We hit the road early on Friday and had a downer right away- a FIB (if you don't know, look it up...hey- my grandma reads this) sent some road rock flying into my windshield, which immediately cracked and spidered pretty badly. Ugh- looks like that needs replacing. Eyes peeled for moose, but none spotted.
We got to Houghton, MI (pronounced: HOE ton) at lunchtime and had soups, salads, and beers at The Library followed by after lunch beers at Keweenaw Brewing Company. We also passed two universities that keep the area bustling- Michigan Tech University and Finlandia University (yes, FU) in neighboring Hancock. I had a little reminder of my Midwest journey since I had been offered an interview at MTU and turned it down (What if? Bet it's cold there...). After replenishment, we visited the Keweenaw National Historic Park up the road in Calumet. We toured the visitor center to learn more about Copper Country and heritage of the UP. Very interesting stories, including strong cultural influences from European immigrants who came to the area to work in the copper mines. After the museum, we swung into another brewery right down the road for a beer and appetizers for dinner- Red Jacket Brewing Company. Calumet used to be called Red Jacket, hence the name of the brewery. Breweried out for the day, we headed for our rental cottage in Eagle Harbor, my first Air B&B rental experience! I was excited to see how close we were to the water and literally right next to the lighthouse- perfect! The evening was spent watching the sunset and viewing the Eagle Harbor Lighthouse. Listened to Lake Superior waves all night long.
KBC in Houghton, MI
A series of historical sites, including former mines, churches, museums and lighthouses, became Keweenaw National Historic Park in the 1990s.
Sunset from Eagle Harbor
Eagle Harbor Lighthouse, this building est. 1871
Couple of lighthouse enthusiasts do the Keweenaw.
On Saturday morning, we took a scenic ride up to Copper Harbor, the most northern town in MI. I didn't realize that it's a major mountain biking destination, so there were lots of bikes and bikers all over town. We went to Fort Wilkins State Park, featuring a fort built in the 1840s to keep the peace in Copper Country. They never saw any battles, and life was very lonely at such a remote post. The fort saw major restoration to rebuild some of the buildings that were lost with time. The park was well designed as an open air museum, allowing visitors to walk in each of the buildings to see displays, read signage, and get close to rooms that depicted what life would have looked like. Some of the buildings included the hospital, bakery, jail, mess hall, and officers quarters. It was easy to lose track of time. The state park also included the Copper Harbor Lighthouse. The park has worked hard to renovate it, but unfortunately the boat tours required to transport visitors to the island to go inside the lighthouse had ended for the season. Next it was time for lunch- we selected Mariner North for sandwiches, and then stopped in to Brickside Brewery for beers. Then it was time for the scenic drive back to Eagle Harbor to tour the Eagle Harbor lighthouse and museums. The tour docent was from Green Bay, of course, and gave us a primer on the lighthouse and some of the keepers. Very informative! One of the keepers was wounded at the Battle of Gettysburg in the Civil War. The skies were looking cloudy and it got windy and drizzly, so we walked back to the cottage and opted for some R&R through the late afternoon. After it cleared, we took a walk to the Eagle Harbor beach and then watched the sunset. Windy all night long.
Fort Wilkins State Park- the fort was a remote outpost established in the 1840s to "keep the peace" in Copper Country. Amazing the conditions and isolation these soldiers experienced.
Sulter's store at Fort Wilkins
Copper Harbor Lighthouse
On Sunday, I watched my second sunrise over the lighthouse and we visited the Eagle Harbor Life Saving Station museum before we had to hit the road. The Life Saving Service was the precursor to the Coast Guard- they had some restored lifeboats and other life saving equipment, told the stories of heroic rescues of ship crews along Keweenaw Point, and highlighted the motto of the Life Saving Service: "You have to go out, but you don't have to come back." We headed south again to Houghton for brunch at Suomi Home Bakery & Restaurant- we had Finnish breakfast pancakes and got some pasties (rhymes with the word nasty) to go for dinner. Our next stop was Alpha MI Brewing Company for some beers and the first half of the Packers game. Alpha Brewing is located in the small town of Alpha almost on the Wisconsin line- it's in a repurposed building next to a big old school which was a pretty neat setting. Rain started as we made it back to Wisconsin. Pasties from Suomi were delicious for dinner- a great finale to a great trip. Oh, and the Packers won.
Good morning from Eagle Harbor Lighthouse!
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