JULY 25, 2015

MUNISING, MICHIGAN

We have experienced some really poor Internet service over the past few days – even when using my iPhone as a hotspot.  All of the campgrounds have free Wi-Fi but the speed has been very slow and getting text let alone pictures posted has been impossible.  I found that I could get marginal Internet this morning - so the latest post has gone live.

We left Superior, Wisconsin, Thursday morning for Munising, Michigan.  The distance was only 270 miles but it was completely over 2-lane 55 mph roads that dropped to a 25 mph speed limit through every little community spaced about 10 miles apart.  I was more than ready to stop when we pulled into the Munising City campground.

We are on the northern shore of Lake Superior and are fortunate enough to have a huge site.  The campground is full due to this being the prime tourist season up here.  Now, when I say “up here” that’s exactly what I mean.  This is about as far north as I would ever want to be.  Munising is part of what is called the "Upper Peninsula", or to the locals the "Yoouper Peninsula" 

Today’s high temperature did not even hit 70 and the need for A/C in the camper has been minimal. Looking at the weather forecast for Sunday it will not even get up to 60. The surface temperature of the lake water is reported to be about 56 degrees and quickly drops to 40 degrees about 5 feet under the surface.  While I have absolutely no desire to even wade in this cold water there are a whole bunch of folks with blue lips playing in the water.

One of the popular meals here is called a “Pastie”.  Where I grew up a pastie was something you would find in a strip club covering a part of the female anatomy.  The pastie here is what I would call a “Pot Pie”, but there is no pot.  It is a huge baked roll all sealed up with a mixture of meat and vegetables inside.  It is served with gravy and slaw.  The story behind this is that the miners in this area took them to work in a paper bag for lunch.  They were stuffed with any leftovers in their household.

We had our lunch at a local eatery called Muldoon’s.  Nancy and I ordered the chicken pasties.  Some of the others in our group ordered beef.  They were tasty but IMHO had too much bread.  I ended up not eating the bottom of my roll.

This afternoon we took a sightseeing boat tour on Lake Superior along the tall rock cliffs know as the Picture Rocks.  The boat was a 60 foot craft that carried maybe 50-60 people.  The crew member that narrated the tour did an excellent job of telling us about the area, Lake Superior, ship wrecks and winter weather.  Lake Superior is the largest of the Great Lakes.  It is actually the third largest fresh water lake in the world!  In square miles it is bigger than North Carolina.  It is hard to imagine that it was cold enough this past winter for the entire lake surface to freeze.  That just boggles our minds.  Just like the ocean, you look across the lake and do not see the other side.  While the water was calm today, when the wind picks up the lake can have waves over 20 feet high and is the graveyard for many ships.  Yet right now, you will find folks in canoes and kayaks skimming along the shore line.

Tomorrow we will probably just check out the quaint little town of Munising if it is not raining – which is a good possibility.

Sunday we leave here for Mackinac City, Michigan.  Mackinac is also considered part of the Upper Peninsula of Michigan.  This will take us across the Mackinac Bridge ($20 toll) and down the east side of Lake Michigan.  While this area does not have the awe we experienced in the Badlands and mountains back west, it is uniquely beautiful and different than the landscape we are familiar with back home.  But, no matter how beautiful it is, I would not want to live here in the winter.

 Shore line of Lake Superior at our campground

 Our campsite in Munising.

 

 Mr. Muldoon?

This is a Pastie.........

This is a "sister" boat to the one we were on for the Picture Rocks Tour

All of the Photos below were shot from the boat on the tour.  The colors in the rocks (limestone) are from minerals being pushed into the rock by water pressure and then dripping back down.  The caves and arch are all from erosion of softer rock.

 The water in shallow areas appeared green.  You could easily see the bottom in 20 feet of water as shown here.

 This is a waterfall (or infall) at a place called Mosquito Beach.  Keep in mind the water is COLD and outside temperature 69 degrees.  We watched these kids slide down the rocks under the waterfall.

MONDAY, JULY 22, 2014

SUPERIOR, WISCONSIN

We left Medora, ND, Saturday morning and drove straight across the state of North Dakota to Barnesville, Minnesota.  We stayed the one night in a city owned park that provided water, sewer and electric hook-ups.

The next morning we pulled up our jacks and headed for Superior, Wisconsin, where we were to meet up with Lavern/John, Skip/Susan and Torbin/Patty.  Our stay in Superior is scheduled to be for three nights.  I'll share more about this area in another blog posting.

