Aug 6, Friday
Van Riper State Park
We arrived at Van Riper State Park around 11 am, but the Park Rangers would not let us check in until 2 pm. So we instead filled the camper with fresh water and parked it down by the beach. We then found a nice shelter overlooking the lake and ate our lunch.
Afterward, we walked around the campground and checked out our empty site. The park has a 1.5-mile frontage on Lake Michigamme with a nice sandy beach. Since it was not 2 pm, we returned to the camper, changed into our bathing suits, and went swimming. The water was cool but tolerable, but it had a very red tint. We both had a fun and refreshing swim.
Around 1:30 pm, the park rangers finally let us check-in. We had #146, a dirt site that was flat and wide. It was on the opposite side of the campground from the lake, so we had no water views.
Lawry’s Pasties
After we set up, we went back down the highway to a pastie shop called Lawry’s to get some pasties for lunch, but they were all out of the pasties we wanted, so we continued to Da Yooper Tourist Trap.
Da Yooper Tourist Trap
Da Yooper Tourist Trap is a gift store with a menagerie of Yooper innovations lying about outside, including “Gus,” the largest running-working chain saw in the world, and “Big Ernie,” the largest working rifle in the world. Throughout the lawn is one crazy invention after another, poking fun at the culture and hardships of those living in the Upper Peninsula. The gift shop was huge and had a lot of unique collectibles and products made in the UP.
Barrel + Beam in Marquette
We continued east toward Marquette and stopped at the Barrel+Beam Brewery. The beautiful brewery was housed in the former Northwoods Supper Club, once the second-oldest restaurant in the state. It underwent a $2 million renovation in 2017 but retained its log walls from the 1930s. They only brewed farmhouse ales and ciders aged in oak wine barrels using Michigan-sourced ingredients.
Negaunee Farmers Market
On the way home, we briefly stopped at a farmers market in Negaunee to buy fresh fruit.
We returned to the campsite around 7 pm.
Aug 7, Saturday
We left the campsite around 8 am and headed toward Muningsing to see as many waterfalls as possible on our way to Munising, where we had a Pictured Rocks boat tour scheduled for that afternoon.
Laughing Whitefish Falls
Whitefish Falls is on Whitefish River, which was named by the Ojibwe, who thought the mouth of the river seen from Lake Superior resembled that of a laughing whitefish. There was a scenic 0.6-mile trail through a beech and maple forest to the falls from the parking lot. There were three wooden platforms along the 100-foot length of the waterfalls that enabled you to view the falls from different points of view. The upper part of the falls was a “classic” vertical waterfall, but the lower part was a slide waterfall with water cascading over a long series of small rock steps, forming a fairly steep slope. In total, this waterfall is an impressive 100 feet high.
Au Train Falls
We then drove to the Au Train Falls on the Au Train River. Once we found some parking in the crowded parking lot, it was only about a 500-foot walk from the parking lot to the falls. The Upper Falls drop about 40’, and the lower falls around 10’. The river powers a hydroelectric power generating plant with the Au Train river dammed above the upper falls, so the flow is limited by the amount of water the operators allow to pour from the reservoir.
Wagner Falls
The next waterfall we saw was Wagner Falls. There was a small parking area and a 0.6-mile trail to an observation deck at the base of the falls. Nestled amongst virgin pine and hemlock trees, Wagner Creek falls over a stratum of erosion-resistant dolomite to flow into a shallow gorge containing the Anna River. The Anna River, soon afterward, flows northward into Lake Superior.
Munising Falls
The last waterfall this morning was actually within the city limits of Munising. There was a paved 600-foot trail to a shaded sandstone canyon along Munising Creek to the falls. Two sets of stairs lead to elevated platforms, which enable views of the 50-foot waterfall which drops over a sandstone cliff.
Bayshore Park
We decided to eat lunch at the park near the Pictured Rocks Cruise docks. We arrived about 1.5 hours before our cruise, but we read that we should be there at least 45 minutes early to get good seats on the upper deck. The ducks had pooped everywhere, though, so it was a challenge to find a place to put our chairs that did not gross us out.
Pictured Rocks Cruise
We got in line about 45 minutes early, and people were already in line. We could start boarding about 15 minutes before launch, but the guide warned us before we boarded that the water was rough and we would be allowed to get a refund if we wanted.
We got some nice seats on the upper deck on the ship’s right side, as recommended in various tips that we read. The water was rough, and the wind was cool, but we dressed appropriately. I had brought some motion-sickness bands for this cruise but had forgotten them back at the camper.
The Painted Rocks were as beautiful as advertised. The sandstone cliffs towered 50 to 200 feet above Lake Superior for about 15 miles along the lake from Sand Point on the west to just after Spray Falls on the east. The rocks get their color from groundwater seeping out of the cracks in the rock and leaving mineral deposits on the cliffs. Red and orange stains are caused by iron, blue and green by copper, brown and black by manganese, and white by limonite. We were surprised to see so many people standing close to the edges of the incredibly high cliffs. We also saw a lot of kayaks and pontoon boats in the rough water below the cliffs, which made me glad we were in this large boat.
The highlighted attractions included the 1868 East Channel Lighthouse, Grand Island, Miners Castle, several painted coves and sea caves, many rock cliffs, two rock arches, a large gull rookery, and Spray Falls. Some of the rock formations included Miners Castle, Indian Head, Battleship Row, Flower Vase, Indian Drum, and Chapel Rock,
The guide did most of his talking on the way out, so those on the right side of the boat got better views during the narration, but those on the left got the same views on the way back. The cruise was about 2 hours long.
