Lake Superior Circle Tour

After month’s delay to fix some mechanical issues on the motorcycle, we finally left for our summer tour.  We started out in the rain – what’s a motorcycle adventure without some rain? – and headed to Sault Ste Marie. We skirted the Georgian Bay via Rte 4 and 17, with an overnight stop in Parry Sound.  Unfortunately, we didn’t run into the famous Number 4, Bobby Orr.  There is a Bobby Orr Hall of Fame there, though.

Overlooking Parry Sound on the Georgian Bay

We arrived in Sault Ste Marie and headed straight for Soo Locks Park where, as luck would have it, a freighter was getting ready to enter the locks.  The locks connect Lakes Superior and Huron so freighters can travel from Duluth to the Atlantic Ocean.

This particular freighter was heading to Detroit. The staff in the visitors center monitors the radio transmissions and will inform visitors of arriving freighters.

Going Down!

The visitors center has all the information you want to know about the
locks and even some things you don’t.  For example, 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 the locks.  And the locks have no pumps – they are 100% gravity fed.

After spending the night in Sault Ste. Marie, we started the circle by heading to Whitefish Point, known as the graveyard of Lake Superior and home to the oldest operating lighthouse on the lake.  Virtually every ship that traverses Lake Superior has to pass Whitefish Point and many have been lost trying to enter the harbor, the most famous being the Edmund Fitzgerald, which lies just 17 miles northwest of here.  The bell is on display at the Great Lakes Shipwreck Museum.  For $150 you can spend the night in the Coast Guard station.  Just remember the bug spray.  The flies bite hard and they are aggressive!  When the landscaper is wearing a full body mosquito net, you know there is a potential problem.

From there we headed to Tahuamenon Falls State Park (pronounce like ‘phenomenon’) where there are two different waterfalls.  The water is notably brown in color from the tanins leached from the cedar swamps which the river drains. Consequently, the upper falls are nicknamed, “The Root Beer Falls”. 

The upper falls are more than 200 feet across and with a drop of
approximately 48 feet.  During the late spring runoff, the river
drains as much as 50,000 US gallons of water per second,
making the upper falls the third most voluminous vertical waterfall east
of the Mississippi River after Niagara Falls and Cohoe Falls, both in New York State.

The lower falls, located four miles downstream, are a series of
five smaller falls cascading around an island which can be reached by
rowboat. A hiking trail runs between the falls along the riverside, and
visitors often play in the lower falls during the summer heat. 

There’s a nice brewery and pub near the parking lot of the upper falls making Tahquamenon State Park is a great place to hang out for the day.

Sunrise over the lake in Marquette from the hotel

On Day 2 we headed up the Keweenaw Peninsula to Copper Harbor and Eagle Harbor.  Its the northernmost part of the Upper Peninsula and the site of the first US copper boom.  Copper Harbor is northernmost community on the northernmost part of the UP.

On the way we stumbled onto Canyon Falls, a 1 minute walk off the parking lot of a rest area.

The road between Houghton and Copper Harbor is extremely scenic – especially the last 20 miles or so as it twists and turns through a forest and the branches create a tunnel of leaves and branches over the road.  Simply spectacular.

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!

We arrived in Copper Harbor just as a car show was getting started.  The center of town was blocked off 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 – and then headed for the lighthouse.

Unfortunately, there is no public access to 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 wrecksite can be visited from shore and usually has fair visibility from 20 to 40 ft. but be prepared – the water temperature in Lake Superior is usually 40 – 45 degrees.  Yikes!

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.  The museum exhibits have period furnishings and other interpretive devices that give you a good look at the history of the lighthouse. 

Eagle Harbor

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 were lost.  The ship was a total loss but 202 of the cars were salvaged and sold.  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 spent the night in Houghton and then headed to Bayfield, Wi. for Day 3.  I wasn’t going to let the disappointment of missing out on the boat tour of Pictured Rocks happen again so I made reservations for the night early to make sure we had time to take a boat tour of the Apostle Islands National Lakeshore.  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.  There are sailing tours, kayak tours, big boat tours and small boat tours.  Some focus on specific aspects of the islands such as lighthouses or sea caves.  We chose the Grand Island 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.

 The most spectacular highlight on 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. The rumbling can be heard 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.

The Raspberry Island Lighthouse is located on the southern part of Raspberry Isalnd, marking the west channel of the Apostle Islands.  It was erected in 1862 and is said to be one of the few surviving wood framed lighthouses left on Lake Superior.

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 is named for the hermit who really did live there in the years just before the Civil War and for it’s brownstone quarry.  Sandstone was chiseled out of the quarry in blocks 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, serving a demand for stone that was driven by the new city ordinances—drawn up in response to the 1871 Chicago
Fire—that required certain buildings to be made from stone, rather than
wood.  Demand died when steel frame construction came along.  There are still a few blocks on the shore waiting to be shipped.
 

Our accommodations for the evening was at Greunke’s First Street Inn which has been accommodating guests for over 149years and occupies two of Bayfield’s oldest and most historic
structures; the LaBonte House built in 1863 and the Wachsmuth House in
1880.

There are seven rooms in the LaBonte House on the second floor above
Greunke’s Restaurant. These rooms are reminiscent of the inn’s past,
furnished with pieces from earlier years. 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.

Lodging in the Wachsmuth House are in four restored rooms, each on
the second floor and 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.
  
