Les Flâneurs

When a peninsula is not a peninsula

A momentary geographic diversion relevant to our recent trip to the Upper Peninsula of Michigan.

I know many of you have asked the same question I had when looking at the map: when does a peninsula stop becoming a peninsula?

Answer: when it either becomes an island or widens so much that water is no longer distinctively surrounded on three sides.

Ah, yes, but what do is meant by "distinctively surrounded"?

I'm leaning toward the view that once you go west from Marquette, the Upper Peninsula may not in fact be a peninsula since it no longer is surrounded by water on three side. Or is it? There is significant difference of opinion on this within the family at the moment.

To continue beating a dead horse, it would also seem that the Keweenaw is not a peninsula either and may in fact actually be an an island. Note Portage lake seems to cut the Keweenaw off from the mainland and at the upper end is reportedly a short canal dug in order to connect one side of Lake Superior with the other.

We live in exciting times.

End of the Northern Road Trip

September 27-28.

Well we're back at our home in Grand Rapids. The drive to Huntley, Illinois was smooth and largely devoid of traffic snarls although there was the occasional slowdown between the Wisconsin Dells and Madison, Wisconsin.

Anyway, after about 6 hours on the road we got to our hotel, checked in and appreciated a quiet bed to take a short nap before dinner.

We met up with Greg and Joyce for pizza at Lou Malnati's in Lakewood. A pizza staple of the Chicagoland area for decades, Lou Malnati's has a fun and funky vibe inside and the pizza along with the services was very good indeed.

The four of us spent a couple of hours catching up; we hadn't seen each other since earlier last year when Greg was in the hospital after a fall off a ladder at home. We shared warm and lively conversation as always, littered with plenty of laughs.

After a round of hugs and good-byes we headed back to the hotel for the night.

Monday morning we were took our time over coffee and a light breakfast in our room before packing up and heading out. We wanted to give the morning commuter traffic plenty of time to thin out before hitting the road around Chicago.

It was a relatively pain free four-hour drive home. Although (as always) the traffic along I-80/90 through south Chicago and northern Indiana was heavy it moved along, and for that we were grateful. And the roads, which were in various states of reconstruction here and there, were familiar.

The trip was short but oh so very sweet. Yes, we ended up spending some 35 hours in the car covering more than 1,900 miles on roads of varying quality behind drivers of varying intelligence. But two things of note stand out: first we got to experience truly remarkable parts of our country we had never seen before, learning one or two things in the bargain while also catching some spectacular glimpses of the coming autumn colors; second, we got to spend quality time with family. You can't ask for much more than that.

Minneapolis

September 26.

The day began with rain which continued more or less most of the day. A good day to be inside. Yesterday we had learned from niece Rachel that grandniece Marlowe was going to be at a skating lesson this morning so we got the deets for the time and place and headed over to the Bloomington Ice Garden. A massive three-rink facility that caters to all skaters young and old was a short drive from our hotel, and we arrived in time for the 11 AM session.

It took just a question or two once we were inside to learn where Marlowe's class was to be held. Along the way we met a woman whose daughter was in the same class and, since she's a local, she steered us to rink three.

Between the warm conversation with Laura and watching the kids on the ice going through their movements we enjoyed ourselves very much indeed.

rink three before skating lessons

Marlowe is in the white top and blue leggings center back in the photo below.

Marlowe's group

After saying goodbye to Rachel and the kids we headed back to our hotel where we dropped off our car and called an Uber to take us into town. While we would've loved to have dropped into WJM and visited with Mary, Lou, Murray, Ted, Sue Anne and the rest of the gang, our goal today was to visit the Minneapolis Institute of Art.

Like Cleveland and St. Louis this museum is also free -- Grand Rapids could learn a thing or two here -- and we enjoyed an hour or so strolling through the "European and American Art before 1900" galleries.

It wasn't so much that we had limited time as we had less inclination to spend on contemporary art, Egyptian or Ancient art.

