portage Lift Bridge. Its center lifts to provide 100′ of clearance for ships. The lowest deck is used to accommodate snowmobile traffic in the winter. It is the only land-based link between the north and south section of the Keweenaw Peninsula.

Historic Hancock, founded in 1859 by the Quincy Copper Mining Company, is home to 4600 residents and is the northernmost city in Michigan. Hancock has a strong Finnish heritage and has been called “the focal point of Finns in the US”. This quaint town was named after John Hancock, one of the signers of the Declaration of Independence. I don’t think you could call this downtown thriving but it had some interesting little shops that have seemed to stand the test of time.

Finlandia University, the only private university in the UP, was founded in 1896 under the name of Suomi College, affiliated with the Evangelical Lutheran Church. Finnish pastor J. K. Nikander founded this school to ensure the advance of seminary training in America. Its role at the time was to preserve Finnish culture, train new ministers, and teach English. In 2000, Suomi changed its name to Finlandia University, with a liberal arts focus.

The first building erected at Suomi College was Old Main, constructed in 1898 from local sandstone. The university has since outgrown this building but it still stands as a tribute to Mr. Nikander.

Later in the week we ventured out with John and Janie to explore Eagle Harbor, Copper Harbor, and Ft. Wilkins Historic State Park. We were also fortunate enough to be here for the 22nd Annual Parade of Nations and International Ethnic Food Festival. I will blog about these in my next post.

Apostle Islands National Lakeshore ~ #3

September 13, 2011April 8, 2012LuAnn

There are a total of six lighthouses placed in strategic points among the Apostle Islands. While here we were able to take a ferry to Raspberry Island and tour their newly renovated lighthouse.

Raspberry Island sits 1.5 miles from the mainland and is 1/2 mile in width at its widest, making it one of the smallest of the Apostle Islands. It was judged to be the perfect location for the second lighthouse. Sitting on a bluff at the southwest point of the island, this lighthouse served double duty by showing the way to westbound ships passing Bayfield and directing eastbound ships between Bear and York Islands and into the channel around the mainland to Bayfield.

Raspberry Island Lighthouse cost $6,000 to build and its lantern was first lit in 1863. The current standing lighthouse was completed in 1906. The light of its lantern (5th order fresnel) can be seen for 10 miles and it flashes once every 60 seconds. W learned that each lighthouse lantern flashes at a different interval so sailors know which lighthouse they are looking at.

A 3/4 mile trek takes you down to the beach. Looking from any direction you can see islands dotting the channel. We are still astounded at just how clear the water is, unlike many other lakes we have encountered.

What Terry and I most wanted to see were the sea caves. Water is such a powerful force and what the waves have done to the sandstone shoreline, both the thawing and freezing action over centuries, is amazing! Probably the best way to see these is to go with an outfitter or use your own sea kayak and get up close and personal. This can be dangerous if you don’t know what you are doing, particularly during specific times of the year. We were approaching the end of the season for sea kayaking so we decided to take a trail off of the mainland to get a bird’s-eye view instead. We have been told that some of the best sea caves of the Great Lakes are located on the shorelines of the Apostle Islands.

We were pleased to have another couple join us for our hike, a couple we met while Terry was attempting to maneuver the rig into our site. They are from Iowa and have been full-timing for the 1.5 years. We were able to glean a great deal of information from them that will be helpful to us and all had a chance to laugh at some of the goofy things we have both done while on this journey. We are thoroughly enjoying their company and feel we have developed a new friendship.

Probably the most photographed and the most impressive sea caves are those on Devil’s Island and Sand Island, but those we were able to see from the mainland were dramatic as well.

From here we are headed to Houghton, Michigan and are pleased that John and Janie were planning a trip there as well. We are looking forward to creating a few more memories together.

Apostle Islands National Lakeshore ~ #2

September 12, 2011April 8, 2012LuAnn

Apples and Berries and Veggies – Oh My!

The ability to eat local sustainable foods is something we relish so we were delighted to see so many orchards and farms in the Bayfield area. We set aside one day to orchard hop and found some terrific buys. Grass-fed beef, smoked Lake Superior whitefish, heirloom tomatoes, dragon-tongue beans, and the most delicious apples that I promptly cooked down into some scrumptious applesauce were just a few of our finds. Couple that with the artesian well right outside our door and we are in heaven! Not to mention that the weather has been darn near perfect.

