A whirlwind weekend

This morning we prepare to leave the Harbor and head East and South toward home after a whirlwind weekend trip.  As I sit here in cozy little cabin 11 at the Minnetonka,  I'm a bit reflective.  

This past week hasn't been anything special, but we did mark the 10 year anniversary of the passing of my Jake on Thursday, and today, we mark one year since losing Maddie.  Today we will celebrate her by sharing a turnover at Jamsen's and then a stop at Great Sand Bay to spread some of her ashes.  She loved it here so much, it seems appropriate to be here today honoring her memory.   

Earlier this week Mina turned 5 months old.  I can hardly believe she's nearly 1/2 way through her first year.  She's a pretty well behaved little monster, with plenty of sass and a little bossiness, but I love her and her little attitude dearly.   I think Peaches is happy she's here most of the time too.  

An exciting highlight for me this week was the return of Wednesday night Dog Walking Club at the shelter.   We haven't had a Wednesday night dog walk since March 2020 and after spending most of the previous decade walking on Wednesdays, it was nice to be back at it...although I have to get back into a better routine because I ate a very late dinner and was exhausted by the end of the night.

While we had rain a lot this week, I found time to get out into the garden and I'm happy that I'm still getting plenty of veggies this late in the gardening season.  I'm pretty sure my garden will be done very soon with the cooler nights approaching.  I've really enjoyed this growing season and look forward to next year.  I've already got big plans!

Thursday afternoon we made the first leg of our drive North, and spent the night in Manistique.   It is about the half way point of the trip to Copper Harbor and I've found a great little mom and pop place to stay that is dog friendly and right on Lake Michigan.   

They allow access to their beach and even have a fire pit and wood available for a bonfire on the beach.  We made it ther just about sunset and saw the beautiful golden hour glow.

We then hurried over to Clyde's to get dinner before they closed.  While it was a little chilly, we decided to sit at one of the outdoor tables.  Peaches was very interested in the fake cat they had out as a Halloween decoration. 

After 5 hours in the car, Mina was full of energy.  She and Peaches got in a good wrestling match and then I played fetch with her in the hotel room for the next hour until she settled down for the night.

 

The next morning, we were up in time for a sunrise walk on the beach.  It was a beautiful morning.  I did a little work before packing up the car and continuing our journey North.

Other than stopping for a goodie at the Huron Mountain Bakery and gas at the Pines in Baraga,  the only other stop we made before getting to Hancock was Powerhouse Falls.   I'd never stopped here before and decided it was time to make the short drive to see them.

We stopped in Hancock for lunch at Four Suns, most likely our last this yalear, and then continued on to Copper Harbor.   Once we checked in to our cabin, we were ready for adventure. 

I was excited to head out to Hunter's Point Park because we weren't able to spend any time there when we were here last because of the biting flies.  

The weather on Friday was perfect with blue skies and temperatures in the mid 60s.  

This was Mina's first hike out to the point and I think she and Peaches thoroughly enjoyed themselves.   After all, there is  so much to sniff and lots of fun climbing.   But I discovered I'm definitely out of practice climbing on the rocks with two leashes.  Its been a few years since I've done it, but I'm happy to have the chance to do it again.

I was pretty pleased that I got them to pose so nicely for two different pictures.  I love this place and these girls!

We spent the rest of our day in town and enjoying some quiet time at our cabin.  It had been a wonderful day.

 

All of our Friday adventures led to two tired girls who slept in on Saturday morning and had a late breakfast after a walk around town.  

It was gray, cloudy, and spitting a little rain, so we spent the morning in our cabin.  But after a quiet morning, it was time to head out for a little fun so we walked the trails at Fort Wilkins around Lake Fanny Hooe.   

We had a little more down time after a late lunch before heading out to meet up with Tom for a hike up Mt. Bohemia.  While there isn't much color in town yet, there were some beautiful trees on our drive out of town. 

The original plan for this trip was to take the Fall Color chairlift ride at Bohemia, but they aren't doing the lift rides this year, so the only way up was on our own two feet.  Boy am I happy we made the hike!

The views from the top of the mountain were beautiful and, while I don't love Fall, I do enjoy the beautiful colors and the way the woods smell this time of year.  

It was a great hike with friends and the girl loved every minute of it! So did I.

Instead of heading right back to the Harbor after our hike, we took a drive to enjoy the colors and then headed up Brockway Mountain for the view just before sunset. 

The views here never disappoint and the girls enjoyed more new smells.

There were so many people!  We didn't stay long, but enjoyed the beauty and then the slow ride back down to our cabin.

It was another quiet night for me as the girls crashed quickly after their dinner.  While this was a short trip, I'm never disappointed with my visits here.

As we leave the Harbor, I'm sad to go, but always happy I came.  Now off to enjoy our day exploring the UP as we begin our journey home.  Have a happy Sunday!