Boyfriend Extraordinaire is a garage sale junkie, so the amount of stops we made on the way up were many, which added a few hours to our travel time. There were 42 advertised garage sales in Oconto, Wisconsin alone! We did not visit them all, but we did visit quite a few before our regular stop for lunch/dinner on the Oconto River at Hardee's. They must not see many vegetarians in this area, because whenever I order a sourdough burger for B.E., they stare at me for a while and then have to walk in the back to personally explain the order to the cook. Occasionally, they claim to remember us because of this special order. Evidently there are no vegetarians in Oconto. We too our food outside to eat at the picnic table on the river. The meal was quick and the weather was cooling off in the fading sunlight, so we ushered ourselves back into the car and on the road again. (We did wave west toward Oconto Falls, which is the hometown of one of my sweet readers, who was transplanted to Texas. This is now a tradition as well.)
From there, the stops were fewer. (Thankfully.)
As we drove up M-35 from Menominee to Escanaba, we saw our first eagle soaring in the sky above us. I've never seen an eagle that far south and without any massive cliffs nearby, but the sight thrilled us all the same.
We approached Rapid River, Michigan as the sun was about to set, so we made a quick stop at Rapid River Falls, which is a delightful little falls and a fun place to stop and climb on the rocks that parallel the river.
Rapid River Falls
As you approach Munising driving up 94, it's mostly flat or slightly hilly land, heavily forested with occasional lakes and streams visible from the road. About 5 or 6 miles from Munising, you can suddenly see massive, forested elevations in the distance, with the range lights towering from the tops. This makes my heart race. I can see the evidence of the Ice Age, the effect the glaciers had on the land, and I know my favorite lake is near. Munising is near. It is my Promise Land. I might just be the only person who celebrates the Ice Age and all it gave to us with my passion for this particular region of the Great Lakes.
We arrived in Munising just after sunset, and appropriately enough, were fast on our way to the Sunset Motel on the Bay. If you ever go to Munising, you must stay here! The view is beyond words. And we were lucky enough to be renting one of the Sunset Motel's cottages. This cottage was bigger than my home is! Three quaint bedrooms on the upper floor and a sprawling front room, dining room, large bathroom, massive kitchen, mudroom and a sunroom, plus a furnished deck and grill were all ours for 10 days! It was magnificent!
Our Cottage
Photo taken by Boyfriend Extraordinaire
We unloaded the car and turned in for the night after watching some "Law & Order", "X-Files" and The Weather Channel.
Ahhhhhhhh... vacation!
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