Our camping trip in Upper Michigan didn’t go exactly as planned.
Well, planned weather wise. I had planned for sunny skies and warm temps. Mother nature planned for cool temps and rain 🙂
It switched between being damp to plain out downpours. Camping in cold and rain is not always fun, but we are made from sturdy stock so we stayed for the entire weekend and made the best of it.
At Our Campsite:
Em and Alan in front of the campfire. BB is tucked under the blanket. He was so cold all weekend.
We did bring BB’s red hoodie to try to keep him warm. Doesn’t he look thrilled to be wearing it…lol.
Making coffee over the campfire is always fun. Although, we have yet to perfect our technique. We always end up with coffee grinds in our coffee 🙁
The weather caused huge waves in Lake Superior. We have visited this lakeshore a lot and I don’t remember ever seeing waves this big.
My very brave girl dipping her toes in frigid Lake Superior.
Trips Away From The Campsite:
We took a day trip up to Marquette and visited a beautiful park in the area.
We kept seeing cars with surfboards on top of them and I thought “What the hell??? Why would anyone have a surfboard in Upper Michigan?” Um, well, we found our answer:
Yes, the waves were large enough that people were attempting to SURF on Lake Superior. I think I watched in utter shock for a solid 5 minutes.
I just couldn’t wrap my brain around the facts that 1) you could actually surf in Lake Superior and 2) that people would actually WANT to surf in those freezing cold waters. Large waves must be common in the area if people own surfing gear. Huh, life is strange….
We also stopped at Miner’s Castle that is part of the Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore. This is such a beautiful area. The trail down to Miner’s Castle is well maintained and the scenery is breathtaking.
Miner’s Castle. It used to be a lot taller, but a few years back the stones that were on top tumbled into Lake Superior. There are also Pictured Rock boat tours offered that allow you a more up close view of the shoreline.
Standing above Lake Superior looking at the Pictured Rocks below.
Looking along the shoreline.
So pretty. I love all the different colors in the rock.
We survived our camping weekend and enjoyed every minuted of it even through the cold and the rain. I hope you have the chance to visit this extraordinary part of Michigan.
More Camping Trips To Check Out:
Essential Tips to Make Camping With Kids Fun
A Camping Adventure At Custer State Park
How fun! We used to go camping all the time when I was a kid…but I haven’t been in years!
The last time I was at Miner’s Castle was a few years ago–and just a few weeks after that one of the “towers” broke off. I’m so glad I got the pictures I did. It sure has changed (but is STILL beautiful!)
Saw a HUGE flock of cranes heading over yesterday–they must have caught that North wind they need to go. There must have been close to 100. We’re going to stop in Seney to see what’s there–hopefully a bit more than what was there the last time.
Heading out in an hour….have a great week, Deb!