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

· by · in Michigan, North America, USA. ·

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.

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.

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”.

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

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80 responses to “A road trip around lake Michigan : Marquette, in the heart of the Upper Peninsula”

  1. Pingback: A road trip around lake Michigan : Exploring the East shore | Darwin on the rocks and around the world·

  3. Pingback: A road trip around lake Michigan : The murky waters of Tahquamenon falls | Darwin on the rocks and around the world·

  6. 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?

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    • 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 !

      Liked by 1 person

  8. 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..😄

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  9. 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.

    Liked by 1 person

    • 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 ! :-)

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  10. 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!

    Liked by 1 person

  12. :D blueberry cider with blueberry on top :D 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!

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  13. 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 :)

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  14. 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 :D 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!

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    • 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 ;-)

      Liked by 1 person

  15. 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! :)

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    • 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 ?

      Liked by 1 person

      • 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. :)

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        • 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 :-)

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  16. 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. :-)

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    • 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 !

      Liked by 1 person

  18. 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.

    Liked by 1 person

  20. 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

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    • 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.

      Liked by 1 person

  22. 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!

    Liked by 1 person

  24. 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.

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    • 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.

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  26. 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

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

      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 !

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      • 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.

        Liked by 1 person

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