What is Lake Superior?

Lake Superior is the largest of the 5 great lakes in North America. It is the largest fresh water lake in world by surface area and the third largest fresh water lake by volume.

Lake Superior is also known as gichi-gami which is its Ojibwe name which means great sea.

Lake Superior’s surface area is 31,700 square miles (82,103 square km), with a maximum length of 350 miles (560 km), and a maximum breadth of 160 miles (257 km). The shoreline of Lake Superior spans 1,729 miles (2,783 km) not including the shores of islands. It has a water volume of 2,900 cubic miles (12,0000 Km3) with an average depth of 483 ft (147 m) and a maximum depth of 1,333 ft (406 m).

Lake Superior is the largest fresh water lake in the world by surface area and the third largest by volume.

Fun Fact: Lake Superior Contains 10% of the world’s fresh surface water!

The Lake Superior Circle Tour is 1,300 miles (2,902 km). These distances are based off the official route; however, some may alter off the course to visit other surrounding attractions and activities.

Mother Nature blessed us with an amazing sunrise as we left home.

Our first stop was kilometre 0 at Batchawana Bay Provincial Park.

Video: Start of our Journey

Video: Beautiful Lake Superior

Our first stop was at Km 1 at the Voyageur Lodge and Cookhouse for a delicious Apple fritter to fuel our journey. We had a quick chat with Frank and he added a few tips for places to stop on our journey.

Sasquash sighting at the Voyageur Lodge.

Final checks!

Which direction should we head?

At Km 10 we made a quick stop at Pancake Bay. One of our favourite parks and so happy that it is on the circle tour.

We then headed North and before long we entered Lake Superior Provincial Park. We had a mist of rain for most of our journey thus far, but not enough to dampen our spirits.

The Visitors Center at Agawa Bay

Sand River

Old Women Bay

It won’t be long and all of the geese will be heading south. But this one will be staying out in the North. The Wawa goose is an iconic landmark of the North. The visitors center was unfortunately closed.

Ed pointing out how far we have come on our journey around this big lake.

The iconic goose.

Selfie moment.

Looking ahead where we are going

Onward and Northen bound our next stop was White River. Made famous by Lt. Harry Colebourn who was a veterinarian in the army) bought a baby cub bear from a local at White River($20). He then took the bear with him back to England. Winnie the bear was loved by many, but a small boy Christopher Robin (A.A.Milne’s son) \240enjoyed feeding him spoonfuls of honey. This bear inspired him to write the famous Winnie the Pooh books. We had anticipated while we were here to buy a coffee and a snack, but unfortunately the power was out in the entire town so this would have to wait until our next stop.

Our next stop would be Marathon. We were able to find a local coffee shop. We tried to head down to their pebble beach, but unfortunately as we got to it, the road was closed and it was posted “closed for the season”🤷🏼‍♀️

From here it was a short drive to Neys Provincial Park our home for the next few nights. Our site was right on the water looking out at the Pic Island which was immortalized on canvas by Lawren Harris of The Group of Seven. After getting set up, we enjoyed some quiet time on the beach and a wonderful beach walk. We had heard good things about Neys, and so far it has certainly not disappointed!

Lots of gray haired campers in the park this time of the year. We did comment earlier that there were no kids, but everyone seems to have a dog.

Glad we have our site booked!

Definitely a spot that the Group of Seven Painted.

So interesting to know this was a former POW camp. We wanted to check it out, but it appears that the Visitors Center is closed for the season.

Now that’s a big fish!

The view from our camp site #13

The view from the lake looking back at our site.

Walking to explore the beach.

We even found driftwood Yoga on the beach.

The end of the beach where the Neys River flows into Lake Superior.

The sky was changing by the moment.

Final views before the sun tucked in behind the clouds.

Supper, fire and a beautiful sunset! Life doesn’t get much better than this. ❤️

We did come across 4 grouse sunning themselves (they must have wanted to warm up too)

In the distance you can see both the main railway line as well as a 2nd bridge that is Hwy 17.

Glad we don’t need a bear box for the night!

