We have a lot of motorcycle journeys we’ve been saving for ‘some day’. The Lake Superior Circle tour is one and has been on my radar for quite a while now. You can plan a trip to fit any time frame you have. The distance around the lake is about 1300 miles and can be done in 2 days (or one day if you take a very aggressive approach). However, if your goal is just to put on miles and check it off your list, you’ll miss all the great waterfalls, lighthouses and other sights on and around the lake. I allotted about 2 weeks to accomplish the trip, since we are retired and have the time. We decided on a clockwise route around the lake in order to keep oncoming traffic from blocking the views and make turning into and out of the overlooks simpler.
Starting out
Our Lake Superior Circle Tour started off in on again-off again rain that lasted until we reached Hamilton, Ontario. What’s a motorcycle adventure without rain? Fortunately, that would be the last of it for the rest of the trip. We chose to go around the Georgian Bay via Ontario Highways 400, 69, 4 and TCH 17 with an overnight stop in Parry Sound, home of the famous Number 4, Bobby Orr. If your into hockey, you’ll know who that is. There is a Bobby Orr Hall of Fame here that’s worth a visit. Highway 69 north of Parry Sound is a beautiful route with with rugged bedrock and white pine forests but it’s pretty remote and there aren’t very many services. Plan your gas stops accordingly.
The Soo Locks
We arrived in Sault Ste. Marie where we would begin our Lake Superior Circle Tour in the afternoon and headed to Soo Locks Park. As luck would have it, a freighter was scheduled to enter the locks in about 15 minutes so we waited on the viewing platform for it to arrive. If you visit the locks, check with the visitor’s center as they monitor the radio transmissions between the locks and ships and can tell you when a ship will arrive.
The locks connect Lakes Superior and Huron allowing cargo ships to travel from Duluth, MN to the Atlantic Ocean. There is a visitor’s center with all kinds of information on the locks. For instance, it takes 9 hours for a freighter to navigate the St. Marys River between Lake Superior and Lake Huron. Ninety percent of the world’s iron ore moves through these locks. And something I found fascinating, the locks are one hundred percent gravity fed. There are no pumps to move water in and out of the locks. I’m sure there is someone smarter than me that can explain that to me.
Day One
After spending the night in Sault Ste. Marie, we began our Lake Superior Circle Tour by heading south on I 75 to catch M 28 heading west. We then headed north on M 123 to our first stop in Whitefish Point, known as the graveyard of Lake Superior. The oldest operating lighthouse on the lake is located here.
Virtually every ship that traverses Lake Superior has to pass Whitefish Point. Many have been lost trying to enter the harbor. The most famous shipwreck is the Edmund Fitzgerald, lying just 17 miles northwest of here. The ship’s bell is on display in the Great Lakes Shipwreck Museum, which is worth the price of admission. And for $150, you can even spend the night in the Coast Guard station. Just remember the bug spray. The flies bite hard and they are aggressive! You know there may be a problem when you see the groundskeeper decked out in a full-body mosquito net.
Tahquamenon Falls
Tahquamenon Falls State Park (pronounced like ‘phenomenon’) is down M 123 from Whitefish Point. Here, there are two different waterfalls. The water is notably brown in color from the tannins leached from the cedar swamps which the river drains.
The upper falls, nicknamed ‘The Root Beer Falls’, is more than 200 feet across with a drop of about 48 feet. During the spring runoff, the river drains as much as 50,000 gallons of water/second, making this the third most voluminous vertical waterfall east of the Mississippi. Niagara Falls and Cohoes Falls, both in New York State are one and two.
The lower falls, located four miles downstream, are a series of five smaller cascades around an island that can be reached by rowboat (rentals available). There is a hiking trail that runs between the falls along the riverside, and visitors can play in the water during the summer heat. The upper and lower falls have two separate entrances. One ticket will get you into both so remember to save your entrance ticket if you plan on visiting both falls.
