UP trip: Part 3. Porcupine Mountain State Park

We drove west from Marquette one morning and by the time we hit the west coast of the peninsula, Lake Superior was churning. We were about to be hit by a spectacular storm that produced crazy wind and 8-foot swells on the lake. 

We found a cozy little cabin to rent nestled in the trees right along the beach with tremendous views of the storm over the water.  We lit a fire and spent a wonderfully relaxed afternoon and evening watching the waves and storm, staring into the fire and finishing this puzzle that looked much like where we were staying.

The next day we drove south a bit to get to the Michigan's largest state park: the Porcupines. Looking out over the Lake of the Clouds (above) with all the leaves changing was magical. We spent several days checking out the area and doing some hiking.

I became obsessed with the moss. It was just so lush.

The trees were so yellow, but mostly at the top, making it seem like the sun was shining even on days that were quite grey.

We would then pass through areas that were cool and blue-green and ancient feeling.

To the west of the park is the Black River Scenic Parkway. A hiking trail connects five waterfalls on this  tremendous river — each more spectacular than the last.

 

Just one more leg to go — the Keweenaw to the Soo. But I may surprise you with a recipe tomorrow before the final trip roundup on Friday.

UP trip: Part 2. Manistique to Marquette

On to part two of our UP adventure: The boy and I woke in Manistique to beautiful sunny, clear skies. After an amazing breakfast at the Three Seasons Cafe, we went on our merry way enjoying the crisp fall air.

The guide at the Welcome Center had given us a few recommendations and the Seul Choix lighthouse was one of them. The lighthouse apparently got its name, Seul choix meaning only choice, when a crew of fisherman were forced to take shelter from a storm in its harbor, though it wasn't very protected or sheltering. It's really quite beautiful and I'm not sure we would have checked it out without his recommendation.

We headed on to Lake Kitchitikipi, or Big Springs. A glass-bottomed boat propelled by hand on a wire across the lake takes you over huge burbling springs of icy cold fresh water. It is about 43 feet deep and as you can see, crystal clear the whole way down. The way the sand is churned up makes it look volcanic with ash spewing out.  

We drove north through Hiawatha National Forest to Munising — a gorgeous  route, especially with all the leaves turning. We decided to take the boat tour out to Pictured Rocks. You can hike around out there, but we both wanted to see them from the water and it was way to rough for kayaking. (Maybe we'll be brave next time!)

While we waited, we stopped into this absolutely charming shop in Munising: Open Wings Pottery and Gallery.

They carry work from all local artists including, hand-turned wood, jewelry, knitted pieces, paintings, photography — and, of course, the owner's pottery.

I wanted everything in the place, including the fixtures made primarily with driftwood.

We were both so in awe we almost missed the boat! 

The Pictured Rocks: photographs can't nearly do it justice. We lucked out with spectacular weather perfect for a boat ride and the water just shimmered. The color of the water made it looked like the Caribbean, and the rocks themselves looked like the painted desert.

We had the requisite cheesy guide who tells jokes throughout, but he also plied us with plenty of interesting facts about Lake Superior that blew my mind. Did you know you can fit all of the other Great Lakes into Lake Superior and still have room for five more Lake Eries? You get the picture.

That lonely tree in the middle is living on top of those rocks with no dirt. You can see its roots stretched across the gap to the left bringing nutrients from the ground across the way. Amazing, yes?

Next stop, Marquette where this ore dock sits prominently in the harbor. It is massive and we got to see another one farther down in the harbor in use a few days later. It's quite an impressive operation.

We checked out the local food co-op and I had serious co-op envy. Marquette's Food Co-op is like the Harrod's of co-ops. Seriously. AND they had this funny sign.

We did a little thrifting in Negaunee — a somewhat depressed looking mining town nearby. The baskets that run on pulleys on the ceiling made me thinking of B&H photo in New York. Such fun.

We then rested our weary vacationing selves at Vierling's Brewery, a must in Marquette. Excellent beers and amazing food. (I think we ate there 3 times!) 

More adventures in the next leg: Marquette to the Porcupine Mountains. You can expect plenty of waterfalls, autumn leaves and vivid green moss.