By the time we finished our bike exploration is was time to refuel with lunch and then we headed out on foot to explore some of the hiking trails.

The first trail we headed out to explore was The Lookout. Only 1.6 km but definitely moderately difficult. When we came to the top of the first peak we were underwhelmed and both said we have much better vistas at Lake Superior. We trudged on and came to a second rock clearing that opened up to the lake and Wow… it was worth it. Overlooking Ashburton Bay and the broad expanse of Lake Superior.

The trail started out nice and gentle.

And then the climbing began. Any trail that is called Lookout you know there will be climbing required.

The first Lookout we came to.

How do we cross this?

Going out on a limb for this picture.

Is this really a bear den?

And then we got to the top!! Beautiful.

The second trail we ventured out to do was Dunes. It was described as easy (which it was). At the beginning of the loop you are introduced to the unique plants of the dune environment. As you approach the back of the trail, you will discover significant vegetation changes more as you enter the boreal Forest.

Have we Dun et yet?

Felt like walking through the magical forest.

The trail was much to our Lichen!

Enjoy hanging around with this Fun gi!

Ok maybe it was a magical forest as we were starting to come up with silly puns along the way.

The third trail we ventured out to do was the Point. This trail curves along the shore and into the woods to Prisoners Point and a view of Lake Superior.

Starting point. 1km out and 1km back.

Out of the woods and onto the beach.

Lots of driftwood.

These boats were used to carry the German POW’s up the river to work in logging. You can see how they used square nails to put them together.

At the end of the Point the shore turned very rocky. You can continue the trail from here, but it moves to a very difficult rating and we figured we had done enough today.

If you look back…way back… you can see our campsite along the far shore.

Playing on the rocks along the shore.

Whew made it back across the log.

Could not resist one last look!

And back to our campsite to enjoy supper and a view. Although there were a few squirrels in the trees above knocking down pine cones on us.

It was quite chilly, so our cap’s quickly changed to toques and an extra jacket when we arrived.

We wandered around the Visitor center grounds where they had displays of the Anishinaave Camp.

We found a Fire Circle where you are invited to “share your experience”. We could have really used a little bit of warmth from it today.

We headed out on the Southern Headland Trail first. It is described as “Experience the wild shore of an inland sea“. This rugged trail juts into Lake Superior with views of Hattie Cove, Pulpwood Harbour, and Horseshoe Bay.

To celebrate Canada’s 150th birthday, the National Parks set out 19 pairs of red chairs scattered throughout Canada. Since then many more have been added.

Our first set of Red chairs.

The views on this first trail were amazing from start to finish.

Looking out at Hattie Cove.

Our second set of Red Chairs.

Lots of information plaques along the way.

Blueberries were still in season here! Although very few and very small!

At the end of the trail we came to middle beach. Beautiful sand, but lots of driftwood as well.

Admiring Horseshoe Cove.

Can definitely understand how the Group of Seven were inspired here.

As we finished our first trail, we had a short boardwalk along the beach to take us to the second trail.

Our second trail was the Manito Miikana described as “want to slip away for a moment of peace and relaxation? Hike Manito Miikana, the Spirit Trail”. Peek through a rocky ravine as you climb up for a panoramic views of Lake Superior and the Pic River Dunes. Rest and enjoy the beauty from two viewing decks along the trail.

As the trail beginning, we headed off into the forest.

Beautiful rock formations covered in various plants created a blanket of green.

This was the first lookout which provided a magnificent view of Lake Superior.

The terrain was certainly varied.

At the end we came to North Beach. We have never seen such an abundance of driftwood in one place.

Not your typical beach!

This plaque marked the end of the trail and talked about the “moods” of Lake Superior. We can certainly attest that we have experienced them.

After leaving the park we made a quick stop in Marathon for a cup of tea/coffee to warm our innards. In our research we had heard about a short hike to Mink Creek Falls which was west of Marathon so why not check it out!

Our first stop along this trail was a bit underwhelming.

As we continued our decent it was definitely a wow!

We we’re definitely glad we had taken the time to explore this short hike!

Video: with neat effects.

