12/1/2022
At the end of October, I had a week or so to kill before heading to family in Illinois, and drove to Duluth to do laundry and found a spot behind the Holiday gas station near the lake walk and by a trailhead. The lake walk is really pretty and I walked around a bit and had dinner before I settled in for the night. It was pretty quiet considering that it was next to the highway. At 3am I awoke to knocking and went to the windows, but no one was there. I then realized that I didn’t open the window for the propane heater and opened it and went back to sleep. The next morning most of the lot was full, but I didn’t hear a thing until the morning. Hmm…
I left for Michigan around 9am and drove on Hwy 2 into Wisconsin.
There was a visitor center and I discovered that the Apostle Islands are a national park. I had no idea that there was one in Wisconsin! So I grabbed my Passport and got my stamp. The grounds at the visitor center focused on native plants and though it was late in the season, I was able to take a few snaps of the fall colors.
Porcupine Mountains is at the western end of the Upper Peninsula in Michigan. The campground was right on the lake and it was deserted because it was the last weekend that they were open. The bath house and water were already shut off, so I was on my own with that. But it was so peaceful and the water was beautiful, with some fishing boats chugging along the shoreline.
I was hoping to see the Northern Lights, but the sky was quiet. I went on a few good hikes and saw a small lake and enjoyed the views of Superior. The weather was cool but sunny and it was a great weekend. I found a hotel nearby that offered me a shower for just $10. That worked for me.
Driving through Wisconsin, I spent a night at my aunt’s and there is an awesome trail behind their house. I showed Mar and Ron my pictures of Niagra Falls and they would love to go there. The next day my cousin, Michelle stopped by and we talked about Yellowstone. No, you can’t honk at the bison on the road! I thought that was pretty funny, actually, and explained how the park is wild and you can’t feed the animals. It was the usual stuff that I tell people who are curious, but have never been to a national park. After, I took some selfies with the family and went on my way. Next time, I’ll stay a little longer.