Yooper's Delight

We got the "hitch itch" again....That's when you are RVing, and the urge strikes you to move on, or you are ready to head out for another destination. Never mind that we have come off the road and don't have an RV any more, we still "itch" to travel somewhere, even with Sparky trying to get her "normal" self back while recovering from cancer treatment. Not sure what normal is going to look like from here on out.

One of our favorite places to be is "up north", specifically in Yooper country, which to Michiganders, is the UP or upper peninsula. People who live in the UP are referred to as Yoopers, and they refer to people living in lower Michigan or "under the bridge" as they say, as trolls. Pay attention. This is important later!

 Eldo says one day this past week, "Wanna go to the UP and see the barges again?" We used to stay in Sault St. Marie and watch the barges go by REGUARLY each day on the St. Mary's River, as the barges would pass through the Soo Locks each way. Eldy has an app that tells you which barges are traveling what direction, how fast they are going and approximate arrival time to the locks. (It's called Marine Traffic). 

Why OF COURSE Sparky would like to do that! Especially fun when it's a spur-of-the-moment idea, and off we would go the next day or two. So we did! 

We left Monday, early in the morning and planned to drive all day (about 8 hours) to get to Munising, home of many waterfalls, hiking trails, and former RV stays/campgrounds. There's a small park right on the lake, our favorite being Munising Tourist Park Campground, on the shores of Lake Superior. 

On the way to Munising, Sparky saw a sign for the small town of Germfask, MI. She squealed in delight. Germfask is home to one of Thomas Dambo Trolls! You have got to check this out! (How Sparky got interested in recycled wooden trolls and this guy, is a wonder to me! remarks Eldo.) Sparky doesn't know either. Something about trolls just popped up on her FB feed one day.

Thomas Dambo is a Danish artist and recycling art activist. He is known for his whimsical colossal sculptures of trolls, and other artwork, made mostly from recycled materials. He creates these sculptures with the help of local volunteers and materials, then "hides" them in natural locations all around the world. Some of the trolls are in the US, some are permanent installations, and some of the trolls move around. Because they are made from recycled wood, the weather influences how long they last, but they should be around for 10 years or so. Each troll has its own unique story and message or poem. He has over 100 troll sculptures in 17 countries and 18 U.S. states. If you are interested in visiting the trolls in the states, please check the status of them through research as to where they are currently, and which ones are permanent installations. There is a troll map online of where they are as well.

Benny the Beard Fisher

Dambo likes people to engage with his trolls, and they do! We did! Germfask has a permanent installation of a Thomas Dambo troll. It is on the shores of the Manistique River between Manistique and Newberry. The Seney Wildlife Refuge is here as well. 

Here is "Benny the Beard Fisher". He is 30 feet long and 14 feet high. Dambo used recyled cedar from an Amish lumber mill, and all kinds of branches from the surrounding area. For just 10.00, you can sit with Benny, chat with him, and take lots of photos of him. He's located in a beautiful small campground/canoe livery, and that's all Sparky is going to say, because Thomas Dambo wants you to figure out where all his trolls are, and researching is half the fun!

Benny's big behind....(Sparky couldn't resist)

On to Munising! We stayed at the Pictured Rocks Inn and Suites, a mid-priced hotel in the area. It was a little dated, but the rooms were clean and the price was right. We ate dinner at the DogPatch Restaurant, another very old restaurant icon in town. The food was meh, but the atmosphere/decor was entirely Lil Abner style and made the dining experience interesting if not novel. Remember that comic strip? Sparky barely does, it's that old and so was the restaurant. Well, ok, not that old. (The comic strip started in 1934 and ran for 43 years).

The next morning, we did a little exploring as we had done years ago. Sparky hiked a short distance to a waterfall, Miner's Falls...It's a .6 walk one way through a beautiful forest. There was a profusion of little blue wildflowers. According to Sparky's Seek nature app, they were Water Forget-Me-Nots.

The trail was so beautiful!

And the falls as well....The small viewing platform was crowded this morning, best to get there before 10:00 AM next time!

Sparky passed an interesting clump of flowers on the way back to the car....Striped Coralroot....

With renewed energy, it was on to Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore for the afternoon! We walked around the top of the hill and got some photos of the beautiful Lake Superior waters down below and the famous Chapel Rock.

You can take a nice short walk downhill to a lower level through a shady forest to see Chapel Rock closer. There are beautiful trails nearby to hike as well.