The best laid plans…
My original plan was to follow M 28 to Munising in time to take an evening boat tour of the Pictured Rocks before heading to Maqruette for the night. The Pictured Rocks are colorful sandstone cliffs rising 50 to 200 feet above approximately 15 miles of shoreline along Lake Superior. Unfortunately, with all the dawdling we did at the Whitefish Lighthouse and the Tahquamenon Falls, we weren’t going to do a two hour boat tour and make Marquette before dark (or so I thought). We looked for a room in Munising so we but we couldn’t find one for under $300. This is an instance where I wish we had brought our camping gear. In the end, we decided to forego the boat tour and head to Marquette – a decision we would regret.
Lesson learned
A local yooper explained that the Pure Michigan tourism ad campaign is paying huge dividends (that and it being a Friday night) so rooms on weekends are hard to come by (as well as being very expensive). In retrospect, we should have done the boat tour. It doesn’t get dark until about 9:30 in July and we really could have done both. I guess we’ll have something to do next time we’re here but we were sorely disappointed. Especially after talking to locals later in the trip that told us we really need to see Pictured Rocks. Crap! Don’t make the same mistakes we did. Make your hotel reservations early on the weekend and don’t try to do too much in one day.
Day Two
After watching a beautiful sunrise over the lake from our hotel balcony (well, Cathy watched it. I was still snoozing), we left Marquette on M 41 headed toward the Keweenaw Peninsula. You might be tempted to skip this are if you don’t have a lot of time. That would be a mistake. You would miss a unique and beautiful part of Michigan.
Canyon Falls
The peninsula is the site of the first US copper boom and Copper Harbor, at the tip of the peninsula, is the northernmost community in Michigan. But before we got there, we stumbled upon Canyon Falls. The falls are located about a 1 minute walk off a rest area parking lot where we happened to stop for a break. I love it when fate smiles on us.
On the way to Copper Harbor, we passed this measuring stick for the snowfall totals. I can’t see myself moving here anytime soon. That’s a lot of Snow!
Copper Harbor
We arrived in Copper Harbor just as a car show was getting started. The organizers blocked off the center of town as the cars lined both sides of the street. Since we both love classic cars, we had to spend some time here.
We had a nice lunch at The Mariner. I highly recommend the fish cakes. A perfect blend of breading and seasoning didn’t overpower the tasty fresh whitefish. After lunch, we headed for the lighthouse.
One of Lake Superior’s oldest shipwrecks lies just off shore in Copper Harbor, near the lighthouse overlook. On September 21, 1844, the John Jacob Astor had just finished unloading supplies for the troops stationed at nearby Fort Wilkins, when a change in wind direction prevented the brig from getting back underway. A gale arose and caused the Astor to drag her anchor and she eventually broke up on the rocks. The intrepid among you can visit the wreck-site from shore and the lake usually has fair visibility from 20 to 40 ft. But be prepared – the water temperature in Lake Superior is usually 40 – 45 degrees. Yikes!
Eagle Harbor
Next we headed down the road to Eagle Harbor along another scenic, twisty road along the lakefront to check out the Eagle Harbor lighthouse. This lighthouse guards the rocky entrance to Eagle Harbor and guides ships across the Keweenaw Peninsula. You can’t go up in the tower since it’s still an operating navigational light but the rest of the lighthouse compound is open to the public. The museum exhibits have period furnishings and other interpretive devices that give you a good look at the history of the lighthouse.
On November 30, 1926, The City of Bangor, carrying 248 new Chryslers from Detroit to Duluth wrecked in a severe storm on some rocks off the coast of the Keweenaw Peninsula. Eighteen of the cars slipped of the deck and sank. The ship was a total loss but Chrysler was able to salvage and sell 202 of the cars. The Eagle Harbor Life Saving Station, on the lighthouse grounds, contains memorabilia from the wreck, including this 1927 Chrysler.
