Great Lakes Circle Tour or Travels with Squatchy

On Labor Day, Tim and Adrianne packed up their 2009 Subaru Forester, put their Old Town Camper canoe on top and hitched up the Growler-Prowler, their 2013 550 Ultra #658 and headed out for a 5,050 mile, 35-day trip around Lake Michigan, Lake Huron, and Lake Superior.

We didn't expect this trip to be a "Long Haul" but an obsessive desire to drive as close to the lakes as possible (we saw more cottages than actual lake in southern Ontario), an aversion to driving on any road with more than two lanes of traffic (impossible in northern Ontario), and a vague travel plan, we did it!

We had a little stow away named...well, he didn't tell us his name so we just called him "Squatchy." He was kind of a pain, smelled like wet dog (not really, he's plywood), and wanted to stop at all the giant stuff along the way...



He called "shotgun!" ...



But he got the back seat ....



Breakfast on the beach ... Warren Dunes State Park, MI



"Sign ... what sign?"'



"I keep telling you ... I'm not a DOG!"



"Hey! Can I get a boost?" Lake Michigan overlook



Jamesport, MI



Leelanlau State Park, MI



Enjoying a flight at Hop Lot Brewing Co. in Suttons Bay, MI



Giant Cherry Pie - Charlevoix, MI

 

Drove the M119 "Tunnel of Trees" scenic drive - saw a waterspout on Lake Michigan.



Wilderness State Park, MI



View of the Mackinac Bridge ... "Screw you, Citgo!"



Giant Chicago Hot Dog - Mackinac City, MI



Munising Falls - Munising, MI



Alger Falls - Munising, MI



Miner's Beach - Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore



"Surf's up!"



Miner's Falls? - Pictured Rocks NL

 

7th Annual U.P. Fall Beer Festival in Marquette, MI


5 hours, 30 sample tokens, 60+ breweries. 4,000+ people.



It was crazy ... with pretzel necklaces.



"Prost!"



Wayside near Cheboygan, MI



Ocqueoc Falls, MI



"Off the beaten path ... "



"... you never know what you'll find!" - Spring near Onaway, MI



Aebelskivers for breakfast - P.H. Hoeft State Park, MI



Squatchy's breakfast

 

Paddling on Lake Huron - New Presque Isle Lighthouse, MI



New Presque Isle Lighthouse, MI



'Cause you can never have too many pictures of your Camp-Inn ....



Not quite so giant Old Presque Isle Lighthouse, MI



"Woa! I think I have vertigo!" Old Presque Isle Lighthouse, MI



All the good stuff ... - convenience store near Alpena, MI



Lumberman's Monument - Huron National Forest campground. One other camper on the opposite side of the park.



"Why are there always stairs?" - Iargo Springs, MI



Iargo Springs, MI



"Can I have a bite ....?" - Pinconning, MI

 

The Kraken attacks ... Lake Huron



The Grotto, Bruce Peninsula National Park, ON



Longest consecutive series of tours: The Beer Store in Midland, ON - I'm surprised we're not still there! Opening up a Camp Inn in a parking lot is like opening up Pandora's Box - you may never get it closed!



"Tears by the Bay" Southern Ontario gathering - Awenda Provincial Park. Met some great people and saw some awesome homebuilt campers. Also found out that "hydro" on a campsite description means it's an electric site (not water hookups).



Sturgeon Bay Provincial Park - the only other campers were from ... Nevada.



Dawn paddle on Lake Huron, Sturgeon Bay Provincial Park, ON



Giant nickels and pollution ... it must be Sudbury!



"Weird ... why wouldn't a numismatic park take off?"



Aux Sables River - Chutes Provincial Park, ON

 

"Wait, you can buy furniture at the Canadian Tire?"



"Why does the 5-cent coupon look more legitimate than the $20 bill?"



Campsite view - Agawa Bay campground, Lake Superior Provincial Park



Paddling on Lake Superior - Lake Superior, PP



The great water lynx Mishipeshu Pictograph - Lake Superior PP



Giant Canada Goose - Wawa, ON



One of the downfalls of off-season camping - closed 9/20.



Aquasabon Falls - Terrace Bay, ON



Suspension bridge - Ouimet Canyon, Provincial Park



Ouimet Canyon PP

 

Two Canadian institutions:


Terry Fox Memorial - Thunder Bay, ON



Tim Hortons ... everywhere ....



Kekabeka Falls Provincial Park, ON



Our last night in Canada - Kekabeka Falls, PP



Pigeon River State Park, MN



Grand Marais Campground & Marina - 300 campsites and we got the LAST ONE because of a no-show.



Giant Walleye - Grand Marais, MN



Fog rolls in - Grand Marais, MN

 

We did all 35 days in our Crocs "camp shoes"



Cascade River State Park, MN



Giant Mushrooms - Cascade River SP



Temperance River State Park, MN



"Always with the stairs!" - Caribou Falls scenic wayside, MN



Caribou Falls



Can't keep Adrianne out of the water!



This road less traveled was a little too beaten ... we eventually had to turn around - somewhere on the Arrowhead, MN



Paddling to Palisade Head - Tettegouche State Park, MN



Our "private beach" - near Palisade Head

 

"World's Best Donuts ... yes, they are!"



Tettegouche State Park, MN



Paddling around Palisade Head, Day 2



No trailers on Palisade Hill ... pshaw!



Giant Booze Barrel - Beaver Bay, MN



Best camping in Duluth - Lakehead Boat Basin



Giant Boat - Arial Bridge, Duluth MN



Can you see the Growler Prowler ...?



Giant Hiawatha - Ironwood, MI



Presque Isle River - Porcupine Mountain State Park, MI

 

Giant Snow Meter - Houghton, MI



Copper Harbor, MI



Fall colors - three weeks late ....



Bete Gris, MI



"Great, another gorgeous sugar-sand beach ... let's go ...."



Of course he went there ....



Cinnamon rolls as big as your FACE!!! - L'Anse, MI



"Umm ... is that gluten free?"

 

Squatchy's favorite spot - Lakenland, MI



"Finally, some intelligent life ...."



"Wait! Let me out of here ...!"



"Hey! Do I know you?" - Muldoon's Pasties, Munising, MI



Paddling around Miner's Castle - Pictured Rocks N L



Giant Pickle Barrel - Grand Marais, MI



Taquemenon Falls, MI



The Kraken attacks ... Lake Superior



Fort Wilkins Historic State Park, MI



"Tears Fall" Land of Lincoln gathering - Prophetstown State Park, IL

THE END

 

Awesome travels!

 

See you visited Hilltop in L'anse. You spent a little time in my neck of the woods, Rogers City, Presque Isle area.

Bob

 

"Muldoon's Pasties"

Now what exactly are pasties? I saw the signs for the product while traversing the UP but have never actually had the pleasure.

Michael

 

Pasties are usually a combination of onions, potatoes, carrots and beef or chicken baked in a pie crust. Usually served with gravy. This started out as a miners meal (no gravy) when they worked down in the copper mines(complete meal in a crust that stayed warm until lunchtime. Tradition has kept it alive in the UP.

 

Sounds delicious! I'll make a point to stop and sample them next time I'm out that way, above the mitten, across da bridge, to that other famous peninsula the UP, thanks for the info.

Michael

 

We had our first pasties (past-ees) recently in the UP. Michael had a beef one and I had a vegetable one and we loved them!

 

Oh yes, ok, "past-ees", thanks for the pronunciation D&M!

 

Love the UP. We stayed in Au Train and hit a lot of those same sites, Muldoons for pasties and Lakenland.