It’s not what you think. We are not in trouble and nothing has happened. We are just at the end of the road. County Road 550, to be exact. This road ends in Big Bay, a tiny town with a nice county park and campground, about a half hour northwest of Marquette.
In the 123 miles it took to get here, we did a lot. It felt a little like a triathlon, with paddling, swimming, and biking, although this was the non-athletic version. Most triathletes I know do not use electric bikes.
One of the areas we visited had some signs describing renovations and one of the things on the list for next year is a controlled burn to deal with a lot of dead stuff (fuel) just waiting to be touched off.
Next stop was the Au Train River, a nice place for some kayaking. Some articles that we read suggested the five-mile section between the Riverside Bridge and the Doucette Bridge as the favorite, with the added bonus that the shuttle between put-in and take-out is less than 3/4 mile. Many people will continue beyond the Doucette Bridge an extra two miles and end up in Lake Superior, but we chose not to do this because that section becomes very marshy.
We dropped the kayaks off, I drove to the take-out point and walked back to the kayaks. No spotting a vehicle, very easy.
The Au Train is very calm and slow-moving, with no obstacles, so it is a very easy river. The only challenge is lots of curves so there’s lots of steering required. A very easy and pleasant paddle, and we covered just over 5 miles on two hours and twenty minutes. Looks like a very popular place by the number of outfitters in the area and the stacks of kayaks that each one has. I’m glad we’re here on a Tuesday instead of a weekend.
There was a sign with a set of rules posted at the put-in place. I didn’t realize that some of these were a problem, but, hey, maybe nude, foul-mouthed people frequent these parts...
Right near where the Au Train river drains into Lake Superior is a turnout from Route 28, a parking spot with beach access. And a beautiful beach it was. We parked there, changed into swim wear, and jumped into Lake Superior. It isn’t often that one can swim in this lake as it’s always very cold, and some of that chill could still be felt, but wow, did it feel good to spend some time in the water. Not only was it a great section of coast line, it was a nice sandy beach also. After over two hours in the sun, it certainly helped bring the core temperature down.
We drove on to Marquette and stopped at the visitor center, about two miles east of town. The Iron Ore Heritage Trail runs right by the visitor center, so it was a convenient parking spot to start a bike ride.
We rode through Marquette and on to Presque Isle, taking the two-mile loop around the island. Lots of people here today, especially by the black rocks, a very popular spot for jumping into the lake. We already had our time in the water and we didn’t have our suits along on the bikes, so we just watched for a few minutes.
Getting a little hungry by this time, so we rode into Marquette, to Lawry’s Pasty Shop, and had us each a Pasty. In all our trips to the UP, we’ve never had a pasty, despite the many places that serve them. Deb did some research and Lawry’s bubbled to the top of several pasty lists, so we stopped there.
The pasty came out of the mining industry as a portable and nutritious meal, which used readily available ingredients. Hence the meat, potatoes, onions, rutabagas, and a few other variations. Kind of like a bunch of stuff wrapped in a pie crust that could be held by hand. Very filling also. Gotta keep those miners satisfied.
The Lawry’s pasty was delicious. And it was filling. And probably very caloric. Now I can say I’ve had a pasty.
We had to bike almost six miles back to the RV with a pasty in the belly, a bit of a challenge made easier using electric bikes. About 20 miles on the bikes, all told.
We made a stop at Wright Street Falls, just outside of Marquette. These had the interesting feature of an aqueduct, made out of wood, coming from the Forestville Dam. This aqueduct leaks in many places, so it just spouts water in all directions and dribbles onto the path to the falls. I’ve never seen one like this before. Oh, and the falls were nice also it’s just that this sort-of dominated the scene.
This area has many miles of mountain bike trails, and is becoming quite a destination for mountain bikers. We walked one of the trails back to the RV and saw a few bikers on the trails. Very technical and challenging. Looks like a lot of fun but probably way above my pay grade.
Next stop was the end of the road, where we are now. The evening is deliciously cool, so sleep should be amazing.
186 miles traveled today. 1001 Miles total so far. Progress so up till now:
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