U.P. Overland 2009

upcruiser

Perpetual Transient
Just rolled in after 860 miles total. That was the mileage for the whole trip starting from Marquette. What a great trip. We had the whole spectrum of weather and terrain/conditions from sun and dust to monsoon rain and wind that gave us rain in every direction, down, sideways, and even up. It was awesome getting to meet some new faces and see some old as well. I have over 500 pictures to sort through still and a ton of video that we'll edit up a little video from. Jen and I camped out last night on the way back to Marquette near the Seney National Wildlife refuge area and are just getting back to civilzation right now.

Also, a very big congrats to Mark and Jaime who became engaged at the mouth of the Two Hearted River the evening of the amazing sunset. :victory:

Looking forward to all the upcoming pictures! I'll get mine up asap.
 

Rattler

Thornton Melon's Kid
Congrats Mark & Jaime!! When is the wedding now? My wife and I would love an excuse to go to Iron Mountain. :smiley_drive:

And a HUGE thanks go out to Kristian and Jason for putting an excellent trip together once again. Kristian, the pre-run on Tuesday up the Cliffs and to the cemetery was awesome! Jason, thanks for the repair job on myGarmin. It held up through the rest of the trip. To repeat, it was great spending time with some people from last year and getting to know them better and meeting some new.

Cleaning all the camping stuff and drying it off out in the yard. The truck will take a good chunk of tomorrow I think. We logged 1287 miles from driveway back to the driveway. The only trouble I had was the tranny getting a little hot on the Gay beach (that just doesn't sound right!:Wow1:). Otherwise the truck performed great and would have performed better in some deep sand had I had it in 4WD at the time (sorry for slowing you down in it Frank!).

I found it funny how my wife and I will travel a ways from home and I will run into someone I know. She always is telling me I know too many people. It was nice to have the tables turned for once with her remembering singletrackjunkie from a few years ago at work.

On the way home the wife noted the only wildlife she really caught sight of was an owl perched on a sign not long after we hit the dirt from Marquette. He was just sitting there watching us all roll by at almost point blank range.

Another trip to the UP with her not getting to see her bear in the wild. . . . . . Darn, I guess we will have to go again.:elkgrin:
 
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elripster

Adventurer
Kristian, Jason, great trip again!

I'll be posting up a pics shortly. However, if anyone is interested, I can send over the whole batch of pics and/or videos via yousendit.com. I almost filled the Flip camera with all sorts of stuff. You can pick through and keep what you like.

I can't wait until next year. The UP is so fun and this is best way to see it.

Yeah, that one sandy part was a bit tough if you stopped and tried to restart but it was all good. Rattler, your truck was doing really well in that sand even in 2WD. Mine was trying to dig itself in but crawled up ever so slowly.

Frank
 
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bluedog

Adventurer
First couple of ours.

UPOverland2009045.jpg


My view from up and out of the elements:
UPOverland2009036.jpg


UPOverland2009040.jpg


She was ready for this trip:
UPOverland2009075.jpg


Thanks to UPCruiser and Northernexplorer for making this happen.

B.
 

bluedog

Adventurer
Wendy here typing....Kristian & Jason -- thanks for putting together an incredible journey across the UP! Brendan & I thoroughly appreciated you taking the time to point out & explain some of the very cool spots along the way....things we otherwise wouldn't have known existed!

Oh -- at approximately 5:25pm Sunday - we had the pleasure of meeting State Trooper LeBlanc on M-28 as we were apparently travelling at 68mph in a 60 zone. We figured since Tom seems to be related to most of the people in the UP -- surely Trooper LeBlanc must be a cousin of his and perhaps can put in a good for word us...!

Tom & Joash -- your pics are awesome!
 

computeruser

Explorer
I keep singing the praises of the UP in every post I make on the subject, but I think my praises are justified because the impressions that give rise to them are reinforced each and every time I cross the bridge in the northbound lanes. There is just so much nifty stuff to see and explore up there; every time I go I am left looking forward to my next foray to the north.

This year's trip was an interesting development from last. Having the longer trip available to those who could make it was a definite plus. All told, Anna and I put on a hair over 1200 miles for the round-trip journey. We could easily have spent two or three times as long up there, exploring the various small towns, waterfalls, twisty roads (paved and not), and exploring the area's unique and varied geology and geography. Add in some paddling, cycling, and your winter sports...you might not ever need to go anywhere else!

And then there are the people. Without a doubt, folks in the UP are among the nicest that my wife and I have come across, easily rivaling southerners for hospitality and generosity - politely offering inside tips on what/where to eat, things to see, things to avoid, alternate scenic routes, and all that sort of stuff. The feel of the place, especially once you get beyond the touristy places, is truly unique - a mix of Midwest practicality, Canadian hardiness, and the laid-back attitude you see in the northwest. My wife commented on how similar the Marquette and Munising area felt to towns in Washington, where she lived while pursuing her Master's. Definitely different from the feel you get from the people and places of the Lower Peninsula. Being able to spend part of the day getting out into the communities we were visiting ended up being enjoyable, far more than I initially anticipated it would be.

This year's weather was also an interesting twist; places certainly take on a different character under different conditions. I've been up around the Tahquamenon Falls and Pictured Rocks areas before, but never when it was raining sideways and gusting in all directions. Working your way across the high dunes at Pictured Rocks, looking 300' down to the water while the wind ripped upwards towards you, propelling the rain with stinging force, was pretty incredible. Driving alongside beaver dams that were overflowing and about to burst, with a water level behind the dam easily a foot or two higher than the road grade, was a new twist for sure. And comfortably camping under these rainy conditions...an interesting challenge, made so much easier with a couple large tarps and some clothesline!!

It was suggested in another thread, as well as in camp one evening, that adding an educational component might be worthwhile. I would be keen on this, particularly someone who could provide a bit of information and perspective on some of the geology of the area and some of the history of a few notable parts. Perhaps working in a Calumet and Cliffs day? I know that the Nat'l Parks people at the center in Calumet were more than thrilled to talk about the town and its history. Couple that with a mine tour and a bit of geology info, and we could easily have a two day event up at the tip of the Keweenaw.

I look forward to hearing what sort of turn this event takes for 2010. Anna and I are definitely up for a return engagement, and would be more than pleased to assist with planning, scouting, or other incidents of organizing such an event.

-brandon
 

rionorte

Member
LOL. Just saw the vid. Love that snarling dog from that window of the Eagle!
As always there are lots of beautiful pics like last year. :)
 

cocco78

Adventurer
We ended up putting on 1000 miles exactly round trip... No real issues to report other than loosing a fender flare, a latch on the trailer, and a leaky pinion seal. If someone finds the tv6 story online could they please post the link, i'd like to save the story with the rest of the pics!

I have not gone through all my pics yet but will post up the interesting ones. Well here is one to start with...

11gmtmf.jpg
 

elripster

Adventurer
We ended up putting on 1000 miles exactly round trip... No real issues to report other than loosing a fender flare, a latch on the trailer, and a leaky pinion seal. If someone finds the tv6 story online could they please post the link, i'd like to save the story with the rest of the pics!

I have not gone through all my pics yet but will post up the interesting ones. Well here is one to start with...

11gmtmf.jpg

I forgot to say congrats!

Frank
 

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