Rumor has it that the lighthouse is haunted. Here is a firsthand account from a former resident:
http://www.exploringthenorth.com/eagleharbor/haunted.html
You be the judge.
If you are anywhere near the area, make some time to drive up the Keweenaw Penisula. It’s a truly beautiful place. We ended our Day in Houghton.
Thoughts on the Upper Peninsula
The roads in the Upper Peninsula are generally in very good shape. Unfortunately, very few of them run along the lake shore so views while riding are mostly on straight roads through small towns and forested areas. This area is also an outdoors enthusiast’s dream whatever the season. From hiking, cycling, water sports and golfing in the warmer months to snowmobiling, skiing, snowshoeing and even dog sledding when the snow flies. Whatever your choice of outdoor recreation, you can probably find it in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan.
Day Three
The next stop on our Lake Superior Circle Tour was Bayfield, Wi. We left Houghton on M26, turned south on US45 before picking up M28 again heading west. We continued west on US2 after M28 ended and headed north on WI13 to Bayfield after riding through Ashland. With the disappointment of missing out on the boat tour of Pictured Rocks still haunting me, I made reservations for the night early in the day to make sure we had time to take a boat tour of the Apostle Islands National Lakeshore.
Apostle Islands
The Apostles Islands are a group of 22 islands that lie off the coast of the Bayfield Peninsula in Wisconsin. There are several ways to tour the islands. You can opt for a sailing tour, a kayak tour, a big boat tour or a small boat tour. Each tour focuses on specific aspects of the islands such as lighthouses or sea caves. We chose the Grand Island Tour, a big boat tour, offered by Apostle Island Cruises, a 2 1/2 hour cruise hitting the highlights of the Apostle Islands. We really lucked out as it was a gorgeous evening for a boat tour. The boat captain said it was the best weather and water conditions of the year.
Devils Island
The highlight of the tour were the sea caves on Devils Island, so named because when the surf on the lake is heavy, the waves thunder and boom in the island’s extensive sea caves. You can hear the rumbling even well away from the shoreline. Local residents claim that the Ojibwe interpreted this noise as the sound of evil spirits. This is a popular spot for kayakers to paddle in and out of the caves on calm days.
The Devils Island Lighthouse, located at the northern end of the island, is staffed by a volunteer ranger during the busy months of the summer. Accompanied by the volunteer, visitors may climb the tower, and go inside the original keeper’s quarters, built in 1894. The island has no human inhabitants other than summer Park Service volunteers.
Raspberry Island
The Raspberry Island Lighthouse, probably the most picturesque in the islands, is located on the southern part of Raspberry Island, marking the west channel of the Apostle Islands. Built in 1862, it is said to be one of the few surviving wood framed lighthouses left on Lake Superior.
Hermit Island
Many of the islands have hiking and camping opportunities. You may want to take extra precautions hiking or camping on Stockton Island as it has the greatest concentration of black bears anywhere in North America. Hermit Island got its name for the hermit who really did live there in the years just before the Civil War.
The island is also known for its brownstone quarries. Workers chiseled blocks form the quarry beginning in 1891 and then shipped across Lake Superior and down to Chicago to build the brownstone buildings of Chicago, Minneapolis, St. Paul, and Milwaukee. These cities needed the stone because of the new city ordinances—drawn up in response to the 1871 Chicago Fire—requiring certain buildings to be made from stone, rather than wood. Demand died when steel frame construction came along.
Greunke’s First Street Inn
Our accommodations for the evening was at Greunke’s First Street Inn which has been accommodating guests for over 149 years and occupies two of Bayfield’s oldest and most historic structures. A word of warning: the rest of this section will sound like a paid endorsement for Greunke’s. I assure you it is not. We just thought it was a unique, fun place to spend some time and a reasonably priced place to stay. Some other famous people did, too, such as Leon Russell, Taj Mahal, Koko Taylor and Johnny Cash. Brad Pitt and Jennifer Aniston stopped for coffee and John F. Kennedy Jr. stayed overnight with a three of his friends. His signature is framed somewhere on the wall.
