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MichiganNorth AmericaUSA

A road trip around lake Michigan : Marquette, in the heart of the Upper Peninsula

March 20, 2015 80 Comments

Road trip around Lake MichiganI’m going to go back in time, and share with you our incredible 2 months road trip that took place in the US during summer 2013. This series is about one of the natural wonders of the world, the Great Lakes !

For the ones who have missed the first parts :

– A road trip around lake Michigan : Exploring Milwaukee.

– A road trip around lake Michigan : Driving across Wisconsin

So far, the road trip was exceeding all our expectations and we had a lovely time exploring Wisconsin. We left Green Bay to spend a few days in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. The peninsula is surrounded by Lake Superior on the North. It was time for us to discovered our second great lake !

We arrived in Marquette under the rain, and we couldn’t denied it, the climate had changed compared to our lovely Wisconsin. It was mid-afternoon, and we wanted to make the most of our day, despite the bad weather. We headed towards Presque Isle Park, and its iconic lighthouse. The wind was really strong and we were happy to have brought our waterproofs with us. There was a brake in the water where you could walk  all the way to the end … We didn’t go very far due to the strong wind. There were several coves along the shoreline of the island, and in many you can find agates and other beautiful stones (a lot of people are picking them up). For the last picture, I took them from inside the car, the weather was really really bad. It was time for us to go back to the motel.

Presque Isle Park
Presque Isle Park
Presque Isle Park
Presque Isle Park

The next day, we drove towards Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore. Multicoloured sandstone cliffs, beaches, sand dunes, waterfalls, inland lakes, forest and wildlife,.. you can find all of that in this national park. The sandstone cliffs have been naturally sculptured into shallow caves and arches by the waves throughout time. That was so pretty, everything was really green and lush. The weather was a bit better than the day before, but quite chilly.

Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore
Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore
Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore
Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore
Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore
Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore

In the evening, we had a stroll in Marquette and had a drink in a local pub where I had my (in)famous “blueberry cider”.

Marquette
Marquette
Marquette
Marquette
Marquette
Marquette
Marquette and the famous infamous blueberry cider

Today, I can still remember the disappointment I felt when they brought the regular cider with blueberries floating on top of it… 😀 I guess, everyone would have been disappointed…. right ?!

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Next Article A road trip around lake Michigan : The murky waters of Tahquamenon falls

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80 Comments

  1. wholeproduction Reply
    March 23, 2015 at 5:18 pm

    Looks like great fun 🙂

    • darwinontherocks Reply
      March 23, 2015 at 5:34 pm

      It was a lot of fun ! Staying a few days at the same place would have increased our chance of good weather though…

      • wholeproduction Reply
        March 23, 2015 at 5:41 pm

        Okay 🙂

  2. Amanda Afield Reply
    March 23, 2015 at 9:29 am

    Your photos are making me wish for summer! I’ve only been to Detroit, so I guess I haven’t seen the best of Michigan 🙂 I’ll have to go back at some point!

    • darwinontherocks Reply
      March 23, 2015 at 10:40 am

      Haha, after seeing Drug Incs (the National geographic TV show), we did everything to avoid Detroit !! 😉 Indeed, I don’t think you’ve seen the best 😉

      • Amanda Afield Reply
        March 23, 2015 at 5:44 pm

        We were driving from Niagara Falls out to Illinois, and stopped there to visit a friend who lives in the suburbs and he took us for a quick tour of the city. Not as bad as everything I’ve heard, but definitely not a tourist destination!

        • darwinontherocks Reply
          March 23, 2015 at 5:48 pm

          haha, I understand better ! For a little stop over, maybe it’s not that bad 😉

  3. thelittleswamp Reply
    March 22, 2015 at 10:17 pm

    Very pretty place and beautiful pictures!

    • darwinontherocks Reply
      March 23, 2015 at 9:28 am

      It was a nice town, and we were able to walk near Lake Superior, which was great !

  4. Hugh's Views and News Reply
    March 22, 2015 at 9:13 pm

    Blueberry cider sounded the kind of drink I would love, then I saw your picture. Was it refreshing anyway, and did it taste of blueberries?

    What a shame about the weather, and in early September as well. I guess you are on the very northern edge of the USA now and you must have been able to see Canada? Or was it too far away?

