Checking Out the Da Yoopers Tourist Trap

 Anything with "Yooper" in the name is worth checking out. Since we were going right by Da Yooper Tourist Trap Museum and Rock Shop, I figured we might as well stop. 

Da Yooper Tourist Trap Museum and Rock Shop is located in Ishpeming. It is right off of US 41. It is open daily and has plenty of parking.

Da Yooper Tourist Trap Museum is part outdoor museum, gift shop, and rock shop. 

I was excited to check out the museum of unique Yooper-isms. The hubby was less than enthused. Everything is cleverly labeled and more or less a history of living in the U.P. 

Some of it was historical.

Some of it was hilarious. 

Of course the nod to St. Vince was my favorite.

Inside you could find more artifacts.

We did not spend much time in the gift shop. It was crowded and hard to browse. If I was with Stacy or Heather (or my cousins or mom) would have had a blast. It is just that kind of store. 

We did however spend some quality time in the small rock shop next store. They had various rocks from Michigan. The hubby was excited to get some real copper. The shopkeeper was very friendly too.

If you like corny roadside attractions, this is a must stop. If you are like the hubby and don't appreciate a little corniness on vacation, you may want to keep going. 

302. Take a glass bottom boat ride

 When we went to Pictured Rocks a few years ago, I really wanted to do the Glass Bottom Boat Shipwreck Tour but it closed for the season on September 30 and we were there October 1. I kept it on the bucket list especially after Heather said how cool it was.

Glass Bottom Shipwreck Tours operates out of Munising, MI. It is open daily Memorial Day weekend to September 30th. There are at least 2 tours a day, up to 5 during peak season. Cost is $41/adult and children 6-12 $15 and $1 for kids under 5. There is parking across the street from the dock. Reservations are highly encouraged especially in summer. The tour lasts about 2 hours.

We sat upstairs on the port side of the boat. Everyone gets a chance to view the two shipwrecks regardless of where you sit. There are four viewing wells on the lower deck and when we got to a shipwreck, the passengers on the lower deck would be able to view the shipwreck while the captain explained about it. Then they would take their seats and the passengers on the upper deck would make their way down to the viewing wells and the captain would tell more information about the shipwreck while navigating over the entire shipwreck both times. 

Unlike the Pictured Rock Boat Cruises, you actually don't get to close to Pictured Rock National Lakeshore but will still see similar landforms. It takes you around Grand Island. 

Our first stop was the Shipwreck Bermuda which went down in the waters of Lake Superior in September 1870. It was moved to the Murray Bay location in 1873, full intact. We were able to see the entire ship including the mast from the viewing wells on the lower deck. 

We then cruised past the East Channel Lighthouse. 

This is where we saw several bald eagles.

We made our way our the island and saw some sea caves. 

Before heading back to shore, we checked out the Herman H. Hettler shipwreck. She went down in November 1926 while trying to seek shelter from a storm. This wreck is actual visible from the surface as the water is pretty shallow. 

The wreck of the Herman H. Hettler is scattered across a half mile of lake bottom. The anchor is nearby. 

This tour was well worth it. The captain tells corny jokes and is very knowledgeable. Jimmy Buffet is playing on the way back to shore. 

Even if you have the Pictured Rock Boat Tour, do this one as well. It gives you a different and you get to see shipwrecks. Who doesn't like shipwrecks.. especially when I don't have to paddle a kayak on Lake Michigan (and back) again. 

6548. Dip my toes in all the Great Lakes -- Lake Huron

 I want to dip my toes in all the Great Lakes. I realized I could accomplish thee of them on this trip to the U.P. I didn't realize I could do it in one day. I dipped my toes into Lake Superior in the morning at the Great Lakes Shipwreck Museum.. we found a rest stop with a view of the Mighty Mac and easy access to Lake Michigan. That just left Lake Huron and I knew where I could do this.

In my planning, I saw American Legion Memorial Park was not that far from our hotel and had a beach. Last night after we checked out the Wawatam Lighthouse, I made sure that it was too far to walk to with the hubby. He confirmed it was too far for him to walk. So we planned on driving over to it today.

American Legion Memorial Park in St. Ignace has a rocky beach along the shores of Lake Huron along with pavilions, a playground, and picnic tables. 

I did not realize the beach was rocky. I was expecting a sand beach like back home. The rocky beach made it slightly painful to get to the water in bare feet.

Let me tell you, Lake Huron was FREEZING! It was as cold as I would have expected Lake Superior to be. I'm glad I only dipped my toes in. 

There were some swimmers doing laps in the open water.

A few kids playing in the waves.

I was satisfied with just dipping my toes in and then going to sit and watch the waves crash every time the ferry came in. 

I wonder when and I will get to dip my toes in Lake Ontario and Lake Erie. 

Checking out Cut River Bridge

Going up on the shores of Lake Michigan I have spent plenty of time in and around Lake Michigan but I wanted to dip my toes in three Great Lakes on the same day. This lead us trying to find an easy spot for me to dip my toes in Lake Michigan. The hubby's spot didn't pan out. I knew we should have checked out the northern most point of Lake Michigan. However on this mission, he pulls into Roadside Park thinking we might be able to walk down to the lake. 