The first building is the LeBonte House which has seven rooms on the second floor above Greunke’s Restaurant. Some have a queen size bed, others have a queen and twin, and there’s a large suite with three queen size beds, private bath, loft, color TV and wet bar. Guests at the LaBonte House also have access to a porch overlooking Bayfield’s North First Street. Beware, it can be noisy late into the evening.
The second building, the Wachsmuth House, was built in 1880 and is where we stayed. It’s around the corner and has four restored rooms on the second floor above the Sgt. Pepperoni pizza shop. Each room is named for one of the Apostle Islands. They have private baths, air conditioning, plush carpet, color TV, down comforters and access to a porch overlooking First Street.
After settling into our room we had to check out the restaurant. Walking in was like stepping back in time. The Coca-Cola memorabilia, the working Wurlitzer and old soda fountain counter reminded us of a Norman Rockwell cover on the “Saturday Evening Post.” Victor Greunke, the owner in the 1940’s, is known for creating the delicacy of white fish livers, which can be served deep fried or sauteed. Whitefish livers are in high demand in the Bayfield area and Greunke’s is famous for them.
Greunke’s Fish Boils
A Greunke’s tradition is their famous fish boils, held throughout the summer season into the fall. The cook boils fresh Lake Superior whitefish steaks over an open fire along with sweet baby red potatoes and small white onions which are then served buffet style with fresh coleslaw, a variety of dark breads and homemade rolls. You can add melted butter and lemon to your meal if you have a hankerin’. This is all followed by a Bayfield fruit dessert that changes with the seasons. That sounds like something we have to try on our next visit.
Many of the restaurants we visited on this trip offer whitefish and smoked trout on their menus. Locals told us that chances are good that the smoked trout and whitefish you order for lunch or dinner was swimming in the lake that morning. We ordered our fair share on this trip and can attest to how good these two menu items are. Definitely give them a try.
Day Four
We left Bayfield along the lake on WI 13 and caught US 2 towards Duluth. After passing through Duluth, we turned north on MN 61 and started up the west side of Lake Superior. The road passes much closer to the lake here than on the Upper Peninsula in Michigan so we saw a lot more of the water.
North of Duluth is the town of Two Harbors. We rode past this sign just outside the town. You know there is NO WAY I’m continuing on without stopping to check out the veracity of that claim!! After a quick U-turn, we pulled in to put that declaration to the test. Judging from the crowded parking lot and the number of smiling patrons coming and going, I figured we were in for a treat. We can honestly report that the pie lives up to the hype. with a nice, flaky crust and plenty of fruit filling that isn’t too sweet.
Gooseberry Falls and Split Rock Lighthouse
You may have noticed a theme developing in the pictures so far. We like to eat and Cathy loves to photograph lighthouses and waterfalls. So after devouring our pie, our next stop was Gooseberry Falls, just north of Two Harbors on MN 61. There are actually three waterfalls here; fittingly named the upper, middle and lower falls.
Split Rock Lighthouse is just up the road from Gooseberry Falls and is one of the most picturesque ones we have ever seen. Split Rock Lighthouse was built in response to the great loss of ships during the famous Mataafa Storm of 1905, in which 29 ships were lost on Lake Superior. The Minnesota Historical Society has done a great job of refurbishing the buildings to appear as they did in the 1920’s.
There are volunteers in several of the buildings in period dress ready to offer insights into the day to day lives of those who manned the lighthouse in the early days. Very interesting stuff.
We ended our day a little early in Tofte, Minnesota, mostly because Grand Marais, a little further on, was way too expensive. That name just sounds expensive.