Tonight we pack up and get ready to move on tomorrow to see what adventures lay ahead.

It was really easy to find this landmark.

We should be following the Group of Seven tour.

We were surprised to find that the lighthouse was open and you could climb to the top.

It was quite a view, even for this early in the morning.

As we left town we were able to find our next stop only about 3km outside of town. The Aquasabon Falls and Gorge. It was a quick stop not too far off the highway, but definitely worthwhile.

We continue to head west on Hwy 17 and before we knew it we were in the town of Schreiber. A friend had told us about this cute cafe so we decided to check it out for second breakfast. Definitely a 5* meal.

After fueling our belly tanks we didn’t get too far before we came to the Schreiber Railway Museum. What an amazing gem. We intended to only stay a few minutes but ended up around a 45 minute stop which could have been much longer.

One of the Caboose units was a mini theatre that showed a 15 minute exceptional narrative on the building of the rail line through Northern Ontario.

Video: the start of the movie

So many artifacts. Most rail line, but also bell operators, medical supplies and so much more.

80 feet of Caboose history.

We did a quick drive through the quaint town of Rossport. We had been recommended to stop at Serendipity, however they weren’t yet open for the day, so we will have to return for this one. They also offered a very unique looking B&B.

We felt we had to keep moving so off we headed to Rainbow Falls Provincial Park.

There was a short hike to a waterfall system Through the park.

When we got back to the truck we were ready for a bit of sit time until our next stop in Nipigon where we found the Bridgeview tower. 65 steps to a lookout over the lake and a great vantage point to see the iconic bridge leading into Nipigon. Nipigon is proud to be the \240home of the smallest Canadian Tire in Canada.

Found another one!

We continue to head west on our journey and were taken by our gps down a long and winding red dirt road. We finally came to our next stop at Ouimet Canyon Provincial Park. I am always in awe at the diversity of landscapes we have in our country and in our own province. Ouimet Canyon is a spectacular 150 meter wide by 100 meter deep gorge located just north of Lake Superior. A 1.7 km looped hiking trail lead us to 2 viewing platforms on the rim of possibly the most impressive canyon in Ontario.

Finally we arrived at our destination of Sleeping Giant Provincial Park after about 10 hours. Well I guess you could say good adventures take time. The gate house was already closed, but our name was on the list of campers yet to come. We made our way to our site 203 and set up. This site is tucked back in the woods and all sites are very private. Cell service is very limited here.

This park is about 35 km off hwy 17.

We saw 2 little fox on our way in. It must be a sign.

Ed is actually building a fire as I took this photo. Can you find him?

The sun setting over Marie Louise Lake.

I think we will sleep well tonight and there will be no alarm tomorrow.

If you look you can see a cruise ship in the bay.

Securing the bikes. We weren’t the only ones that rode out. And many people walked the trail this far.

Now that’s a big cedar. Ed wanted to take it home.

Not your typical trail

This is where we had lunch and thought we were at the end.

Can you see the cruise ship still off in the distance?

Looking out at Thunder Bay in the distance.

We finally made it to the top!

What a view!

On the way back down, rocks, roots and make shift stairs.

Yes, we did stop to hike one more short trail.

The Sea Lion and Sleeping Giant in the background.

Video: as we sat around the fire this pair I f Pileated Woodpeckers stopped by to see what was going on.

We headed back up Hwy 587 to do some rainy day shopping at the local Amethyst Store. In the area there are several mines at some you can even pick your own rock.

We then headed to the farthest point on the Peninsula a small former mining village Silver Islet and the home to a general store and tea room that has been family run for 150 years.

Nothing better on a fall day than a homemade soup in a quaint little Tea room.

We literally got the last table in the place and the couch seating as they were expecting a large group of people. Nothing like having Christopher Robin join you for lunch.

Gluten Free Pizza!

After our physical output yesterday, indulging in dessert seemed like a necessity.

The old cash register… beside it was an iPad that they now use for transactions.

After our lunch we walked down to check out the little harbour.

It was a wet one for sure!

The Silver Islet from the back.