Miners Falls
After the cruise, we headed further east to see Miner’s Falls. The walk from the parking area to the waterfall was a 1.2-mile round-trip of a gently rolling gravel and dirt path. There were two overlooks. The Miners River drops about 50 feet over a sandstone outcrop, creating the park’s most powerful waterfall. There are 64 steps down to the lower viewing platform.
Eh! Burger
It was after five, so we returned to Munising and ate at the fun-sounding Eh! Burgers, which was near Pictured Rocks Cruises boat launch. It looked like a fast-food burger franchise, but it had a lot of different types of sandwiches, and portion sizes were good. And it served local beers! We found a nice place to eat on the outside patio overlooking the lake. The place was packed with people when we left.
Christmas
We followed the coastline of Lake Superior back toward Marquette (M-28) just as we were leaving Munising, though we drove through Christmas! Christmas, Michigan, is a small town given its name by a Munising man who started a roadside factory to make holiday gift items in 1938, but it burnt down two years later. The town’s name stuck, though. Though they no longer have a post office, mail addressed to Christmas, Michigan, arrives at the Munising post office during the holidays and is brought over to a convenience store/ gift shop in Christmas for hand stamping. This store was closed when we drove through, but we still stopped to get pictures of the 35-foot plywood rendering of Santa standing next to a red post labeled “North Pole,” a concrete snowman, and a keg-powered Santa mobile.
Sunset Scenic View Wayside
Outside Marquette, we stopped at Sunset Scenic View wayside to admire the view before continuing.
Jilbert Dairy
In Marquette, we stopped at Jilbert Dairy for some ice cream. Since 1937, this factory has been a major milk supplier for most of the UP. When it opened in 1937, it processed monthly 10,000 lbs. of milk. Today, they process over 4,000,000 lbs. per month. It was bought by Dean Foods in 2006, but it still retained its name. We ate our ice cream in their picnic area and had a giant cow called Jilly.
We got back to the camper around 10 pm.
Aug 8, Sunday
Michigan Iron Industry Museum
We left the campsite around 10 am and drove to the nearby Michigan Iron Industry Museum. This was a free museum in the woods near the Carp River and the site of the first iron forge in the Lake Superior region. It had great displays about the history of the iron industry in the Upper Peninsula. They also play a short video called “Iron Spirits: Life on the Michigan Iron Range.” There was a big display on Fayette, the iron town we had seen earlier on our trip to Fayette Historic State Park. We also walked on their interpretive trail that went through the woods near the museum, and even though it was scenic, it was rather uninformative.
Blackrocks Brewery
When we got to Marquette, we stopped at the Blackrocks Brewery, which opened in 2010 and is the second-largest brewery in the Upper Peninsula behind Keweenaw Brewery. Their original pub is located downtown in a previously residential home resembling a ski chalet. The decor was interesting, with a local artist making many of the stools, chairs, and tables made of bicycle parts. They also had mugs hanging everywhere and special glass-encased display rooms for them. We learned that each mug is unique and made by a local artist. The brewery had been selling the mugs, which gave the owners discounts on their beer, but it became so popular that the brewery eventually ran out of space to store them all. In 2015, they limited the number of mugs to 1,400, making them a highly prized possession.
We ordered a flight of beers and sat on their second-level balcony, eating our packed lunch. We enjoyed their beers so much that we ordered another flight of four.
Marquette Waterfront
We then drove to the Marquette Waterfront and parked at Father Marquette Park. Though they did not have a waterfront park, we were fascinated with the historic Lower Harbor Ore Dock, which was once used to load iron into cargo ships.
Lakenenland Sculpture Park
We then drove east to check out Lakenenland. Lakenenland is a 37-acre park with more than 100 whimsical, colorful, and sometimes “tells it like it is” metal art sculptures showcasing Tom Lakenen’s talent for turning junk metal and scrap iron into awe-inspiring, entertaining works of art. When he stopped drinking, he started sculpting to fill his time between construction jobs. He moved the sculptures to the present location in 2003 when his local township said he could no longer display them in his yard. Some sculptures are lighthearted, while others provide commentary on political topics. Other sculptures pay tribute to the history and culture of Michigan’s Upper Peninsula. It was free to visit, and we could drive on a dirt road that wound through most of the sculptures. At the end of the drive, we parked so I could walk around to some others scattered by the pond.
Presque Isle State Park
After we left Lakenenland, we returned to Marquette and went to Presque Isle State Park.
Just before the entrance, we stopped and watched a freighter being loaded by a working iron dock.
Presque Isle State Park is a popular 323-acre forested park on an oval peninsula extending into Lake Superior. Sandstone cliffs surround the park, and a one-way road circles the edges. Picnic tables, benches, parking places, and viewpoints were scattered along the road. Surprisingly, dogs are NOT allowed in the park.
Our first stop was to see the lighthouse pier. We then walked up and down the coast, admiring the sandstone cliffs. Some had little signs or yellow tape marking areas off-limits due to the danger of collapsing cliffs.
We then drove down to another pull-off, where there was a beach. A large sinkhole was taped off, caused by the waves digging tunnels in the soft sandstone underneath the beach.
When we finished the loop, we searched the internet for a place to eat. We settled on a highly-rated food truck called The Burger Bus, which we discovered would be outside Blackrocks Brewery that afternoon.
The Burger Bus
We sat in the back patio area at the brewery after getting a couple of our favorite beers. They had a large outside area with fire pits, patio tables, and picnic tables scattered about, surrounded by a fence made of used skis. We then ordered burgers from The Burger Bus, which were excellent but very messy.
Jilbert’s Dairy
After dinner, we returned to our camper but stopped at Jilbert’s Dairy for more ice cream.
We were back at the camper around 7:30 pm.
Aug 9, Monday
We left around 10 am, heading for Copper Harbor.