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Tour of Michigan
From Long Lake/Cloverdale near Hastings, to central Michigan, to northern lower Michigan, to the U.P. Gotta love ALL of Michigan in the fall! The main purpose of this trip was to go grouse hunting camp in the U.P. but I took an extra few days for some adventures.
September 29
Left Spock at home (he knew something was up!) He was super upset for 2 days because I was packing! Got to Michigan and took my fave first pic as I entered the state from Indiana. A beautiful day for a drive! I headed up to Kalamazoo, then north to Long Lake to visit friends Chris and Cheryl Lapins. We hung out and chatted, then took a boat ride with the ever present Walker the wonder dog. He's so sweet and friendly. Last time we saw him he was just a puppy. We got some pizza, watched a family of Sandhill Cranes walk along the shore, and sat on the deck and relaxed with a glass of wine or two.
Before dark, I left to drive to my hotel for the night in Mt. Pleasant. It was a Hampton Inn - and NOT terribly nice. Clean, yes. but needed so much repair work. I wonder if it's because of Covid, lack of funds, etc. but it wasn't up to Hilton standards. And, it was SUPER expensive for the middle of nowhere Michigan in the off season!
September 30
Slept pretty good, got up real early. I was anxious to get up to the real north woods! I got great pics of the sunrise from just north of Clare, MI and some good color in the forests inland. Julie and Matt's cabin is so beautiful. I feel like I'm at a top notch airbnb. She has it all so organized and adorable. All the comforts of home, too! There was a gift for me on the table. I've been wanting to replace my pitcher/bowl ever since I broke my beautiful one that I got in Alaska. Julie found it up here at Sturgeon River Pottery! What a wonderful #solarsister!
Then I took off for an explore. Got coffee (pumpkin spice latte of course) at North Star Gardens, Gifts, and Cafe. It was 68 degrees and sunny so I took my coffee outside on their veranda. So peaceful.
Rode north again, this time to Lake Huron at Cheboygan. There I walked and walked, along the shore and down to both lighthouses. Saw the two crib lighthouses out in the lake - the mostly white square one is called Fourteen Foot Shoal Light. It was named because right there, deep out in the water it's only 14' deep! The smaller one that's half black and half white is called the Poe Reef Light. These two lighthouses help guide ships heading to the Straights and thru to Chicago.
Drove from Cheboygan along the lake up to Mackinaw City. It's sure different in the off season. I like it so much better! Visited the lakefront again, took some pedestrian pics of the beautiful "mighty Mac" bridge, then had lunch at our favorite place in Mack City, Darrow's Restaurant. Had to get their homemade soup - corn chowder. OMG the best!
Back at Julie's I had some tea and relaxed a bit and wrote this blog post. I'm off for sunset at the Burt Lake State Park and then hopefully, some expected aurora activity! Stay tuned.
Stunning sunset, and as I waited for astronomical darkness it got cold! But I waited - and the stars began to come out, and I watched the north shore with anticipation. Alas....nothing happened. The data looked lousy so I went home and slept. Turns out, there was a little show around 4:30 am which I missed. Oh well. Next time!
Some crazy strange airglow, along with light pollution makes for a rather interesting shot of the Milky Way
Friday Oct 1
Today I met with friend Melissa who is very aurora motivated, hence like-minded. We had lunch at The BarrelBack in Walloon which gave me an opportunity to drive around and see all the sights that are so familiar in summer. The beauty of the north woods just astounds me. Here are a few pics from in and around Walloon.
On the way between Indian River and Walloon I drove past an idyllic scene on Lake Louise, a small inland lake that is unpopulated but quite often fished. Therefore there's a parking lot by a boat launch I could pull over in and get some gorgeous color reflections in the water.
A quick stop on the way back at my favorite farm market, Coveyou, brought me great views and some tasty treats!
Took a walk down the road to the river. It was beautiful and HOT! 80 degrees. Going to 50 tonight. Jules, Matt, Enzo and Ursa arrived late and we unpacked them and got some sleep. Another drive tomorrow.
Saturday, Oct 2
Up to the UP today! We stopped for lunch over the bridge about a half hour near Naubinway. It was getting cloudy, foggy, and starting to rain. Lunch was good though. Then 4 hours west and north to Lake Mary in Crystal Falls. What a beautiful spot on a pretty little lake!
Up here in the Upper Penninsula, fall color seems to be at peak this week. It's stunning. The cabin we rented is nice, just a little rough around the edges. We're looking forward to Andrew arriving tomorrow and some grouse and woodcock hunting this week.
