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!