Lake Superior Tour: July 2011

For several months, Nathan and I had plans to visit the northern peninsula of Michigan, to attend services for his Grandfather Crane. We were excited to see much of his family, and to honor the life of his grandfather, and we looked forward to visiting a part of the country to which we’d never been.

A day or two before our trip, we realized our first day out would be extremely crazy. We’d fly into Minneapolis around 5pm, should there be no delays, and from there it was a 10 hour drive to Sault Ste. Marie! On top of that, we’d lose an hour as we entered the Eastern Time Zone. That stressed both of us out quite a bit, but things always seem to work out somehow, so rather we not fret about it too much. There’s always a way!

The service was scheduled for 11am on Thursday July 21st (which was also my grandfather’s Birthday!), so we flew out on Wednesday the 20th. Since we bought our tickets at different times, we didn’t get to sit together, but I used that time to catch up on some much-needed reading. Once we got to Minneapolis, we ran to get our luggage and rental car. Without any delay, we hit the road, heading east through northern Wisconsin. Nate did a great job of making time, so we allowed ourselves a brief stop for dinner at a small town A&W. We scarfed our burgers ran back to the car, this time with me at the helm. Before too long, our road went from a decent highway to a small two lane road. Dusk was fast approaching as we neared the border with Michigan. I was so excited to see the UP, as I’d never been up there, but all we could see was darkness and the occasional eye glow of a deer, which was a bit unnerving. You could tell when we crossed the border, not by the giant welcome sign, but by the degradation of the road. I guess Michigan isn’t great about keeping backroads up to snuff.

Despite making good time, we decided to stop in Escanaba for the night. That way we wouldn’t be complete zombies the next day, and we could see some of the sights of northern Michigan in daylight. Our room was exceptionally clean, which always makes me happy, and we got a good rest. The next day, we hit the road by 8am, knowing it would take about 2 hours to get to the church. Along the way, we were treated to some beautiful views and quaint Great Lakes towns. We saw a billboard advertising a cruise featuring Kid Rock’s hometown, and we thought that would have been funny to do had we had more time. Well, if we’re ever back, we’ll do it! We arrived at the church just in time to greet everyone and get settled. The service was held in a lovely old church and was very nice. People recounted their memories of Grandpa Crane, and we were able to see old pictures and memorabilia from his life, as well as artwork he had done. It really was wonderful, and I’m so glad we were able to be a part of it.

After the church service, we drove over to the cemetery for the military service. It was such an interesting experience! They had the 21 gun salute (actually 18, because only 6 soldiers were available) and the presentation of the flag. The setting was lovely, and everything went beautifully.

After the service, we had a little time to ourselves, so we ran a few errands and met up with the family back at the hotel to discuss plans for the day. We decided, along with Karla, Don, and Ben, to take a boat tour of the Soo Locks. It was a wonderful two hour trip, during which we were able to ride through the Locks, rising from the lower level of Lake Huron up to Lake Superior level, 21 feet higher. The locks can accompany ships up to 1000 feet in length, so we were accompanied by some massive ships out on the water. We sailed out into the Superior side of the St. Mary’s River and skirted Canada, learning about the shipment of various ores and other goods. It was a lovely day for a boat ride, and I think we all enjoyed the fresh air, education, and overall experience.

Once back, it was nearly time to meet the rest of the family and friends for dinner at Studebaker’s Restaurant and Lounge. We had a private room and were treated to many local favorites including fresh catches from the Great Lakes. I had the walleye, if I recall correctly, and it was pretty good. It was a nice evening with good company, and it was great to meet more of Nathan’s extended family, too.

After dinner, we had plans to do a haunted tour of the Soo Locks. Nate was exhausted, so he decided to opt out, so I went along with Karla, Ben, Georgie, and Vivie. We waited around by the sign indicating the start of our tour, but the guide never showed up and never returned our inquiry call. There were at least 10 people waiting, so that was a bummer. We decided, after about 20 minutes, to head over to the observation platform of the Locks and just watch the ships come through. It was neat to see it from an outsider’s standpoint this time, especially since some of the really massive ships were coming through. While we were there, we noticed a woman holding a sign that was nearly as big as she was, with a picture of her and her husband on their wedding day. We wound up talking with her, and she told us so many interesting things about life as the wife of a Great Lakes sailor. Her husband was slated to come through the locks very shortly, on one of those massive ships, so massive, in fact, that they issue the men bikes to get from one end to the other! He wouldn’t be home for quite some time, but at least she was able to see him fleetingly here. It was fascinating to hear things about life on the ship, too – we left almost feeling like we’d experienced it all ourselves! We were treated to such a special opportunity in talking to her. We needed to leave before we could actually see her “reunion” with her husband, but we were very lucky to meet her and hear her stories.

