for those unfamiliar with the geography of michigan, most of it is the big mitten shaped bit, north of indiana, tucked between three great lakes. that’s where all of our first few michigan excursions took place. but. the main destination of our trip was the upper peninsula, commonly known as the U.P., and that is connected to wisconsin and arches over lake michigan, with lake superior to it’s north. and that is where today’s blog post takes us. and where we spent the bulk of our summer vacation….
the only route to get from lower michigan to the upper peninsula is through mackinaw city and then onto the mackinac bridge that crosses the span of water between all these great lakes (and i’m not really sure of the technical name at that exact point).
but before that, as we made our way north, we passed by a farmers market. we are unable to resist such temptations, so we stopped to check things out. it was strawberry season in michigan, so our purchases reflected that. but also, this area is known for it’s cherries, so a LOT of cherries, in various states and forms, were purchased.
once we had the back of the van stuffed with local produce, gifts, and baked goods, we continued on to mackinaw city. derek had scouted a fish and chips place and it did not disappoint. sadly, the gluten free boy could not partake, so we sent him off to find his own fare, and he came back with a GF pizza LOADED with all the meats. his love language.
before we drove across it, we stopped to take some pics of the mackinac bridge. we had hopes of visiting the old lighthouse, but the tours were backed up and expensive, and we needed to get on the road. so. a quick stroll/viewing/photoshoot would have to suffice and then we were off and driving across the infamous passage.
on our way to our accommodations, we stopped at the kitch-iti-kipi (“big spring”), to check that whole thing out. basically, we waited in a really long line for our turn on a specially designed trolley raft boat type sea vehicle. we watched it go back and forth a number of times, taking groups of tourists out to the actual spring, trying to calculate how long and how many iterations it would be before our turn. and then, finally, it was our time to shine!
we crowded around the hole in the middle. and awaited to be amazed. but, alas, it was a little disappointing. a few bubbly spots in the clear waters. whomp whomp.
we took a lot of pics and made the most of it.
the boat is not manned by an official employee of the park, but propelled by passengers. which explained why we witnessed some very long trips and some very short trips to and from the bubbles. derek and hazel took their turn at the helm, and worked speedily. and then. at the gift shop, we had another “bag of polished rocks tourist trap” sighting. 🙂
with our bubble viewing complete, and our stickers and merch purchased, we were finally ready to head to our “resort” and settle in. but first, some groceries, at a tiny little co-op, where we were serenaded by a little ditty from some locals about the wonderfulness of said co-op. our little lodge cabin resort was cozy and quaint and without internet, so a lot of reading and gaming commenced. and, of course we feasted on many of our farmers market treats.
our first day in the area was rainy and gross and miserable, so we drove over to marquette and saw a movie. and then drove around a bit to check out some sites. like dumb industrial stuff.
never fear though, real epic adventures await!