Plan B: the UP...The Report...
- Thread starter Haggis
- Start date
Haggis
Appalachian Ridgerunner
We spent that night and the next day loafing about the Two Hearted River shoreline. We hiked a couple of miles both to the east and the west, waded in the cold water and check out cool rocks, sat on the beach and read, skipped rocks (there are some wicked skipping stones here), tossed Cam's football around again, and napped in the trailer when the sun got to hot. Basically we enjoyed just spending time together with nothing to do; it's something we don't get to do enough in our regular lives.
Here's the sunset we enjoyed the first night...
And a couple of random shots....
And then it was onward and westward again...
Here's the sunset we enjoyed the first night...
And a couple of random shots....
And then it was onward and westward again...
Haggis
Appalachian Ridgerunner
So far we are very happy with our E1. We bought ours used (it's an '05) two years ago. We talked about getting a RTT, but Michelle was dead set against it. She wanted something to escape the weather in if the trip turned bad. A place for all of us to sit, eat, play games comfortably, change clothes, cook and all that. We got a trailer that was basically new for a fourth of the price of a new one. I don't know if I'd buy a new one at retail price, but I'm a frugal son of a gun, so take that as you wish. We've hauled it down may a forest road through whoopdedoos and potholes with no ill affect, but don't take it with us on rougher sections or trails. Basically it's our basecamp while we untether the truck for more serious explorations. The one thing I'd change is to do away with the cargo rack up front. It hauls everything we need inside the trailer for a week long trip with ease and we find ourselves hardly ever using the deck. Without that deck it would shorten up the turn radius abit. It's served us well so far, even though sometimes I feel restrained with it attached to the truck. But that's just a case of Advanced Adventure ADD.
Haggis
Appalachian Ridgerunner
Well thank you very much for showing us that this place existed! This is one spot we'll be back to again and again. The family loved it there.:elkgrin:
Pskhaat
2005 Expedition Trophy Champion
Very seriously considering an E1. Thank you for your response. It just has to keep a Family of Five better suited. I've also thought about that large storage area up-front and if removed how that would affect tongue:gross weight ratios adversely?
Anyway, back to your trip as I await more
Anyway, back to your trip as I await more
taco2go
Explorer
Great trip report, and nice pictures-what a great read!
Weather permitting, my family will be camping near Crisp Point this weekend. Did you happen to see the bird observatory at Whitefish point? Nice little place, and they usually have a couple of staffers counting shore birds.
Weather permitting, my family will be camping near Crisp Point this weekend. Did you happen to see the bird observatory at Whitefish point? Nice little place, and they usually have a couple of staffers counting shore birds.
Northern Explorer
Explorer
Haggis
Appalachian Ridgerunner
Loaded up and rollin', we pulled out of Two Hearted as the sun was just raising. Fafhrd pulled back down 423, his grill and bumper covered with the grisly remains of the UP's six legged blood ninjas. You guys ever consider investing in some bats...say about 6 million of them or so. How about a $0.01 bounty for each skeeter and fly killed? Anyway...
...we headed west on 412 then took 410 through the Reed and Green area. At Perch Lake we turned north on 407 bound for the lakeshore. Finally the dirt ended as we pulled through Grand Marais. We stopped long enough to get some supplies, then we were trucking on down H58 towards the Grand Sable Dunes Area.
Our first stop was at Sable Falls. Did I mention Michelle really loves waterfalls? A short hike and 165 stair steps later we had a great view of the falls...
Then we headed down the other trail to the west and visited the Grand Sable Dunes. The sand is like a vast pile of sugar and my backwoods PA legs don't like walking in it. Cam, though, had a blast running up and down the dune trails.
Here's the Clan...Cam, Michelle, and Allison. A more barbarous, gang of mercenary raiders you'll never find.
And a shot of the dunes looking west up the coast.
...we headed west on 412 then took 410 through the Reed and Green area. At Perch Lake we turned north on 407 bound for the lakeshore. Finally the dirt ended as we pulled through Grand Marais. We stopped long enough to get some supplies, then we were trucking on down H58 towards the Grand Sable Dunes Area.
Our first stop was at Sable Falls. Did I mention Michelle really loves waterfalls? A short hike and 165 stair steps later we had a great view of the falls...
Then we headed down the other trail to the west and visited the Grand Sable Dunes. The sand is like a vast pile of sugar and my backwoods PA legs don't like walking in it. Cam, though, had a blast running up and down the dune trails.
Here's the Clan...Cam, Michelle, and Allison. A more barbarous, gang of mercenary raiders you'll never find.
And a shot of the dunes looking west up the coast.
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timbercruiser
Adventurer
Now you all know why I live here!!
Rattler
Thornton Melon's Kid
Excellent trip report Mark!! I thought that might have been Timbercruiser as soon as I saw the pic. I should have offered to meet you at I-75 and give you some Off when you went by Bay City.
I can't wait to get back up there again in August (if we don't end up on a weekender before that!).
I am going to have to find that old cabin on Drummond next time we go there.
I can't wait to get back up there again in August (if we don't end up on a weekender before that!).
I am going to have to find that old cabin on Drummond next time we go there.
Haggis
Appalachian Ridgerunner
We were going to go to the observatory, but two bus loads of serious birders were unloading at the time so we passed it on up. It's on the list for our next time up.
"Please sir, can you spare some Deet?" The bugs were spotty, some times hardly noticeable and other times annoying. Really though they weren't any worse than any of the northern places we've been. Andirondaks, NW Maine or even our hemlock hollows here with the deer flies and skeeters. And it's no where as bad as Northern Ontario. I think that if you go prepared for bugs, knowing that getting a few bites is just a part of the "adventure", it's no real problem. Of course a headnet, long pants and socks and a light long sleeved shirt or bugshirt helps too.:sombrero:
Rattler said:
It's easy to drive by as the woods is trying it's best to reclaim it. But with my Jedi like Log Home Restorer mind powers I felt a disturbance in the force and sensed it's presence. Unfortunately for it, it is well beyond saving and will have to succumb to the will of the universe.
