Tomorrow we start our Great Lakes Grand Adventure! Two weeks driving tour of the Great Lakes and then a week camping on the St Lawrence River, on the Canada side. Today’s final tasks - pack the car, make the final two reservations, clean the house and find a sub for my class next week.

On the road! Working our way to Canada

Sitting outside our B&B this morning drinking tea and listening to the birds. Now we are sitting with the rest of our house mates. Chatting. They are having a girls weekend. Anne, Carly and Debbie. Inez is from Quebec and is a biologist.

We are working our way across the middle of the state. It’s a little wet today - hopefully the only wet day we have on this trip.

It’s very damp here at Lake Michigan at Manistee. It’s a semi primitive campground. No rangers, you either pay ahead of time or pay on the honor system (literally a box with “pay here”). There are campground hosts who have the wood and ice. It was dry as we set up yesterday and dry over night but now it’s raining lightly. No cell service so not sure what the forecast is for today. We are going back into Ludington to go to at least one museum and lunch and then going up to Manistee for the afternoon and dinner at another brew pub.

Today was a good day. We got up to a very wet tent. It rained after we got back to camp last night and it may have rained more overnight. It was extremely buggy so we ate in the screen house of the tent and then packed. It went pretty well, I’ve got the pa king pretty well organized by this point. We headed north to Sleeping Bear Sand Dune and stoped at a senic overlook

Today was long and massively fun. We went over to Mackinac Island. So beautiful. No cars are allowed so everything is horses and bicycles. We got up and went into town to get tickets and have breakfast at the Galley, the nice restaurant we had dinner at last night. Then we got on the 8:20 Star Line Ferry to the island. The very first thing we did was take the carriage tour.

First was a team of two Bergeron horses pulling about 20 people and the carriage up the hill past the Grand Hotel. Brian and I stopped at the Surrey Miseum to see the carriages that are still in use today by the hotel. Then we got on a carriage that was pulled by three horses to go into the state park and see Arch Rock. Again, so pretty. Beautiful view of Lake Huron.

Today was one of it maybe the longest travel day of the trip - 6 hours from St. Ignace to Copper Harbor and Fort Wilkins State Park. Lovely big sites, no neighbors so far, all time is quiet time, and a view of Fanny Hooe Lake. No joke.

Today we did more than we planned to really. We slept in and made breakfast. We decided to walk over to the fort and check out the other half of the campground. It warmed up as we walked and the fort is well preserved. It has a couple of living interpreters which is a little hard when you are two of four people touring the fort. We cut the walk short because we were both hungry for lunch. We stopped at the camp store to find it lacking in all good except ice cream. After lunch we took a drive out to the end of Route 41 (which goes all the way to Miami, Florida) and then stoped at the lighthouse overlook.

Went to find the Manganese Falls which were mediocre at best and Estivant Pines, and 500 acre stand of pines that are 300 - 500 years old. We only found one before I started to get eaten by mosquitoes. Then we drove through Copper Harbor to the Brockway Senic Drive and overlook. Spectacular views of Lake Superior. We drove back on Rt 26, stopped at the only grocery mart in Copper Harbor to get something for dinner and then Brian got beer at the Brickside Brewery.

Cold and wet start to the day. Only the third day out of nine with bad weather but it seems unfair still. Decided to go into Copper Harbor for a hot breakfast and both ate a huge meal at The Pines, a restaurant associated with a hotel. Then we drove the half hour to Calumet hoping to do some museums. We started at the Laurian House - a 45 room mansion from 1908 \240that has been restored and is now being used as a hotel. Then every other place was closed because it’s Sunday. Brian got to try another microbrew and we bought a few gifts at a very friendly store.

Today was a travel day. \240We got up to not as much cold as yesterday but enough that we packed up and got out before most people were up. We stopped at The Pines again for breakfast, this time each of us eating much more sensible portions. Then we headed down the peninsula. We made it to Houghton to get coffee and figured out where all the flooding was. We got back to Marquette for lunch at Sol Azteca

Today was another travel day. I can tell we are both a bit tired of it. It’s good to be in Sault St Marie for two nights. We had breakfast and packed up. We headed out to the Shipwreck Museum. Not too far off our path and very interesting. They have the bell from the Edmund Fitzgerald.

Today was another travel day. I can tell we are both a bit tired of it. It’s good to be in Sault St Marie for two nights. We had breakfast and packed up. We headed out to the Shipwreck Museum. Not too far off our path and very interesting. They have the bell from the Edmund Fitzgerald.

Today was our anniversary. We went into town to see what there was to see. And drink beer. We went to the Canadian locks and got to see it work twice. I have some great pictures on my camera. Then we went into town to get beer and lunch. Outspoken Brewing is right next to Shabby Motley who does their food. It’s also a yarn and coffee shop. Then we walked back by the river to the art museum. Small but nice. We went to the Sault Saint Marie Museum. Not so nice - under construction so only two floors of exhibits and not well laid out or with much explanation. We went to find the second brewery in town to find that it was closed for a private event and they only sell growlers. Hot and tired and disappointed we headed out to wash the car, stop at Walmart for food and go to the restaurant for dinner. We squeaked in before the place filled with reservations.