Prairie School architecture and design

Below are a number of paintings that struck us in so many ways (how do we count the ways??).

View of Tangier from the Seashore (1856-58) by Eugene Delacroix

Portrait of Countess Maria Theresia Bucquoi neé Parr (1793) by Elisabeth Vigée-Le Brun

Fishing Vessels Offshore in a Heavy Sea (1684) by Ludolph Backhuysen

(the bride) After the Reception (1887) by Douglas Volk

We were disappointed that the restaurant was closed and, since we were eager for a bite of lunch, we Ubered back to the hotel and had a light repast next door at Mallard's. Stephen Engels claimed the food was good and we weren't disappointed: Susie had a salad and I thoroughly enjoyed a small bowl of red beans and rice.

That evening we drive the four minutes to the Engels home where we got a chance to see their new space -- and of course get the tour of the kids' rooms. Marlowe kindly treated us to a few tunes on her keyboard and we were properly wowed.

The meal was based on a recipe from Stephen's mom Rita who lives in the northern suburbs of Minneapolis. A braised chicken dish with mashed potatoes; we brought a loaf of cheese bread which was the weak link of an otherwise scrumptious meal.

Susie, me, Stephen with Elliott and Marlow in front, Rachel snapping the pic

Conversation was lively, lots of laughs about one thing or another, along with more down-to earth and personal talks about life. We were a bit sad to have to say goodnight. But we have another leg to go tomorrow as we head to Huntley, Illinois to visit my brother Greg and his wife Joyce. One night there and then it's home Monday,

Lake in the Clouds

September 25.

We lingered over coffee and breakfast before packing the car, locking the house and headed out for the next leg of our journey. After stopping for gas in L'Anse we pulled onto Route 41 to Baraga and then turned onto Route 38 in the direction of Ontonagon and Lake Superior. Although our ultimate goal for the day was Minneapolis, we opted for a detour to Lake in the Clouds, which is sort of on the way to Minnesota.

The morning was crisp, clear and traffic surprisingly light given that the colors were beginning to pop in large swathes. We easily found the entrance to the Porcupines Wilderness State Park, home of the Lake in the Clouds, along the 107th Engineers Memorial highway out of Silver City. The drive through the park ever upwards around twisting worn beaten roads amidst the dense forest dotted every so often with trailheads was comforting and felt cozy rather than claustrophobic. The parking lot at the dead end was surprisingly packed with quite a few vehicles, so many hikers out enjoying the several trails through the "porkies" as these hills are affectionately referred to by locals.

The boardwalk up to the very overlooks provided our first glimpse of the Lake in the Clouds and the stunning views were evidence that our morning detour was well-worth the drive and time.

From the Porkies we returned to Silver City and made our way on, ever westward - Bergland, Wakefield and finally Ironwood at the state line where Michigan becomes a wholly different place altogether, called Wisconsin.

We stopped at the Northern Great Lakes Visitor Center just outside of Ashland, Wisconsin, to take a break, use the bathrooms and have our packed lunch of rollups and an apple.

Eventually we pushed onward to Superior, Wisconsin where we crossed the St. Louis river into Duluth, Minnesota. As we traveled over the bridge we could see several weatherbeaten freighters loading/unloading readying themselves for the next journey across that most superior of lakes.

We were now on I-35 heading south to Minneapolis. Susie spelled me at the wheel giving me a chance to appreciate this part of Minnesota as we whizzed down the highway.

After some 140 or so miles we found ourselves in the midst of an enormous traffic network during rush hour so we were truly thankful for our GPS to help guide us to our hotel.

After checking in and settling in we cleaned up, dressed and made our way to a nearby noodle bar to meet up with Steve, Rachel and the kids for dinner.

The evening passed pleasantly, catching up with the Engels family and laughing about one thing or another (that family is adept at laughing). It was a great way to end a long day of travel through the upper midwest.

Tomorrow Minneapolis calls!

My Finnish heritage

September 24.