This is the only spot in the park where Internet can be found.

We are on the move again tomorrow so hopefully we will have a little more connectivity.

Rainy day in the park.

Terrance Stanley Fox

July 28, 1958–June 28, 1981

From here we decided to explore a bit of Downtown Thunder Bay. The girls at the Travel Info said we could park with the trailer near the Marina. We headed that way, however had to get rerouted as there was a festival going on down by the water. We found a side street where we could park and headed off to find a coffee shop. We came to the Rooster Bistro, it looked busy so we thought it must be good and our assumption was correct. It’s amazing how many different ways you can cook eggs and they taste so good.

They even had a locally made hot sauce.

Fueled up and ready to go we headed to Fort William Historic Park. We weren’t expecting this to be too long of a visit maybe an hour…3 hours later we walked out very impressed with our tour and what we had seen. Great information on the Northwest Trading Company who were in competition with the Hudson Bay company. Finally around 1818 the government stepped in and they were forced to amalgamate. The history of the Voyageur Canoes and how they were made. Touching and seeing so many pelts. It was fairly quiet with few tourists but it was interesting to imagine this place in the peak of the season. A rendezvous would happen in the peak of trade season as buyers and sellers of furs all came together at the fort. In summer time they would have many students playing the roles of 1815 settlers from the area.

Each Voyageur would be responsible for at minimum 2 of these packs each weighing 90 lbs approx.

Worth the most in store credits was the silver fox.

Ed sporting his new beaver hat.

The Canoe workshop. A Montreal canoe could take up to 200 hours to complete and weighs 800 lbs. it would carry a load of 8000 lbs. The longest portage was 14 km on the journey to Montreal from Thunder Bay.

After leaving the fort we made our way to our new home for the next 2 nights at Kakabeka Falls Provincial Park. Tomorrow we will spend more time exploring this park but our initial impression we are very impressed.

Video: falls in action.

After capturing a few photos we headed out to hike the Mountain Portage Trail which lead us to the Little Falls Trail. This was definitely worth the adventure as we came to a beautiful tranquil place, covered in moss and cascading water. In many ways this spot was more beautiful than the big falls.

On the route back the trail took us along the river and we were able to see the site of the power generating plant.

There was also a lookout platform with a spectacular view to finish off the trail. It is interesting when you look at the landscape that everything is multi shades of green. Very few fall colours dotting the horizon.

Our morning hike was about 5 km and we had worked up a thirst. Someone had told us about the Metropolitan Moose Cafe located just outside the park gates so we went to check it out and plan our afternoon.

Today was a very special day across the country as it was the annual Terry Fox Run. What better way to make our stay in Thunder Bay than to participate in the local run. There was an elite group of runners who actually had the privilege of running with the flag from the Terry Fox Momument. We joined them along with the rest of the runners, walkers, strollers at the starting point near Boulevard Lake.

Video: Ceremonial Start

Ed chose to run the course and I set out with the walkers. The course was a beautiful path around the Lake with the total distance being 5 km.

After finishing our event, we googled to find a local cafe. We found one located near the waterfront that looked worth checking out. After getting our coffee, Ed was talking to the Barista about Sleeping Giant and he said “one of the best views to see the Giant was at the end of the pier- right down that path” well of course we had to go check it out.

Here lies the Giant.

Tomorrow we move on and continue our journey around the lake.

We were back on the highway around the bend and breezed through Customs. Right across the border was the Minnesota Welcome Center with inside washrooms, tourist info and wifi access. From the Visitor’s Center we headed out on the trail (approx 2.2 km) to a view of Minnesota’s highest waterfall High Falls. It was an easy walk and worth it for the view at the end.

We realized when we got back and our watches seemed out of sync that we had switched over to Central time zone.

Ed having a stare down with a grouse. We probably won’t see any when we get home as hunting season will be going.

Back in the truck and on our way we had to pull over at the first scenic lookout as the view was spectacular.