We have been without an Internet connection for the past two nights - even with the Verizon Hot Spot on my iPhone.  Therefore, I was not able to share anything about our last night in Medora.

As I mentioned earlier, we had bought tickets for the Pitchfork Fondue and the Medora Musical show.  Both of these events were held on top of one of the taller hills in the Badlands at an absolutely beautiful location looking out at the North Dakota landscape as far as the eye could see.  There was a slight haze in the air that didn't seem to fit the location.  We were told it was smoke from the forest fires further west in California.  We could not smell smoke but the answer seemed plausible.

The facility had a "cooking area" with three large fondue pots appearing to be about 250 gallons each.  Huge Rib Eye steaks were poked onto the prongs of pitchforks.  When it became time to cook the steaks the loaded pitchforks were plunged into the bubbling fondue pots.  All steaks were cooked about the same - medium to medium well.  Patrons got in line for a buffet offering beans, salad, baked potato, slaw, chocolate brownies, cinnamon doughnuts and water or lemonade.  Once your tray was full from the buffet you stopped to receive your steak and then found a convenient picnic table to enjoy your meal.  The steaks were delicious and for me seasoned and cooked just right.  I can't say I have ever eaten a whole steak that has been boiled in oil, but I do remember the fondue craze from back in the 70's where there was a smaller pot of hot peanut oil in the center of the table and you cooked individual chunks of chicken, beef and vegetables in the pot yourself.  Come to think of it, I believe I may still have a fondue set in the original box colored in harvest gold packed away in the barn back home.  Maybe I should find it and bring it on a trip for a group fondue?

After our dinner we worked our way over to the area where the musical was to be presented.  A 3-level escalator took us from the top level down to the seating area where our seats were literally carved out of the hill (mountain?) side.

Since we had bought our tickets late our seats were in what one might call "the nose bleed section".  We were up high in the seating area meaning seeing the faces of the performers without binoculars wasn't possible.  But, our view of the staging area and the backdrop of the beautiful Badlands was unsurpassed.  The Badlands have been described in numerous ways.  One often quoted is, "Hell with no fire".  Another is, "The most beautiful and restful environment imaginable".  I choose the last one.  Of course, if I was trying to cross the Badlands on foot, horseback or with a heavily laden covered wagon pulled by oxen I am sure I would refer to them as hell.  We must remember this is the way our pioneer forefathers and mothers crossed the west - long before paved highways, tunnels and bridges.

The stage was set-up so that the different scenes could be moved in and out on tracks.  The lighting and sound system were exceptional as were the performers.  Medora has been putting on the musical for 50 years.  Obviously a lot has changed since it started.  It has become a destination event for people from all over the world.  The entertainment was nothing but top class. 

We were further entertained by a pair of Elk on the huge hill behind the stage.  They were not part of the show but keep coming to the top of the hill - perhaps to see what was going on.  At one point a cowboy on horse back rode up to the hill and guided the Elk into another area, but they eventually managed to get back into the spotlight.  I am thinking these animals were not wild as they did not seem to fear the horseman.

The grand finale for the show featured an American Flag projected onto the hill in the background including the logo of the Medora Musical at the very end.  This was absolutely a great show and one I am extremely glad we attended.

We really loved this part of the country even if our campers, trucks, clothes and carpets are now covered with a fine red dust.  Coming down the highway yesterday behind Wayne & Margaret's RV I laughed at the pink to red color of the roof, which is normally white.  Some serious vehicle washing will need to be done.

BTW - I am writing this as I sit in the waiting room of NUUS Truck Center in Duluth, MN.  The air conditioner compressor on the Volvo locked up and quit putting out cold air shortly after we left Barnesville yesterday.  So, it is either pay up and get it fixed or swelter as we drive down the road.  With several thousand miles still ahead of us and the potential for hot, muggy July and August weather I decided it was not a convenience that could wait for my personal attention back in Virginia.

 Steaks on Pitchforks ready to be put into the fondue pots in the rear of the photo.

 Natural backdrop of the Dakota Badlands as seen from the picnic table where we ate our "Pitchfork Fondue" steak dinner before the musical.

 First photo is one of the Elk on top of the mountain.  The red arrow points to them.  The second photo (above) is just a zoom-in on the Elk so you can see the size of their massive antlers.

View from our seats of the stage set.  Notice the mountains of the Badlands directly behind the stage.

The "Old West" buildings have been rolled on stage and the musical show has begun.

 After the intermission.  The sun has gone down and the lights are on.

The America Flag projected on the mountain side behind the stage.

Medora Musical projected on the mountain.