The Yooper Chronicles: Day 3
For day three of our ten-day adventure to the UP and around the Great Lakes, we chose to head north. I’m not sure if others call it, but I always think of the Upper Peninsula as a ‘shark’ shape, and therefore the northernmost point ‘the fin’, and our goal for the day was to get to the very tip of it.
The UP is some of the most beautiful land in the states, with over 300 waterfalls! Pure Michigan says it best: “Michigan’s Upper Peninsula is renowned for its abundance of diverse and ever-changing natural surroundings, which will magnify the senses! Autumn is especially breathtaking here. Experience an adventure like no other, with vibrant fall foliage as the backdrop of every new memory you’ll cherish.” The night prior at the communal firepit, we met a man named Kevin who has been coming to the UP since he was just weeks old, according to him. He told us about Bond Falls, which was in fact the closest waterfall to from our cabin. Unlike Copper Falls the day prior, this location was not in a state park, and was a short walk from the parking lot to the river. As I turned the corner my breath was taken away as the falls revealed themselves. Cascading over 50 feet of hard dark stone, the sound grew louder as we got closer. What amazed me most was the fact that we could get very close to the falls. Of course, my wife immediately wanted to get into the water, but I was able to talk her out of that potential mishap. We did hike up both sides and got some very good photos to share. After about an hour, we set out for some disc golf.
We chose to play Calumet Lake Disc Golf Course. This 27-hole track is set on a beautiful property with lake views and amazing woods golf. The course was immaculate, and we found ourselves among many apple trees. Being late September, the weather was a bit overcast, and we found ourselves playing in a very light drizzle. But the rain didn’t stop us from having an amazing time. While the course lacked in distance it made up for in tight, technical lines. Add to that some elevation and it was a perfect experience. The trees changing from green to red to gold in what seemed like real time just added to the feeling that we were in a magical place. Michigan is known in the disc golf world for having some of the best options, and the UP didn’t disappoint. A cool feature was the many wooden signs pointing in various directions to other popular courses and included distances. In the end, we only played 21 holes because the rain got much worse, and we still needed to get to Copper Harbor.
First, the drive to the harbor was one of the most beautiful of the trip. We were northbound on Highway 41, and the last quarter of the drive we found ourselves surrounded on both sides of the road by massive trees, all shining in various shades of oranges and reds as the afternoon sun finally broke through the rain. Our intention was to check out the lighthouse up there, but we discovered that you cannot access the site by land, and it was too late in the day to book a boat. Instead, we wandered a beach and basked in glory of Lake Superior. Did you know you can put all the other Great Lakes into Superior and still have room to spare? I didn’t either. The natives who lived in this area referred to this lake as a sea, and for all intents and purposes, it is (minus the salt of course). While on this beach we were able to see the lighthouse jutting out on a sliver of land. We skipped rocks across the water and breathed the cleanest air I’ve ever experienced. The town was alive with people everywhere, and we found there was even a brewery up there! Brickside Brewery has some very delicious brews and there was a food truck just outside for munchies. It was the perfect way to finish this leg of the journey. As the sun began to set, we headed back south to our cabin for another night of great company around the fire, and later that night a clear sky full of stars.
Thanks for reading, see you next time!