Haggis
Appalachian Ridgerunner
Soon we were back at the Sable Falls parking lot, marveling at a building that had running water and these things called "tiolets". You tend to appreciate modern conviences a little more after a couple of days in the woods.
Next we drove abit down the road and checked out the Log Slide Viewing Area. Back in the day there was a log flume built to slide the harvested timber down a natural cut in the dunes, logs whizzed on down to end splashing in the lake.
Here's a shot of the the cut were the slide was. This photo does not do justice as to how steep and how long the slide would have been...
You can't see the undercut even steeper section which makes up 4/5ths of the rest of the slide. The steep part starts where that kid is resting.
Now my boy was all gung ho to run down this dune. After explaining to him that it was far steeper and longer than he was realizing, and flat out telling him it wasn't going to happen, two young bucks came into view coming up the slide. They said they'ed spent the last hour and a half trooping back to the top and they were both whipped. At the first flat spot they plopped their hides down to catch a breath. The sad part is when the mother of the two asked the youngest where his shoes had gone, he realized he had left them at the bottom of the slide. D'ohhh!
This is the best part of The Log Slide Area, the view looking back at the dunes was spectacular...
I've been alot of places but have never seen a shoreline quite like that.
Next we drove abit down the road and checked out the Log Slide Viewing Area. Back in the day there was a log flume built to slide the harvested timber down a natural cut in the dunes, logs whizzed on down to end splashing in the lake.
Here's a shot of the the cut were the slide was. This photo does not do justice as to how steep and how long the slide would have been...
You can't see the undercut even steeper section which makes up 4/5ths of the rest of the slide. The steep part starts where that kid is resting.
Now my boy was all gung ho to run down this dune. After explaining to him that it was far steeper and longer than he was realizing, and flat out telling him it wasn't going to happen, two young bucks came into view coming up the slide. They said they'ed spent the last hour and a half trooping back to the top and they were both whipped. At the first flat spot they plopped their hides down to catch a breath. The sad part is when the mother of the two asked the youngest where his shoes had gone, he realized he had left them at the bottom of the slide. D'ohhh!
This is the best part of The Log Slide Area, the view looking back at the dunes was spectacular...
I've been alot of places but have never seen a shoreline quite like that.
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Haggis
Appalachian Ridgerunner
From the Log Side Overlook we headed back on H58 and pointed the Tundra towards the Hurricane River area. Michelle was wanting to camp at Twelvemile Beach, but just as 58 went from wide blacktop to more interesting twisting dirt the road was closed ahead for constructuion. So while Hurricane was open, Twelvemile was closed. Seems the powers that be are widening the section of 58 from Hurricane River to Little Beaver Lake. I guess that the mega RVers need smooth surface and easy turns to enjoy the "wilds".
We checked out our maps and Gazetter and decide that we would head down the Rhody Creek Truck Trail and follow it down to Highway 77. At the intersection of Highway 28 we went just a short way west and jumped onto Road 450 and we were back on dirt again. We finally got our bear sighting here on 450. A nice sized boar, around 300 lbs or so, ampled out of the bush right in front of the truck. he was in no particular hurry as he sauntered across the road. Of course none of us thought to grab a camera, expecting someone else to get a shot. So no bear picture here. But he was a pretty bugger. This area of the UP remind us alot of home, the resemblance to the dirt roads around our neck of the woods was surprising...
Our new plan was to try and find a camp site at Little Beaver Lake campground, so we followed 450 to 454 and then unto H58 once again. The road into Little Beaver is pretty nice but the campground was full and there really wasn't much room in the sites for both truck and trailer. Plus the sites are really close together. So we headed back the way we came and made camp back in the State Forest campground at South Gemini Lake on Twin Lake RD. We picked a spot next to the pond down in the hemlocks. There was nobody here and it looked like it had been unused for some time. Trailer set up we realized that the kids were running low on clothes. We ran into Munising, found a laundramat, hunted down a pizza shop and watch a local girls softball game, chowing down on pizza as our clothes got washed. Then it was back to the campsite where we listened to the bullfrogs and spent the rest of the evening relaxing.
We checked out our maps and Gazetter and decide that we would head down the Rhody Creek Truck Trail and follow it down to Highway 77. At the intersection of Highway 28 we went just a short way west and jumped onto Road 450 and we were back on dirt again. We finally got our bear sighting here on 450. A nice sized boar, around 300 lbs or so, ampled out of the bush right in front of the truck. he was in no particular hurry as he sauntered across the road. Of course none of us thought to grab a camera, expecting someone else to get a shot. So no bear picture here. But he was a pretty bugger. This area of the UP remind us alot of home, the resemblance to the dirt roads around our neck of the woods was surprising...
Our new plan was to try and find a camp site at Little Beaver Lake campground, so we followed 450 to 454 and then unto H58 once again. The road into Little Beaver is pretty nice but the campground was full and there really wasn't much room in the sites for both truck and trailer. Plus the sites are really close together. So we headed back the way we came and made camp back in the State Forest campground at South Gemini Lake on Twin Lake RD. We picked a spot next to the pond down in the hemlocks. There was nobody here and it looked like it had been unused for some time. Trailer set up we realized that the kids were running low on clothes. We ran into Munising, found a laundramat, hunted down a pizza shop and watch a local girls softball game, chowing down on pizza as our clothes got washed. Then it was back to the campsite where we listened to the bullfrogs and spent the rest of the evening relaxing.
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