July 4, 2018
There were no sites available at Fort Wilkins for the Fourth of July due to Copper Harbor’s big celebration so we had to roll out, but not until after their parade rolled through the campground. The walking portion doesn’t make it out past the town so we missed that but we were able to see the floats, fire trucks and other vehicles that came through… AND they all threw candy. SCORE!
July 4-6, 2018
F. J. McLean State Park is right on the shore of Lake Michigan. So much so that part of the campground is now IN Lake Michigan. A past winter storm took out part of their camp road and some campsites. Their bathhouse was close to going in so they had to take it down and set porta-a-potties in its place. It’s weird to walk along a road and see it just disappear off the edge of the shoreline. Continue reading
There are two campgrounds – East and West – with a total of 165 sites. The West campground has an extension with large pull-through sites, 50amp electric, community areas, and firepits.
We opted to stay in the East campground because it was a little quieter. Site 10 is primo, with a wonderful view of the lake. But you need a loooong power cord. Some sites were more than 50′ away from their power source.
Our Campsite
The only dump station was in the West campground. Continue reading
June 29-July 2, 2018
One of the least visited of the National Parks sits far out in Lake Superior, a few short miles from the Canadian border. To visit you have to arrive by ferry, float plane or private boat. It is believed the moose and wolves found on the island used a different approach, either swimming or crossing the ice once the lake froze over. Lake Superior is COLD and tempestuous even in the summer so either method of crossing would be brutal for the animals… yet there they are. Being feeble humans, we chose the three hour crossing on the ferry out of Copper Harbor, MI. Continue reading
June 28, 2018
The Quincy Mine Hoist Association maintains the buildings and grounds of Quincy’s No. 2 mine and conducts guided tours of the hoist house and the 7th level of the mine.
The historic No. 2 Quincy Shaft-Rockhouse was built for the Quincy Mining Company’s deepest mine. The mine extended 9,260 feet at a 55 degree decline and reached a depth of 6,225 feet below the Earth’s surface.
The shaft followed the angle of the copper lode. About every 100 feet, horizontal shafts, called drifts, were tunneled parallel to the copper lode. Miners then drilled holes in the walls, placed charges in the holes, and blasted the solid rock into manageable pieces, moving continuously outward and upward until the copper-bearing rock gave out.
The mines were dark, damp, dangerous places to work. Continue reading
Actually, the store is called Prosecutor’s Paradise but Chloe loved this other name that was on the side of the building. We discovered this hidden gem (pun intended) by chatting with the extremely helpful lady in the tourist information center in Calumet. Continue reading
June 28, 2018
We pushed hard to get the Keweenaw Peninsula in Michigan so that we were positioned to make our Ferry on Friday, June 29th. We didn’t know how far we’d get so we winged it for a few days. This meant we would arrive with no place to stay. Continue reading
The cycle of labor surpluses and shortages, falling and rising copper prices, industrial contraction and growth sorely tested Keweenaw peninsula copper miners and mining companies in the early 1900s.
By then the mining companies were struggling with lower grade copper deposits, dropping prices for copper, a need to reduce production costs and to increase productivity,
At the same time, mine workers felt scorned, denigrated and held in low esteem. They complained of low pay, long hours, and hazardous working conditions. Continue reading
June 27, 2018, July 6-7, 2018,
There’s so much history in the Keweenaw Peninsula that I don’t know where to begin, or end.
So let’s start with where is the Keweenaw Peninsula?
It’s on the western end of Michigan’s Upper Peninsula (UP) and juts up into Lake Superior.
June 26, 2018 – Wisconsin
This was one of our long drive days. Our whole plan was to get up, drive until we couldn’t, find a place to stop, eat and sleep, then repeat. We made it to Green Bay, Wisconsin where we stayed overnight at Cabela’s. They were great. We called ahead and they told us how to get to their RV parking area around the side of the store. They have five or six long, pull-through spaces AND a free dump station for guests (RVs and boats). There was a sign for a dog walk area and some outdoor kennels where I guess you could put your pet while you shopped. I’d never seen such a thing so I’m not sure on that. The store has awesome animal displays and tons of hunting, fishing and camping gear. Sooo many cool outdoor toys (that we coveted but don’t need). We did buy Chloe some long pants for cool weather hiking and had fun wandering the store and buying a few other little things for the trip. The associates were friendly and helpful without being pushy (I HATE pushy salespeople). They have a little snack bar inside so you don’t even need to drive out to get a meal. Their restrooms were big and clean. It was great. Shortly after we parked another RV rolled into a space and a couple kids and the dad rolled out to toss around a ball and burn off some energy before bedding down. The weather was comfortable and we felt safe so all was well.
Spirit of the Woods 