Onward again we finally made it to the first somewhat major (touristy) town Grand Marais. We found a local cafe and grabbed our second breakfast before walking through several shops. We had to check out the World’s Best Donut shop before we left. We grabbed a few groceries and I was a bit shocked at the prices here, much higher than home. We aren’t allowed to bring fresh fruits or vegetables in to the US so it was time to restock. On the way out of town we noticed what appeared to be a very cool brewery, but it was in the middle of road construction so that will be on the list for next time.

We still think the Voyageur fritters are the “Best”, but these were pretty darn good.

Love this sign in the bathroom at the cafe.

Our next stop was Cascade Falls. We came to the State Park sign and entered the Park. After talking to the gate attendant she told us that our truck and trailer would not fit in the small lot at the trailhead in the park. She sent us back out to the highway and said there was parking along the road. As we approached the small turnout area there was no where for us to pull off with the truck/trailer. We headed up the highway hoping for a spot to turn around, but there was none… so the actual viewing of Cascade Falls will have to wait till next trip.

Our next stop was at Temperance River State Park. Thankfully at this turnout on the highway there was room for us to pull off. It was a lovely trail along the dramatic Temperance River Gorge.

We have seen several artists along different spots painting the local scenery.

We finally arrived at our almost destination for the day at the Split Rock State Park. We checked in at the camp office then headed directly over to the Split Rock Lighthouse Historical site. Here there is a visitor center where you can view a 13 minute movie on the building and operation of the lighthouse. Then wander around display boards that explain much of the lighthouse functionality. We then headed outside where you can tour the grounds and go inside one of the homes, the oil house, the fog horn building and inside and climb the actual lighthouse. After a bad November storm in 1905 caused major damage to several ships and 30+ lives were lost the US government decided to build the lighthouse. It was in operation from 1910 to 1969 when it was felt it was no longer required because of the advanced radar systems. In 1971 it was opened to the public as a museum. After touring the buildings we hit the trail again this time climbing down 172 steps to Lake level to see the lighthouse as they described it as a postcard view. It was definitely worth the steps down and back up again.

We then made our short trek to our campsite to get set up for the night. Tomorrow we are on the road again.

There was a short trail that lead us out to the Gooseberry Middle Falls.

We continued on the path heading downstream to the lower falls.

And finally we climbed back up along the path and beyond to Upper Falls. Our total distance was only about 1.5 km for this morning walk.

Back on the highway we passed through a couple of tunnels which caught us by surprise. We certainly don’t have many of these in our area of Canada.

Our next stop was to be Betty’s Pies. We had been recommended this place by several people. We had a lighter breakfast in anticipation of the stop. As we approached our destination on the gps we were in a construction area and the oh no 😥 no RV trailers currently allowed. \240I guess this will be another stop for next time.

On to the next town Two Harbors. We found a small cafe Louise’s by chance there happened to be a cute quilt shop just around the corner. Some times fate sends us in a different direction and it all works out. We walked around a bit. This town was one of the originating towns for the shipping of iron ore.

Old Two Harbours rail station.

This board with its crank was used to keep track of the various trains coming through.

Iron ore commemorative plaque.

Cute… beside a book lending library.

Roadside stop along the highway.

We arrived at our destination for today in Duluth. We are staying at the Wild State Cider Brewry. It’s a Harvest Host we found located in Lincoln Park, which is kind of a brewery district of Duluth. Here we got our trailer settled in and headed out on our bikes to explore the city.

Our home for tonight

Heading out we headed up to a lookout point. It was quite the climb putting it mildly. But I think coming down was even scarier. Glad for the new bikes and good working brakes!

The view on the way up was good. The actual summit where we stopped was a bit underwhelming.

A quick elevation gain and loss,

Canal District.

Back at our home for the night and time for a brew before heading out for dinner. The Host actually provided us with 2 free drink vouchers. The great part of being here is we are in the heart of the area and so much is on walking distance. A change from being on a camp site.

More to come.. \240🤔 maybe.

We had our first dinner out of the trip and it was a wonderful experience. Two different stangers we had met had suggest the OMC Smokehouse. When we checked into our Harvest Host it was one of the local restaurants that they recommended so we figured we had to check it out. Everything was slow roasted throughout the day. Ed decided to try a combo plate.

