The Upper Peninsula of Michigan was just about the last place I’d ever get to. It wasn’t on the way to anywhere; it’s not near where I live; I don’t know anyone who lives there. This was my chance! My plan was to follow the coast of Lake Michigan with only two detours: 1) Whitefish Point Lighthouse and 2) Sault St. Marie in Canada. That night I’d rest my head near the Macinack Bridge which connects the two great peninsulas of Michigan.
Just as I entered Michigan I picked-up a map and guide to all of Michigan’s 118 lighthouses at the Visitors Welcome Center. Did you catch that? 118! Unlike other lighthouse trips to Maine and Oregon and Prince Edward Isle, I wasn’t going to try and see them all. This trip was my UP experience and time was limited. I was going to focus on the easy and the interesting lights. <fix>
Lake Michigan lighthouses were the main attraction but there were other highlights.
I start with a fun one. The UP is heavily covered in snow during the winter. Average snowfall is over 200 inches! In jest, this homeowner has two mailboxes: one for normal delivery an one for winter delivery. Can you guess which is which?
Another unexpected delight came as I crossed the UP and stumbled in to the Tahquamenon Falls. Swollen from recent rain and dark brown from all autumn leaf decay, these series of falls were impressive for the power they conveyed. Frankly, it was also nice that they provided me with a good excuse to take a couple short hikes. This was shaping up to be a loooong day.
The reason I deviated from my primary goal of circumnavigating Lake Michigan was a special lighthouse on Lake Superior: Whitefish Lighthouse. This lighthouse has played a critical role in ship navigation for over 160 years.
It’s located where ships from across the lake heading to the Atlantic Ocean come together before entering the canals at Sault St. Marie. This converging of ship traffic coupled with the difficult waters and weather in the area conspired to make this the largest graveyard of ships. One such ship known to many through popular song written by Gordon Lightfoot is entitled “Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald”.I had one more digression before day’s end and it was in Canada. When I did my trip along the length of theTrans-Canada Highway, I remember enjoying the bridges, locks, and falls of Sault St. Marie which connects two Great Lakes. At the time, it wasn’t a primary stop on my trip so I passed it by too quickly. I wanted to remedy my oversight and return for some night pictures.
“This should be quick and easy,” I thought, “getting into and out of Canada will be easy.” Even in today’s hyper-security environment it’s still generally true, that is, if you use good judgement. Unfortunately when I was asked why I was coming in to Canada I said it was to “shoot their bridges and canals”. Oops! Of course I meant “take pictures of”! Due to my faux pas I was asked to go through a secondary inspection which took a while but was courteous enough. An hour later upon reentry to the U.S. I was given an even bigger hassle, “Why were you in Canada for only an hour? Why are you driving a car registered in your wife’s name? Why have you entered Canada so often and through so
many ports of entry?” Ugh, eventually I was allowed to pass.
The good news is I had a lovely visit where my moose and I took great shots.
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