Our next stop was in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan! My first visit to this state...now I only have one more to visit and I will have been to all 50!
Bob and I took the scenic drive from Door County to Bay Furnace Campground near Munising, Michigan. The route took us along Lake Michigan. I enjoyed seeing all the signs at the entrances to summer cabins and homes. My favorite was 'Happy Ours.'
Our site was next to Connie and Larry's, but like most national forest campgrounds, the sites were large...we could only see their rig through the woods. The site was excellent for solar which made all of us happy since there are no electric hook ups!
That afternoon, Bob and I drove into town to the visitor's center and the national forest interpretive center. We gathered information on things to do and see in the area.
Later that same afternoon, Larry and Connie went with us to view some waterfalls. The first stop was Wagner Falls.
As we were driving around, we saw Alger Falls, at a roadside pull-out. We didn't stop as the area was too crowded and the waterfall was rather small.
The next day we planned to visit more waterfalls. We took picnic lunches and started at Munising Falls. Bob and I went to the upper deck to view the falls. Larry and Connie stayed on the lower deck.
This is the path we took to the upper viewing area.
And this is a view of the falls.
We ate our picnic at Sand Point. Connie and I toe-tested the water...not too bad, but not warm enough for total immersion! From Sand Point, we toured the Coast Guard exhibit. This elaborate rope design was on the front of the rescue boat.
The Lyle cannon was used to shoot a rope with a grappling hook to boats close to shore. Enclosed in the plexiglas case is the rope...the elaborate weaving around pegs was to keep the rope from tangling.
We continued to drive and explore the area. We checked on the cruises to view Pictured Rocks and decided that would be an evening cruise on Saturday.
Bob and I chose to go hiking on Friday. We went to Chapel Falls/Mosquito Falls for our adventure. We arrived relatively early in the day and the parking area was already filling up. We set out for Chapel Falls first.
It was a nice hike along a wide trail. There were two viewing platforms for the falls. At the first platform, you were looking down, over the falls.
Most people didn't walk far enough to get to the second platform which had the best view of the entire waterfall.
After viewing the falls, we went back to the parking lot to head the other way to see Mosquito Falls. As we were leaving for our hike a young lady told us the trail was brutal...she and her friend didn't make it to the falls and they both workout in a gym every day. Well, Bob and I weren't deterred. We started the trail. There was some mud, but it was easy to get around. There was an area where you had to walk up tree roots that resembled stairs, but nothing we found 'brutal.' I guess the gym didn't prepare them for nature walks in the forest....
Bob found this ninja tree that Sydney would have liked.
We made it to Mosquito Falls, no mosquitoes on this day.
This falls was much lower in height than Chapel Falls, but worth the 'brutal' hike.
We enjoyed our hikes and then headed back to Sol to take it easy for the rest of the afternoon. The following day would be busy. Stay tuned for more adventures.
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