This is Julie and Matt's oldest dog! Enzo is 13 now - we're having a birthday party for him later!
This is the beautiful Cut River bridge. I took a walk down to the bottom and back up - the colors were beautiful and it was very peaceful and quiet aside from the traffic going over the bridge.
It was a beautiful warm October night. We watched the sunset, then came out later for the stars. We saw the Big Dipper and a bunch of stars, but also lightning surrounded us! It was a very cool light show.
Sunday, October 3
Hung out this morning with Ursa "Moo" - Julie and Matt's Catahoula Leopard Dog. She's definitely still a puppy at heart!
Today was rainy, gloomy, foggy, and sunny - all in one day! I'd say here in the UP we're right at PEAK color....but a lot of those peak colors were probably knocked off the trees a bit by the rain.
Matt went over to the hunting camp, and Jules and I took a 2 hour drive north west to two famous ski mountains; IndianHead, and Copper Peak, which is a fascinating old ski jump. We were trying to see the color in the hills up there, from the ski hill - but the fog was a joke. Here are a couple pics we got. Built in 1935, Copper Peak is famous for ski FLYING, not just ski jumping. It was an olympic training ground. Only the top 100 ski flyers in the world got to train here, and there are only 6 ski flying facilities in the world. The world record ski flying was recorded at 784 feet. It closed for skiing in 1994. It overlooks over 2500 square miles and 3 states. It is a 26-story view. To get up there, you can take a chair-lift, then an elevator - then walk the steps up to the summit.
This is a postcard of what it's SUPPOSED to look like in the fall at Copper Peak. UMMM... nope. Not today! FOG FOG FOG! and RAIN....
Up the road is a bunch of waterfalls along the Black River - we went to Sandstone Falls, which is supposedly the closest falls to the parking. Might be closest as the crow flies but they failed to mention the downhill climb down more than 150 steep steps....and back up! It was wet, muddy, slippery, and beautiful. We also saw "Chateau Relaxo" which made us laugh both times we saw it.
On the way down to our cabin at Lake Mary we encountered these two pretty deer hanging out in the woods.
At the grocery store here in Crystal Falls, we found these two beautiful beers! One is called Borealis Broo, the other is Nordskye. Had to try them both! Home for a delicious crock-pot bison chili, corn bread, and cookies!
Then the culminating event of the evening....Enzo's 13th birthday party! Happy birthday Enzo!
Monday, October 4
Monday, October 4
Hunting Day 1 - and we're off to Squaw Creek Hunting Camp this morning to see what we see in the woods.
My photos from last year were published in The Pointing Dog Journal! Matt's dad submitted them and they are in this month's issue!
Front of Magazine
Front of Magazine
Not my photo on the cover....
This is Jack - an amazing hunting dog
This is Jack - an amazing hunting dog
Larry Kanitz is their owner (Matt's dad)
This is Tripp - another fantastic dog!
This is Tripp - another fantastic dog!
just goes to show you the difference 2 weeks makes! Last year we were up here later in October and there was snow on the ground!
New bench at Squaw Creek Hunting Camp
New bench at Squaw Creek Hunting Camp
Squaw Creek
Squaw Creek
Today's game count: (our hunting party.... not by me!)
9 woodcock flushed
9 grouse flushed
1 woodcock bagged
While Andrew drove 7 hours up here, Julie, Matt and I went hunting with Matt's dad and stepmom. We saw a few, the dogs flushed a few, and we walked through the beautiful yellow and orange forest for miles! It was quite a beautiful day - 70 degrees or more.
I'm just so impressed with these dogs. The natural hunting instinct in this breed (English Setter) is just amazing. How they're trained to use their natural-born nose and pointing system is uncanny. I realize they are trained by humans, but it's amazing to watch them.
Tripp was getting hot with all his running around so he took a mud bath in a local puddle. Instant black dog!
I came home to wait for Andrew to arrive. We discovered there are loons on Lake Mary still! I heard one call then got a very zoomed in long-distance photo. We cooked a beautiful smoked venison tenderloin, with squash and green beans for dinner. Tomorrow is another day!
Tuesday, October 5
Tuesday, October 5
Hunting Day 2. The count today was 16 grouse and 7 woodcock. Unfortunately this does NOT mean they got this many! But a good time was had by all in the beautiful autumn woods.
