Michigan Junket: Beating Stormy Weather



Planter on the deck at Lac La Belle Lodge

Pics We congratulated ourselves this morning when the early fog burned off and the sun shone brightly on the lake. It was almost hot by the time we left the Marquette Hampton, but the sky was soon overcast and the wind began to blow. Didn't feel it at all in the Corvette, though. Soon rain was falling and I was happy that there wasn't too much traffic on the road.

I think I would have been happy to head home to Minnesota by the time we reached Houghton, but Bob was eager to show me Lac Labelle and Copper Harbor, where he snowmobiled for so many years. On we pressed. I wished that I hadn't forgotten my umbrella in my car the day we left.

Even in the rain, the drive was beautiful, with leaves changing color along the route, as fall began to impose its presence on the land. When we stopped for lunch in the Bear Belly Bar & Grill at Lac La Belle Lodge . I had a great bowl of chili and Bob enjoyed his BLT. We both ordered a glass of local beer, both delicious.



Brockway Mountain

By the time we finished lunch, the sky had cleared and we were soon riding in full sunshine. We drove into, but didn't visit, For Wilkins, where the ranger steered us toward Brockway Mountain. We made our way along Hwy 26, south to Eagle River, where we turned away from Lake Superior. Views of Lake Superior were spectacular. A lone kayaker paddled silently as the waves lapped lightly on the sandy beach.

By this time, I was fading fast but Bob's stamina has been increasing with each day, and I was afraid that he still had a couple of hundred miles in him. Fortunately, he was ready to stop in Houghton. We made a nostalgic stop at the Ramada Inn in Hancock, an old snowmobile stop across the Portage River from Houghton. We were assailed by the mildew and decades of cigarette smoke locked in well used furnishings, and my heart sank, thinking that the lovely bridge and river view would trump a less scenic hotel down the road.

I needn't have worried. After a few minutes waiting for a front desk service rep, the oppressive odors and seedy appearance of the place did their job, and Bob decided he couldn't stay there. We made our way to the new Country Inn and Suites, where our king room still has a new hotel smell. No view or ambience, but clean comfort counts for something.