Saturday Sept 2 - We’re headed to the Porkies in the Upper Peninsula today. It’s a 5 hour drive along Lake Superior and since we’re driving through Wisconsin we’ll make a stop for Spotted Cow beer, which is only sold there. We will be staying three nights at the Union Bay campground in Porcupine Mountain SP. It’s Labor Day weekend so it is going to be a very crowded place!
We had to share a campsite last night because Cascade River was fully booked. Luckily we’re both pretty small and can fit without too much trouble.
Morning view
Duluth had lots of tunnels along Lake Superior
Welcome to Wisconsin
We decided on a New Glarus sample pack (spotted cow, moon man, totally naked and two women)
Lunch without a view today, but at least we have leftover salmon AND watermelon!
We missed the 50K milestone by 23 miles, but we’re also hitting another milestone…this post is our 100th!
we had to slow down for these turkeys that wanted to get to the other side
No mosquitoes, but we're ready to zap the bees that keep bothering us
Sunset from the campground over Lake Superior
Sunday, September 3, 2023 - We went to the Visitor Center today to figure out what we needed to see while we're in the Porcupine Mountains. We decided on the Union Mine Interpretive Trail, which was a 1.1 mile loop along the Union River. There was a copper mine here in the late 1800's and the trail has interpretive plaques to read along the way. There were nice views and waterfalls along the trail. We then continued down the road another 8 miles to the Summit Peak (elevation 1958 ft) and hiked the half mile up 215 steps to get a view from the top. The leaves are starting to change, but this view is still a few weeks away from peak colors.
morning walk to enjoy the Lake Superior views
wildflowers
It's Uncle Gene's birthday! We made him a tiered rice krispie cake to celebrate
The Union Mine trail along the Union River. Mirabelle loves a drink from any water source she comes across.
The Porkies
the first observation deck at the Summit Peak
We made it to the top of the observation deck
Cheers to the Spotted Cow beer
Then on to the sampler pack
The sunset views were crazy good tonight
Monday Sept 4, 2023 - We took the other road through the Porkies today to see Lake of the Clouds. There was a great view just up from the parking lot, and lots of trails for longer hikes. We hiked the escarpment trail for a bit and found another lookout at the lake of the clouds.
Our campsites at Union Bay in Porcupine SP
Lake of the Clouds
another view of the lake
it was 89 degrees today, so some shade, a book and a nice view of Lake Superior made for a perfect day at the beach
The beach was pretty empty
Kev went for a swim.
And the 62 degree water was a bit chilly for me
Pretty rocks with reflections through the extremely clear water
Tiny at the beach
