Tuesday, August 31, 2010

VACATION – Sunday on Superior


(This blog being sent on Tuesday when aircard signal was available)
We drove west through the U.P. of Michigan as the temps rose and it got HOT…. we had the dash air on so we were comfy, but the winds died down and it got HOTTER. Wow!
We were heading west through Wakefield, Bessemer, Ironwood and on into Wisconsin again.  My GPS showed a small harbor with a campground way up to the north on the shore of Lake Superior called Saxon Harbor… so we drove there.  It is a tiny harbor village with about 10 cottages, 2 small taverns, and a harbor with about 50 boat slips, 2 rings of a county park campground and a lovely beach with high red sandy cliffs that stretch on for miles and miles. 

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Some folks were just leaving the campground with their dogs and said they had been there all week and it was GREAT!  The dogs were allowed on the beach, and not a lot of rules or folks around during the week either.   Plus they gave us all the rest of their firewood!  It was $18 a night with electric… and since the temps had climbed to 93 outside on our thermometer, and it was MUGGGGYYYYY  we gladly forked over our cash for a site and plugged in. 
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The sites are close together, but some shade, and pretty quiet.  There are 7 or 8 other campers here, all seasonal and gone home after the weekend.  Only one tent with some folks in it, and one trailer down on the end.  Up above the marina is another loop with a motorhome and another trailer seeming to be seasonal.  That’s about it.
After we cooled off a bit, we left the dogs in the rig and headed out the Tracker for a ride around the area.  Five miles down a road that ambled along the cliffs of Lake Superior was another county campground, back into Michigan.  It was called Little Girl Point campground.  We scoped it out and saw about 5 sites we would consider for tomorrow night!  It was only $14 a night there with electric, but the sites are something to behold.  Here is one:
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They are all in a row along the steep high cliffs overlooking the waters of the lake… I think we will be moving in the morning!  haha
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We came back and made some burgers on the grill, and then took the dogs for a nice long walk down the beach.  By the time we were there, it was after 7pm and all the weekenders had gone home.  There were only 2 couples on the beach with a friendly dog and a campfire.  We chatted a bit and then we wandered down the beach a ways, snapping pics.

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The shoreline is a high cliff of red clay sand
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Some teenagers were jumping off the harbor edging into the deeper waters.. gosh that water was ice cold, I bet they were catching their breath with each plunge into the icy depths!
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We came back to the camper for cool showers and now are settling in with books and a bit of Sunday Night Football.  There are no digital stations here, but there is one analog NBC station that is a bit fuzzy, but hey, it works.  Many of the small town stations in the U.P. of Michigan that work by transmitter towers did not have to make the digital switchover, so our dual analog/digital televisions come in handy when camping in these areas.  Other folks with only digital television tuners can not get even that station, much less any station around here unless they are on a dish. 
No air card signal here, no cell phone service either.  But there is a well-used pay phone over near the pavilion, and we can see why. Nobody can use their cell phones!  LOL
Our GPS wanted us to travel around the beach and up a high gravelly hill to get back down the to main highway when we leave here.  But we decided to check it out with the Tracker.  WOW!  We would have never made it in the motorhome!  It was all fresh new gravel, just pushed up against the trees and no guardrails or foundation of any kind. Whew!  Good thing we checked it out, NEVER trust a GPS!
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map of area

That is it for the weekend, we will see what tomorrow will bring…

9 comments:

  1. It looks like a beautiful area, and I'm not surprised you moved to the 2nd campground.

    I know what you mean by not trusting the GPS, especially when you aren't on an interstate.

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  2. That second CG looks amazing. What a wonderful place to hang out for a few days. Can't really beat that view!

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  3. The second campground is definitely much nicer. What pretty little rocks those were. I'd have picked up a handful of them.

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  4. Looks like you all have discovered a real jewel with these campgrounds! The price couldn't be better!!
    Enjoy yourself and take lots of pics!!

    Mike & Gerri (happytrails)

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  5. Bet you're loving your toad now!

    I do love my GPS, however. It helps me get lost whereas before I bought it, I had to get lost all by myself. ;c)

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  6. Karen I have taken notes on places to camp in your neck of the woods and was delighted to see you found Little Girls Point. It is a gem! I have camped here many times and like the site farthest to the east. The view from the rv is great especially during a storm!

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  7. What a great area to camp, I think we would have moved to Little Girl Point also it is so neat, bet the dog's enjoyed their run on the beach, We love places that allow dogs a little freedom to roam, but usually keep Rigg's on his leash unless in a designated doggie area. Enjoy your vacation, and be safe out there, Sam & Donna.

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  8. What a great area. Thanks for sharing it on the map! Nice views. I would've had a field day on the shore, peeking at all of those colorful pebbles. :)

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  9. Looks like a beautiful campground, but I must admit I think the second campground looks much better. Look forward to seeing more pictures of it.

    Kevin and Ruth
    www.travelwithkevinandruth.com

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