Friday July 22, 2011

The next morning, most people were quickly on their way. We did run into Karla and the rest of the family headed for Minnesota, so we were able to say our goodbyes. Then Nathan and I hit the road ourselves. We got some gas and toured the town. It really seemed like this place was a throwback to a simpler time. It felt like people trusted each other and that the ills of the world were so far separated so as not to be of consequence. I loved that! We did a little geocaching around town, checking off Michigan, before crossing the international bridge into Canada. I really dislike going through those checkpoints. I always feel guilty even though I have nothing at all to hide. And the guards are so confrontational. “Why are you coming here? When are you leaving?” all in a booming, suspicious tone. When we told him we planned on circling Lake Superior and leaving in two days, he seemed skeptical that such a feat was possible, but he let us through, unscathed.

Once in the Canada side of Sault Ste. Marie, we decided to find some lunch. We attempted to find a brew pub, but it appeared to no longer exist. So we parked and walked along the downtown, such as it was. It reminded me of a pleasant old Victorian town, not too hustly and not too bustly. My favorite part was that music of my era (read: the 1950s) was being piped in along the sidewalk. I had to sing along, much to Nate’s embarrassment. After much searching, we settled on a pub that advertised poutine, a truly Canadian (Quebecois) dish that I love and rarely see. We went in to this somewhat gritty establishment and ordered our drinks which were delivered with a gruff, “Pay me now. Food is a separate tab.” Interesting. We wound up sitting there waiting for our food for at least 45 minutes, but it was nice to just relax for a bit. When our food arrived, there was way too much of it, particularly of my poutine (which is essentially fries covered in cheese curds and gravy…makes my arteries cringe in, um, delight?). We ate as much as we could and headed out to points north and west.

We drove through town, which was larger than the Michigan side, and eventually found our way to a two-laned highway that would circle Lake Superior. It was a lovely drive with rocky hillsides and copious trees and glimpses of the lake all the while. Moose crossing signs occasionally dotted the highway, and at times we’d be greeted to an outpost here or there. We also saw signs depicting a horned lizard type creature that intrigued us. Surely horned lizards don’t range into Ontario! We finally found a trailhead claiming to lead to such a creature, so we had to take it. We walked through some thick woods, and saw some intense sides of the lake, with waves crashing unyieldingly onto the rocky walls of the earth. I went out as far as I was comfortable with my slippery sneakers, but Nate continued on along a steeply slanting rock ledge out toward the petroglyphs where the lizard was located. I watched nervously as the waves lapped at his ledge, but he made it there and back without incident. Apparently the lizard is considered the spirit of Lake Superior, and it was watching over him that day.

We continued around the lake, making stops to wade and watch happy dogs play in the surf, and enjoying overlooks as they were presented. We stopped at Wawa (which means Canada goose) to enjoy a photo op with the largest Canada goose, and to see the waterfalls. We also saw the Winnie the Pooh statue at White River, which was good as I was starting to doze off. From there, we decided to try to find dinner, driving futilely through the town of Marathon, finding nothing at all that appealed to us. It was a lucky stop, however, because as we were driving past the cemetery on our way out of town, I glimpsed a black bear!! I was so excited I had Nate turn the car around so I could snap some pictures of it. That about made my day!

We continued up the road until we hit Schreiber, stopping for a photo op at the road to Manitouwadge and glimpsing another black bear along the highway AND a wolf which made my day even more than any bear! It was still daylight, but being so far north, it didn’t matter – it was nearly 8:30! We stopped at a ma and pa motel that cut us a good rate (we were their first customers all night), and they directed us to an Italian restaurant up the road where we had another extremely filling meal. Then we called it a night.

Saturday July 23, 2011

We made an early start of it this day, heading west along the northern banks of Lake Superior. We really didn’t do much of interest until we hit the area around Nipigon, perhaps a bit further west than that. We started seeing signs for “dig your own amethysts!” After our fun experience in the garnet fields of Idaho, I knew we had to do this. So we happened upon a privately owned amethyst field where we were given buckets to take as many gems as we could find!

We headed down to the working quarry where a couple from Wawa who works here every year stopped and talked rocks with us and gave us some really great amethysts they’d found in the private part of the quarry! Very cool! Then we did our own searching and found a few good ones. We didn’t take too many because it’d be hard to bring back, and we’re running out of room anyway, but the ones we got were very nice and I’m thrilled. When we presented our stash to the owner, he charged us a mere $5 for what could have easily been worth about $50! Score!! What a fun way to spend the morning!

