Lower Michigan vacation coming up - must-see suggestions?

[nelsclan]

Hello all-

We'll be in the Petosky, MI, area for a week, 6/25 to 7/1, & wondered if there might be any local Michiganders that might suggest any good things to see & do in the area. Looking forward to seeing what the bigger Great Lakes have to offer - we live a [long] stone's throw from Lake Erie.

We'll be at a "resort" (gift) rather than camping on this trip - we're in transition between too old to sleep on the ground & deciding how highly-developed our new facilities will be.... don't suppose there'd be any TNTTT/ TearJerker events handy while we're there, or on the way to/ from? We don't see many of these types of campers around here. We don't have too many firm plans, mostly just relax & decompress. Michigan seemed like a good place for that...

Thanks in advance-
Lois & Randy Nelson

[rjgimp]

I hail from the other end of Lake Superior but I'll throw my suggestions in the mix. As far north as you will be I would absolutely take a road trip over the Mackinac Bridge to the UP and see a few things over there. I believe there is a $2 toll per axle for passenger vehicles. Top of the list for me would be the Great Lakes Shipwreck Museum at Whitefish Point. They have the bell from the Edmund Fitzgerald on display there. There are many lighthouses to see all over the area. I would also probably head up to the Soo Locks. Unfortunately you'll be a day late for a special annual event held there on the last Friday in June.

From Wikipedia:"The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Detroit District, operates the Soo Locks Visitors Center and viewing deck for the public.[15] On the last Friday of every June, the public is allowed to go behind the security fence and cross the lock gates of the U.S. Soo Locks for the annual Engineers Day Open House.[16][17] During this event, visitors are able to get close enough to touch ships passing through the two regularly operating locks. Other than on that day, because the locks are United States Federal property under command of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, unauthorized personnel and civilians are restricted from the locks under threat of fines or imprisonment for trespassing."

[rjgimp]

Oh, and you absolutely MUST find a place to take a swim In Lake Superior! I used to do that all the time at the Park Point beach in Duluth when I was a kid. In the height of summer the water might get up to a balmy 63 degrees, so if you aren't used to such things there is a chance it might cause you to go numb in your extremities and cause your great grandfather who has been dead 60 years to gasp.

[nelsclan]

That'll be a brisk dip.... In Erie, our Presque Isle Bay temp is about 69* today, but only because it got to 90* ambient air temp,& the bay heats up a bit faster. "Up the lake" here at Freeport Beach (actually down the lake) where we are, the water was probably 65 or so. I like it cold - helps keep the bugs & critters at bay... The Little Woman, on the other hand, prefers temps in the bathwater to Jacuzzi range.... :^)

We are hoping to get up to Mackinac & beyond, depending on how the weather treats us. We're both big Gordon Lightfoot fans, so the Shipwreck Museum is definitely on our short list if we get that far north.

Thanks for the tips, rj, we're looking forward to seeing some nice country up there!

Lois & Randy

[rjgimp]

The UP is beautiful! I need to get out there again soon, it's been many years. I'd even suggest a trip to Copper Harbor if you're up for a bit of a drive. Wherever you stop for lunch up there, try a Pasty. (Pronounced like pass-tea.) They were a common portable lunch for 'Yooper' miners as well as those in northeastern MN. Usually contained ground beef or pork along with diced potatoes and veggies and wrapped in a pastry crust. They were very portable, could safely spend half the workday wrapped in a flour sack towel in your coat pocket and easily warmed by virtually any heat source or could be eaten cold in a pinch. They are available at most diners and local grocers.

I was living in Duluth and had just turned 7 when the Fitzgerald went down in November of 1975. Even as a young boy I could tell something had gone horribly wrong. I remember hearing the story being told by longtime Duluth ABC news anchor Dennis Anderson (he was still a rookie back then and was the one who broke the story) on the little B&W television in our kitchen and asking my mom who this Gerald Fitz guy was and why was Mr Anderson sounding so sad? At the time nearly everyone you knew either knew someone or was related to someone on that ship. I heard recently that the storm involved stretched all the way south to Oklahoma. Really an amazing story.

[nelsclan]

Ooh, looks like we'll be doing some "pasty hunting" while we're there.... We always try to sample the colloquial cuisine whenever we travel, & it always seems to tie in to the local history in one way or another. Will they banish us if we put ranch dressing on one? :^)

[nelsclan]

Well, we had a great time in Michigan, & saw some beautiful country. The fill-ups were a bit painful, but at least most of the traffic backups were on the opposite side of the highway.... Had a very relaxing week, & a good recharge.

I liked the pasties, The Little Woman- not so much...

Thanks, all, for your advice. Already planning a return trip to see more of the stuff we didn't get to!



Lois & Randy

[rjgimp]

Outstanding!