Christmas in June.... Not What You Think!!!

Christmas in June - Not What You Think!!!

Nestled about 4.5 miles west of Munising is the little town of Christmas. We drove through it on our way to the Apostle Islands when we went to see the ice caves back in February, 2014. At that time, there was still a lot of snow on the ground and we didn't have time to investigate. Since this small township is just 9 miles away from where we are staying, it was inevitable that we'd drop in and see what it was all about. 

The first thing a visitor notices is a huge Santa that greets all travelers on the highway. He stands outside Santa's Workshop, along with other large icons of the season. 

Santa greets all those who drive by.

The next observation is the names of the streets - all linked with the Jolly Fellow himself.

Reindeer Run

North Pole St., and Scrooge's Alley

Pine Tree St., and North Pole St.

North Pole St., and Bayberry Lane

St. Nicholas Ave., and Jingle Bell Lane

Mrs. Claus Lane

Santa Lane

Christmas Ave., and St. Nicholas Ave.

Candy Cane Lane

Not to be outdone, the local residents get in on the fun, as can be seen by this personalized mailbox. 

There is even a Christmas Mall (though it has seen better days), a Yule Log Resort, and a Christmas Motel. These are all to be found within the two minutes it takes to drive through on the main highway. 

The Christmas Mall - has seen better days.

Those of you who know us, will also know that we like to explore roads that lead off the main highway - just to see where they take us. 

This is how we stumbled upon a real beauty spot that the town of Christmas has to offer the would-be tourist. 

We had seen several signs for the Hiawatha National Forest, which seem to be dotted all over the Upper Peninsula. This particular sign, for Bay Furnace, was intriguing, so we turned off and parked the car. 

We were met by a delightful small park, adjacent to a campsite. The view of Grand Island and the bay, just west of Munising, was wonderful. We spent some time sitting on a bench drinking in the scenery as the wind whipped up white-capped waves.

You can just see a lighthouse in between the two trees to the right.

Sometimes, pictures don't do justice to the scenery so, hopefully, this short video clip will give you an idea of why we loved this place so much. 

Not only are we curious about roads that lead off the main route, we are also inquisitive about footpaths and trails. At the entrance to this particular mini-trail, there was a sign indicating some ruins of the old Bay Furnace - after which the park/campsite was named. 

Not knowing what to expect, we followed the short path and when we turned a corner, we both drew in a deep breath at what we came across! The interpretive signs were full of information about this interesting edifice which became inoperable after a fire back in 1877.

Steps leading down to where the dock area was located.

We were certainly not expecting that... and were reminded, once again, of Robert Frost's poem, 'The Road Not Traveled'. We took the 'one less traveled by... And that has made all the difference."   

Chapel Rock from Land and Lake...

Chapel Rock - from Land and Lake

Mark loves to organize trips and adventures - and I'm happy to go along with them as they usually turn out to be fantastic! Yesterday was certainly no exception. 

Susan and Clarke, our gracious hosts, had suggested a sunset boat cruise to the Pictured Rocks, just outside Munising Bay, in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. Apparently, the rocks are best seen when the sun is shining directly upon them. Mark checked the weather and, although colder than a normal June day, the sky was going to be clear. 

Mark had the idea of trekking to a beautiful spot called, Chapel Rock, in the morning - knowing that the two-and-a-half-hour cruise would end at that point before returning to harbour. 

The 3.3 mile trail that took us to Chapel Rock went by Chapel Falls, which cascaded over a cleft in the rock, carving out a large bowl at the bottom. The photo below shows the stream just before it hurtles over the cliff.

The trail, itself, was a delight, and it felt quite magical walking through the lush green of the forest floor and the canopy of leaves above. It almost felt like we were walking down the aisle of a great cathedral. 

Of course, the photograph doesn't show the many muddy areas that were prevalent because of the amount of rainfall over the last few days. We do have fun, however, negotiating these challenges, and finding alternative detours while staying close to the original path.

The reward at the end of the trail was truly awesome, giving us a great view of the Chapel Rock, and the beach that adjoins it. 

Chapel Rock - with it's single tree upon the crown.

Chapel Beach - a lovely sandy beach, great for swimming.

We followed a small pathway around a pillar which gave us access to a rocky surface next to a gushing waterfall that ushered itself into the lake. We sat on the surface to have our lunch before starting the return hike back to the parking lot. 

We sat on the rock surface right next to this fast-flowing waterfall

We arranged our adventure so that we'd have a couple of hours to spend with 'The Milkman', who is the beautiful cat we are looking after, before we returned to the dock, ready for the boat cruise. Luckily for us, our hosts had loaned us their warm coats - and we were more than pleased to have them, considering that we had been told that the temperature out on Lake Superior could be as much as 15 degrees Fahrenheit lower than that on the shore! 

Wearing layers, and donning our coats, we boarded the boat and - as we were first in line - we managed to find our way to the top deck and the front seats. 

'The Grand Portal' - our cruise boat.

Captain Bill and his second, Ben, gave a wonderful commentary of the surrounding points of significance on the way out to the Pictured Rocks. Of particular interest was the old wooden East Channel Lighthouse, which is found on the Eastern point of Grand Island. No longer in service, it stands as a testimony to times gone by. 

Now out of service, the East Channel Lighthouse stands proudly in the stead of its past.

He also told us that the sandbanks by the shore stretch out for quite a way at a depth of about 2.5 feet, but then suddenly plunge - almost vertically - to a depth of 65 feet! 

As we progressed along the coast and out into the open water of the lake, we were continually impressed with the vistas with which we were presented. It seemed that each turn of the corner, another breath-taking view took us by surprise. Here are some of the sights upon which we feasted our eyes. 

We thought these rocks looked like elephant legs

Lovers' Leap

Miner's Castle - which we had visited the previous year.

The captain explained that the various colours were indicative of the minerals contained in the rocks: 

red/brown = iron 

blue/green = copper

black = manganese

white = limonite

Of course, it wasn't long before we included the inevitable 'selfie'...

Just before we reached the Chapel Rock, we approached a narrow cove cut into the rock face. The captain asked us if we thought the boat would fit into the cove. We thought he was joking but, lo and behold, he gently edged the vessel through the opening until we were completely surrounded. It was enchanting to look up and see the cliff tops towering over us. 

The cove, into which the captain steered the boat.

At one point, we espied a bald eagle flying directly overhead. You can just see it on the centre-left of the photo. 

At one point, the captain told us of an event from the previous year that had us all laughing!! 

Click to play

The high part for us, though, was reaching Chapel Rock, with its adjacent beach, and viewing from the lake, where we had been that afternoon. 

We had eaten our lunch on the rock to the right of the waterfall.

The return journey afforded us some splendid views of the sun setting over Superior - a fine end to a full and fine day!

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