The Yooper Chronicles: Day 2
This blog series will cover my ten-day adventure around the great lakes, I’m calling it ‘The Yooper Chronicles’, and this is day two:
After a long drive to the UP and settling in at our amazing home for four days, the Two Rivers Hotel and Cabins, we woke up early and ready for a long day’s adventure. But first, Two Rivers is an amazing property with around 10 units on site, all with a rustic log cabin feel, but still having some modern-day amenities like hot running water, wi-fi, and tv. There is a communal campfire where we met and talked with other guests. Everybody was a hunter, looking to bag some turkeys, or even in one case, a bear! We were on the hunt too, but for a different kind of birdie. We were staying in this location for four glorious days, and so we chose a direction and headed west.
Before getting to the disc golf, we decided to check out some waterfalls. I think everybody is aware of Niagara Falls, but there are hundreds of other falls in the Great Lakes area, so we chose to stop at Copper Falls State Park in Mellen, WI. Beautiful barely begins to describe the scenery, so I’ll quote from the website directly: “Ancient lava flows, deep gorges and spectacular waterfalls make Copper Falls State Park one of Wisconsin's most scenic parks. Log buildings built by the Civilian Conservation Corps in the 1930s add to the park's charm. The park offers camping, hiking, bicycling, picnicking, fishing, and swimming opportunities in Loon Lake. The 1.7-mile Doughboy's Nature Trail, along the Bad River, is one of the best hikes in Wisconsin.” We found out there was an observation tower where you could see Lake Superior from the top, so we did that first. The hike to get to the tower was chock full of stairs, only to be met by the tower itself, with more flights to get to the viewing deck. Even with regular gym visits and all the miles of walking from disc golf, we found ourselves with burning quads after the ascent. The views were spectacular, but because of the heavy tree cover, we did not see the lake. Next, we roamed a few of the hiking trails to soak in the many breathtaking views of the falls. Raging waters from three rivers met in a deep gorge in a majestic dance of water and rock and geological time, all there for our viewing pleasure. Words don’t do it justice, and my photos barely capture the essence of the experience. If you haven’t been, add this place to your bucket list.
A quick bite to eat and then we were off to another legendary property in the disc golf universe, Highbridge Hills Disc Golf Megaplex, aka “Mountain Man’s Playground”. Also located in Wisconsin, this massive property hosts six separate courses, with multiple tee pads and basket locations to create an endless combination of holes. You could spend the entire summer up here and never play the same track twice. In fact, you can even rent out camping space on site. We knew we only had time for one round, and we chose Blueberry Hill, a moderate to advanced track with plenty of distance, shot variety, woods, and technical lines to challenge any chucker at any level. Add to that plenty of elevation, and we found ourselves in disc golf mecca. My goal was to shoot one under, and I had the opportunity on the final hole, but missed a 50-foot jump putt only to have the disc roll away into oblivion, and I ended up taking a bogey. Both my wife and I very much enjoyed the experience, and we plan to return when we can spend a lot more time on the property to get the full Mountain Man experience.
To finish off the day we stopped in Bergland, MI for a bite to eat at the newest eatery in town, Trailside Bar and Grill. When traveling in the UP, you have to stay aware of the time. Michigan is EST, while Wisconsin is CST. This can be confusing and may affect when venues are or are not open. But in this case, we were fine, and we enjoyed some delicious local brews and eats and met the friendly manager who herself had just moved back to the UP from Wisconsin. I even helped her update her Google Maps settings so that the new name and updated location would help weary travelers find her in the future. For the most part, everybody we met were super nice and friendly, and we enjoyed answering all the disc golf questions when they inevitably came up
When we go on these trips, we end up playing harder than any long day at work, and this was just one of many 14- or 15-hour days to come. We went back to our cabin, enjoyed some wonderful company, and gazed upon the countless stars before we both dozed off to sleep. Next up, we head north. Thanks for reading, see you in the next one.