There is a carpet of leaves of many colors all over the two-track and the ground everywhere. The hardwoods are colorful, and the aspen are yellow. Against a beautiful blue sky today makes for a stunning photo. It was 72 degrees today. Last year in the same place just 2 weeks later there was snow on the ground.
Yes, I actually took the gun off safety and pointed. I was ready. But nope. The opportunity went away. Next time?!
<---- Photo credit: Julie Hand
Matt got a wild turkey last year and they brought two large turkey breasts for Andrew to cook. He made dinner #1 was so delicious.... Wild Turkey Katsu which is turkey skewers deep fried served over a bed of wild rice and cranberries, and an Asian dipping sauce made with cranberry sauce. Dinner #2 is an autumn wild turkey roast with leeks, carrots, apples, cranberries and aromatics. What a chef!
The beautiful milky way over our cabin.
The beautiful milky way over our cabin.
This tho-- the color differences were only because of my camera settings.
This tho-- the color differences were only because of my camera settings.
Wednesday, October 6
Wednesday, October 6
We went out to the hunting camp this morning and met up with Larry and his fabulous hunting dogs. Had a good day!
Andrew & Matt
Andrew & Matt
HUGE moose print that was fresh today
HUGE moose print that was fresh today
Grouse
Grouse
Matt and Andrew both shot this one!
Photo credit: Julie Hand
A little kayak fishing for Andrew....
Andrew was the chef extraordinaire again and I was his sous chef. This was also delicious.... Roasted wild turkey breast with leeks, carrots, onions and garlic served over smashed potatoes with a demi-glaze reduction.
Fire pit bonfire tonight. It was super cold so this kept us warm until we started getting distracted by the stars!
Speaking of stars....
I got a bug to photograph the Pleiades (Seven Sisters) constellation. It rose tonight in the east and as it got over the tree line was quite bright and visible and beautiful. I tried and tried, changed configuration of base and lens, and this is all I could get.
Note to self: star trails happen at about 1.5 seconds with the rigged up camera contraption of a full frame base and a crop-sensor lens. Next time try exposure of 2 seconds, and/or just use my ff lens and crop it in post.
Thursday, October 7
Thursday, October 7
Another foggy morning - delayed start but had Julie's biscuits and gravy for breakfast. So delicious with cudighy sausage, a U.P. treat! Wish I had a photo of it. We were so hungry we ate before a photo could be taken!
Went out to camp for another day of hunting. This time I brought my camera to "shoot" things instead of my gun! The first series of photos here are of the flora of the area. Wildflowers are still all over the place!
This is Tripp. He's a beautiful dog, and a very good hunting dog. He is usually white with black and brown spots. Until he finds a mud puddle.
Some FAUNA of the north woods....
Paper wasp nest
Grouse tail feathers
Moose track - another one. Quite large compared to Andrew's foot.
Moose track - more and more!
This is Jack. He is another excellent hunting dog. Here he is carrying a grouse after Andrew shot it.
These photos (below) are from today's hunt. Good day today!
All the photos below this line in today's entry were taken by Julie!
<--- at left.....
...Andrew and Tripp having a chat! It was a totally fun day with excitement all around. In Andrew-speak, Witch-a-wokka means "it's a woodcock" in excited talk!
In the photos above you will see all three of the hunters (minus me) got a bird today. Julie was also the photographer of the day with these pics below of the woodcock in flight and Andrew just about to shoot. AMAZING photography Julie!
Friday, October 8
Rainy morning - mostly fog and mist tho. We decided to drive up to one of our favorite towns, Marquette. We have several things on our list of "things to do" - which culminates in meeting Larry and Marion for dinner at a local pizza restaurant.
One of the first things we did when we got into Marquette was visited Presque Isle Park. This is a place Mark absolutely loved. He always looked forward to going there every year! The favorite photo I have of Mark and I was on the bench overlooking Lake Superior so Julie and I went back there and took a photo. It was quite sad.... but I got a message from Mark just before we got there because we went to a pottery and gift shop just a mile away and these two cards at the gift shop spoke to me. We used to say to each other.... "I'm holding your heart...I'll keep it safe."
Another beautiful image from Presque Isle.....
Downtown Marquette. It was 72 degrees!
The "New" Trenary Toast Cafe is so cute!
We got home to THIS view. That reflection tho'..... lovely.
We met Matt's dad Larry and wife Marian at the Randville Bar. It was fish fry night of course, Friday.... so I had a burger! This place is SOOOOO very north woods. Taxidermy everywhere!
What a nice trip to the great north woods in autumn. Until next year!
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