Monday August 28, 2017

Tomorrow’s Ride

Today, we have a short drive to the town of Houghton, Michigan. It is only about 100 miles and will be our jumping off point to Isle Royale tomorrow. It rained hard and steady last night but the rain has stopped and the skies are supposed to slowly clear up today. The driving is easy as has been the case for almost every day of this trip. We have definitely been on roads less traveled. We arrive in Houghton and head to the Visitor center for Isle Royale National Park. We verify that they have our tickets for tomorrows boat ride and buy an annual National Parks pass. We get a picture of the Ranger III which will be our transport tomorrow.

Bridge Reflections

We had debated on whether to drive another 90 miles to the end of this peninsula but have decided to just relax, see the town, and pack up for tomorrow. We park near the water’s edge and get a great view of the Portage Lake Lift Bridge. It is a double deck lift bridge, not a drawbridge, and is quite interesting. The roadway lifts up vertically with a kind of pulley system when larger boats come through. The lower level used to accommodate trains but is no longer used by the railroads.

Pannukakku and Nisu Toast

We walk a short distance towards the main street and stop at Suomi, a Finnish restaurant. It looks interesting so we decide to try it. We have Pannukakku, a custard like pancake, and a Finnish French Toast made with Finnish Nisu bread. We also learn that there is a large Finnish community here and in Hancock across the River. We are staying in Hancock and the street signs have English and Finnish names which you sure do not see very often. After lunch, we walk around town a bit and then drive up to the top of town to check out an old church and the ornate City Hall. We then head over the bridge to Hancock and check into our motel. We will be backpacking for the next four days so we have to unload all of our gear and decide what we are bringing and what food we will need.

Keenawaw Brewing Company

We make a trip back across the river to Carol’s favorite store and fill in the gaps of our food supply. Afterward, we buy a pizza and bring it to the Keenawaw Brewing Company known to the locals as KBC and enjoy our pizza with their beer. At 2.75 a pint, it is imperative that we have at least two. All our chores are done, our bodies are fed and nourished, so we return to our room. We pack our backpacks and settle in for our last night in a bed until Friday night. Good night.