OMC stands for Oink, Moo, Cluck

With full bellies and lots of fresh air I am sure we will sleep well tonight. We are also very grateful having the trailer and all our food with us that we don’t have to eat out all the time.

Tomorrow we move on again to more adventures that lay ahead.

We travelled up Hwy 13 along the shore, but the first few towns were pretty quiet. We were hoping to find a coffee stop along the route, but unfortunately these little fishing towns were quite barren. We turned in to the Apostle Island National Park- Sand Bay and found a wonderful lunch spot at the end along with a National Park Visitor Center.

From here we were only about 10 miles from the town of Bayfield, WI and our home for the night at Apostle Island Campground. We were able to get set up on our site and then we headed into the town to explore. We did debate riding, but the lady at the Park Info Center indicated there were two types of roads in town either up or down and driving through it did appear to be quite hilly.

Our set up at site 38. Very hilly getting to our site.

Marina was very calm today.

Two days ago we were complaining that it was so cold, with frost and a temp around 2 degrees with wind chill. Not sure if it’s because we are so much further south, but last night was very warm in the trailer and today we had to dig out our shorts. I think the high was 26 degrees.

We wandered around a few of the local shops. We found a sign for a new local brewery above a fish shack so with the heat we thought we would check it out. It was quiet and we were the only ones there. They have only been open for 28 days. The beer was cold and Ed got to chatting with the owner to get his history. His brother owns the fish store below, and his grandfather used to have the fishing boat The Clipper.

After leaving the brewery we decided to take a different way back to our truck. We came across a Marine Museum that was free. Lots of interesting artifacts.

Model of the Edmund Fitzgerald.

A real pilot house.

Fishing Tug.

The shoreline and the National Park is made up of 22 Islands. In order to see them you had to go by boat. We were blessed with a beautiful day and very calm waters. With limited tours in the off season we took the 1:15 Grand Tour. This is their most popular tour through the Apostle Islands. Viewing 2 lighthouses, a brownstone quarry, a historic fish camp, and cruise around Devil’s Island to view spectacular sea caves. The trip was very worthwhile. We were definitely glad for the warm calm day as we were able to sit on the top deck to enjoy the views.

Our ship. New to the fleet in 2018. The catamaran style was very smooth on the water.

Sea caves and rock stacks.

Old Fish camp on Manitou Island. Used as an off shore home base in the past.

See Caves on Devils Island.

Even though we were sweating while waiting in line to board, we did have to bundle up while the boat was moving.

Raspberry Island lighthouse. It has been completely renovated to replicate a working lighthouse. Our ship did not stop here, but you can take other tours to explore this island.

Ed mapped our route.

After our tour was over we found a local establishment to grabbed a beverage. It was a wonderful tour and the captain did a great job of narrating. We would highly recommend this to others!

Glad for the sun hat as there was lots of rays today.

A beverage with a great view of the lake.

Across the road was the tour office.

As we headed back we commented how tranquil the lake was today, we were truly blessed!

Tomorrow we say goodbye to the Apostle Islands and move on to our next destination.

Boat Tour Fun Facts:

2018 this ship was built and added to the Apostle Island Cruise fleet. Our tour will burn approx 120 gallons fuel.
The depth during our tour will be10 ft to 235 ft deep.
Madeline Island 13 miles long belongs to state 150 people live there year round. It is the largest Island in the cluster.
National Park over the islands was established in 1970.
22 islands in total we will see 20 today.
Hair samples used for bear census on Stockton island. They use hair caught in barb wire fence and run DNA
300 miles to Sault
Minnesota 28 miles
Canadian Border 85 miles
Colour of the rock comes from the large amount of iron in the rock. Mining iron in Minnesota is one of the largest industries.
McCarthy (a very large freighter) we saw today was 1000 ft. 13 boats built for superior are around 1300 ft.
Welland \240canal max is 780 ft so these vessels can not travel outside Superior.
Large vessels referred to as boats not ships. Once they sink any size they are referred to as a shipwreck.
Apple festival first week of October 6-8.
Fish livers only available in Bayfield.

