Tuesday, July 20, 2010

HEADING NORTH TO MICHIGAN’S UPPER PENINSULA – CEDARVILLE, MI

 

Odel high above Lake Michigan

Before we left Petoskey on Monday, we took one last, long walk on the paved bike trail along the shore of Lake Michigan.  The temperature was around 72 degrees.

Then we took off for the Upper Peninsula.

Odel on the Lake Michigan overlook along the bike trail.

Mackinac Bridge, heading to the UP




It was a beautiful day for travel – sunny, calm, the temperature hovering around 75 degrees.





On the Mackinac suspension bridge, heading north.



I got a big kick out of the GPS as we crossed the Mackinac Bridge – nothing but blue water, Lake Michigan to the west, Lake Huron to the East.
GPS across the bridge

We ended our day at Loon’s Point RV Park and Campground (click here to read our review) in Cedarville, MI.  Lots of blue water (Lake Huron), green grass, green trees, and quiet – and not a mosquito to be found.  Is this paradise??

The boat dock at Loon’s Point Campground.

Early morning at Loon's Point

We are staying at Loon’s Point just long enough to clean Scoopy and do our laundry (we didn’t have a sewer hookup at our last stop).  On Wednesday, we’ll head to Sault Ste Marie, the site of the huge locks that allow the giant Great Lakes freighters to move from Lake Huron to Lake Superior.  If we’re lucky, we might be able to see the Tall Ships, traveling from Bay City, Michigan (on Lake Huron) to Duluth, Minnesota (on Lake Superior) during the Great Lakes United Tall Ships Challenge 2010 event.

Near Drummond Island One more photo…

We took a drive to the eastern end of the U.P. today, to the village of De Tour, on the De Tour Passage of the St. Mary’s River, the route to and from the locks at Sault Ste Marie.  I took this photo looking towards the De Tour Passage, across to Canada. 

The essence of summertime.

14 comments:

  1. Do you have any idea how long the Mackinac Bridge is? I hope to be traveling the opposite direction, up through Minnesota and across to Michigan this fall. Your pictures make it really look like a beautiful place to be.

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  2. Come on up us Canucks are friendly....lol

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  3. No that is not Paradise, Paradise is located about 50 miles NW, as the crow flies on Hwy 123, and just in case you're interested Hell is about 240 miles due S of your location.

    A must do in the U.P. is the Pictured Rocks Boat Tour(http://www.picturedrocks.com/Home.php)Do what ever you have to do to get tickets for the sunset cruise, the setting sun brings out the colors in the rocks that are unbelievable.
    The City of Munising has a city campground about three miles west of town that is right on the Lake Superior shore, (haven't been there for about 15 years)if you should stay there you will only be a mile from Christmas (in July).

    When you crossed the bridge you went from being a Troll (living under the bridge) to a Yooper.

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  4. Gypsy, according to a sign near the bridge, the Mighty Mackinac opened 11/1/1957 and is the longest suspension bridge in the world: 8,614 ft vs. 6,450 ft for the Golden Gate. It's very impressive! Yes, Michigan is beautiful, this time of year. We were first here in 2003, and came back because we remembered it as unusually pretty. So far, no reason to change that opinion. :)

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  5. Palms, as usual, you got me laughing. We probably will take a day trip through the "real" Paradise. :)

    We came to the U.P. during our very first year of travel (2003), stayed at the City of Munising campground (a novel idea to us Californians) and took the Shipwreck Tour out of Munising. We hiked at Pictured Rocks and waded into Lake Superior up to our knees - COLD! It is one of our best memories of that first year, and the reason we decided to spend more time in Michigan this year. Could it really be as wonderful as we remembered? So far - YES! Thanks for the tip on the sunset tour.

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  6. Very impressive pictures and that bridge is a neat sight. I've never made it to that area but from your photos it sure looks like a great place to visit.

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  7. Can't wait to hit Michigan. It sounds and looks beautiful.

    Safe Travels!

    Brenda

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  8. To really enjoy the beauty of the area, you should find a walk in freezer and go stand in it and picture all the green and lakes (not so much the Great Lakes) all white, all frozen-frozen enough you could drive Jules across. Nothing green, no song birds, nothing even looking alive, beautiful in its own way, yes. And then spring, the smell of the earth thawing, a feeling of swelling in the trees and bushes, a crocus blossoming, daphadils, and lillies coming up, a hint of green in the woods and then a warm day, a rain, and everything pops-a million shades of green, song birds, smiles on faces and another spring/summer comes!It just such a miracle! Donna

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  9. No stop in the "Soo" is complete without a meal
    at ANTLERS - location known to ALL locals!

    Food is good, not newsworthy, but the ambiance is like no other place you'll ever visit......

    Do it! (PS: Enjoy your blog!)

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  10. Ya hey dere!! You are officially a Yooper when you hit the UP...You may find that the Yoopers consider themselves a separate state from the lower part of Michigan...and they are very protective of the UP...We went to Copper Harbor..very pretty..also Porcupine Mt. State Park..on the Western edge of the UP...A whole different place than lower part..Have fun!!

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  11. We *love* the U.P. and are headed there. Will stay at the Munising City Park Aug 4-11 and plan to kayak several rivers and the Big Lake They Call Gitcheegoomee.

    If you're members of the Elks, do you know about the Lodge in "Soo?" It's right on the St. Lawrence Waterway where you can watch the huge freighters make their way to and from the Locks.

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  12. Love the bridge pic!! Very nice.
    Enjoy your time in the UP.

    Mike & Gerri (happytrails)
    http://freedom2roll.blogspot.com

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  13. Odel - If I didn't know you better, I'd say you were upchucking instead of looking at the Lake. Hope to see you back this winter for some golf. - Wayne

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  14. Thanks for all the suggestions, everyone! We had dinner (burgers) at The Antlers last night, and are staying at the Elks Lodge (4 sites), where we will have a Friday Fish Fry dinner tonight. Fabulous view! Our upcoming plan include a visit to Paradise and Whitefish Point, Grand Marais, Munising, Houghton and the Keweenaw Peninsula. Honorary Yoopers - that's us.

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