Monthly Archives: June 2012

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Bicyclists Kris McNeal and Zach Chase pass half-way point

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As I mentioned last month, Kris McNeal and Zach Chase left Duluth on May 1, 2012 intent on bicycling the 5,300 miles around the lakes in three months.  I just learned they’ve passed the half-way mark and are now in Michigan on the way to Alpena (click here for their progress map).

Can you imagine doing this?!  Very amazing.

You can follow their adventures at Big Water Bike.  Also watch for the documentary that will be based on their travels.

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Upper Peninsula Authors Book Tour

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Featured authors

Ellen Airgood–author of the novel, South of Superior, and the newly released young-adult novel, Prairie Evers–posted a link to the UP Book Tour 2012 on her Facebook page.  I would love to get to at least a couple of the authors’ talks during my August circling of Lake Superior, but they take place in June and July.  Darn.  In case you are interested, here’s the UP Book Tour 2012 calendar.

I loved Ellen’s South of Superior and plan to buy Prairie Evers for my granddaughter, Ella.  I follow Ellen’s blog, too.  One of my RV friend, Rachel Brett Harley, introduced me to Ellen, Ellen’s West Bay Diner, and South of Superior last year when we caravanned in our motorhomes to Grand Marais, Michigan.  All treasures.
Grand Marais is a sweet little town on the south shore of Lake Superior at the end of M-77.  We stayed in the lakeside Woodland Park Campground operated by the county.  The town is just a few blocks away so just about everyday we enjoyed at least one meal at the diner.  I bought the novel from Ellen, who graciously signed it, and enjoyed reading it at my campsite.  Months later, Rachel and I went to Ellen’s book signing in Ann Arbor at Nicola’s Bookstore.

If you want to visit Grand Marais, check out this page of nearby awesome attractions like Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore with Grand Sable Dunes.  My first backpacking trip was to Pictured Rocks many years ago on the first weekend in May.  My then stepdaughter, Katie, two others, and I hiked in and set up base camp at Mosquito campground (click here for map PDF).  Fortunately it was too early for mosquitoes.  The weather was actually quite strange.  We were prepared for cold weather so were shocked when the  temperature reached 80.

It was a gorgeous place to camp with a small cold stream, spring wildflowers and wild leeks, and, of course, the big lake stretched out in front of us.  Katie threw a snowball while dressed in shorts, and every day she bravely dove in (and right out of) the cold blue lake.  Brrr.  At night in the campground we could hear loud splashes as massive chunks of ice fell off the sides of the pictured rocks.  I imagined that must be what the calving of glaciers in Alaska sounds like.

Chapel Falls

One day we hiked to Chapel Falls taking a lunch of apples, peanut butter, and pita bread.  While sitting in the wilderness by the falls enjoying our lunch, the beauty and silence was shattered by a jet ski.  The jet skiers had come from Munising, took one look at the falls, and back they went.  Wow.  We all felt a little sick about the intrusion by folks there to just check “Chapel Falls” off a list rather than really experiencing the beauty and holiness of the falls and surrounding nature.  And, of course, I couldn’t help but think of the petroleum pollutants spewing out of the jet ski in addition to the noise pollution.

Here’s an official link to backpacking at Pictured Rocks and here’s an article in Backpacker Magazine from May 2010.  Hope you get to enjoy this gorgeous area!  And on foot!

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Preview of Georgian Bay and Lake Huron

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Life has gotten hold of me as I finally settle into Ann Arbor.  I did take four days over Memorial Day for a photo safari to Tobermory, Ontario.  Tobermory is at the very northern tip of the Bruce Peninsula and the gateway to the Georgian Bay and tens of thousands of islands.  This is also where you catch the ferry to the world’s largest freshwater island, Manitoulin.  It was an amazing trip focusing on endangered coastal wildflowers, rocks, lighthouses, and Flowerpot Island.  I’ll save most of these photos until I circle Lake Huron, but thought I might brighten your day with an image of this classic red Canadian Coast Guard vessel, the Cape Commodore.