After visiting the Grand Canyon of Michigan, Tom and I headed north to see the Keweenaw National Historic Park in the Keweenaw Peninsula. The peninsula is all about copper mining, milling, smelting, and shipping. Every town of any size has some connection to the copper industry. When mining stopped in the 1970’s, the people in …
Baraga State Park in Baraga, Michigan
Most of the state parks in Michigan are absolutely stunning, wonderful places to stay. Baraga State Park is not one of them. In fact, Baraga State Park was the only thing on our Michigan trip that was a disappointment. We would eagerly return to any of the other state parks where we stayed. Baraga is …
Canyon Falls, the Grand Canyon of Michigan
Canyon Falls is the Grand Canyon of Michigan. If you have been reading the blog for a while, you knew I would get to it eventually. There is no way I would spend almost a month in a state without telling you about the Grand Canyon of that state. Unfortunately, our travel time in Michigan …
Miners Pasty Kitchen in Munising
For our lunch break in Munising, we got pasties from Miners Pasty Kitchen in Munising. Pasties are a beloved regional food in Michigan and Wisconsin. British-American immigrants brought them over from mining communities in Great Britain and they were especially popular in the Upper Peninsula with its mines. Today they are mostly a draw for …
Driving Tour of Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore
The day after Sandy, Tom, and I hiked around Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore, we took a driving tour of the same area and included Eric and Bob. They were rested and ready to get out after their quiet day at the campground. Unfortunately, while the day before had been sunny and in the 70’s, the …
Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore
Our primary reason to visit the Upper Peninsula was to go to Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore. We stayed at Muskallonge Lake State Park because it was on the eastern end of Pictured Rocks. The day after we arrived at Muskallonge Lake, Tom, Sandy and I were eager to get out to see Pictured Rocks. Eric …
Muskallonge Lake State Park in Michigan’s UP
Muskallonge Lake State Park was our next camping destination after staying at Soo Locks Campground. Located on the east side of Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore, it seemed like a good jumping off point for seeing Pictured Rocks. If we had done a little more research, we might have stayed on the west side of Pictured …
Ohio Gourd Show and Festival
The first Saturday in October, Tom and I went to the Ohio Gourd Show and Festival. The Ohio Gourd Show was held at the Delaware County Fairgrounds, so it wasn’t too far away. Tom really likes gourds, and, after attending the show, I have a new appreciation of them myself. The Ohio Gourd Show is …
Fall Foliage in Ohio
The fall foliage in Ohio has been absolutely beautiful. The weather was perfect, with cool nights and clear, sunny days. I always contend that Ohio’s fall foliage can rival any other state. We have maples, oaks, sweet gums, birches, and honey locusts, all of which produce wonderful colors. We went on a fall foliage drive …
Jared and Alexandria November Wedding
The biggest event in our family this fall was the wedding of Jared and Alexandria. Jared is my youngest nephew, the son of my sister Julia and my brother-in-law Mike. I wrote about hosting their shower in August and their wedding was just as much fun as the shower. Jared and Alexandria have been together …