It is 7am Thursday morning and we are taking time to get caught up. We will begin with our UP (Upper Peninsula) time.
Sunday-June 12--We went to church at Calvary Chapel Bay City, Michigan. The "church" was welcoming and kind. It was a small group--a number were gone for various reasons. It was evident that Pastor Mike loves his flock. The service only lasted an hour and we headed to sister-in-law Laura's in Newberry, Michigan. Had to cross the famous Mackinac Bridge (along with a toll that has only increased $0.75 since the bridge opened in 1957).
Laura greeted us with such kindness and hospitality. We visited and caught up and even got friendly with cat, Aurora. We made plans to go to Sault Ste Marie (the Soo) on Monday morning.
Monday-June 13--We woke up not feeling well--tummy issues--so it was decided we would just hang
out. We watched a very informative video on the history of the Mackinac Bridge and life before there was a bridge--great history. By the time lunch rolled around (we had taken a nap) we felt better and decided to go for a "drive".
First stop: a lovely camping area with a very serene fishing dock. So quiet and peaceful. We walked down a trail and found a momma duck with about 10 little ducklings in tow. She didn't waste any time in finding shelter away from curious eyes, so we didn't get picture.
Second stop: a water fall that had 186 steps down to the bottom--and the sign reminded everyone that there were 186 steps up also). This was a great waterfall because we got to see it from top, middle and bottom. It was very beautiful.
Third stop: a light house and a rock collecting beach. A person can't collect rocks on every beach of the great lakes--it is illegal. Rock collecting is addictive--you have several and think that is enough but there is just one more that is "so special".
Forth stop: a log run to the lake (have to remember that Lake Superior is more like an ocean because of its size). Back in the day, loggers would slide logs down this very steep, sandy bluff and then ships would take them away. It is possible to climb down this bluff--takes about 5 minutes. But you have to climb back up on the steep, sandy incline, which takes at least an hour. We decided that wasn't for us. We got back to the house in time to have dinner. So much to do in such a short distance--Laura drove 96 miles. We watched the second video on the actual construction of the bridge that evening. Amazing how things got done with so little technology and modern machinery.
Tuesday, June 14--We felt better so left about 8 to go "The Soo" for a boat trip on the locks. It is about
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| In the locks with another tour boat |
an hour drive to get there. On the tour we through the American locks, both upstream and downstream. We couldn't use the Canadian locks because of COVID. It is silly because we don't land, just tie up while the water level is being changed. In this case it is 21 feet which takes about 15 minutes. It was a time for Karen to learn patience. Especially with a bar that is used to keep ice out in the winter. She didn't see why it had to move so slowly. While at The Soo we were just across from Canada, learned about the bridge that
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| Ship waiting to enter locks |
connects this part of Michigan with Canada. Just such history and differences in culture living on a massive lake so close to Canada. We had lunch at Antlers (can you guess what it looks like by the name?). Karen tried another regional dish: Poutine. It is basically French fries, brown gravy and cheese curds. Interesting - Karen tried a Buffalo Chicken variation. There is the "Tower of History" in The Soo so we went and explored. It really is just a tall little building with observation decks on top. The views were great. We rode the elevator up but Karen walked down the 280 steps. The stair well (all metal) was very rusty and in need of maintenance--but it was cool going round and
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| Canada across the river |
round and looking down between the steps. Then we had to stop at a special place for a cookie, and a
couple of lookouts over the lake. Our trip was 160 miles. At "home" that night we watched a video of life on Mackinac Island--both past and present - very interesting as well. There are no cars on the island. Lots of commercial things but Laura said there are many places to explore away from the hustle and bustle of tourism.
Wednesday, June 15--We were able to experience mid-west storms, not once but twice. We left Laura's about 8 and stopped for a rest in Escanaba, Michigan. We were relaxing and visiting with a shopkeeper. Outside it was getting darker and darker and all of a sudden it began to rain, POUR. We
were ready to leave but the rain wouldn't let us. There wasn't much lightning, and the people didn't seem to be alarmed. About 20 minutes later there was no more rain. We left but had to drive through an almost flooded intersection and several flooded blocks to get on the highway. Five miles down the road it was dry. Crazy. When we got to our hotel about 3pm it was 90 degrees, muggy and sunny. About 5 it started getting dark and windy. By six it was more like the middle of the night. All normal programming was pre-empted by weather advisories (so Jeopardy was out for the evening) about the storm. Even though there was a tornado watch we didn't get to see anything but rain and wind. We have video of a downspout from a roof nearby just gushing water. We watched as a little "valley" just outside our window went from grass to a wide little river. It reminded us of the Bay of Fundy where the tide raises very quickly. The storm, which had a tremendous about of lightning and thunder, lasted about 45 minutes. We opened our window to take a picture and realized it was not cold, but still quite warm--unlike what we'd expect in Oregon. Weird.
Thursday, June 16--This morning it is bright, sunny and in the 70s. What these last few days remind me (Karen) of is the complexity of God. There was the tranquil fishing spot, the power in a great lake, the beauty of a waterfall. All of these are fairly constant. Then there are the storms like yesterday where things change in a matter of minutes. All of them so breathtaking.
