2015 06 - 17: Day 3 of Scenic Destinations Across the USA

Day 3        

From Headlands Mackinaw City MI 

to Bewabic State Park MI –

Distance traveled:  232 miles

Early morning lights reflected in the clouds
as seen from Headlands Park 

I was up early in the morning when there was still mist in the air and the low lying clouds were tinted pink by the rising sun.

View to the Mackinac Bridge from the Mackinaw Lighthouse 

Leaving my camping place I headed toward the town of Mackinaw City to stop at the lighthouse for a view to the Mackinac Bridge.   

Driving over this amazing bridge is always awe inspiring and today was no exception.  

Then of course I just had to stop a few more times at scenic overlooks to see the bridge in the distance. 

View of Lake Michigan
from the mouth of the Cut River 

Continuing on my drive I followed hwy 2 westbound along the coast of northern Lake Michigan.  I stopped at Cut River Bridge for a hike down to the river and a lovely view of the lake. 

View of the Cut River and the bridge above 

The path follows the Cut River inland and you walk under the bridge.

Epoufettte (a small town on the bay) has a lovely rest stop with a scenic view to the lake. 

Further west, I stopped in Naubinway at a "pastie" shop to buy a hot pastie for my lunch.

I took my lunch break at the board walk beach were I had a lovely view to the Manistique lighthouse.  I sat on the beach enjoying the sea air, the fresh breeze and the sunshine while getting down to some drawing.  The lighthouse scene was inspiring me to get creative. 

Highway 2 through Rapid River to Gladstone is a very scenic road and you could easily spend an extra day along this section of road stopping for a picnic here, to visit a spring there etc. 

I took a stretch break at the Van Cleve Park in Gladstone where I walked to see this lighthouse and the breathtaking view of the sky above the lake. 

At Escanaba Hwy 2 joins with hwy  35 and turns inland leaving Lake Michigan behind I followed the road to the town of Vulcan where I stopped for the  Iron Mountain Mine tour.  Can you imagine working deep underground with only the light of a candle?

Norway Spring

Continuing west I stopped in Norway at the roadside Norway Spring where I took a moment to sample the refreshing water and to refill my empty water bottles at the spring.

Fumee Falls 

And another stop in Norway was to see the Fumee Falls. There was a lovely trail leading all the way to the top of the falls and from there there  was a beautiful view to the meadow and the trees across the road.   

View of Iron Mountain and surrounding hills 

Continuing on Hwy 2 to where it joins Hwy 141 I followed the road to Iron Mountain.  Here I stopped at the “Bat Viewing and Scenic Overlook”.  It was a little tricky to find as the instructions I had found were not very clear. After stopping for directions I found the parking lot and went for a really nice hike to the overlook.  From here the town and the surrounding hills are spread out in a panoramic display.  (If you are looking for this spot stay on Park Ave past East A Street about another 1/4 mile and you will see the sign on the left).

Bridge over Paint River as seen from the boardwalk 

Another short drive brought me to my final stop of the day in Crystal Falls.  Here I stopped in Lincoln Park (on E Crystal Ave) to walk the boardwalk along the Paint River. 

Finally a short drive brought me to Bewabic State Park where I set up camp while looking at the sky and expecting more rain.  Rain clouds were hanging low all evening.  At at midnight for a brief hour the skies turned amazingly clear and the brilliance of the stars left me breathless with wonder and awe.  And then the clouds descended once more and the rest of the night was filled with the sound of raindrops on my car roof lulling me to sleep most soundly.

Renate Dundys Marrello 

2015 - 06 - 17 

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