September 27, 2010

Today we said good bye to the Keweenaw Peninsula and headed west to Ontonagon, MI. The Historical Society of Ontonagon County has accomplished somewhat of a miracle in its renovations to the Ontonagon Lighthouse. They have replaced most of the floors and the heating system. At a cost totaling $80,000 in grants and donations, the entire outside of the building has been renovated. The lighthouse was built in 1853. It remained in service until 1963 when a new automatic fog horn and light were placed at the end of the river pier.

The fall colors along M-64 were magnificent today. We passed through several areas that exhibited bright reds and yellows.

We are staying at the foot of the Porcupine Mountains tonight. It is the beginning of the Porcupine Mountain Wilderness State Park which totals nearly 60,000 acres. Virgin timber still accounts for 35,000 acres of the park. One of the biggest attractions in the area is the Lake of the Clouds. The lake is fed by the Carp River that starts high in the Porcupines. It is surrounded on three sides by the mountains, and the valley runs for miles. The average depth of the lake is 15 feet.

This is our third year in Michigan and we have always been 2-3 weeks ahead of the colors. What we are seeing this year was not expected, and many of the local residents tell us that this is a very early fall. Looks like the third time was a charm!

Tomorrow we will be traveling to Manistique, MI.