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