Each orchard or farm that we stopped at seemed to have their signature product.

Blue Vista Farm was a charming property, with colorful gardens filled with pumpkins, gourds, and sunflowers, and a striking barn which was used as their store. Here are a few pictures of their farm.

Homestead Gardens was a funky little property which did not appear to offer up much promise but was such a surprising find for grass-fed beef, organic vegetables and a store chock full of organic grains, nuts, seeds, spices and oils.

Erickson’s Orchard & Country Store specializes in apple cider donuts. We do not regularly indulge in this treat but the smell when we walked in the door and the knowledge that these sugary treats had just been pulled from the oven was just too provocative to pass up. Erickson’s apples provided the start for some pretty tasty applesauce as well.

Hauser Superior View Farm sold perennials and bedding plants, as well as various fruit jams and butters. The focal point of this property was the historic barn, a 1928 Sears barn purchased for $895.

We visited several other orchards and farms that offered their own specialties. It was a wonderful day that was a feast for the senses.

Apostle Islands National Lakeshore ~ #1

September 11, 2011April 8, 2012LuAnn

We have settled for a week at the Thompson West End City Park in Washburn, WI, looking out onto the majestic Lake Superior. This lovely park sits on the outskirts of Bayfield, the doorway to the Apostle Islands National Lakeshore. It is a great city park, big-rig friendly with 50 amp service and cable TV. There are several artesian wells within the surrounding area and one of them is flowing right at the park. Cold, clear delicious artesian water is just a few steps away!

The is my first visit to Lake Superior so I thought I would provide a few interesting facts:

Surface Area: *31,700 square miles Avg. Water Temp: 40° F

East-West: 382 miles North-South: 160 miles

Volume: 3,000,000,000,000,000 (quadrillion) gallons of water

Lake Superior has more water in it than all the other Great Lakes combined. It is the largest freshwater lake in the world based on surface area*.

Immediately upon settling into our site, we saw a beautiful large bird in the tree next to us, with a most unusual sound. We were treated to the greeting of a pileated woodpecker.

The Apostle Islands National Lakeshore is a group of islands sitting within Lake Superior in northern Wisconsin. The name was given to these islands by the historian Franςois Xavier de Charlevoix, who named them after the 12 apostles, even though there are 22 of them! The islands are the spiritual home of the Lake Superior Chippewa.

We decided to take a trip over to Madeline Island but before hopping on the ferry, we were able to spend a little time exploring the town of Bayfield. It is home of the headquarters for the Apostle Islands National Lakeshore and was constructed from rock quarried from the islands before they were made into a park. The local Holy Family church was built from this same brownstone.

The Rittenhouse Inn, Wisconsin’s first B&B, built in 1975, is an elegant structure, having the reputation as one of the great Country Inns of North America. It has a huge wraparound veranda and views of Bayfield Harbor and the Apostle Islands beyond.

Bayfield Harbor with Rittenhouse Inn in Background

The seasonal festivals in Bayfield are ranked among the nation’s finest, particularly the Bayfield Apple Festival, drawing roughly 40,000 visitors annually. This year, October 7-9 they are celebrating their 50th anniversary and we wish we could be here for the festivities. This festival is listed as one of the Top Ten Autumn Festivals in North America by the Society of American Travel Writers. Other highly supported festivals occur here year-round.

Madeline Island, largest of the Apostle Islands archipelago, was named after Madeline Cadotte, daughter of Chief White Crane and wife of fur trader Michael Cadotte. It has been inhabited by Native Americans, missionaries, and fur traders, and has flown the flag of three nations over the past 400 years. The town of La Pointe, population of 272, occupies a space on this island, as well as Big Bay State Park.

Bayfield, the berry capital of Wisconsin, is home to the largest organic blueberry farm in the state, the largest raspberry producer in the state, and offers the biggest variety of berries that you will find most anywhere. We were too late for the berry season but just in time for apple season. With more than a dozen orchards/farms around the Bayfield area, we spent a day touring the countryside and many of the orchards. We also scheduled a tour to the Raspberry Island Lighthouse and took a hike that gave us some great views of the sea caves. I will talk about these in upcoming posts.