This year has been particularly mad with activity; fall, my favored travel time, arrived suddenly. I had longed to get up to the Straits (of Mackinac). Of course, the Island always waggles a beckoning finger, but I had hoped to return and explore Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore further, knowing it to be glorious from my one previous visit. No. Too many obligations, too little time. And so, traveling to the top of Lake Michigan and visiting some sites previously missed seemed to be a reasonable choice under the circumstances.
The drive up is long indeed, and over the years I’ve stopped for brief encounters with most of the towns along the way. But Marshall, my favorite Michigan town not on the Lake, is always a must. It’s especially fun now that this beautiful National Historic Landmark goes all out in October for Skeletonfest. I fell in love with Marshall years ago for its vast collection of 19th century buildings and intact streetscapes, not to mention its fascinating history, and the beautiful walks along the Kalamazoo River.
A quick and healthy lunch, a little walk, and northward bound! Fall began to jump out in earnest past Clare.
Eager to arrive, there were no more stops until. . . bridge in view!
Had hoped to try a diner in Mackinaw City that I had missed in the past, but it was closed, so headed to another favorite. Delicious, but its prices had risen exponentially! Hard to be an independent business these days. Spent the night “in the shadow of the bridge”
and awakened to sunrise over the Straits.
Across the Mighty Mac to St. Ignace, which seems to be doing better these days. A lot of the old cabins and motels that had been abandoned are now gone, but happily several remain and are doing business. The goofy “Indian Village” souvenir shop from my childhood is still going strong, ironically just across the street from the Museum of Ojibwa Culture (located in an 1837 mission building, a National Historic Landmark), which had only recently opened the last time I stopped.
Discovered a couple of New Deal buildings, too, much to my delight.
A perfect breakfast at Bentley’s Cafe, a 1940s relic playing early 60s tunes, then it was off to hug Lake Michigan on a perfect fall day, stopping to greet the geological wonder St. Anthony’s Rock, one of the many breccia (a type of limestone) formations called sea stacks in the area.
Stopped at the Bridge memorial
and a couple other stops overlooking the Lake
before pulling up to Lehto’s for one of the most delicious pasties in the UP. I had discovered this on my round-the-Lake trip three years ago, and my memory was true. Yum!
US2 runs so close to the Lake in spots that one might wonder if the waves ever inundate the road. It must be a fearful thing to drive during the gales of November!
I’d read about an interesting bridge along this highway over the Cut River valley, a magnificent steel structure 647 feet long.
The roadside (bridgeside?) park is a popular hiking place, boasting a system of trails and stairs leading down to the river and Lake Michigan nearly 150 feet below. The scarlet and golden trees glowing in the brilliant autumn sun made it all the more magical.
One eventually discovers the river is not very large at all, but it must have been very persistent over the centuries to create such a deep valley. At last the lake, brilliant with diamonds in the sun,
framed by autumn’s rich tapestries. A place to linger awhile–and then tackle the climb back!
The highway veered away from Lake Michigan for several miles, and the landscape became less glorious, with wide expanses of forests that must have been burned over a few decades before. Had intended, more or less, to reach Manistique, but what with all the trysts with the Lake, the shadows were growing longer. A sign pointed to a historic lighthouse down a road I know I’d not traveled; after several miles and turns, the grounds of the Seul Choix Point Light appeared.
The lighthouse is beautiful and several historic outbuildings surround it. Built in the early 1890s, it is listed in the National Register of Historic Places. The Gulliver Historical Society is headquartered there. The lighthouse now lies some distance from the Lake but still is a functional navigational light, though automated today. The beach here was very different from all the others along the way, mostly rock of some limestone variety with large pockets of millions of tiny shells. What wonders to behold!
Back to St. Ignace, with beautiful views of the Lake and a lot of abandoned roadside architecture.
Supper at a well known truck stop, staying in St. Ignace for the night at a nondescript but cheap motel. In the morning, I had a yen to see Castle Rock, a nearly 200-foot sea stack that has been an area tourist attraction for around 100 years. I have climbed it, but not this day.
Did poke around in the wonderfully tacky souvenir shop, though, noting that some of the items have been on sale there for decades!
Crossing back over the Mighty Mac emphasized it was time to head back,
but did stop at the Mackinaw Bakery and wandered a little around the main part of town, stopping to say farewell to some of the locals. So hard to leave, especially on yet another perfect fall day.
Took time for a little stop at Grayling, a charming town about an hour south, home to another wonderful bakery. There seem to be quite a few artists in the area, the town’s vibe a bit more vibrant.
Ah, but miles to go. Barreled down all the way to Marshall beore stopping for an early supper and walking among the skeletons again.
Then homeward bound. But where is my heart?
Here.