Nomad Life - Day 319

With my earlier bed time last night, I managed to sleep much better and woke up at 0525.  As usual, I started teleworking, with only a short break (at 0800) to pick up breakfast food in the lobby of the Superior Motel (Munising).  Otherwise, I continued working.  At 1300, I cooked and ate lunch in my room.  Taking a break from my computer in hopes of an opportunity to visit nearby Grand Island, I left the hotel at 1420 and drove (via MI-28) to the Grand Island Ferry Service location in Grand Island Township.  I arrived at 1430 and bought a round trip ticket for the ferry; while I was at it, I decided to add a bike rental too!  Actually, the whole thing wasn't too bad - the net cost for renting a bicycle (rather than bringing my own onboard) was only about $25 for the entire day (wish I'd arrived sooner...).  While I was being given biking instructions by the ferry captain, I asked him if I needed a lock for the rented bike (i.e., theft).  He replied “this is the U.P., you can take a breath!"  With ticket in hand, I went back to my car and packed a daypack with biking gear.  While waiting near the ferry landing, I met a young man who was planning to bike camp.  We had a nice conversation about the area and exchanged suggestions about fun things to do.  We boarded the little ferry (just about 30 seats with some room for bikes) at 1455, departed the landing at 1500 and made the crossing of the East Channel in less than five minutes!  The boat was only about half full (it looked like everyone else was a camper).  The afternoon was sunny and warm and the conditions for biking on Grand Island appeared to be perfect. After checking out the National Recreation Area (Hiawatha National Forest) buildings near the ferry landing, I started biking on the West Rim Trail.  These were not roads - instead, I had to contend with roots, rocks and loose beach sand.  Along the way, I passed campsites, cabins and beaches.  At times, I got good views of some small islands located deeper in Lake Superior.  There were a few other folks out on the island (most were sunbathing) but I was by myself for quite a while.  For about four miles, I made my way easily along the trail - before long, I had reached the Mather Lodge/Cabin (Interpretive Site).  At that point, I found the trail blocked (due to construction).  On top of that, there were busy trucks driving there that kicked up a tremendous amount of dust (cough cough).  This was OK because I had less than two hours of biking left before the last ferry departed the Island for the night (1800).  So, I turned east and made my way (0.5 miles) to the trail junction for Echo Lake.  From there, I had to pedal about 0.3 miles (through a small river) to the Echo Lake Observation Site.  There were some interesting birds there and a sign about how beavers might have constructed the lake almost 1000 years before.  After taking the 0.3 miles back to trail junction for Echo Lake, I rode about three miles on a big wide road (and a gradually steepening hill) until I reached the Trout Bay Overlook.  Signage in this area got a bit confusing and I had to rely on instinct and luck - by 1640, my plans paid off with a spectacular view of the East Channel and many of the sites I'd seen while paddling a few days earlier.  The wind started picking up at that point so I backtracked to a trail I'd seen that appeared to head towards the ferry landing area.  This turned out to be more of a mountain bike track and I had to be VERY careful as I descended a steep hill towards the water.  After riding about one mile since the Trout Bay Overlook, I intersected with a much wider trail and found a group of young people (mostly girls) walking south.  At this crucial moment, I made an error and missed my chance to turn north and find the beach on Trout Bay.  Oh well...  Continuing south, I pedaled about 2.5 miles in the direction of the ferry landing.  Stops along the way included visiting the boardwalk at Duck Lake, the beach at Murray Bay and an ancient cemetery ("oldest in Alger County").  At the latter location, I was surprised to see lots of American Flags and some recent burials.  The rest of the ride was punctuated by passing pretty cabins on Murray Bay and encountering walkers from the 1700 ferry who had reservations for lodging there.  Just before I reached the ferry landing, I turned down the West Rim Trail and pedaled out to the 1.0 mile marker so I could get a bit more mileage out of my bike rental.  With this extra two miles, I reached 14 for the day and was very happy to sit and wait on a picnic bench at the ferry landing (1745).  I'd done very little stopping all day and was pleased to have ridden 2.8 hours under more rigorous conditions than I usually see while riding a stationary bike in a Fitness Center.  The ferry returned at 1805 and dropped off even more campers.  In fact, there were only three passengers during the return ride to the Mainland...  We reached the dock by 1810 and I thanked everyone while returning my bike.  In my car again, I drove east on MI-28 and stopped at Muldoon's Pasties, which had later hours than the location in Munising, for a pasty combo meal (1820)  I ate outside and covered my pasty (a local "delicacy") with gravy.  The combo also included cold slaw & sugar free Sprite.  With my meal completed, I drove back into Munising and returned to East Channel Brewing Company for the third night in a row.  This time, I had a flight of beers and enjoyed some good (live) music.  The venue was much busier and there was a different bartender (not as nice).  I wrapped up my visit at 1920 and then went in search of some North Country Trail mileage.  After passing my hotel, I drove (via MI-28 to MI-94) for 1.1 miles until I reached the Wagner Falls Scenic Site parking lot.  With the day's adventures completed, I headed back to my hotel (arrived at 1935) and got back online for more teleworking.  Wrapped up my workday at 2130 and then spent the rest of the evening reading and working on Duolingo exercises.  I finally went to bed at 2330.  Another exciting day in the Upper Peninsula!  North Country Trail Today = 1.1 miles / Grand Total NCT = 191.7 miles

