A Copper Country Autumn

Every October, the girls and I head out on the road.  Some years we take a big road trip, others we head North to enjoy Fall in the Upper Peninsula.  This year, due to Covid, I decided it would be a great year to head North to enjoy a few days in the woods and on the Lake Superior shore.   We had no specific plans for the week other than to relax and enjoy the peace and serenity of the area, and hopefully to avoid the crowds. Most importantly, we looked forward to seeing some of the people who make the Copper Country even more special for us.

After a day of travel and arriving late Monday, we woke up Tuesday morning ready for an adventure.  We started our morning like we do every time we stay in Eagle Harbor, with a walk around town.  It's a quiet little town and I love that I can roll out of bed, harness up the dogs, and walk out the door for a walk...somedays still in my pajama pants, and there is no one there who will judge me.  We walked  slowly, just enjoying the morning and our time together.  Some days I forget how few times Peaches has made the trip to the Keweenaw, since she's been with me less than three years, but Maddie and I have made this walk many times over the years.  It is a familiar routine, just one part of what we love about our time in the Keweenaw. 

After our morning walk, we headed out of Eagle Harbor with plans to spend some time along Cliff Drive.  These days, our adventures have to be a little shorter to better accommodate Maddie because she just doesn't have the ability to walk long distances anymore.  But that's okay.  She still loves an adventure and I am happy to find ways for all of us to enjoy our trips together.  We may have spent a little more time in the car and a little less time on the trails this trip, but I was happy to be able to make sure that Maddie was included in all of the fun.  

We drove along Cliff Drive, making short stops along the way to explore and enjoy the scenery.  It was a beautiful, sunny day, and we were all happy to be out enjoying the fresh air.  

As we meandered down the road, I decided to make the drive to the end of Cliff Drive and then drive into Mohawk to grab a quick lunch at the Mohawk Superette.  With my sandwich and potato salad in hand, I headed back to Cliff Drive for a little picnic at Seneca Lake, followed by a short hike near the lake.

After our walk around the Seneca Lake area, we headed back down Cliff Drive toward Eagle Harbor for a short stop before heading back out for more exploring.  The colors on Cliff Drive were so beautiful and I couldn't help but stop for a few pictures along the way.

We were expecting some rain late that afternoon, so we headed back out to explore a bit more and to see what we could see before the rain began.  We headed out down the Eagle Harbor Cut-off Road with plans for a drive down Garden City Rd.  I had never driven this way before.  It's a little off-the-beaten path way to get to Eagle River and I planned to stop along the way to enjoy the color and some of the little known mine sights around the area.  

We'd had a busy day, so Maddie was napping in the Jeep as we drove along, but Peaches got out with me for a few of our stops along the way.   She was really enjoying all of the scents and sounds of Fall.  After all, there isn't much a GSP enjoys more than a good sniff in the Fall woods.

And I was so excited to find this apple tree in the middle of the forest.  I discovered that it was near an old mining site and explored the area a bit before picking a couple of apples and heading on our way.

We made a quick stop at the Fitz in Eagle River to grab dinner and and make a couple of other stops before heading back to our room for the night.  

Other than the beautiful scenery, I also really love the history of the Keweenaw.  The Phoenix church(pictured above) is my favorite in the area.  And somehow, for the first time, I noticed this adorable little church(pictured below) while walking around Eagle Harbor.  I was interested in the history and that this church had a connection to Bishop Baraga.

On Wednesday morning, we once again took our morning walk around Eagle Harbor.  I always enjoy those morning walks and this morning was no different.  With the beautiful Fall color, the town looked beautiful.  

We even found a new trail in town and spent some time exploring it.  This little town is really one of my favorite places.  I think the girls love it too.

We enjoyed a slow, quiet morning in town before packing up the Jeep to move to Copper Harbor for the next two nights.  I had brought food along for this trip, so I made a sandwich and drove to the Eagle Harbor Lighthouse to eat my lunch.  As I sat and ate my lunch, I was surprised by the number of visitors there were to the lighthouse on this day.  Generally I'm alone when I stop there, but that was definitely not the case this trip. 

 

Once I finished my lunch, I walked the girls around the lighthouse before loading them up in the Jeep and heading in to Copper Harbor.

While we were there just past peak color season, the colors were still pretty amazing.  Honestly, I would have thought it was beautiful even if there were no leaves on the trees, but the pretty colors of Fall in Michigan are hard to beat.

My whole plan for this trip was to find places where we could quietly enjoy the beauty away from the crowds.  So I set my mind to finding those less visited spots, maybe even some places that I didn't normally visit. 

As we drove along US41, we made a stop at Lake Medora for a short adventure.  Peaches was excited to get out and explore.  

