A Michigan native returns home from the desert and finally sees water again.
It’s 2020 and everything is weird. This was my first pandemic trip. I had made forays into the great COVID battleground state of Arizona, but those were just day trips. They involved mostly staying with the car or with nature and lots of hand sanitizer. While I live in Arizona, it’s the safe part of Arizona. We already had our wave. We had flattened our curve but, in order to fly home, I had to travel into the cesspool of disease known as Phoenix.
I had stayed at a very expensive, sketchy motel and headed to the airport at 4 am in 100 degree heat (that’s 38 degrees for non Americans). The airport was mostly empty. The departure board wasn’t even full and Phoenix has a busy airport. The parking lots were only partially full. Everything was weird. The flight was nice though. Not having to deal with the flight long armrest fight was wonderful. Although, the tram wasn’t running at the Detroit Airport. Do you know how long that terminal is? My flights always end up at the very far end. Every. Time.
After an already an delayed trip back to Michigan, I finally made it home. I had a huge chicken dinner at Zehnder’s of Frankenmuth and the next day, the family and I headed north to the Upper Peninsula.
Two full days and two more partial days of exploration was had. Lighthouses were seen. Waterfalls found. Pretty rocks and an historic ghost town, both on lakes, were viewed. All the UP staples were conquered. The best of all was that I saw endless water again, the first time since December.
This trip will be told in three installments. Let’s get started with a good old fashioned lighthouse.
The first day involved stops in Mackinaw City and Sault Ste. Marie, but to save time and space, I’m going to start with Day 2 and the Point Iroquois Lighthouse.
A gem in a state full of lighthouses.
The Point Iroquois Lighthouse was built in 1870 on the shores of Lake Superior, replacing a 1850s model, at the mouth of the St. Mary’s River, which divides the United States from Canada. After 107 years of service, the lighthouse was replaced by an automated light station across the river in Ontario. Today, the lighthouse belongs to the Hiawatha National Forest and the grounds are free to explore. Maybe you will be lucky enough to go inside and climb the lighthouse after COVID ends.
Oh! Canada!
I really like this lighthouse.
Now for a quick look at a different looking lighthouse, the Whitefish Point Lighthouse.
It’s very interesting looking.
It may not be the prettiest lighthouse on Lake Superior, but the Whitefish Point Lighthouse is the oldest still in operation, first lit in 1849. The light tower isn’t original, but the light has been shining since then. This lighthouse is still extremely important, even in the age of GPS. It signals a course change for ships coming from the southern edge of Lake Superior. Also located here is a wildlife sanctuary, the Great Lakes Shipwreck Museum, and a vanishing Whitefish Point (due to high lake levels).
Storms rolling up from Lake Superior.
Now for one of my favorite state parks, Tahquamenon Falls State Park (or as I often refer to it in texts “the park that starts with a T”). Tahquamenon Falls was jam packed with out-of-state tourists (I don’t count), the busiest I have ever seen it. Everyone, it seemed, needed to get out of the house. Tahquamenon Falls is a set of two coppery waterfalls, the Upper and Lower Falls. You can either drive or hike between the two.
Lower Tahquamenon Falls, using a good zoom on my camera.
Closer up view of Lower Tahquamenon Falls.
After a short drive, lunch, and a short walk, Upper Tahquamenon Falls through the trees.
A non-misty close up of the falls.
Skipping ahead on the trip to Day 3. Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore will be its own post next time. Now for Wagner Falls just outside of Munising.
We don’t have many woods like this in Arizona. I miss them.
Early morning is not the best time to see Wagner Falls, lighting wise, but I loved the thick woods here.
We headed south from there to Lake Michigan and Peninsula Point Lighthouse, built in 1865. It closed down in 1936 and, unfortunately, the lighthouse keeper’s house burned down in 1959, only the brick tower remains. However, it was still climbable even in the time of COVID!
Short and easy to climb. My kind of tower.
The lake levels are soooo high!
There are trees now in the lake!
Peninsula Point Lighthouse is a great place to go to see Monarch butterflies during their migrations. They don’t like to cooperate for pictures though.
Skipping another stop which will be its own post. This next one is not a waterfall, nor a lighthouse, but a natural spring. It’s Kitch-iti-kipi (try saying that five times fast) or Big Spring. Located within Psalms Book State Park, Kitch-iti-kipi is one of the UP’s most visited attractions and surprisingly, its the first time I have ever been there. It was pretty neat, even though it was ridiculously crowded. The 300 ft (91 m) deep pool is crystal clear and constantly fed by an underground aquifer, which is always at 45 degrees year round (7 Celsius).
Kitch-iti-kipi. The wire running across is to pull the raft.
The raft had a hollow section in the middle that allowed you to look down into the water. Very cool.
The spring bubbling up from 300 ft below and some fish.
Trees above and trees below. The water is so clear that you can see the trees under the waterline.
Close up on some of the trees along the shore.
We spent the night in nearby Manistique, which has a great lakeside boardwalk.
Lake Michigan is getting close to the path.
Saw some uncooperative butterflies around here.
Duck tracks!
Manistique East Breakwater Lighthouse. It was super bright red early the next morning.
We made one final stop on our last day in the UP before making the drive back the Lower Peninsula, the Seul Choix Lighthouse (I have no idea how to pronounce that). The harbor was named by the French “only choice.” The lighthouse was finished 1895 and is still an active lighthouse.
Seul Choix Lighthouse.
It was a great few days exploring the eastern Upper Peninsula of Michigan, where I haven’t been really since 2008. However, more is to come in two more updates!
Check out my next update where I explore some of Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore.
or
Check out more national parks and other public lands!
