Around Huron Lake in 8 days

CA, US: Around Huron Lake in 8 days

| Christie

Canadians love outdoors. At least half of them, who can’t wait to get their outdoor belongings every weekend and scatter to various destinations.

Our excitement actually started when we began making plans to have a road trip around Lake Huron, one of the five Great Lakes in North America.

road trip 2017

Part of the UNESCO heritage, Niagara Escarpment goes through Tobermory. The escarpment that runs from New York through Ontario (Canada), Michigan, Wisconsin and Illinois is mostly famous for the cliff where Niagara River plunges at Niagara Falls. But today I will talk about Tobermory, located right between Huron Lake and Georgian Bay, and which is the most northerly town in the Bruce Peninsula. Continue reading →

US, Michigan: Best of UP – Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore – Grand Sable Dunes and Sable Falls – Grand Marais

| Christie

Around Huron Lake in 8 days: Best of UP, Part 5 – Around Huron Lake in 8 days: Grand Sable Dunes and Sable Falls – Grand Marais

Coming from Munising on County Rd H-58, we passed by the famous Log Slide Overview. The location was used originally in the 19th century by the local loggers to slide the logs from the top of the dunes to the base of the banks, to Lake Superior, in order to facilitate the transportation of timber from this area. Now this place is a wonderful spot to admire the blue and to lose yourself in an ecstatic reverie.

Grand Sable Dunes view from the Log Slide overlook
Grand Sable Dunes – view from the Log Slide overlook

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US, Michigan: Best of UP – Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore – Lake Superior’s Graveyard and Au Sable Light Station

| Christie

Around Huron Lake in 8 days: Best of UP, Part 4 – Lake Superior’s Graveyard and Au Sable Light Station

20 km West of Grand Marais, Au Sable Light Station can be visited following the 2.5 km trail that start at the Hurricane River mouth, where the big red food storage box is located. The trail goes through the forest for a while, until the path splits in two and one way goes toward the beach. Along the shoreline lays some of the coastal graveyard, where we saw several parts of the old wrecks that washed ashore. You probably guessed which way we took, since both ways were heading to the light station.

Hurricane River
Hurricane River

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US, Michigan: Best of UP – Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore – Pictured Rocks Cruise

| Christie

Around Huron Lake in 8 days: Best of UP, Part 3 – Pictured Rocks Cruise

After about 10 km in the Beaver Basin, we headed straight to the Munising Marina, hoping for happy winds and a tranquil evening. Wish granted, we happily purchased our new tickets and headed to the boarding line. We couldn’t stop noticing everyone’s excitement, while a sailor was asking people where they were from.

Staying in line with another 50 excited people

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US, Michigan: Best of UP – Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore – Beaver Basin Hiking – Twelvemile Beach

| Christie

Around Huron Lake in 8 days: Best of UP, Part 2 – Beaver Basin Hiking – Twelvemile Beach

Hiking in the Beaver Basin can start from the trailing parking lot beside the Little Beaver Lake Campground, after a 5 km of unpaved, narrow, twisting, and size restrictive road.

Little Beaver Lake
Little Beaver Lake

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US, Michigan: Best of UP – Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore – Munising – Munising and Miners Waterfalls

| Christie

Around Huron Lake in 8 days: Best of UP, Part 1 – Munising – Munising and Miners Waterfalls

We left behind the soggy morning at Tahquamenon Falls, and by the time we arrived in Munising the clouds were letting the sun show up in the sky. We headed straight to the marina, where we had the evening cruise booked in advance, ready to enjoy the sunset and the Pictured Rocks. Even though the sky was not without clouds, the weather was beautiful, and we didn’t expect to hear that the evening cruise is cancelled due to rough waters. Jaw dropped, really? Yes, the boat cruise can be cancelled anytime and without notice, as the weather is unpredictable on Lake Superior.

Rough waters on Lake Superior

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US, Michigan: Seney National Wildlife Refuge

| Christie

Around Huron Lake in 8 days: Seney National Wildlife Refuge

Even though we wanted to be at the Refuge entrance before sunrise, we were not able to be there. We were wondering if the late barbeque we had the night before or the stars I couldn’t stop gazing at in the middle of the night had something to do with this. Anyway, with a fresh enthusiasm we got to the Refuge gate around 10 am, an hour drive from Munising, where our host was living. The late August sun was up in the sky, and I knew the wildlife was well hidden at that late hour of the morning. The refuge is vast, and has several trails for hikers, or bikers, and needs a lot of time to have it explored. Since we were late already, we decided to have only the drive-through ride, with few stops along the way.

Seney one quiet and calm pond

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US, Michigan: The road to Tahquamenon Falls went through Paradise

| Christie

Around Huron Lake in 8 days: The road to Tahquamenon Falls went through Paradise

Leaving Canadian land via the International Bridge that links the twin cities of Sault Ste. Marie of Ontario and Michigan let us have a glimpse of what kind of weather would be greeting us in the neighbouring country, where we were going to continue our road trip around Huron Lake.

After a beautiful and serene sunset on the St Mary’s River shore, we didn’t expect this kind of weather. Gloomy clouds and foggy roads were following us from the morning, but when we saw the post of Paradise town, we knew the rain would stop soon.

Paradise

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CA, Ontario: Sault Ste Marie vs St Marys River

| Christie

Around Huron Lake in 8 days: Sault Ste Marie vs St Marys River

Pursuing our road trip around Huron Lake after leaving Manitoulin Island, our next destination was Sault Ste Marie. Passing cities like Espanola, and Spanish, or reservations such as Mississauga First Nation, I couldn’t stop noticing the French hint of Sault Ste Marie’s name. Anyone can sense from the distance how rich in history this whole area is, isn’t it? But more intriguingly, between the French name of Sault Ste Marie, and the English name for St Mary’s Rivers, I couldn’t stop asking myself which one came actually first?

St Marys River Rapids as seen from the Bridge
St Marys River Rapids – view from the Bridge

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