Lake Huron seemed beautiful today. The sun was out and I took lots of pictures both at the hotel and on the boardwalk in St. Ignace. The water looked blue due to the light and was sparkling.
On the way out of the St. Ignace area, I noticed Castle Rock. The gift shop also had a Paul Bunyon and Bave the Blue Ox statue. This is large but nothing compared to the one in Minnesota. Since I won't have a chance to see it in MN, this is the next best thing.
After leaving the St. Ignace area, ultimately I was going to work my way to Rhinelander, Wisconsin. But, I took the time to slowly explore Michigan's Upper Peninsula.
I had read on the Internet that residents of the U.P. do not feel connected with the people in the L.P. There was evidence of this. As one example, the "Buckle Up" seatbelt sign shows just the map of the U.P. with the seatbelt on it instead of the entire state of Michigan.
As I was driving along U.S. Route 2, I saw an area where people could pull off to go to a Lake Michigan beach. I spent about two hours there and took hundreds of pictures. It's a beautiful beach. It's pristine and there were very few people around. There is almost no litter whatsoever. The water was sparkling blue. Unlike Lake Huron, there were no rocks or mud. I waded in this water and wish I had had all day to spend there. I would definitely go back there in the future.
Cell phone service is not great in the U.P. At times it's difficult to get a signal at all. Gas stations also are not plentiful. Gas in this area (and in the northern part of the L.P.) is $3.99/gallon or above. It's mostly wilderness with an occasional small town here and there.
As I was driving further along US Route 2 (hugging the southern part of the U.P.), I took a wider view with the GPS. I noticed that I could end up seeing the northern part of the U.P. while I was here. I then noticed Lake Superior. It was not too far out of the way. I decided that since I'm working on seeing the states, why not also try to see all the Great Lakes?
When I arrived at Lake Superior, there was a very nice POW/MIA memorial. I visited the area near Grand Island. The lake was not as nice as Lake Michigan, in my opinion. However, it was definitely better than Lake Huron.
As I took the long drive back to US Route 2, I pulled off to the side of the road to call the hotel in Rhinelander to say I would be late. About a quarter mile ahead of me, a bear walked out into the road and then went back into the woods. If Only I had thought to grab the camera! But, I'm so thankful I was off on the side of the road. Imagine if the bear decided to go out into the street while I was driving...
On the way back, I noticed a town park in Gladstone, MI. The park has a beach along Lake Michigan. I stopped there and spent more time wading in the water. They have a number of things for kids. There is a slide and other playground equipment about 25 - 30 feet out in the water.
Now I would really be late getting into Rhinelander. There were a lot of wilderness areas that I passed through. At one point, a deer was getting ready to cross. Thankfully, she thought better of it and turned right around. Shortly before the Wisconsin border, I entered the Central Time Zone.
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