After we spent some time at the lakeshore, we headed towards Sault St. Marie. Time to see some barges and listen to their magnificent horns! We stopped by Aune Osborn RV park, where we used to stay right on the St. Mary's River to see if it was crowded or not early in the week. There were a few spots available but none on the river. Right next to the park is Rotary Park with a fishing pond, picnicking areas and benches to sit and watch the barges. We stopped at that park, got lucky and saw one barge, a Laker, that afternoon. There are "Lakers" and "Salties". Lakers are built to only travel between the Great Lakes (makes sense, haha) and Salties? You guessed it--they are ocean going vessels that navigate both the Great Lakes and the salt water oceans. Lakers can be longer and larger than salties, and often have a deeper draft (the part that is submerged in the water). Salties carry a wider variety of cargo and are built substantially more robust to handle the oceans. 

Indiana Harbor

We were hoping to see the longest laker, the Paul R. Tregurtha, at 1013.5 feet long. We saw its relative, the Lee Tregurtha, which is 826 feet long. Other 1,000+ ft. freighters are the Stewart J. Cort, the Burns Harbor, and the Mesabi Miner. These barges come through the St. Mary's River channel on their way to and from the Sault St. Marie locks. They are CLOSE to the shore! Sometimes they blow their horns and sometimes they don't. We were lucky to have TWO pass each other in the channel and got to hear the horns!

Indiana Harbor

The Lee Tregurtha....

After watching the barges come through and knowing, through Eldy's app, that no more were coming for quite some time, we headed for a wonderful early supper at the Lockview Restaurant, in Sault St. Marie, right across the street from the Soo locks. Dinner was fantastic, and we highly recommend the restaurant!

Weathervane Restaurant

The next day, Sparky wasn't feeling all that great, so we decided to head back home, stopping on the way in Charlevoix for lunch at the Weathervane Restaurant.  The restaurant is right on the river next to a drawbridge and you can watch the boats come through while you eat. The restaurant is in the style of the "mushroom" houses in the area and is quite expensive but the food is AMAZING! Sparky had chowder and a French dip, Eldy had a Michigan salad--blue cheese, apples, greens and nuts.

Sparky's chowder....yum! The bread was fantastic, and there were the most delicious handmade potato chips to go with it. If you'd like to know more about the mushroom houses in Charlevoix, you can read about them here: mushroom houses in Charlevoix

lunch at the Weathervane Restaurant

With that wonderful lunch under our belts we headed home, hitting a terrible thunderstorm in the Grand Rapids area for a short while, but Eldy got us home safe and sound. Thanks for following along and hope you enjoyed today's post!

                                            Sparky and Eldo

What Can You See at Oxbow County Park

In order to build bone mass, Sparky has been trying to walk at least three times a week at the local county park, Oxbow, in Goshen, IN. It's a beautiful park and we live about 15 minutes away from it. There are 12 trails that you can mix and mingle together to get a wide variety of walking experiences. You can climb stairs, you can climb small hills.

There's an archery range, you can fish from platforms or along the banks of the river, there's a 24 hole disc golf course there....They also have some athletic fields for soccer and other sports. In the winter, they groom a couple of the trails so you could cross country ski or snowshoe if there's enough snow! The trails are mostly heavily wooded so it's nice and shady during the hotter days of summer. Many many grills and picnic areas for family get togethers. 

Sparky has been enjoying passing by a little fairy vignette each time she walks the trails. Someone was adding to "the story" as little objects were added. There was even a little scene behind the blue door. Unfortunately, somebody with ZERO appreciation for the whimsy in life, destroyed the little fairy setting the last time Sparky walked by it. It looked intentional, not like an animal destroyed it.

It was so clever how the door fit into the tree trunk space....It was very sad to think that someone might deliberately destroy a little bit of joy along the trail!

But--Sparky loves that other people choose to leave a little piece of themselves on the trail sometimes in other forms.

In crossing over this boardwalk, just a few seconds before taking this photo, a deer was trying to figure out how to get over the boardwalk, pacing back and forth and coming up to it, then backing off. Sparky got her phone ready to capture the shot, and just as she raised the phone to center the shot, the deer jumped over the boardwalk and was gone, just like that! Missed! You'll just have to picture the graceful leap over the entire width of the boardwalk. It's in her mind's eye forever.

The geese with their little ones were out and about....

And there were beautiful pinecones budding with varying shapes and sizes along the trail....

In the woods there are Eagle Scout projects that have been built....This is called the "Critter Corner" and various brush piles of "artworks" were built for creatures to hide and folks to wander through...

There is an observation tower to look out over the fields and trails. Great for a quick cardio pick-me-up, not so great for recalcitrant knee and hip joints.

Sparky loves seeing the wildflowers pop up in the early spring, then the changeover to the summer flowers and warmer weather. These are called the Great Waterleaf.

Sparky was shocked to see lupines at this park a couple of weeks ago...She thought they were mainly in the northern growing zones.

So much to see and appreciate at Oxbow County Park. We are lucky to have such a beautiful park so close to us to enjoy....Happy hiking, walking and moving to you!

