It’s been an extended and lovely fall season here in the North. The trees took on their autumn colors and glowed in the sunshine and the unusual warmth. It’s been a time of “oohs” and “aahs” as we’ve taken in the glorious colors – golds, yellows, reds, oranges, and all the shades imaginable.
With a night or two of temperatures below freezing, the colors began to loose their luster. The brightness dimmed and the leaves began to loosen their grip. Down they fluttered (or seemingly slammed if the wind was gusting) and covered the ground. Rakes and leaf blowers have been brought back to life from the deep reaches of the sheds and garages. Now as you walk outside there is a crunch under your footsteps – a signal to the seasonal change to winter.
And as we enjoy 60s and 70s today, there’s even a forecast of snow in two days! Each year we marvel and appreciate the fall colors, and each year we say how much we enjoy them and wish they’d last longer. But Mother Nature is always on her own schedule. She has given us an autumn show that’s been spectacular, and for that I am grateful.
The air hung unusually warm for a mid-September evening. So warm that the bugs and mosquitos were following me as I waited on the shoreline. But the wind had died down and the lake was calm. Slowly the full moon rose over the opposite shore. Peering between the branches and leaves, it cleared the tree tops. It was clothed in a pink veil but as it rose higher the color changed to a shade of orange and then to a golden glow.
As I marveled at this harvest moon I could hear an owl in the distance. Was it too watching this nightly ritual? And what of all the people that have stood on this shoreline and watched this very same moon rise into the sky? Those that once ventured north to a lovely small resort on this lake? Those that might have hunted in the woods nearby and fished these same waters?
The moon slipped behind some clouds as I was pondering these questions, and then it slowly inched past the threads of clouds and shone down brightly, glistening off the water’s surface.
After a full day of driving from northern Wisconsin, we traded our car wheels for bicycle wheels (and a ferry ride) to explore parts of Michigan. For the next six days of riding we enjoyed new friends, new sights and scenery, new bike trails, and local foods.
We started with a ride on the North Central State Trail taking us to the tip of the mitten, or the tip of the mainland of Michigan. A short ferry ride took us and our bikes to Mackinac Island which is surrounded by the Straits of Mackinac and Lake Huron. The early mornings were truly amazing as the sun rose over the bay. Unique to this island, cars and motorized vehicles were banned in 1898. The three main modes of transport are on foot, on bicycle, and via horse carriages and carts. Victorian architecture abounds, as do hanging baskets of flowers, and numerous fudge shops (even more of a reason to put in the bike miles!). We rode the shoreline route called M-185 around the island. This is a state highway, yet it is the only highway in the country that doesn’t allow motorized vehicles. There were plenty of sites to explore including Fort Mackinac which was originally founded by the British in 1780, later transferred to the Americans, then captured by the British, and eventually returned to the United States after the War of 1812.
With a ferry ride back to the mainland, we continued riding south and west, following the shoreline of Lake Michigan. On a cool and cloudy morning we left Petoskey and followed the Little Traverse Wheelway to Charlevoix. The boardwalk section of the trail was a great change from the pavement, and we were far enough north to see peaks of fall color showing in the trees. As luck would have it, the rain held off and we remained dry.
Our cycling climbing ability was put to the test as we continued south into Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore. With twists and turns, slow climbs uphill followed by quick downhills, we rode through the forests and around the wetlands, lakes, rivers, and dunes that make up this park. To see a sand dune over 1,000 feet tall that descends straight down to the shore of Lake Michigan is truly amazing. Here the landscape is constantly changing from wind and wave action.
These parts of Michigan are known for their cherries and peaches. After a long day’s ride it was a welcome treat to enjoy cherry pie and peach shortcake, both served by obligation with vanilla ice cream! Our ride took us further south along the Lake Michigan shoreline past lakes and small villages, eventually ending our trip in Beulah along the shore of Crystal Lake. With a sense of accomplishment and a new appreciation for the beauty of the area, we traded our bicycles in for car wheels for the return trip home.
As we near the end of August and the traditional three months of summer, I wanted to share an image that represents this warm and special season to me – blue skies, and the bright yellow faces found in a field of sunflowers. Enjoy and soak up all that’s left of summer!
The land of big sky, big trees, big rocks, and big lakes – we’ve just returned from a camping trip to Voyageurs National Park in northern Minnesota. This park is unique as it’s a water-based park, and all campsites are boat-in. Lakes stretch 55 miles creating the northern boundary between the U.S. and Canada, and were traversed by the French-Canadian voyageurs during the late 1700’s and early 1800’s. Prior to that there were 18 American Indian tribes associated with these lands and waters.
We departed from the Ash River Visitors Center with our 16-foot Lund fishing boat packed with camping gear and food. Reading lake navigational maps (a first for me!) we motored from Kabetogama Lake to Namakan Lake and found our campsite – a beautiful point on an island facing the southwest. The sunrises and sunsets are immense and envelop you from all sides. And here the rocks and trees go right down into the lake – part of the ruggedness of this area.
We explored an old logging camp in Hoist Bay that operated between 1913 and 1929. At the time, a railroad trestle extended out into the bay so timber logs could be floated to the trestle and loaded onto the railroad cars for inland transport to the mills. After the camp closed the area was turned into a resort, welcoming guests from 1939 to 1973. We wandered another island, amazed at the I. W. Stevens Pine Cove Resort which was opened in 1937 and operated for 22 years. Stevens purchased the island in 1932 and called it home until 1979. His house and cabins remain to give setting to his amazing story.
Another day we pointed our boat north and motored to the eastern tip of the roadless Kabetogama Peninsula to Kettle Falls. Here we marveled at the dam that was built in 1914, allowing enough water to move the timber industry’s logs to the mills and also supply water for paper production. We enjoyed lunch at the historic Kettle Falls Hotel, serving customers since l9l3. And no stop at the Kettle Falls Hotel is complete without a visit to the bar with its famous sloping floor. When the hotel was constructed the foundation was built on clay soil. Not the best for a long-term choice as it can sink over time, which it did. In the 1970’s when the National Park Service renovated the hotel they kept the bar room floor at its old slope, only raising the pool table so it would be level.
We returned with an appreciation for the history of this area and an admiration of the lives of the people who worked and lived here. And I have a great gratitude for the rugged beauty and wildness of this unique part of northern Minnesota, and the calmness that can be found here.
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