Nomad Life - Day 318

After my paddling adventure yesterday, I knew it would be hard to do anything else in the area that was as exciting.  Still, there were hiking opportunities and more beautiful views to find!  This morning, I woke up at 0430 (not intentional) but managed to fall back to sleep until my alarm (0700).  A little sluggishly, I started teleworking.  At 0800, I got breakfast food in the lobby of the Superior Motel (Munising) before going right back to teleworking.  I did take another break (at 0900) for a virtual medical appointment (that ended at 0930).  The rest of my morning was filled with meetings.  At 1145, I ate lunch (leftovers) in my room.  Shortly after that, the room cleaners started opening the door (no knock) but, fortunately, we had a nice exchange.  Other than that, I teleworked until 1800 (a call with colleague ran very late).  After that, I tried to catch up on some blog entries (I'm still falling very far behind...).  I also checked the North Country Trail Mileage that I hadn't fully calculated from the previous few days.  My intention had been to depart the hotel by 1845 but then I got a call from Mollie.  After chatting with her for a little while, I finally left the hotel (for the first time all day) at 1900.  Even that late, the temperatures were in the low 70s and the clear sky wonderful.  Hoping to get a pasty, I looked around in downtown Munising for the places I'd heard about - all were closed by then.  Instead, I went into Pictured Rocks Pizza, hoping for a slice.  They didn't offer those, though, so I settled for a custom pasta dish with lots of cheese and protein (it was good).  While I was eating, Mollie called me back and we talked briefly.  I was finished eating by 1930 and left Munising on my way to the Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore Visitor Center at Munising Falls.  To reach it, I used CR-H58 - when I got to the junction with Washington Street, I started my odometer for some NCT (driving) mileage.  By the time I reached the Visitor Center (closed), I'd logged 0.5 miles.  I didn't have a particular plan at that point but had hoped to hike down to the Falls (which I had never seen unfrozen).  Unfortunately, the trail to the falls was closed.  Undeterred, I started walking on the NCT as it made it's way towards the northeast (1935).  Almost immediately, I was climbing the bluffs and started to see views of Lake Superior from much higher ground than was available in town.  There were very few blue blazes - instead, I had to carefully watch for brown signs with arrows that appeared along the way.  It was clear that I was walking in an extensive cross country skiing zone (lots of signage).  Despite my higher elevation, I got no clear viewpoints of the East Channel but I did get to watch the sun setting during my outbound leg.  At right about that point (2035), I reached the Sand Point Connector Trail Junction (2.8 miles from my car) and started my backtrack in the growing darkness.  Fortunately, I'd brought a flashlight... There were times when I needed to be very careful because the little waterways that crossed the trail turned into deep ravines (or outright cliffs) to my right.  Lucky me - I never lost my way or footing...  My walk was completed at 2135 and my pedometer told me I'd covered 5.6 miles total.  What a nice hike!  Back in my car, I drove back into town and stopped again at the East Channel Brewing Company for one beer.  Like last night, I had the same bartender lady; unlike my last visit, though, the venue was VERY busy.  Not only were there some lines but there was a group of loud locals singing in the outside courtyard; I learned later that they were an official "Sea Chanty Club".  They seemed quite competent and enthusiastic.  When the bar closed (2200), I left with the bar still very busy (I'm sure that the bartender was NOT happy...).  As I drove back to the Superior Motel, I encountered lots of people (including kids) walking in the street (yikes!).  Once I reached my room, I spent more time catching up on my blog, reading and doing Duolingo exercises.  Bed time was at 2300.  Very glad I managed to get some trail time today after a long day of work in the U. P.!  North Country Trail Today = 3.3 miles / Grand Total NCT = 190.6 miles (over 100 in 2026!)

