The Minis take Michigan - 2023 Michigan Road Trip Day Fourteen: History, Geology, and Sugar
Day fourteen of our RV journey through Michigan with highlights of the trip, sites and destinations along with food, fun and ideas for your trip through Michigan and the Upper Peninsula. We have been finding things to do in Michigan with fun adventures, places to see and visit and more. Today we explored Keweenaw Peninsula.
September 1
We wanted to drive the length of Keweenaw Peninsula today, and see Copper Harbor. We got an early start so we could see as much a we wanted to see.
We passed the Quincy Mine and decided that since it’s always 45 degrees in the shaft, we would visit later in the day when we were warm and wanted the coolness. As it turns out, by the time we got there the tours were sold out, so we bought tickets for a tour tomorrow.
Calumet
We drove around the town of Calumet. I used the Atlas Obscura and the Roadside apps to find interesting things to look at. We stopped for a few minutes at the Italian Hall Historical Marker. In 1913, during a Christmas party full of striking copper miners and their families. Someone in the building yelled “FIRE” and there was a stampede of people trying to escape. There was no fire. Of the 73 people who died, more than 50 of them were children. And this, boys and girls, is why we don’t yell “fire” in a crowded theater.
After we reached the end of the peninsula, and headed back to camp, we stopped again in Calumet for lunch. We walked a few blocks down the road, then chose Cafe Rosetta for sandwiches and coffee, and outdoor seating so Zappo could sit with us. I was tempted, but didn’t buy a nisu, which was a cinnamon roll with cardamom. Because I am avoiding sugar, you ask? Oh, hardly. Read on.
Sugar fix: deluxe
On our way to the end of the peninsula, we turned off Highway 41 and opted for the coastal rout of highway 26. We stopped in Eagle Harbor. Bill had heard of a place to buy jam made by local Poorrock Abbey monks from the Holy Protection Monastery. The Jampot Bakery is a popular stop and I read a few places to get there early or they may be sold out. We bought a peanut butter and jam brownie, and a bottle of maple syrup, and a jar of blueberry jam. While we were eating the brownie, Bill showed us the cookies he bought, so Tony went back in for cookies too. Oh boy!
Oh, I almost forgot. In Calumet we bought some fudge. I am getting fatter just writing this.
Tomorrow morning we will fry some bacon, and make waffles so we can test the maple syrup.
Geology, but not by me
We’ve been watching videos by Alexis Dahl, a science communicator, writer, and artist based in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula. She is fascinated by the geology of Michigan, and she shares it in such a positive, interesting way that I won’t compete! Her video about Keweenaw Peninsula is totally worth a watch. Spoiler: it’s a huge lava flow super rich in copper. Go watch it, I’ll wait…
Fantastic, right? Alexis makes learning so interesting! We saw that ridge today, and I thought the same thing Alexis did: it’s like a dragon’s backbone. We drove along that ridge on Brockway Mountain Drive, a kind of rough road with beautiful views, and dozens of mountain-bike riders. We saw a lot of trails for walking, bicycles, and snowmobiles. The Brockway Mountain Lookout offers a stunning view of Copper Harbor and Lake Superior.
Fort Wilkins
We drove through the town of Copper Harbor, and a few miles later the highway ended at Fort Wilkins Historic State Park. We wandered around the fort for a good while. I love historic sites that set up old homes to show how people lived in them. For some reason, I particularly love kitchen setups. There was a lot of information about the laundry women at the fort as well. Also, I stepped inside the prison with it’s small, bare cells. Chilling.
Return to camp
Since we had driven the coastal route out, we returned on Highway 41 back toward Hancock. As I mentioned, on the way we stopped back in Calumet for lunch, and then went across the street to a gift shop that seemed to have a lot of traffic. We got a copper ornament in the shape of the UP. Tony took a sneak peak into the Keweenaw Heritage Center. A docent told him that the former St. Anne’s church building was privately owned in 1994, and the owner wanted to sell off the stained glass windows. A group of local citizens raised the funds necessary for the Charter Township of Calumet to purchase the building for rescue and restoration. Pipe organ music was heard inside the building while we were outside.
We stopped at the mine and reserved our tour for tomorrow. We stopped for a few groceries, and headed back to camp. We weren’t very hungry so everyone just grazed on their own, and we sat in the gazebo and the guys tasted a few beers that Bill purchased from Keneewah Brewery while shopping.
We covered a lot of miles and saw lots of interesting sites today, and we are tired!