Day Five
We continued our Lake Superior Circle Tour on MN 61 toward Thunder Bay, where we planned on staying for a couple days. On the way, we stopped at Grand Portage which has a National Monument and museum commemorating the center of the fur trade between the English and Ojibwe Indians in the 1800’s. It was here that fur traders from the west met fur buyers from the east. Grand Portage got its name because the fur traders route from Grand Portage began with a huge 9 mile portage, where traders carried their canoes and equipment over land to bypass a waterfalls.
The French established this trade with the Native Americans until the British took it over in the 18th century after the Seven Years’ War. The North West Company established the area as its regional headquarters. Even after the American Revolutionary War and victory by the rebellious colonists, the British continued to operate in the area however, soon after, Britain had to cede the territory to the United States and moved operations north into Canada to Fort William, near Thunder Bay. We toured the museum but didn’t go down to visit the historical site. In retrospect, I wish we had.
Thunder Bay
We arrived at Thunder Bay and immediately went to see Kakabeka Falls, nicknamed ‘the Niagara of the North’. The falls are located just west of Thunder Bay on Route 17. The area isn’t at all commercialized like Niagara Falls, which is a good thing, in my opinion. The Ontario Parks Store sells a few souvenirs, but that’s it. Despite the fact much of the water that used to go over this waterfall is diverted for power generation, it’s still quite impressive.
There are many different, easily accessible viewing platforms offering several different angles to see the falls.
The legend of Green Mantle
There’s an interesting story about an Ojibwe Indian princess and the falls. An Ojibwe chief, who upon hearing news of an imminent attack from the Sioux tribe, devised a plan to protect his people. He instructs his daughter, Princess Green Mantle, to enter the Sioux camp along the Kaministiquia River and, pretend to be lost. She bargains with them to spare her life if she will bring them to her father’s camp. Placed at the head of the canoe, she instead leads herself and the Sioux warriors over the falls to their deaths, sparing her tribe from the attack. The legend claims that one can see Green Mantle when looking into the mist of Kakabeka Falls, a monument to the princess that gave her life to save her people. Another version of the legend say she came across the Sioux herself, and later jumped out of the canoe ahead of the falls and swam to shore, leaving the Sioux to go over the falls, then ran back to the camp to warn her people.
An Aside
While researching this trip, many articles suggested spending an extra day at Thunder Bay. While the surrounding area is beautiful and worth exploring, the city itself was very underwhelming and not at all the tourist destination we pictured. In our minds, Thunder Bay was going to be a quaint, seaside village with a vibrant waterfront. In contrast, Thunder Bay seems to be mostly industrial and doesn’t seem to have taken advantage of the waterfront. There are no restaurants or nightlife along the shoreline. If there is, we didn’t find it. Add to that, the evening newscast said that Thunder Bay has retained it’s title as the murder capital of Ontario. That certainly got my attention. We’ll probably stay outside the city our next time through.
Day Six
After breakfast, we visited Sleeping Giant Provincial Park. There are some breathtaking views of Lake Superior and surrounding areas from the Thunder Bay Lookout and Top of the Giant trail – or so we are told. Unfortunately, these areas lie at the end of rugged, unpaved roads and being on a big, heavy touring motorcycle, I thought it wise not to tempt fate – especially with Cathy on the back. Feel free to call me a Nancy boy.
The Sleeping Giant is a formation of mesas and sills on Sibley Peninsula which resembles a giant lying on its back when viewed from the west to north-northwest section of Thunder Bay. I’m not sure I see it. Maybe I need to exercise my imagination a little bit.
Terry Fox
Near Thunder Bay is the Terry Fox Memorial. Terry lost his leg to cancer at age 18. At age 22 he decided to run across Canada to raise money for cancer research. He dipped his toe in the Atlantic Ocean in Newfoundland and ran 26 miles a day for 143 days until his cancer returned and he had to give up the run near Thunder Bay after 3339 miles. Here’s his inspiring story: https://www.terryfox.org/terrys-story/marathon-of-hope/
If you don’t plan on spending much time exploring Sleeping Giant Provincial Park, you could easily add these two stops to your day’s itinerary as you travel the north shore on THC 17.