Nomad Life - Day 317

Since my first visit to Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore during the Winter of 1990/1991, I’ve been wanting to return to see the spectacular cliffs and rock formations from the water side.  Today, I got my chance during an afternoon/evening window of marvelous weather.  Before that, though, I had to deal with "real life".  Overnight, I had a very restless sleep (mostly because of highway noises) - I finally gave up on sleep and got up at 0625.  I started teleworking immediately but took a break for breakfast in the lobby of the Superior Motel at 0800.  After that, I worked for several more hours before making  my lunch in my room at 1230.  During a lull in my day, I bought a ticket for a six hour kayaking adventure in Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore - it was surreal that such a bucket list activity might be happening today!  I stayed online until I felt able to back away from my work day (1415).  With temps in the low 80s and a beautiful sunny sky, I left my hotel and headed east towards Uncle Ducky's Paddling.  I used MI-28 and CR-H58 for about 6ish miles and checked in at the kayaking HQ by 1430.  There was time after that for me to pack a full bag of paddling items - I also bought lunch from them because an evening meal was included in the fare for my adventure.  We ultimately departed from staging area at 1455 - I was joined by folks who had paid for both three hour and six hour tours.  We drove (in vans) north to Miners Beach, located within the Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore - on the way, we passed by North Country Trail parking and I later saw the trail itself passing by along the shore.  Once we were out of the vans, we geared up (skirt, life jacket, dry bag, paddle).  Our trip started at 1530: I met up with an older couple from the Outer Banks (Dennis & Gretchen) who were the only other people who had (like me) selected the six hour kayak trip.  Nick was our guide and we had two tandem kayak boats.  Meanwhile, the other (three hour) group had about six boats and departed in front of us after they'd completed their safety briefs.  Once we were one the water, we paddled east for about 5.5 miles.  Along the way, we took our boats into caves under the high bluffs of the eponymous Pictured Rocks.  Highlights included “Nature’s Barcode” (iron, copper, calcite, manganese lines).  The weather was sunny and wonderful!  Occasionally, we were passed by bigger (motorized) boats - the area has lots of tours.  The water was smooth and clear and the light of the sun throughout the waning hours of the day truly brought out the colors on the cliffs - we had perfect conditions!  As we approached a prominent headland, the three hour group turned around.  We were right behind them and stopped to view the shipwreck of the “George”, which had sunk more than 100 years ago.  Nick told us that the survivors were picked up by a sister ship but later sank with that ship in Lake Michigan (all hands lost).  Bad luck, I guess.  For our part, we were having too nice a day to dwell on such tragedy...  We continued on to “Lover’s Leap” Arch, which was a breathtaking image that I'd seen on lots of promo photos, patches and posters.  Nick told us that other kayak groups don't go underneath this iconic arch because of the possibility of falling debris.  I was VERY glad that I'd selected the "right" company so we'd get to transit underneath...  After getting as many photos as I could possibly stand, I joined my new friends as we headed back (west) to Mosquito Beach.  At that location, we had a roughly one hour break for food, rest and walking on the sandy/rocky shore.  I enjoyed the meal I'd purchased and even got some of Gretchen's cinnamon apple sauce (good).  During this time, I learned that Dennis was a 30 year (retired) veteran of the US Navy who was on a mission to lose a lot of weight.  Things seemed to be going well for him and we all encouraged him in his efforts.  I met some young ladies who had a campsite near the beach - they were setting up to cook their dinner in the sand (so cool!).  Nick gave me several recommendations about places to go in Munising (Ron's, Grand Island, etc.) and Marquette (Presque Isle Black Rocks) and I filed them away for later in the week.  After getting back on the water, we started west towards Miners Beach and got a new treat: different lighting from the setting sun.  The rocks and lines of different minerals appeared much different under the new conditions and I didn't tire of observing the effects.  Another treat involved watching a Peregrine Falcon setting up in hopes of catching some of the nesting cliff swallows in the rocks above.  Later, we passed a family of mergansers - Nick said he sees them every day in the same area on the far eastern end of Miners Beach.  Meanwhile, the second three hour tour (same guide) passed us - they seemed to be in a huge hurry.  I commented to our guide that I thought they weren't really getting their money's worth and he agreed.  Sensing an opportunity, I told Nick that I was open to going farther than Miners Beach if we had enough time.  Since Dennis & Gretchen, who had mostly been lagging throughout the day, were open to the idea, we passed the "kayaks out" spot and continued west to Miners Castle.  Nick justified this by telling me that there was only one shuttle and we needed to wait for the back/forth for the three hour tour.  As a result of this opportunity, we got to see the most spectacular sunset.  At Miners Castle, we went inside some more caves (nice) and finally turned around only after the daylight was nearly gone.  We arrived back at Miners Beach at 2050, having completed about 13 miles of paddling (4.5 active hours).  After such an awesome experience, our little group was the very last to leave the water - perfect!  Nick told us that he had to stay behind to bring all the kayaks from the beach back up to the area where the vans waited (seemingly a thankless job) so we said goodbye to him.  Back in the shuttle bus, we rode back to Uncle Ducky’s (arrived at 2110).  I exchanged emails with Dennis & Gretchen (photos) before getting back in my car for the drive back into Munising.  Feeling like I needed a beer, I stopped at East Channel Brewing Company (2130) - the bartender seemed a bit put out due to my late arrival but allowed me a chance for one beer.  Since I was the only customer, I closed up the place.  Before doing that, though, I got a chance to talk to the lady (who warmed up to me) about the business and things to do in Munising.  Once I was done with my drink, I went back to my hotel (arrived at 2210).  Back in my room, I returned to telework and stayed online until 2315.  After that, I caught up on NCT mileage (complicated by conflicting maps).  During the same window, I desperately tried to catch up on blog (after getting to within one day just last weekend, I'm over a week behind again)...  Later, I did some reading and a few Duolingo exercise.  The evening was capped off with some social media posts and I finally went to bed at 0030.  Whew - today was definitely one of my Top 5 kayak trips of all time!