The colors and the dramatic sky were beautiful, and the sun came out while we were there.  There's something special about the sun shining on the colorful trees.

Our next stop was Jameson's for some tasty baked goods.  Not only do they have amazing turnovers, they have my favorite view in town.  A trip to Copper Harbor isn't complete without a stop there and some time in one of those seats.

We then headed up Brockway Mountain for a view of town from the overlook.  The Overlook was so crowded.  I couldn't believe the number of people that were there.  More than I had ever seen, that's for certain.  So I grabbed a quick picture and then headed back to the Jeep to explore some more.

Since we were trying to avoid the crowds, I figured there would be no better place to do that than beyond the end of the road, so we drove to the end of US41 and then continued on the dirt road.  We passed the road to Horseshoe Harbor and kept driving.  

While we didn't drive to the tip of the Keweenaw, I drove farther down that road than I had before and just enjoyed the beauty of the woods around us.  Eventually we turned to head back into town.  

The views on the way back to town just may have been some of my favorites of the entire trip.  

Next stop was the Copper Harbor State Harbor for a walk along the path to Hunter's Point.  We walked for a bit until we reached a spot in the trail that was impassible.  We had been pretty busy and Maddie was ready to head back to the Jeep at that point so we turned around

We made a stop in town to enjoy the views from the dock.  I love the view here and we even got a show from a crazy tourist who decided he was going to don his speedo and dive in to the water to swim from one dock to the next.  

And then we took a drive up Brockway Mountain to make the drive all the way across the mountain on our way to pick up pizza at the Eagle Harbor in and visit our good friend Bryce.

The views from the mountain were beautiful, as usual.  I am never disappointed when I make that drive.  We enjoyed a nice visit with Bryce and made plans for the following day before we made the drive back to Copper Harbor for the night.  We'd had a busy day in the Keweenaw!

Thursday morning we woke up and headed out for our morning walk around the Harbor.  These morning walks almost always take us to Jameson's for a turnover which I then share with the girls.  

This morning we ate our turnover on the dock.  I think the girls enjoy the turnover as much as I do!

It was a quiet morning and we enjoyed our slow stroll around town on our way back to our room.  

We walked the trail around the pond in town with views of the nose of Brockway Mountain in front of us.  We saw the community garden and several apple trees full of apples.  We've never really walked these trails, but they are perfect for Maddie and her need for shorter walks.  

We took a short break in our room before we headed out again, this time to Lake Manganese.  This is another area that I have never spent much time and neither do most of the crowds.  I drove by lines of cars along the road by Manganese Falls, but there were only a couple of cars at the lake.  

We walked on one of the trails along the Lake and the girls loved exploring the area.  The colors were beautiful and it was so quiet and peaceful.  

It was an amazing place to spend some time and we met a nice couple having lunch there and chatted for a bit before we left.  We so enjoyed our time at the lake. 

We left the lake ready for lunch. We stopped at the Mariner North for a take-out sandwich and then drove to Fort Wilkins State Park to eat.

We sat at a picnic table under a beautiful red maple tree and enjoyed an amazing sunny day lunch break.   

After lunch, Maddie headed back to the Jeep for a nap while Peaches and I hit the trails in the park for a nice walk.    I love Maddie and hate to leave her behind, but sometimes it's nice to to be able to get out for a real hike with Peaches.  She and I both needed it.

Later that afternoon, we headed outside of town to meet Bryce at Esrey Park for a walk around and then we headed out to a new trail that he is helping build.  

There is no signage for this new trail yet and it is just roughly planned out so the terrain is a little rough, but we really enjoyed it.  

We started on the shores of Lake Superior checking out the Keweenaw chasm and then crossed the road to the remainder of the trail.  

There are big plans for this area and it was so interesting to be there hearing about all of them and to see the area before the trails are finished.  The girls and I were pretty excited to be there and while we weren't sure how Maddie would do on the rough trail, she did great!  We can officially say that Maddie and Peaches were the first dogs on the trail.  I think that's a pretty special thing.

Another long and active day in the Keweenaw had come to an end and we headed back for dinner in our room and a relaxing final night in the harbor.

As is our tradition, we stopped at Great Sand Bay for a walk on the beach with Bryce before leaving the Keweenaw.   It was not a long walk, but we would have definitely missed it if we hadn't stopped.  And before we knew it, we were in the Jeep and on our way home.

We made a couple of quick stops on the way home, first at the Baraga State Park and then at the Skiing Hall of Fame, but we were ready to get home and it's a long drive.  

Once we reached the Bridge, the rest of our drive was smooth sailing.  While our time in the Keweenaw had been short, it was so needed and I am so happy we went.  I'll never regret making a trip there, ever.