Fort William
In the afternoon we visited Fort William Historical Park. After the American Revolution, the Pigeon River became the boundary between the US and Canada. Since that is north of their former home in Grand Portage, the Northwest Trading Company moved to this location just south of Thunder Bay. The fort is full of character actors in period costume who are ready and willing to answer any questions about the fur trade and life in the and around the fort in the early 1800’s. Very educational, if you’re into that sort of thing – which I am. Cathy humors me by going along.
Day Seven
We left Thunder Bay and headed across the north shore of Lake Superior on Route 17. This section was the most scenic part of the trip with stunning views of the lake. Riding through the rocky hills, we experienced dramatic 25-30 degree temperature swings, stopping a couple times to add or remove layers of clothing. We found a few more water falls and other spectacular small lakes along the way.
Rainbow Falls
Near Rossport is Rainbow Falls Provincial Park. The falls is a short walk down a boardwalk with quite a few stairs. It’s a beautiful walk past several small rocky cascades to a larger falls before the river heads out into Lake Superior.
Aguasabon Falls
Aguasabon Falls is just a little further down the road, just outside Terrance Bay. It’s a long way down and the camera can’t show how deep the canyon is so the pictures don’t do the falls and canyon justice. You’ll just have to visit it in person. The trail that goes down to the bottom of the gorge was unfortunately (or maybe fortunately), closed.
White River
After experiencing more fantastic views and riding, we stopped for a rest in White River, where the story of Winnie the Pooh began. A trapper found an orphaned black bear cub in 1914 and brought it home, which was a common thing to do back then. Sold the bear to a soldier heading to England during WW1. The soldier was from Winnipeg so that’s what he named the bear. “Winnie” became the camp mascot during his time in England. The soldier’s unit was soon sent off to France. Since the bear couldn’t go, he arranged for the London Zoo to take care of it. Winnie captured the hearts of many, including A.A. Milne and his son Christopher Robin, who added Pooh to his name. As Paul Harvey would say, now you know the rest of the story.
Wawa
We finished an epic day of riding at Wawa, where they have this giant goose monument for no apparent reason. Actually, there is a reason:
https://wawa.cc/about-wawa/wawa-ontario/our-famous-canada-goose
This is one of the most photographed landmarks in North America, according to the Wawa Tourism website. If you can’t believe the local tourism board, who can you believe?
A little logistical information: the distance from Thunder Bay to Wawa is a little over 200 miles. I was able to make it easily on one tank of gas. My BMW K1200LT can cover almost 300 miles if I ride conservatively. For those with small tanks and a shorter range between fill ups, you need to know that services are sparse on the north shore. A good place for a break and a fill up is in Rossport or Terrace Bay where there are a few eateries and gas stations.
Day Eight
The weather so far has been very cooperative on our Lake Superior Circle Tour. Our ride from Wawa to Sault Ste. Marie was no different. It was a little cloudy but dry as we rode through Lake Superior Provincial Park with it’s hills, scenic lakes, volcanic rock outcrops and impressive overlooks of the lake.
Agawa Rock
A must-stop along the eastern side of Lake Superior is Agawa Rock to look at the pictographs. The early Ojibwe people created these drawings centuries, or possibly millennia, ago. To view them, you need to descend a 400m rocky trail down to sheer rock walls next to the lake. You can only view them when the lake is calm for obvious reasons. A red sign warns that “Death and injury have occurred when highly unpredictable waves washed visitors off the rock ledge while viewing the pictographs.” A metal chain is bolted into the cliff serving as a kind of rappelling rope to hold onto, if necessary, to keep you from falling into the lake.
The paintings continue to fade away over time due to the sun, wind, waves and ice. There’s no telling how many have already disappeared. I had a sense of wonder looking at something created so long ago and thinking about what kind of life they lived.