    • darwinontherocks Reply
      March 23, 2015 at 9:23 am

      It tasted like regular cider, and from time to time, I was bitting on some blueberries…. Interesting concept, but not what I’ve asked for 😉

      We saw a bit of it when we were in Marquette, but we didn’t cross the border 🙂 Were were not far way, but we kept it for another time !

  5. mytravelmonkey Reply
    March 21, 2015 at 9:51 pm

    Oh blueberry cider sounded soooo promising! That’s not great is it?

    • darwinontherocks Reply
      March 23, 2015 at 9:20 am

      No, it’s terrible. I was expecting so much ! I’ve never tasted a blueberry cider, I was so impatient … all of that for nothing 😉

  6. Sha Reply
    March 21, 2015 at 4:14 pm

    Photos look good! Love all the greens and blues…😄 oh and not to forget your blueberry cider..haha…I didn’t get it at first but I figured it out..haha..😄

    • darwinontherocks Reply
      March 23, 2015 at 8:39 am

      Yeah… the floating blueberries were shocking and disappointing ! Have a nice week 🙂

  7. Robin S. Kent Reply
    March 21, 2015 at 2:00 pm

    Great images, especially since you had only recently obtained your DSLR. The post reminds me of one our annual road trips a few years ago, driving up the eastern side of Lake Michigan, over the Mackinac Bridge across the U.P. to Duluth, then down to Wisconsin and Door County where we enjoyed one their famous “fish boils.” It was August so while at Picture Rocks we were lucky to catch sight of the monarch butterflies that had just crossed Lake Superior on their way to Mexico.

    • darwinontherocks Reply
      March 23, 2015 at 8:38 am

      Oh so you did it anti-clock wise ? It seems very popular, I wonder what’s the best choice. We’ve seen a lot of people coming in the opposite direction when we were driving.

      Very interesting fact about the butterflies, I wasn’t aware of this migration route ! 🙂

  8. lexklein Reply
    March 21, 2015 at 1:47 pm

    I’m enjoying your writing and photos of my own general region; you make it look a lot more interesting and exciting than I usually find it! And your expression in the cider photo is priceless!

    • darwinontherocks Reply
      March 23, 2015 at 8:33 am

      Haha, it must be seen differently through the eyes of tourists like us than locals 🙂 It’s my disappointed face ! 😉

  9. lumar1298 Reply
    March 21, 2015 at 1:21 pm

    What a fantastic road trip… Lovely pictures to show for…

    • darwinontherocks Reply
      March 23, 2015 at 8:26 am

      It’s a lovely region, with very nice people ! Have a nice week

  10. Indah Susanti Reply
    March 21, 2015 at 11:15 am

    😀 blueberry cider with blueberry on top 😀 your expression is priceless to see! It sounds really nice to drive around USA – two months on the road with such views – that’s awesome!

    • darwinontherocks Reply
      March 23, 2015 at 8:25 am

      I was very disappointed I must say !!! :p It’s awesome, the best way to discover some parts of the US for sure 🙂

  11. rosemaylily2014 Reply
    March 21, 2015 at 8:21 am

    I’ve loved looking at all your beautiful photos Gin – I know it was quite cold but it looks stunning! I would have been disappointed with “blueberry” cider too – pear cider for example is just like apple cider but made from pears no bits floating about in it. Am looking forward to the next instalment of your Great Lakes Road Trip! Have a lovely weekend 🙂

    • darwinontherocks Reply
      March 23, 2015 at 8:04 am

      It was a very nice looking town 🙂

      Yes, I was expecting something like that for the cider, like a purple drink or something a bit darker, due to the blueberries 🙂 I hope you had a nice weekend !

      • rosemaylily2014 Reply
        March 23, 2015 at 2:54 pm

        Yes thanks it was a lovely weekend – it’s my birthday today so we had an early birthday treat yesterday with the family. Went to the zoo and then lunch at a lovely restaurant. Blueberry cider …. maybe someone can invent it sounds as though it should be delicious! Hope your weekend was good too! 😃

        • darwinontherocks Reply
          March 23, 2015 at 5:30 pm

          Oh, Happy Birthday then ! 🙂

          My weekend was good, but busy 🙂

  12. Mabel Kwong Reply
    March 21, 2015 at 5:32 am

    Beautiful photos. What a scenic trip around lake Michigan. All that walking and hiking must have made you very tired and thirsty at the end of the day…and so sorry to hear about the blueberry cider. Not very inventive 😀 If it didn’t taste that bad, I’m supposed that would have been okay… 🙂 Talking about food disappointment, yesterday I ordered the chicken paella at Nandos. The chicken on the rice was tasty (as you would expect from Nandos), but the rice was soooo plain, no flavour at all and I felt like I was eating cardboard!

