Living Life by Design - with Alan and Mark: Michigan Road Trip

Michigan Road Trip - June 11th, Day 1

The alarm was set for an early start and so we were able to be on the road by 5:30 a.m. We are learning to pack light! (If you don't think this is light, you should see what we normally take with us!!).

Lupins on Highway 17

The early morning sunrise was punctuated by mist which arose gently from the lakes and rivers we passed on the way to the Soo.

Our crossing of the border was made very pleasant by a charming U.S. Customs Officer who took the time to share some of her travels after learning about our plans for the next few days. Wishing us luck, she sent us on our way.

Cargo Ships on the St. Mary River

Turning off Interstate 75, we made our way along Highway 28 towards our first destination - Oswald's Bear Ranch. Mark has had his eye on this for several months and the winter was eased by the constant reminder that we were going to make this trip as soon as the ranch was open for the season.

Though we have a preference for seeing bears in their natural habitat, we were pleased to see that the enclosures were immense, offering the animals so much privacy and space to roam around. The female bear enclosure was at least 3 times as large as that of the males. When we asked the reason for this, the woman told us that the females can be very mean to each other so they were granted more space. (This is the first time I've heard about females being mean to each other!! All the bears at the ranch have been rescued after being injured or orphaned.

The hilight of the visit - and of the day - was when we got to get up close and personal with one of the new rescued cubs and feed it from a metal spoon. We were both surprised at the coarseness of the fur when we petted him. He was as cute as a button! There were strict rules that were shared with us on what to do as soon as the cub had finished eating. Basically - move back, and move away!!

Feeding Little Barney!

'Could we have some more apples, please?'

'Pretty Please...?'

Next stop was the beautiful town of Grand Marais, with its prominent bay and spit.

The Bay in Grand Marais, Michigan

The buildings there were picturesque. We had lunch overlooking Lake Superior and then made our way to the Log Slide Lookout.

Top of the Log Slide

The Log Slide from the side

This has an interesting history, and is now a tourist attraction for the very fit. Only those who are in tip-top condition are advised to attempt the slide down the sand dune for, though it only takes a few minutes to get to the bottom, it can take over an hour to climb back up again. When we saw the slide, we could see why! Needless to say, we left that adventure for another day.

We always take an interest in the plants and trees in the various places we visit. Today was no exception.

Miner's Falls

Heading back to the car, we visited Miner's Falls and Miner's Castle. If you've never seen these little wonders of nature, you are encouraged to make the trip. Although a little misty, the scenery at both spots was awesome. The sun did clear away the mist for a few moments revealing the true splendour of the natural 'castle' on the pinnacle of the rock. Amazing!

Miner's Castle

Miner's Beach

A quick visit to Munising was in order, but we didn't stay for long as we wanted to head south towards St. Ignace, where we will be staying for the next three nights and which will be our base for our other excursions.