Love Those IN Spring Wildflowers!

Sparky  had her final 6th chemo treatment. After feeling pretty good having been on steroids for three days, off she went for another 12 mile bike ride on the Pumpkinvine Bike Trail. The steroids make you pretty peppy!

The wildflowers are popping up in quick succession. Last week it was toad lilies and trillium, this week it's wood geraniums, garlic mustard, and blue/purple phlox.

purple phlox

purple phlox blanketing the sides of the trail

Although the trilliums are winding down, there were some beautiful ones still standing. These pink ones were rare!

Golden ragwort is in bloom as well... Pretty but toxic leaves and roots if ingested.

And....we have the mayapples, very appropriately named as there will be pretty white blooms under their little canopies in another couple of weeks in May. Sparky likes to call them "nature's little umbrellas."

Somebody is indulging their fairy fantasies...These little fairy doors are so cute, just placed randomly at the base of a couple of trees along the trail.

Rocky, the trail snake, has grown from just 3 rocks two years ago, to over 237 painted rocks! He's made it through two winters, and someone lovingly clears away the mud and sticks debris so he can keep growing. 

A beautiful day all in all for a bike ride...Sparky hopes to keep riding for a long time! Hope you are enjoying the beautiful spring weather wherever you are!

Sparky and Eldo

A Restorative Hike

It's been a long time since Sparky has posted for Where's Eldo? You might have wondered "Where's Sparky?" as well.... She's been battling breast cancer, diagnosed back in December. If you'd like to know about that, here is a link to what's been going on with her....https://lobularbreastcarcinoma.blogspot.com/2025/01/a-long-journey-about-to-begin.html

 

After going through five months of chemo treatments, Sparky is starting to feel a little better and wanting to feel "normal" doing "normal" things. It's April and spring has arrived here in Northwest Indiana....A burst of blooming Callery pear trees, also known as the Bradford pear, has blanketed the area with beautiful white blossoms, almost like snow covering the tree limbs and they are everywhere here in the Elkhart/Goshen Indiana area, blossoming suddenly in April with the first sign of warming temperatures. Apparently, the Bradford pear/Callery pear doesn't smell very good and is considered an invasive species. The state of Ohio has banned the sale and cultivation of the Callery pear because of the invasive nature of the tree species. They are pretty, though!

Time for the first bike ride on the Pumpkinvine Bike Trail. Twelve miles later and feeling the six months of no bike exercise, Sparky did enjoy the beautiful ride today despite "feeling it"....the first wildflowers in the woods are popping up, Virginia spring beauties...little white or pink flowers with pretty centers....

So many pretty spring trees and new wildflowers. A weeping cherry tree greets you as you first start out on the trail from Abshire Park in Goshen.

Besides the little Virginia spring beauties that blanket both sides of the trail, there are the yellow and brown trout lilies popping up in clusters here and there.

The magnolia trees are in full bloom...

The Eastern redbud trees are just starting to show their buds and some have bloomed already.

At about six miles into the ride after starting at Abshire Park in Goshen, there is the Amish ice cream shop just off the trail, Mooey's, in case you need a little treat. They have a little farm out back with some goats, turkeys, pigs and a donkey. You can feed the animals. Sparky has posted photos before of the Amish who love to frequent the little shop/farm, but this photo bears repeating, as it is Sparky's favorite shot from the ice cream place on a hot summer day.

When not riding the Pumpkinvine, Sparky hikes about three miles up and down the trails at Oxbow County Park. It's a beautiful little park in Goshen. There are steep stairs for a cardio boost, and some little up and down hills to make it interesting. The photo above takes you through a swampy part where lots of cool birds hang out. There are lots of trails intersecting and going off in different directions, none of them very long, but you can mix it up and get a wide variety of good walking/hiking. You might see deer foraging in the forest. Sparky averages about three miles every time she goes and always sees some beautiful birds and flowers. The trillium are almost ready to bloom.

One of the trails has a little fairy house at the base of a big ole tree, and someone has added to it lately, another little abode.

Are you wondering why there is a photo of a pair of Dutchmen? (Hint: It has something to do with wildflowers.) Read on!

The newly emerging wildflowers are in abundance at the park. Here is one that caught her eye--Dutchman's breeches. They look like upside down Dutchman's pantaloons, don't they?

Here are some of them tinged with a little pink....They are a key source of nectar for early bumblebees. However, they are toxic and can cause skin rashes.

What is Eldo up to, you might wonder? He's getting ready to be assistant golf coach again, for Concord High School girls' team. He's also got his golf clubs out and swinging them at the driving range a bit. Hopefully some rounds of golf are in his near future.....

And that is the latest from Where's Eldo? We shall see you later.....