{"id":2323,"date":"2023-11-17T22:56:46","date_gmt":"2023-11-17T22:56:46","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/woodyoutdoors.net\/?p=2323"},"modified":"2023-11-17T22:56:46","modified_gmt":"2023-11-17T22:56:46","slug":"a-great-tour","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/woodyoutdoors.net\/?p=2323","title":{"rendered":"A Great Tour"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

\u201cThe legend lives on from the Chippewa on down, Of the big lake they called Gitche Gumee<\/em>.\u201d These lyrics from Gordon Lightfoot\u2019s 1976 hit song The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald<\/em> echoed across the water of Lake Superior during our travels through the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. It was late September in northern Michigan and Theresa and I were celebrating with an early 35th<\/sup> Anniversary trip. We chose to visit the big three, the greatest of the Great Lakes-Michigan, Superior and Huron. Our plan was to see them by land-on shore, and by water-off shore. We wanted to climb their impressive sand dunes, wander through their surrounding forests, and explore some of their famous waterfalls. Let the tour begin!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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The Great Lake Trip Route<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n
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Theresa poses at Sand Point Beach, along South Bay of Lake Superior<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n
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Fall foliage in the UP was just about at its peak.<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Theresa had never visited this area, and it\u2019s been 40+ years since I had travelled through here. Our route included 8 states, 3 Great Lakes, 2 National Parks, 2 National Lakeshores, and a handful of state parks, that included picturesque landscapes and rich history! Most of our time was spent with the \u201cYoopers\u201d of Michigan, and discovering the secrets and beauty of the big lake the Ojibwe\u2019s called \u201cGichigami\u201d (large body of water)-Lake Superior.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Me and the big guy enjoying a local favorite-a Pastie!<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n
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Sunrise over Lake Superior<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Two of our scheduled stops included some of the most remarkable sand dunes in the Great Lakes region. They were Indiana Dunes National Park, just east of Chicago, and Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore, about 4 \u00bd hours north. Both are located on Lake Michigan\u2019s eastern shore, in the Lower Peninsula. The dunes are a unique, fragile ecosystem, always changing with wind and weather. They were formed when the underlying sandstone geology was broken down from glaciers, and wave action from Lake Michigan deposited (and still does) sand on the adjacent shorelines. In some areas, the dunes remain bare sand, while in many other areas vegetation now covers the massive sandy bluffs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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