Brian Richardson
Today we took Michigan’s Highway 2 almost the whole way from Stonington to Milakokia Lake; this simple route was a nice change after the roads in Wisconsin. While beautiful, that network of rustic roads required dozens of turns per day and, throughout the state, we had to constantly consult our paper maps to locate roads like “14 1/2 Street,” “Bth Avenue,” or “Unsigned, Unnamed Road.” So as the main navigator, 80 miles straight on HW 2 was indeed a breath of fresh air.
This main drag across the southern UP can be busy at times, but it has a nice wide shoulder and a good old Michigan rumble strip serving as a buffer between us and the traffic.
Highway 2 across the Upper Peninsula
Michigan’s UP (or “Yoop”) is unlike anywhere else I’ve been. It has a mix of northern hardwood forests and the kind of rugged sandy beaches that I associate with the North Carolina Outer Banks. The people here (known as “Yoopers”) have a passion for the outdoors (snowmobiling, sailing, skiing, hunting, fishing, etc) and a Midwest-ish dialect with Scandinavian-Canadian flare. Today we had our first taste of the Yoop’s iconic pasty, a savory pastry traditionally eaten by Cornish miners in the 19th century. These hearty pies, often filled with potatoes, rutabaga, and meat, are pronounced with a short “a” and are not to be confused with their long-a heteronym.
The Yoop’s shape makes an appearance on almost every local vehicle
This morning, we said goodbye to our Stonington hosts Mary and Steve and rolled out into a cool 65 degrees. The sky was covered with blanket of clouds that stuck around for most of the day and dropped some occasional rain. After the brutal sun and heat earlier this week, this rain was another welcome change.
Thank you, Mary and Steve!
Morning rainclouds near Stonington, MI
Home for tonight is a state forest campground on the shore of Lake Milakokia. Since Minnesota, we’ve been fighting a constant battle to escape mosquitoes and biting flies. We joke that our work day begins when the helmets come off and the bugs come out. Here at our campsite the mosquitos are as numerous and tenacious as any we’ve seen over the last few weeks. Out on the dock of the lake, however, a stronger breeze provides at least some safety. Sitting on the dock we ate dinner, shared our daily high-low-buffalo reflections, and watched the sun set over the water.
After writing this blog, I need to make a mad dash through the bug gauntlet to the protection of my tent. But for now I’ll enjoy a few more moments of peace on the water.
Dinner, high-low-buffalo, and a sunset on Lake Milakokia