Our Lake Superior Circle Tour – The Final Leg
We stumbled across this little jewel not too far from the completion of our Lake Superior Circle Tour at Sault Ste. Marie and had to stop. It was a bit early in our day for a break but who among us can resist a warm, freshly made apple fritter? Certainly not me.
A warm, baseball mitt-sized apple fritter right out of the fryer
We completed our Lake Superior Circle Tour, passing through Sault Ste. Marie and began our leisurely ride back home. Heading south on I 75, we crossed the Mackinac Bridge where we ran into a stiff cross wind. I was hanging on for dear life, trying not to get blown into the path of a passing semi. We stopped at a park on the other side (mostly so I could collect my breath) where we found another lighthouse.
The Tunnel of Trees
On to M119 and the famous Tunnel of Trees, named for the hardwoods and evergreens that knit a ceiling over the road. This is one of northern Michigan’s iconic attractions and ranked as one of the most scenic roads in America. The road becomes very narrow and has a section running 20 miles along a spectacular bluff overlooking Lake Michigan. There are especially sharp twists at Devil’s Elbow (said to be haunted by an evil spirit after dark) and Horseshoe Curve. Along the way, you’ll find fun shops, must-try local restaurants I wish we were hungry because some of them looked really good), and breathtaking scenery.
Since the road is narrower than a normal 2 lane road with no shoulders, I didn’t find any good places to pass or pull off and grab a picture. Consequently, we have none, other than the sign at the beginning. Every motorcyclist should ride this road. Heck, everyone should travel it at least once no matter what you drive. Just don’t be that guy driving so slow that you back the whole thing up. That’s aggravating being behind someone like that. Ask me how I know. Afterwards, we continued on the Lake Michigan Circle Trail through Harbor Springs (beautiful town but looks extremely expensive) and finished the day at Charlevoix.
Heading Home
We started heading home by following heading south along the Lake Michigan shoreline on M31 and then headed east on M72, catching Interstate 75 to Bay City. Those short jaunts on the interstate are never as short as they look on the map when you’re planning your route. We rode along the ‘thumb’ of Michigan’s mitten on M25, doing a little bit of the Lake Huron Circle Tour. A good place for a rest is at the Point Aux Barques lighthouse near Port Austin.
Lunch was at the Port Hope Hotel, home of the Leroy Burger – 18 oz. of meat topped any way you like. I thought about ordering it until I saw one come out. That’s a whole bucketful of ‘nope’. It was gigantic! Maybe in my younger days. I wanted to get a picture of it but thought it might be a tad rude to snap a photo of another man’s food. Especially in a biker bar with a bunch of Harley riders. I was already on thin ice parking my BMW among all that American made steel. So here’s an image from Paula W. from the web:
On the eastern edge of the ‘thumb’ is Harbor Beach lighthouse. The Harbor Beach Lighthouse is a ‘sparkplug lighthouse’ located at the end of the north breakwall entrance to the harbor of refuge on Lake Huron. The breakwater and light were created by the US Army Corps of Engineers to protect the harbor of Harbor Beach, which is the largest man-made freshwater harbor in the world.
Final Thoughts
We stopped for the night in Sarnia, Ontario before wrapping up our Lake Superior Circle Tour by riding straight home in the morning. We totaled very close to 3300 mile and made 6 border crossings. The NEXUS card is a Trusted Traveler Program and makes border crossings SO much easier. I encourage you to look into it, especially if you travel between the US and Canada frequently.
All along our journey, we met some exceptionally nice people asking where we came from and where we were headed. At one of our fuel stops we ran into Fred and Pickles. Fred is the dog. I didn’t ask how Pickles got his name. Fred went where ever Pickles went, riding in his trailer with food and water. I guess this is what it means to have a dog’s life. We ran into several other motorcyclists doing the same loop we were – even a trio from our neck of the woods in Central New York – and swapped stories and experiences of our trips. To paraphrase an old commercial, you meet the nicest people on a BMW.
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