    • darwinontherocks Reply
      March 23, 2015 at 7:43 am

      I was starting to feel a litle tired of walking and driving everywhere (but it was even worse the week after, when we were in New York). I think it’s important to take some day off when you are travelling otherwise, you end up really really exhausted 🙂

      Food disappointment is the worst, I agree !!! I always expect something better than what I can do myself 😉

  13. twobrownfeet Reply
    March 21, 2015 at 3:35 am

    Love the pics. You guys find all the perfect places to go to! I’ve been looking up on some of the amazing road trips in the world and the US has some incredible routes. You do look a little tired. But, looks like you’ll had good fun too! 🙂

    • darwinontherocks Reply
      March 23, 2015 at 7:34 am

      It was at the end of our 2 months of travelling, and we were starting to become a little tired of driving and hiking all the time 😉 The US has a lot of possibilities when it comes to road trip ! Which part of the US would you go for a road trip ?

      • twobrownfeet Reply
        March 23, 2015 at 7:53 am

        2 months is a loooong time! I’m not sure if we could do more than a month. Come to think of it, we’ve never done more than 2 weeks on any trip. 🙂 We want to cover the national parks, for sure. I had come across a good site that gives advice for road trips across the world. We’re tempted with Alaska as well. 🙂

        • darwinontherocks Reply
          March 23, 2015 at 9:31 am

          I’m so tempted with Alaska as well, there are so many opportunities for outdoors activities and hiking !

          For our road trips, we try to do a minimum of 3 weeks, to be able to take our time and enjoy ourselves without stressing to much about a timetable. But I’m sure it’s possible to do it in 2 weeks as well, maybe we’ll have to change our plans in the future when Le’s timetable will become more and more complicated.

          Would you mind to share the website ? I’m quite interested to have a look 🙂

          • twobrownfeet
            March 23, 2015 at 11:03 am

            I agree with 3 weeks. It’s too stressful otherwise. And the trip becomes a mad rush of choosing what to see vs what’s worth it. The website is http://www.losapos.com/ Maybe, you’ve seen it already. There was a website on road trips in the US. Don’t remember that one. Ireland and Scotland look exciting too. I must confess, I find the travelling and hiking tiring. Really amazed with the stuff people do.

          • darwinontherocks
            March 23, 2015 at 12:08 pm

            No, actually I didn’t know this website ! Thank you so much for sharing it with me 🙂 !

            We are going for a 3 weeks road trip in Scotland in June/July, we are very excited ! We are planning to hike a lot, but easy to moderate hikes 😉

            Travelling and hiking can be tiring, that’s why you can add some lazy stuff to do as well, not to be too overwhelmed 😉

          • twobrownfeet
            March 23, 2015 at 12:40 pm

            I was pretty amazed by the number of road trips listed on that site. I’m excited for you guys. Are you’ll considering Ireland?

          • darwinontherocks
            March 23, 2015 at 1:07 pm

            I would love to visit Ireland as well ! And since I’m not a big fan of hot countries, I think it will be one of our next destinations 🙂 It also looks so green !

          • twobrownfeet
            March 23, 2015 at 1:15 pm

            Don’t rule out hot countries. You’d be surprised with how cool winter months could get! 🙂

          • darwinontherocks
            March 23, 2015 at 1:16 pm

            Yeah, thankfully, winter months are more bearable ! 😉

  14. Jane Reply
    March 21, 2015 at 1:19 am

    I really hope to visit the Great Lakes one day. It’s still hard for me to comprehend lakes which are so vast and look more like a sea. Beautiful photos! Thanks for reminding me of one of my “to do” places on earth. 🙂

    • darwinontherocks Reply
      March 21, 2015 at 9:34 am

      Sometimes, they are referred as inland seas, I quite like the term and it makes more sense to me, since it has such powerful waves and great currents. If you have the chance, I don’t think you will regret it. Have a nice weekend !

  15. Maria F. Reply
    March 20, 2015 at 10:02 pm

    Beautiful images, I’ve heard so many nice things about Michigan.