Today, stepping in  is like stepping back in the ‘40’s. The Coca-Cola memorabilia, the
working Wurlitzer and old soda fountain counter conjure images
reminiscent of a Norman Rockwell cover on the “Saturday Evening Post.”  In the 1940’s, Victor Greunke created the delicacy of white fish livers, which can be had deep fried or sauteed.  Whitefish livers are in high demand in the Bayfield area and Greunke’s is famous for them.

Fish boils are offered throughout the summer season into the fall.  Fresh Lake Superior whitefish steaks are boiled over an open fire along with
sweet baby red potatoes and small white onions. Served in a buffet with
fresh coleslaw, a variety of dark breads and homemade rolls, melted
butter, lemon, and followed by a Bayfield fruit dessert that changes with
the seasons.

Many of the restaurants we visited offered whitefish and smoked trout on their menus.  We were told that chances are 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.

On day 4 we passed through Duluth and started up the west side of Lake Superior.  The road passes much closer to the lake here so we saw a lot more of the water.

You may have started to notice a theme in the pictures so far.  Cathy love to photograph lighthouses and waterfalls.  The west side of the lake is home to Gooseberry Falls.  There are actually three waterfalls here; fittingly named the upper, middle and lower falls.

Just up the road is Split Rock Lighthouse, 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 it did in the 1920’s.

Throughout the buildings, there are volunteers in period costume with lots of interesting information.

We ended our day a little early in Tofte, Minnesota, mostly because Grand Marais, a little further on, was way too expensive.  The name just sounds expensive.

Day 5 had us heading to Thunder Bay 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 a major canoe fur trade route left the great lakes. It was so named because the route began with a huge 9 mile portage, where the canoes and equipment were carried 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.

We arrived at Thunder Bay and immediately went to see Kakabeka Falls, nicknamed ‘the Niagara of the North’.  The good thing is that it hasn’t been commercialized like Niagara Falls.  The Ontario Parks Store sells a few souvenirs, but that’s it.  It’s quite impressive despite the fact that much of the water that used to go over this waterfall has been diverted for power generation.

 There are plenty of easily accessible viewing platforms to observe the falls from different angles.

There’s an interesting story about the Legend of Green Mantle.  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, pretending 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.  Other versions 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.

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.  Add to that, the evening newscast said that Thunder Bay has retained it’s title as the murder capital of Ontario.  That got my attention. 
After breakfast on day 6, 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.

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/

In the afternoon we visited Fort William Historical Park.  This is where the Northwest Trading Company moved after the American Revolution and the US/Canadian boundary was drawn at the Pigeon River, which was north of Grand Portage .  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.

Day 7 took us across the north shore of Lake Superior and was the most scenic of the trip with stunning views of the lake, through rocky hills where we experienced dramatic 25-30 degree temperature swings and past other spectacular small lakes.  

We stopped at Rainbow Falls Provincial Park to view the falls which was a short walk down a boardwalk with quite a few stairs.

Aguasabon Falls is just a little further down the road, just outside Terrance Bay (a good rest stop).  The camera doesn’t show the depth of the canyon.  Unfortunately (or maybe fortunately), the trail into the gorge was closed.

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 and when he was shipped to France, 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.

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?

We had another beautiful ride on day 8 from Wawa to Sault Ste. Marie through Lake Superior Provincial Park with it’s hills, scenic lakes, volcanic rock outcrops and stunning overlooks of Lake Superior.

A must-stop is at Agawa Rock to look at the pictographs created by the early Ojibwe people 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 have washed visitors off the rock ledge while
viewing the pictographs.” A metal chain is now bolted into the cliff,
which can be held onto like a kind of rappelling rope.

Not too far from Sault Ste. Marie we stumbled across this little jewel and had to stop.  It was a bit early to stop but who among us can resist a warm, freshly made apple fritter?  To quote George Costanza, ‘I think it moved!’

We continued through Sault. Ste. Marie and over Mackinac Bridge on our way to our final destination before heading home.  It was quite blustery during the crossing and it was all I could do to keep from getting blown out of my lane into a car or semi.  And then I hit the metal grating, which is bad enough on a calm day.  Such fun!

There was a nice park on the other side of the bridge to stop, rest and take pictures of the bridge, the lakes and the Old Mackinac lighthouse.

On to M119 and the Tunnel of Trees, named for the hardwoods and evergreens that knit into 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 highway becomes very narrow and has a section running 20 miles along a
spectacular bluff overlooking Lake Michigan, with 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, spectacular scenery and fascinating
historical pit spots.  The road is narrower than a normal 2 lane road and there are no shoulders so there are very few places to 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.  Afterwards, we continued on the Lake Michigan Circle Trail through Harbor Springs (beautiful town but looks extremely expensive) and finished the day at Charlevoix.

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.  We rode along the ‘thumb’ of Michigan’s mitten on M25, doing a little bit of the Lake Huron Circle Tour stopping for a rest at the Point Aux Barques lighthouse near Port Austin

Further on, we met Fred and Pickle at a gas stop.  Fred is the dog.  Pickle owns a local bar and has over 144,000 miles on his Honda Valkyrie.  I didn’t ask him how he came to be known as Pickle.

Our lunch stop 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!  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 breakwall 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.

We stopped for the night in Sarnia, Ontario before wrapping up our trip by riding straight home in the morning.
All along our journey, we met some exceptionally nice people (especially in Canada), asking where we came from and where we were headed.  We ran into several other motorcyclists doing the same loop we were – even a trio from the Rochester area – and swapped stories and experiences of our trips.  To paraphrase an old commercial, you meet the nicest people on a BMW.