According to my DNA results, it seems that, among other ethnic groups, I am 1% Finnish. So it should come as no surprise that I was drawn to the Finnish Heritage Center in Hancock, Michigan, across the Portage river from Houghton.

After a leisurely morning of coffee, fruit and cereal, we pulled out onto Pequaming Road. Passing through L'Anse, Chassell and Houghton we pulled up in front of the Finnish Heritage Center in Hancock. Unfortunately we missed the Sami Reindeer exhibition that had closed the previous day. But there were still some photos and trinkets to be seen as the staff was dismantling the exhibit.

In spite of that the Finlandia art gallery in the Center is packed with wonderful works of art by the popular Finnish artist Akseli Gallen-Kallen. Prints of his striking artwork are scattered on the walls around the hall.

the Finnish Center community hall setting up for a dance that evening

We did however get the chance to chat with a couple of the staff members about the various events hosted and sponsored by the Center. We heard more about the 2023 closure of Finlandia University. It was a painful experience for the staff and students, as one might expect and, based on what we were hearing, very poorly handled by those in charge of the transition. Launched in 1896 as Sumi Opisto (Finnish College) and Theological Seminary it was originally connected with the Lutheran Evangelical Church in America to meet the needs of the growing number of Finns emigrating to the US. But with falling enrollment and financial challenges the school shuttered just three years ago.

We also explored the small but very evocative wartime museum on the ground floor of the Center. A stark reminder of how important the Finnish word sisu is to the Finns. Sisu loosely translated means "guts" but so much more. Resilience in the face of adversity, and "an inner reserve of strength that allows a person to keep pushing forward when they reach the absolute limits of their mental or physical capacity."

From Hancock we continued on Route 41 north to Calumet where we planned to stop for lunch. We parked on main street (which isn't called main at all but 6th Street) and popped into the Michigan House for a bite to eat. We had our minds set on soup and we both opted for the soup of the day, garlic potato, washed down with a brace of local brews. Susie opted for the Black Rock again and I went for the Keweenaw "Widowmaker," a black ale that was scrumptious. I should point out that the logo for the "Widowmaker" is a woman holding a pneumatic drill -- the very same type of drill that we were warned about the day before at the Quincy Mine, an instrument notorious for killing so many of its users due to dust inhalation.

the soup came with a large "boule" which didn't look fully baked - not the best

After lunch we strolled down a block or two to the memorial for those killed in the horrible Italian Hall fire of 1913 during a widespread strike in Copper country. Rumor has it that company thugs blocked the doors so no one could get out. We also passed the Calumet theater next to which was a statue of Anna Klobuchar Clermenc, a labor leader in the early 19th century. It is unclear, although doubtful, whether she's related to Amy Klobuchar, senator from Minnesota.

Italian Hall memorial

From Calumet we made our way to M-203 in the direction of the "big" lake and stopped at McLain State Park so Susie could put her feet in the water. The park is located along a stretch of lovely sandy beach behind a breakwater that is actually the entry into the Portage River.

these folks are serious about emergencies

And speaking of that river we cruised along the Portage all the way back to Hancock. We drove through Houghton one last time watching the students stack themselves up along the crosswalks while we whizzed by. We pushed on until we reached Arnheim road between Chassell and Baraga where we turned off in search of the Hanka Finnish Farmstead and Museum.

I had received a call back from a volunteer at the homestead earlier in the day and we knew that there would be no tours until the weekend and indeed no staff at the farm, but he said we were welcome to stroll the grounds anyway.

And so we did.

The Hanka family settled into this part of Michigan wilderness in the late 19th century, raised their family and lived a life devoted to sisu. The farmstead is located off a couple of dirt covered backroads and by the time we arrived it was late in the afternoon. The air was cool in the shade and we were the only ones to be seen.We found a map of the grounds in a nearby kiosk and just made ourselves at home, thinking the Hankas would not mind if we just walked around a bit thinking of how they struggled to make a life for themselves and their descendants in this very wild corner of the world.