Today we drove. From Sault Ste Marie to North Bay. Everyone that is not in the Soo makes fun of the Soo. Our waitress at dinner said she was sorry we had spent two nights there.

Today was a good day. Our plan actually worked! We got up at a relatively normal time, went to breakfast shortly after it was served at 6:30 (it was a disappointment) and got out of North Bay by 7:30. With a few stops we were at Pog Lake by 10:15. And got a site! We started out on 205 but then after walking the loop we we back and switched to 231. It’s over a hill from Rte 60 and has a marginal view of the lake - meaning I can see it from where I sit through trees and two other sites. There is more of a breeze coming off the lake and it has more shade. And it’s bigger! We were done setting up by 11:45 which feels so foreign to us. So we had lunch and went out to explore. We went over to the visitors center and learned about the park. Filler out water bottles because the water at the park is not potable unless you boil it for a minute. Then we went over to the lake of two rivers store and grill. The store was lacking but the grill had ice cream. After an ice cream break we decided to head out of the park to find a bigger grocery store. We will have salmon salad for dinner. On the way back in a took a picture of the east gate - it’s been there since the highway opened into the park in the 30’s.

Today was hot. Not like tomorrow will be but humid due to the massive thunderstorm that came through at 3am. I got up to pee at 1:30am to find lights flashing in the sky and neighbors setting up. At 1:30. A.M. \240Then Brian got up as I was coming back. He didn’t think he needed to but noticed the sky. We looked at the weather when we got back and saw the thunderstorm watch and saw the cells on the radar. We went out and put everything in the car because they threatened high winds. Then we crawled into bed and counted the space between lightening and thunder. The closest was about a quarter of a mile but the rest were between 1 and 2 miles away. We lucked out for sure, didn’t even get high winds in our little corner of the camp but plenty of rain. The tent was fine except for a couple of drips. I went back to sleep and Brian said another round came through at 4 or 5. We slept in to about 9. We drove up to Coon Lake. So remote and primitive. We went out to do the Beaver Dam walk. Lovey but buggy!!!! We had sprayed at camp but needed to do it again apparently. We could barely stop to take pictures let alone read the guide. We got our steps and exercise in though just trying to get out! \240We stopped back at the visitors center before heading to the logging museum. Very well done walking trail without side exhibits. Not so buggy. By then we were both toast and hungry so decided to forgo the grocery store and head back to camp for lunch. We went out to Lake Openogo to see the store and the lake. Lots of people out on the lake or stoping back in for wood and ice. \240

Today was hot. Very hot. We had an easy morning staying cool around camp. Then We loaded up on bug spray and headed out to the Peck Lake walk. \240We saw our first Moose! By the side of the road, a big bull with only one antler. We stopped at the store for ice, after bite and bug spray. We’ve gone through a full can already. Peck Lake was lovely and much less buggy than yesterday. We went slow so that we didn’t get too overheated but Brian sweat a lot anyway. Then we went to the art museum. Because you know what art is? Air conditioned!!!!!! It was really quite lovely. All modern day artists with their work for sale. We both enjoyed it. Then we stopped at Canisbay Campground to eat lunch at their picnic area. By then I wanted a nap so we went back to camp. I headed to the beach afterwards to try to cool off.

Another, but our second to last travel day. We got up at the usual time and started the pack. First breakfast, then pack as much of the kitchen stuff before strolling to let the stove cool off from coffee water. Then inside to start that pack. By the time that was done we could start packing the car getting everything in but the tent. Once that was done we were on our way, about 9:30. A stop for coffee and a bathroom at the visitor center and we headed out of the park. An uneventful drive and we landed at Upper Canada Migratory Bird Sanctuary Campground. It’s hot but an amazing breeze. We were very slow setting up while we waited for Mom and Dad. They made dinner and we are taking in the view from our site with a fire.

It is hot. We had breakfast and tried to go for a walk. Too buggy and somewhat in sun so it didn’t last long. Then we went to the grocery store in Ingleside before coming back to camp for lunch. Then in the heat of the day naps all around. I made Salmon salad for dinner and a fire before the bugs set in to eat at dark.

Happy Birthday America! Also a very hot one. We had decided last night to go to the movies in the middle of the day. After breakfast we all did our own thing, dad made the potatoe salad for dinner, I worked on my travel journal. We went into Cornwall, the next town after Ingleside, and found the theater. As we handed then our tickets the power went out. Our movie was first and Mom and Dad had gone to a park to eat their lunch. We had order our lunch at the theater so ate as we waited for them to decide if they would evacuate us. I had poutine! Once they decided to kick us out we had mom and dad come get us. Then back to their park so mom could eat followed by really good ice cream at a mall. On the way back to camp we drove the Long Sault Parkway the links several small islands that were made when this part of the St Lawrence was flooded to make a deeper channel for boats. Naps again before mom and I went in the water. It’s really shallow and sandy here so we went out a ways and then sat down and simply soaked and chatted in the cool water. Cornell BBQ chicken and potatoe salad for dinner. We did get some fire works from our site after the bugs chased us behind screens again.

It’s going to be hot again today. Going to attempt the movies again. We got free passes for our troubles yesterday.