Northern Michigan and through the Upper Peninsula

Northern Michigan is a gorgeous wonderland as pictures attest.  Most of the "campers" along the way are good people, easy to talk to, very helpful, and many times also Christians.  From Labor Day weekend through September 24 we visited 7 locations with awesome views and experiences.  We were reminded of the majesty and testimony of God in creation! We traveled with Linda's brother Gary, his friend, Nancy Kauses as well as our niece and her husband, Kim and Mark Murphy for the last 6 days.   Here is a highlight list with pictures:

• Mesick, MI: Beautiful Hodenpyle Dam Pond (1680 acres) created by a dam on the Manistique River - John sang Johnny Cash songs on the Saturday night karaoke.  We've enjoyed a lot of bike riding as well.
  
  
  
  
  Gary, Linda, Nancy, John
  
  Nancy, Gary and Cooper
• Sleeping Bear Sand Dunes on the Leelanau penisula are estimated to be 2000 years old. This dune is a "perched dune" as it sits atop a 450 ft high plateau high above the lake.  If you choose to run/walk/rool down...it will take you 2 hours to climb back up!  Gary did that 4 years ago!
  
  
  

• Crossing the stunning Mackinaw Bridge:  70 years in the planning.  As the technology advanced to allow it....it was completed in 1957. 
  

• We saw the annual antique tractor crossing of the Mackinaw Bridge.  There were 1500 antique tractors crossing the Mackinaw bridge for thier Annual Crossing:  Farmers and their families are "down-to-earth" people (no pun intended).   It was a joy to encourage and help celebrate with the farmers.
  
  
  
• Spending a day on Mackinaw Island with bicycles, visiting the famous Grand Hotel, viewing the beautiful homes and vista's on the island: Yes, we were allowed on the porch and in the lobby at no cost.  A great time to relax after riding bikes around the island.
  
  
  
  
  
  

  
  

  

  
  

  

  
  

  

  
  
• The Gorgeous Tahquamenon Falls both Lower and Upper Falls.  600,000 people a year visit the falls.  In the late spring as much as 50,000 gallons of water per second goes over the falls.
  
  
  
  
  
  
• The Shipwreck Museum at White Fish Point (remember the Edmond Fitzgerald?) Since the Great Northern Lake was discovered by the French in 1621, over 550 shipwrecks have occured in Lake Superior.  The most famous is the Edmond Fitzgerald which broke apart in a massive storm off of Whitefish Point on Novermber 10, 1975.
  
  
  
• The Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore on Lake Superior - Stunning!  The top thinner layers are hard rock while the majority of the structures are eroded sandstone resulting in shape, caves, etc.   The different colors are from the various minerals (iron, copper, manganese and limonite)
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  Including a great 6.5 mile hike to see the fantastic Chapel Rock up close. This lone tree survives solely through the roots that have have held on to the main shore while the sandstone erodes away causing this rock pedestal.
  
   
• Historic Fort Wilkens State Park in Copper Harbor, the northern most point of MI with a gorgeous sunset.  Gary Sheets with Cooper against the sunset over Munising Bay.
  
  
  
• The Porcupine Mountains Wilderness area and heavenly Lake of the Clouds and more waterfalls than can be seen in one visit.  The couple in the Bond Falls picture set is our neice Kim Murphy and her husband Mark. Thanks for your help, Mark and Kim!
    

  

  
  
  
  
  
• We are now back in Michigan's lower peninsula for 2 weeks of downtime and several visits with long time friends and relatives we haven't seen in years.  

Thank God for his majesty in the creation!!

John and Linda

Weber's Chosen Odyssey

September 29, 2021