    • darwinontherocks Reply
      March 20, 2015 at 10:03 pm

      I think it’s an underrated destination, but it’s really worth the visit.

  16. joylovestravel Reply
    March 20, 2015 at 6:34 pm

    That’s not what I would have expected with blueberry cider either – bummer!!!! The pictures are great – they give the illusion of hot sunshine and balmy weather, it’s the raincoats that give it away!! Sounds wonderful though, no matter what the weather.

    • darwinontherocks Reply
      March 20, 2015 at 6:43 pm

      The description was really misleading.. When I ordered a peach cider, I’m not expecting seeing peach bits floating around 😀

      It was definitely not hot, but in the evening, the second day, we had a wonderful weather. It was sunny, and we enjoyed the blue sky (with a jumper of course ;-))

      • joylovestravel Reply
        March 20, 2015 at 7:54 pm

        Well, a jumper is something we always bring anyway – you never know when you’re going to need it!! Have a great weekend.

        • darwinontherocks Reply
          March 20, 2015 at 7:59 pm

          It true, it’s an essential to bring along 🙂

  17. newyorknorthfineart Reply
    March 20, 2015 at 6:18 pm

    Wow! These are amazing photos! Thanks for sharing your trip with me!~Rita

    • darwinontherocks Reply
      March 20, 2015 at 6:39 pm

      Thank you for stopping, I’m glad you enjoyed the post. Have you ever been there ?

      • newyorknorthfineart Reply
        March 20, 2015 at 9:29 pm

        No, I haven’t, but I would love to see it! ~Rita

  18. Lucy Reply
    March 20, 2015 at 4:41 pm

    Absolutely gorgeous photos! That blue water redefines the color blue. And yes, the floating blueberries look a bit disappointing haha 🙂 Thank you for the virtual trip! Have a lovely evening! x

    • darwinontherocks Reply
      March 20, 2015 at 4:50 pm

      The colours were really vibrant. And in that evening in Marquette, the light was fabulous. We had a stroll along the lake, it was so nice. Chilly, but nice. Thanks, you too !

  19. Sreejith Nair Reply
    March 20, 2015 at 4:12 pm

    What an incredible landscape…

    These images are really inviting 🙂

    Thank you so much for sharing and have beautiful weekend 🙂

    • darwinontherocks Reply
      March 20, 2015 at 4:29 pm

      The landscape is quite fascinating, and then your realize the power of these lakes, they are able to shape the rocks around, it was very impressive. Thanks for stopping by, and I wish you as well a beautiful weekend 🙂 How is the weather over there ? Not too hot ? Here it’s beginning of spring, and it’s starting to be very pleasant.

      • Sreejith Nair Reply
        March 21, 2015 at 10:54 am

        We are well into summer and it’s burning hot outside 🙂

        Till June, it will be just like this…

        We have moderate temperatures in only December and January, and that’s the best time to explore South India 🙂

        • darwinontherocks Reply
          March 23, 2015 at 8:06 am

          Good to know the best time to visit the area 🙂

  20. realplacespeoplestories Reply
    March 20, 2015 at 3:50 pm

    Wow, after reading all your post from Lake Michigan I start to be really fascinated! Though I have heard about it, I had no idea it was THAT big with so much amazing things to see around it! You really made me want to visit it as well, Gin! Your pictures are amazing as always!

    • darwinontherocks Reply
      March 20, 2015 at 4:21 pm

      Before taking that trip, I never really thought about visiting the Great lakes, but it was one of Le’s wishes, so I thought, why not, let’s do it ! And I didn’t regret it, there is so much to see around, it’s another side of the US that is worth visiting. So different from California and the West in the general.

      • realplacespeoplestories Reply
        March 20, 2015 at 6:31 pm

        Seems like Le knew what to expect there! It really looks amazing! I do not know the west side of the US yet neither, so I should take a trip there as well 🙂

        • darwinontherocks Reply
          March 20, 2015 at 6:40 pm

          I will talk about it extensively later I think 😉 There is so much to say 😉

  21. T Ibara Photo Reply
    March 20, 2015 at 2:52 pm

    I loved ‘following’ you on this trip, my friend 🙂
    Wishing you & L a great weekend!

    • darwinontherocks Reply
      March 20, 2015 at 3:04 pm

      Oh thank you ! It was an epic road trip. We done several of them, and each one was very different ! This one was relatively stress-free compared to the other ones 🙂 Have a nice weekend as well, any plans ?

