Oh what a week we've had. After having no real time off for the first 7 months of the year, we're finally getting a chance to step away from life a bit and recharge. This week was our annual October vacation. While many years I've used this week to explore other areas across the country, I also have used it to spend time enjoying the off-season in the UP. This year, the goal was to spend a relaxing week in Copper Harbor. I think this week was a great success.
After a rainy start to our day last Sunday, the rain finally slowed and then stopped giving us the opportunity to get out to explore a new hike for us.
We met our friend Tom at the trailhead to Mt. Baldy as the rain was waning and headed out for a hike up the mountain. The hike up was beautiful and colorful.
Before we reached the top, there was a spot that opened up to a beautiful view of Lake Superior. Even Mina couldn't look away from the view.
After a brief stop for some pictures, we continued up the mountain toward the summit. The girls were really happy to be joined by their new friend Cooper J. He did such a good job on the hike and everyone got along so well.
When we reached the end of the trail, I couldn't believe the amazing view. This quickly became one of my favorite views in the whole UP.
We spent a little time at the top enjoying the view before we had to head back down the mountain to finish our hike.
We reached the bottom after a round-trip hike of 6 1/2 miles and I tried to get a picture of the girls with Cooper, but Peaches had no interest in standing still for a picture. Mina and Cooper were happy to cooperate though. This is officially my favorite Michigan mountain now and my new favorite hike in the area. I can't believe I've never done this hike before, and I'm really excited to see it in other seasons.
After a full afternoon of hiking, we headed back to our room in Copper Harbor to settle in and then picked up a bowl of loaded potato soup and a side salad from the Lake Effect for dinner. Nothing like a nice warm bowl of soup after a hike on a cool day.
Monday morning the girls slept in, which meant I slept in too. We woke shortly before sunset and headed out for our morning potty walk. I wasn't sure if Jamsen's would be open, since we had reached what normally would be the end of the season in Copper Harbor. But to my surprise, when we reached the window, there stood Alex. While they didn't have the full menu of bakery items, he told me that he had some blueberry muffins fresh out of the oven, and what's better then a warm muffin on a cool morning.
We continued our walk around town while I ate my muffin and eventually made a stop at the Genny, where the girls joined me so that they could get some love from Erin. We made plans to meet Erin later for a hike, and then headed back to our cabin for a little down time. Peaches was happy to settle in for a nap.
After a nice break and lunch, we took a short walk out to visit Benjamin, Chance, and Bird, the horses of Copper Harbor. Mina loves visiting the boys, and then we always enjoy a walk on the trails nearby.
Finally, after Erin finished her work day, we headed out for a hike at Estivant Pines. This old growth forest not only has some really old pines, but also some really beautiful fall color.
We hiked both trail loops while we were there and all thoroughly enjoyed it. It was a perfect day for this hike, and we had the trail mostly to ourselves.
When we got back into the Harbor, we took another quick walk because I knew Peaches needed a potty break, then we headed to our cabin for dinner.
For our final walk of the evening, we headed down to the Sixth Street dock. It had been another marvelous day, and after this short evening walk, the girls and I were happy to settle in for a quiet evening.
Tuesday morning arrived, and it was a cold, windy day. We had a slow, relaxing morning. Sometimes on vacation, I need to remind myself that it's okay just to sit still and relax, but it's so hard when there are so many beautiful things to see and we have so little time. But Tuesday morning, I enjoyed the down time.
After lunch, it was finally time to get out and explore. I had decided that we'd take a trip to the South shore of the peninsula, so we headed down US41 to Calumet, and then headed out toward Lake Linden.
We stopped for a short walk around Lake Linden and found this interesting little piece of WWII history.
Then we continued driving and enjoying the amazing color display. I ended up in areas I'd never been before and loved driving these back roads on the way to the little town of Gay.
We had a quick stop in Gay before heading out on the Gay-Lac La Belle road.
We made a short stop at Brunette Park. I left the girls in the car and took a walk down the beach by myself. It was cold, made even colder with the wind, so I didn't stay long, but I love the view here.
We continued on to Point Isabelle Park. I got the girls out here for a walk down the beach, which they thoroughly enjoyed.
Then we continued on to Bete Gris. The colors here were pretty outstanding. We didn't stay long before continuing on our way.
The drive back to US41 from Bete Gris near Mt. Bohemia was also beautiful. We had really enjoyed a wonderful afternoon exploring the colors.
When we got back to our cabin, I had to call my dad to wish him a Happy Birthday. I enjoyed a conversation with both my mom and my dad, and while I was wrapping up my conversation, there was a knock on my door. I was pleasantly surprised to see Art, one of the owners of the Minnetonka, along with his 5 year old daughter Iris, who had stopped by to say hello to me and the girls. It was such a nice surprise to see them.