Our Bluetooth stopped working as we wound through the streets at Houghton and Hancock, Mi. There was a mine museum that was on the list, but we were past it before we knew it.

After a beautiful day of driving (24 degrees and sunny) we arrived at our destination for the day, the Fanny Hooe Campground (which is the name of the lake we are on). For the first time ever, the site we had booked was too small for our little trailer. We had to make a trip back to the office and they fortunately had other sites available so they gave us a list to check.

We landed in site 43 which we were very happy with. We weren’t the only ones who had issues, as two people we saw come in after us had the same problem. Glad we were here somewhat early to get things rectified.

We did a walk around the town of Copper Harbour. Stopped at chatted at the Visitor’s Center to pick up information. Found the only grocery store to get a few supplies.

This area is a Mecca for mountain biking. Tomorrow we will get our bikes out and explore the area on two wheels.

A beautiful twilight on Fanny Hooe Lake.

Travelling further down this road we came to a fork in the path and a sign for the Clark Copper Mine. Of course we had to go check it out.

Then Ed said “Let’s continue on this road I think it loops back to the hwy … eventually”. We carried on even when we came to signage that indicated rough road ahead. It actually turned out to be a beautiful road. It was longer than we had anticipated, 30 km was our total, but doable on our bikes.

At the end of the dirt road where the pavement started - who knew we would be at the starting point of Hwy 41 that runs from here to Florida?

Our next stop on the way back was at Fort Wilkins State Park. There is camping here along with the exhibits and buildings of the Fort. We took a few minutes to walk around and explore. The fort was built to help keep peace in the area when the copper mine boom took off.

We headed back to the trailer for a late lunch and a bit of a rest.

Fueled up again we headed off to the Copper Harbour Marine Center. There really wasn’t much here except a group of kayakers heading out for a paddle. As we missed our second cup of coffee this morning on our long excursion we found a cute little cafe by the water and enjoyed the view.

We will see what the rest of the day has to offer…

We stopped for a cafe in the cute town of L’Anse. We enjoy getting off the main highway when we are looking for a unique place to stop.

We arrived at our destination in Marquette around 12:30 and we were thankfully able to check into our site early.

We set up quickly and headed out downtown to find a place to park. There was a local brewery and we headed there as we figured there would be parking close by. We weren’t in a hurry for a beverage, but anxious to get on our bikes for the afternoon. \240This town offers lots of bike paths both for mountain bikes as well as road trails.

A beautiful paved trail took us along the lake. We headed west towards Presque Isle. It’s not really an island, but a unique park at the edge of town.

Two large vessels were in port, it would have been really interesting to see them being loaded, but unfortunately not today.

Blackrocks Brewery, back at our parking spot.

Enjoying a post ride brew.

We headed back to our campsite to have a relaxing final night. When we stopped at the camp store they said they had music tonight so of course we had to check it out. This was our least expensive site, but certainly a very upscale experience. The live music was amazing. They had wood fired pizza, and a bar to serve… what more could a camper dream of?

Tomorrow we move on again, so we wanted to fit as much in as possible here.

Video:Luke Ogea young budding musician

We followed the main Hwy 28 which is the actual Circle Tour Route. There is a route that goes along the coast going through Pictured Rocks, Grand Marais, Paradise which we will save for another adventure. The colours were beautiful along our drive today. Can’t wait to see them on the stretch north of the Soo as it is always the best part of the journey.

We have now almost completed our circle. We took a bit of time to enjoy the boardwalk in the Soo before beginning the final leg of journey back home.

Billy ‘0’was a well known citizen, musher and legend in the Soo area. A tribute along the boardwalk.

Beautiful flower gardens in front of the Roberta Bondar Pavilion.

The trees are alive with colour north of the Soo! A stop at Chippewa Falls is a must along Hwy 17 North. The water is very low as the summer has been dry, but the view spectacular. This is also a special stop as it is the half way mark along the Trans Canada Highway.

The final stop at our return to Batchawana Bay Provincial Park.

Stay tuned for the Final Chapter.