UP trip: Part 1. Ann Arbor to Mackinac Bridge

After trying to narrow down the 1,000-plus photos we took on vacation to a reasonable amount for a blog post, I decided to give you little tastes, rather than the whole thing all at once. So here's a glimpse of our trip from Ann Arbor to the Mackinac Bridge. We drove west through Grand Rapids and then up along the coast of Lake Michigan, passing through Traverse City. We continued to hug the coastline as closely as possible, including M-119 — the Tunnel of Trees — that runs north of Harbor Springs to Cross Village. This was my favorite part and where most of these photos were taken.

The boy was in charge of provisions for the car. Not only did he roast a chicken for some tasty sandwiches,
but he made several snack trays like this one of ham, cream cheese and scallion rollups.

This was the first of several dream homes we saw along the way.
It's absolutely perfect, right down to the tree swing. Sigh…

We knew we were officially on vacation when we hit no service!

Welcome to the Good Hart, MI General Store. Home of pot pies and good old fashioned charm.

The baked goods looked amazing.

They even let me have a look into the kitchen at the day's batch of pot pies!

At the General Store, they tipped us off to this beautiful old Mission church and Native American burial ground.

With high winds and sweeping clouds, it felt exciting to explore the beaches along the way.

The reason why this is called the Tunnel of Trees.

The winding scenic drive leads right to Legs Inn in Cross Village.Built in 1921 by Polish immigrant Stanley Smolak, the Inn is filled with handcarved curiosities and bits of naturein every nook and cranny. We didn't eat there, but it had an impressive Polish menu that sounded divine.

Even the landscaping at Legs Inn — looking right out over Lake Michigan — is whimsical and filled with curiosities.

And so we reach the end of Leg 1 and crossed on over the Mackinac Bridge into the Upper Peninsula.

Stay tuned for part two: Manistique to Marquette!

Cookies make you smile

There are days when you want a cookie… desperately. You just have to have one. You need it. Then there are days when you know someone else who could really use a cookie. This cookie fit the bill on both counts yesterday. I'm a big fan of the ginger and chocolate combo. (Remember this cake?) It means I no longer have to choose between my two favorite cookies: chocolate chip and chewy ginger molasses. These lovelies have it all: chewy, spicy, rich with just a mild hint of chocolate.

Chewy Ginger Chocolate Chip Cookies

via Joy the Baker

Makes 2 dozen cookies.

2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour

2 teaspoons baking soda

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1 teaspoon ground ginger

1/2 teaspoon ground cloves

3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened

1 cup brown sugar

1 large egg

1/4 cup unsulphured molasses

1/2 cup chocolate chips (milk chocolate or semi sweet)

1/4 cup granulated sugar, for rolling dough balls

Position a rack in the middle of the oven.  Preheat the oven to 350º F.  Line two baking sheets with parchment paper or just spray lightly with cooking spray.

Sift the flour, baking soda, spices and salt into a medium bowl and set aside.  In a large bowl, using an electric mixer on medium speed, beat the butter and brown sugar until smoothly blended, about 2 minutes.  Stop the mixer and scrape the sides of the bowl as needed during mixing.  Add the egg and molasses and mix until blended and an even light color, about 1 minute.  On low speed, add the flour mixture, mixing just to incorporate it.  Fold in the chocolate chips.

Spread the granulated sugar into a small bowl.  Roll a heaping tablespoon of dough between the palms of your hands into a ball, toss the ball in sugar to coat and place on the prepared baking sheet.  Continue making cookies, spacing them about 2 inches apart.

Bake the cookies one sheet at a time until the tops feel firm but they are still soft in the center and there are several large cracks on top, about 12-14 minutes.  Cool the cookies on the baking sheet for 5 minutes, then use a wide metal spatula to transfer the cookies to a wire rack to cool completely.

The cookies can be stored in a tightly covered container at room temperature for up to 4 days.

Design spotlight: Business card

 

Over the summer I met a woman, Kathie Kelly, at the Blue House MittenMade craft show and we got to talking about art and writing. Kathie is new to Ann Arbor and recently completed the Amherst Writers and Artists program. She has a background in Gerontology and her interest in writing reflects this with a focus on life stories and memoirs. Kathie is looking to connect with other writers in the area and so we worked on developing a business card that would reflect her ideas on aging and writing—in particular her concept, "Aging is a lifelong process." I think they turned out quite nicely, but I'm biased! So if you are, or know of, a writer in the Ann Arbor area interested in working on life stories and memoirs, please do get in touch with Kathie. No experience necessary, just an open mind!