Finally, for our last adventure of the day, we headed out for a late afternoon hike with Bryce and Hope on the Eagle Harbor Trails at Great Sand Bay. I'm pretty sure this was Mina's first time on the trails here, and she and Peaches were loving all of the smells. I loved the beautiful views and having the chance to catch up with Bryce.
We ended our hike and headed back to enjoy some time on the beach. Mina and Hope played and ran down the beach and had a wonderful time. It was so nice to be on Great Sand Bay and have the whole beach to ourselves. It seems like forever since the days when this was a more normal occurrence.
We had a lovely walk down the beach. It was just so peaceful. We made it back to Bryce's beach in time to enjoy the sunset.
It was a beautiful end to a pretty great day, made better because it was spent with friends.
On Wednesday morning, we took our normal morning walk around town and then headed back to our cabin to relax for a bit. Mina and Peaches were happy to snuggle in for a mid-morning nap, the clear sign of a good vacation.
By mid-day, the temperatures had reached the 50s and the sun was shining, so it was time for an adventure. I picked up lunch at the Genny, and then we headed out to Lake Manganese to eat and enjoy the view.
After I finished lunch, we took a nice walk on the trail at the lake. There were lots of great views of the color and lots of things for the girls to sniff.
After our hike, the girls settled into the car, and I headed toward the end of US41. I had never driven far down the Mandan Road, but I had been assured by Tom that I could complete the whole loop, so I decided we'd see what we would find. So off we went.
While there had been some logging along portions of the road, the road was in great condition and the trees and all of the colors were amazing.
We drove past the road to High Rock Bay, and if I had had more time, I may have considered parking and making the 2 mile walk out, but I knew I just didn't have enough time.
We did make a drive down to Schlatter Lake to take in the view before continuing along the Mandan Loop.
There was even more stunning colors along the south side of the loop. I couldn't help myself...I just kept stopping for pictures.
Finally, I reached US41 and the end of Mandan Rd. Wow! What a nice drive. I look forward to making this drive again and maybe getting a chance to explore some of the other spots along the route.
After our drive around the Mandan Loop, I decided to take a drive up Brockway Mountain to check out the colors and hopefully avoid the crowds that are normally there at sunset. Unfortunately, it was still pretty crowded, but we were able to get away from the crowds with a short walk down the mountain.
After our trip back down the mountain, we took a walk around town so Mina could visit her horse friends, and we ran into Tom on his nightly visit to feed and care for the boys. After visiting with Tom for a bit, we walked back to the car and headed out for a stop at Hunter's Point Park.
We didn't walk to the point, but instead stayed closer to the parking lot since our time was limited before sunset. I was sad to see the newest change at the border of the park with the private beach signs. Sadly much of the property near Hunter's Point has been purchased in the last couple of years after sitting vacant for years.
While our walk was short, it was enjoyable and peaceful. It was nice to have the beach to ourselves.
Finally, I had to find a spot to watch the sunset on our final evening in Copper Harbor. After much debate, I decided to drive back up Brockway. We drove a short distance up the mountain and pulled over at one of the view spots to watch the sun set on the day.
Then we quickly headed back down the mountain to avoid the crowds I knew would be coming. When I turned around I saw the beautiful moon in the distance, so of course I had to stop for a picture. This is definitely one of my favorite pictures over Copper Harbor.
I picked up some take out from the Mariner for dinner and headed back to our cabin for our final night.
Thursday morning, we took a short potty walk, and then the girls ate breakfast while I packed the car. We then sat down to enjoy a little down time before we had to leave our cabin behind.
Finally it was time to head out, and we made our way out for one final visit to the boys before we left. We arrived as they were being loaded up for the trip to Calumet where they will spend the winter so we continued our walk around town. We made a short stop at the Genny so that the girls could say goodbye to Erin, and then continued on to Jamsen's.
Finally we made it to Jamsen's for our final turnover of the season. Peaches was pretty excited for her treat. We also saw the boys one final time all loaded up for their trip.
I was able to convince the girls to stand nicely for a picture before we continued on our walk.
And then we walked down to the Sixth Street dock, and turned to head down the street to the Minnetonka and our car.
We had had such a wonderful time in Copper Harbor and it is always so hard to leave, but it was time. So I loaded the girls into the car and off we went. We drove along the lake down M26 to enjoy the lake views and made short stops at Esrey Park and Great Sand Bay, and with a short stop at the Phoenix store, we made our way south out of the Keweenaw.
We made a stop for a quick lunch at Fours Suns in Hancock and stopped for gas in Baraga, then headed on toward L'Anse.
I decided to stop for a walk with the girls along the Falls River while we were in L'Anse What a beautiful afternoon for a walk here.
Then we drove to the Bishop Baraga Shrine for a visit with Nancy. What a beautiful view.
As we continued our journey east and south, I wanted to make sure we got out for some miles on the North Country Trail along the way.
When I approached the parking lot at Canyon Falls, it wasn't very full, so I decided we'd stop for a hike out to the falls and beyond.