We continued on toward Thunder Bay, stopping just outside of town to see the Terry Fox memorial. He was a cancer survivor who lost a leg to the disease and attempted to run across Canada after remission. Unfortunately, by the time he reached Thunder Bay, his cancer was back, and he passed away shortly thereafter. He’s considered a Canadian hero, and for good reason.

From there, we found our way to a Tim Horton’s for lunch. Canada seems to be rife with this chain, so we decided to see what all the fuss was about. I had a soup and sandwich combo, which wasn’t bad. It was ok and did hit the spot. Then we did a few geocaches near what was supposed to be the amusement park (but was actually many miles off), and headed off to Chippewa Park, site of my first Ontario roller coaster.
Chippewa Park was lovely, set on the shores of Lake Superior, incorporating park land into a woodsy surrounding. There was a zoo, camping, a farm, and general recreational facility on site, including our amusement park. I really wish I’d downloaded some caches from this area because I’m sure there were a lot of good places for them. When we got there, it had just started to rain, and they shut down the coaster, so we just walked around and enjoyed the scenery. Eventually, it seemed like the rain had stopped long enough to run the coaster, so I went back to the ticket booth to see what the status was. They were all, “I GUESS we could run it,” and, thankfully, did. I went around for 5 laps, and for being a junior coaster, it was pretty intense. It was obviously made in-house and had a personality all its own.

From Thunder Bay, we worked our way down into Minnesota. Luckily, there was no wait at the border, and we weren’t made to feel TOO guilty by border patrol. See, Canada guy, we COULD do it in two days! Ha! We stopped at Grand Portage National Monument, just before close, and toured the old fort. Then we continued on to do some hiking at lovely Gooseberry Falls State Park. On our way toward Duluth, I made a reservation for a motel in Hayward, WI for the night. The owner told me he wouldn’t be up past 11, so I better get there before then or risk getting charged for nothing. We were worried we wouldn’t be able to find anything else, so I just took it. Well, when we got to Duluth, we tried to stop at a brew pub for dinner, but the wait was too long. It’s too bad, too, because it looked like a nice place. In fact, Duluth in general looked like a nice place, and I wish I’d have waited and just gotten a room here for the night! It was a lovely Great Lakes town with a lot of history. Homes were situated on tiered hills all around – it was such a comfortable and welcoming place! I definitely want to go back.

So, hurried and stressed, we hit the road toward Wisconsin, which was easier said than done due to copious amounts of construction that presented us with many wrong turns and confusion. Once we crossed into WI, it was mostly smooth sailing. We didn’t really have time to stop for dinner at this point, so we just plugged on, through the dusk, making our way to Hayward and hoping not to hit any deer along the way. We got into town around 10:30 and got our room, which turned out to be pretty nice. Being night, it was hard to see much of town, but it seemed pleasant enough. We did get some McDonalds for dinner, as that was really all that was open, and retired to watch some Saturday Night Live.

Sunday July 24th, 2011

Antsy as always, I was chomping at the bit to get out and see the sights of Hayward. The hometown of my cousin Jenn, it’s also a place my mom and dad would frequent for fishing trips in the great Wisconsin north. According to Roadside America, it was also the site of the world’s largest muskie! We didn’t realize it due to the darkness when we pulled into our motel, but the fish was right across the street from us on the grounds of the Freshwater Fishing Hall of Fame! This morning, I didn’t even realize that…I was too set on finding Tremblay’s Sweet Shop, as advised to me by Jenn. While Nate was getting ready, I hit the pavement and walked through downtown, getting a bagful of wonderful treats and eagerly munching them on my way back to the motel.

Once back, Nate and I got in the car and traveled an entire block to see the big fish. We paid our admission and were treated to all the fishing paraphernalia and information you could imagine! It was really fascinating. There were record-caught freshwater fish of all types on display, and exhibits featuring rods, reels, lures, bobbers, hooks, boats, motors, and everything else you could imagine that would be at all fishing related. And then, there was the main attraction: amongst gigantic replicas of all types of freshwater fish, there was the the giant muskie. You could climb inside the fish and stand in its jaws, looking out, several stories high, at the surroundings. Inside the fish were plaques of recognition for people who made the Hall of Fame possible, and pictures of this and that. It was actually pretty darned cool, and I’m glad we finally saw it, after years of thinking it was too far out of the way.