      • T Ibara Photo Reply
        March 20, 2015 at 3:06 pm

        I have to work on Sunday, so tomorrow (Saturday) I hope to relax with my husband. Maybe go to the zoo 🙂 Thank you for your reply!

        • darwinontherocks Reply
          March 20, 2015 at 3:08 pm

          Haha, the zoo ! I hope you will take some pictures for us 😉

    • seeingthrough35mm Reply
      March 21, 2015 at 2:03 am

      Thanks Takami, you too

  22. billgncs Reply
    March 20, 2015 at 1:28 pm

    We cycle from Chicago to Milwaukee along the lake sometimes, it’s such a beautiful ride. I grew up alongside lake Erie, and one of the most beautiful things I ever saw was the sunset on lake Erie when it was frozen over. The Great Lakes are a treasure. I’m enjoying your travels.

    • darwinontherocks Reply
      March 20, 2015 at 1:34 pm

      Oh, Chicago to Milwaukee, it’s quite far away !! How long did it take you to do that ? That sounds impressive !! With the car we really enjoyed the ride, so I can imagine how fabulous it is on a bike.

      I’ve seen pictures of the great lakes half frozen, and it was so beautiful. I believe you ! Do you have pictures by any chance ?

      The Great lakes are really a treasure, I agree with you. It’s worth the visit. It’s nature at its best.

  23. rutakintome Reply
    March 20, 2015 at 1:22 pm

    Michigan is so beautiful!!

    • darwinontherocks Reply
      March 20, 2015 at 1:38 pm

      It is ! And the lower and upper part of Michigan are so different one from each other. We had wonderful memories from that trip, despite the harsh weather. Do you have a favourite place over there ?

      • rutakintome Reply
        March 20, 2015 at 2:58 pm

        We used to live in the Battle Creek Kalamazoo area in Gull Lake. My favorite spot is South Haven. I love the light house, and the lakeshore.

        • darwinontherocks Reply
          March 20, 2015 at 3:07 pm

          The lighthouse looks very iconic, and on the pictures I’ve seen, the waves crashing on it seem gigantic !

          • rutakintome
            March 20, 2015 at 4:09 pm

            I prefer the ocean as opposed to the lake, but that lake can have incredible waves!

  24. explorvistas Reply
    March 20, 2015 at 1:20 pm

    The look on your face is priceless, Gin! 🙂 I love cider, but that is too funny.

    We have a saying that the weather in the U.P. is 9 months of winter, followed by 3 months of bad snowmobiling. 🙂 When the weather is nice, it is a beautiful place to be. Fall colors are outstanding there in late September. I will try to blog about that this coming autumn.

    Jim

    • darwinontherocks Reply
      March 20, 2015 at 1:30 pm

      I was really disappointed, I was so excited to try “a blueberry cider”. And then, that’s what I got 😀

      I can imagine with a bit of sunshine, everything must be different, and with the autumnal colours, it must be fabulous ! We didn’t have an amazing weather, but we loved it ! We loved the atmosphere, it is so quiet, so green. The nature is fabulous over there.

      I would be delighted to see your autumnal pictures 🙂 Have a nice weekend !

      • explorvistas Reply
        March 20, 2015 at 1:38 pm

        In Grand Haven (Spring Lake, actually) there is a cidery named Vander Mill. They have outstanding craft ciders, and their blueberry cider is the real deal. If you ever make it back this way, it is worth seeking out.

        • darwinontherocks Reply
          March 20, 2015 at 2:41 pm

          We are planning to visit the East Coast at one point, so I’ll bookmark this reference for later 😉 Thank you for the recommendation ! It’s always good to know some good addresses 😉

  25. Jack Flacco Reply
    March 20, 2015 at 1:15 pm

    Absolutely gorgeous photography. Kudos!

    • darwinontherocks Reply
      March 20, 2015 at 2:34 pm

      Thank you ! At that time, I only had my dslr for a few months, a lot of stuff could have be done better I reckon. Oh well, we are all learning at one point, right ? 🙂

  26. Pingback: A road trip around lake Michigan : Exploring the East shore | Darwin on the rocks and around the world
  27. Pingback: A road trip around lake Michigan : The murky waters of Tahquamenon falls | Darwin on the rocks and around the world

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