It was nearly 70 degrees and a lovely day for a walk here. I love the North Country Trail here, but it is rocky and rooty so it can be slow going.
We ended our time here with a total of 1 1/2 miles on the trail. While it wasn't a lot of mileage, I was happy we got onto the trail and we enjoyed the time in the woods.
We made an unplanned detour into Marquette along our travels so that I could visit Bromley Books for a book I wanted to buy for Fiona, and while we were in town, we added another 1 1/4 miles on the NCT right in downtown Marquette.
And then it was time to continue our journey to Manistique. We made it to town in time to pick up dinner at Clyde's and then got checked into our room for the night, ready for some rest.
We were up early on Friday morning and enjoyed a sunrise walk to Lake Michigan. It was a gorgeous morning. We enjoyed the view of the moon from the front of the hotel and the sunrise behind it.
After our walk, I packed the car and we prepared for the drive home. The colors along US2 between Manistique and St. Ignace were mostly past peak, but we enjoyed the golds and browns of the oaks along the way.
And before we knew it we were on the Bridge and heading south to the Lower Peninsula. I made a short stop in Mackinaw City for a pasty for lunch and a stop in Gaylord for gas, and then we continued on toward home.
We arrived home with enough time to unpack the car and get the girls ready for an evening of fun at Howloween in Old Town.
The Old Town Howloween event is a long standing tradition for us, and I was glad we were able to get home in time to attend. The girls had such a great time getting treats and lots of love from everyone.
With the beautiful weather, it was a wonderful evening to be out and about and we made the most of the night. While I was sad our time in the UP had ended, this was a great way to start our weekend at home.
Since I was home and had no morning plans, I was able to lead our Saturday morning dog walk at the shelter. We were able to get 5 dogs out for a walk, including cute little Waheela.
Saturday afternoon, I picked up Huck, the newest ISR foster dog. Huck is an owner surrender and needed a place to stay for the night before heading out Sunday morning for his trip to his foster home in Illinois, so he stayed with us.
After getting Huck settled in at the house, I headed out with the girls for the Tails & Treats event at the Humane Society.
This event is always fun because it is a walk along a trail in the woods on the Humane Society property. It is decorated for Halloween, and there are volunteers along the trail handing out treats.
The girls really enjoyed the nice 1 mile walk, and we saw some pretty views and wildlife along the way.
Since the trail wasn't very crowded when I took the girls for the event, I decided to take them home and come back with Huck so he could enjoy the walk through the woods too. He did a really great job and seemed to enjoy himself.
After a busy day, it was a pretty quiet evening at my house with Peaches and Mina napping and Huck chewing on an antler before we all headed to bed.
Sunday morning started early, and we were on the road by shortly after 8am to take Huck on the first leg of his journey to Illinois. After dropping him off in Jackson with the couple that would take him the rest of the way to his foster home, the girls and I headed off for a little fun.
Since we weren't far from the North Country Trail, I had decided that after dropping Huck off we could head out for a morning hike on the trail. As we made our way to Homer for our hike, we made a stop in Spring Arbor. We took a quick potty walk on the Spring Arbor University campus, picked up a couple of geocaches, and then continued on our way.
When we arrived in Homer, we parked and headed out for a nice walk on the trail.
It was an absolutely gorgeous day for a hike. We really couldn't have asked for better weather, especially this late in October.
While the colors here aren't as good as in Northern Michigan and the UP, we still enjoyed all of the beauty. We ended our time in Homer with a total of 5 1/2 miles on the trail.
As we drove home along M99, we stopped in Albion to check out a recent re-route of the trail. The trail has been moved off of a paved trail and into the grasslands and through some woods, and it is beautiful.
I think this new section is going to make Albion even more special for us to hike. I really enjoyed the new addition and getting the trail off of the paved path is always an improvement.
We completed another 1 1/4 miles on the trail here before heading toward home. I'm feeling really great about the progress we made this week. We're so far behind on reaching our 100 miles on the trail this late in the year, so I was happy to take full advantage of this wonderful weather to get closer to finishing. Hopefully we'll have more time on the trail next week too.
Before going home, we made one final stop at the Apple Butter Festival at Fenner Nature Center. This is always a fun event. With the amazing weather, we didn't want to miss the opportunity to get out and enjoy a nice walk at Fenner to check out the festival and the colors. We were not disappointed.
We spent about an hour there checking out the fun, eating apples, and even getting an early dinner from one of the food trucks. I'm so glad we made the trip.
We'd had another busy day full of fun and adventures. While I hadn't planned on being gone quite as long as we were, I didn't regret it one bit. It was a great day.
Finally we made it home, and the girls headed outside to spend some time in the yard while I did a little work around the house. We had the best week and I'm so glad we got a chance to explore so many wonderful spots. It was a week full of beauty and adventure, and it was just what we all needed.
Tomorrow we're back to reality.
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