Once done, we hit a few geocaches in town before heading to points south. Our first stop was at the Leinenkugel’s factory where we took a tour and tried some samples of their beer. I’m really not a big fan of beer, but they had some really good ones! We made a quick stop out of town to pick up a 12 pack, and then made our way down to Eau Claire to have lunch at the Northwoods Brew Pub. It was ok. Nate wasn’t too happy with the beers, but we got a kick out of the fact that he was able to pair his beer sampler with pancakes.

After this, we had debated trying to make the trek to Green Bay to try the roller coaster there, but it was probably too long of a haul, so instead, we headed back toward Minneapolis. We figured we’d go to Mall of America and get those coasters out of the way. As if new coasters weren’t awesome enough, this would be the place I’d secure my 400th coaster! So we made our way over to the crowded, hectic, completely unpleasant mall and walked around. I’d wanted to explore the mall itself this time, because all previous times it was just too unpleasant to do so. Well, this time was no different. It looked like they set up shop in somebody’s unfinished basement. It was so ugly and unpleasant, and the amusement park was no better. It was wall-to-wall people, and no one was paying attention. I hate crowds, and this was the worst! Still, we got our tickets and rode the half-pipe coaster and the SpongeBob SquarePants Rock Bottom Plunge, which was my 400th. It was a lot of fun, except I hardly remembered much about that fateful ride because my shirt flew up on the first drop, and I was frantically trying to avoid flashing the world for the remainder of the ride! Too funny.

We left the mall shortly thereafter, and headed out to our hotel in downtown Minneapolis. Both of us really dislike downtowns, and staying in one wasn’t pleasant, but that’s where his conference was, so what can ya do? We got Nate checked in, secured our room, and headed out for dinner. We decided to try out a highly-rated tiki bar in town: Psycho Suzi’s Motor Lounge. Just the name says it all! Built in a former church, and on the banks of the Mississippi, Psycho Suzi’s is absolutely fantastic! Indoor and outdoor seating are available, and they don’t skimp in the kitsch. Tiki torches, thatched umbrellas, Easter Island statues, you name it. And the drinks were soooo tasty, as was the food! Since Nate’s brother Ben was in town, he came and joined us for the evening, sitting out on the patio, enjoying island drinks and some really tasty pizza. We knew we’d have to come back.

Monday July 25th, 2011 and beyond

This was a nice, relaxing day. Oh so nice, and oh so relaxing! Nate had his conference, so I decided to sleep in, and then I just lounged around the room all day. Nate came back for lunch, and we tried a sandwich shop not too far away from our hotel. Then we searched out the Mary Tyler Moore statue (which was also the site of a geocache!) and took our photo op. I spent the rest of the afternoon just lounging, reading, and playing on the computer. The only real issue that came up was with the cleaning staff. I decided I didn’t want to be bothered, so I put out the “do not disturb” sign. I mean, one day without a cleaning isn’t a big deal. It’s not like it’s that messy, and it’s our own mess as it is, so whatever. Well, the staff would have none of it. Despite having the sign out, I was startled awake by knocking when I was trying to take a nap. I went to the door and told them “No thanks,” and they stared at me with a terrified look on their face, and walked off hesitantly only to try again later. This went on EVERY DAY (though I caved and let them clean once), and they actually broke into our room while we were away, even with the sign on the door, just to clean. What the heck? Do they beat the help if they don’t do their job? Rediculous.

So basically I spent each of the days of the conference lounging around the room and eating lunch with Nate. Evenings were kind of a blur, but one night we went with Nate’s coworkers back to Psycho Suzi’s, which was a trip. We ate inside and tried a variety of foods, including “redneck sushi,” which was pickle surrounded by cream cheese, surrounded by bacon. It was fabulous, and the drinks didn’t disappoint this evening either.

We also went to the “hit or miss” night at the comedy club in Mall of America. There were 20-30 comedians, and each played for 2 minutes, I believe. Some were really good, and the awkward ones were funny, too, just for being awkward.

On the last full day, we treated ourselves to Valleyfair! the local amusement park. I’d been there years ago, and it really hadn’t changed much save for adding two new coasters and some interesting flat rides. We did all the coasters except for Corkscrew, which was closed for the day. They had an annoying rule about no pictures on rides, including the train! But we took what we could. We also met a ride op who had worked at Silverwood in Idaho, and grew up with Six Flags Great America. Small world! Overall it was a fun day, but we really didn’t need to stay ‘til close.

We flew out the next day, but not before doing a little geocaching at the sculpture park near downtown. We saw the famous cherry on a spoon, as well as a number of other unusual pieces. Then we caught our plane and headed home. It was a great trip, as always, and we’re looking forward to our next one.