Roadside Park is where one parks if they want to see the Cut River Bridge and Gorge. It's a bridge the hubby has no issue driving over. The Cut River Bridge is a cantilevered deck truss bridge... one of two in Michigan. 

You can walk under the bridge to cross the road. From there you can take a set of stairs down to the gorge, hiking trails, and possibly Lake Michigan. We did not do this as the hubby claims he walked enough that day and who knows if we would have made it back up. Maybe one day we will explore the gorge.

I'll be honest I didn't know this was a roadside attraction. If I did it probably would have gone on the list of things to see in the U.P. 

It was kind of cool to see the cantilevered trussells supporting the bridge and seeing it (kinda) from underneath. 

There were some wild raspberries in the park. I has have tempted to pick some but I didn't feel like climbing through weeds to get to them. One day I will pick wild berries. 

If you like bridges and things, definitely check out the Cut River Bridge the next time you are in the U.P. It is right on Hwy 2 as you are heading towards St. Ignace.  

Dining Adventures -- Moofinfries

 One of the things that 101 Things You Should Do In the Upper Peninsula suggested was to have white fish. I am not a huge fish fan but having fresh white fish sounded appealing. We needed dinner for our second night in St. Ignace, so I figured fish was a good option. I don't remember if the book mentioned Moofinfries or if Google suggested it but based on the name alone, I was sold. 

Moofinfries is not quite a hole-in-the-wall restaurant just more like a roadside diner. Located on Hwy 2 in Naubinway, Moofinfries is opnen daily 11-7 during the summer months. 

It is not a large place but has enough empty tables when we were there. 

Moofinfries gets it's name because that's all they serve. Burgers (Moo), Fish (fin), and Fries. The burgers come grass fed beef cows on his brother's farm. If his brother doesn't have beef, there are no burgers. He gets his fish from one supplier and if he doesn't have fish that day, there is no fish. The fries are hand cut when you order them. It is a very simple operation. 

Obviously we came for the fish. We both ordered fish and fries. 

We each got 2 fillets of deep fried white fish and plenty of fries. The fish came with lemon and tartar sauce. I normally detest tartar sauce. However, the hubby was like try the tartar sauce. It was amazing. It is more of a creamy dill sauce than traditional tartar sauce. The owner said his wife makes it. I would pay money for that recipe. 

The fries were good too. They even have malt vinegar for the fries. 

We were too full from dinner to have the homemade ice cream they also sell. 

Next we said we wanted to try the burgers. 

If you are in the U.P., definitely try to make it to Moofinfries. It is worth every penny. 

3156. Go to Oswald Bear Ranch in Newberry

 I knew we had a couple hours in the afternoon after checked out Tahquamenon Falls before we had to start heading back to St. Ignace. The book 101 Things to do in the U.P. mentioned going to Oswald Bear Ranch or MI DOG to see the sled dogs, both in Newberry. Only Oswald Bear Ranch was going to be open. I gave the hubby several options for the afternoon and he decided that Oswald Bear Ranch was the best option.

Oswald Bear Ranch is located just north of Newberry in the Upper Peninsula. It is open Memorial Day Weekend through the first Sunday in October 9:30-5. It is $30/carload. Vans are $30 up to 6 people and $10 for each additional person. For solo travelers it is $15. There is plenty of parking on site. 

Oswald Bear Ranch is a black bear conservatory and is the largest black bear only ranch in North America.  They have several enclosures featuring natural habitats. The males and females are kept separate as it is illegal to breed black bears in Michigan.

The hubby's question to me when we were deciding where to go was  "Is this a zoo?" Oswald Bear Ranch is most definitely not a zoo. It a space where rescued bears can roam in their natural habitats. You can walk around the pens to view all the bears. 

Our first stop was the males and they were some big bears. You can buy apples to feed them so they were ready to snatch up those pieces and enjoy a tasty treat. We walked around the entire enclosure which is about a 1/2 mile loop. 

One bear was even swimming.

We checked out the females as well. They liked to roam.

I even convinced the hubby to get our picture with a cub. It is $10 to get a picture with a cub and that is for up to 9 people. You can actual pet the bear while he feasts on marshmallow fluff. Bears have coarse fur. 

It was definitely one of our highlights of the trip. 

If you are in the U.P., definitely check out Oswald Bear Ranch. It is worth the trip. 

3171. Go to Tahquamenon Falls in McMillan Township

 Besides Great Lakes Shipwreck Museum and a glass bottom boat ride, the other thing that was a must do while we were in the U.P. was see Tahquamenon Falls. They used to be a boat/train ride to Tahquamenon Falls but it has since closed so I had to settle for just seeing the falls.

Tahquamenon Falls is located between Newberry and Paradise in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. It is about 90 minutes from either St. Ignace or Munising. Tahquamenon Falls is located in Tahquamenon Falls State Park. There is a $12/day fee to enter Michigan State Parks for out of state residents. It is good for the entire day and all the parks you can fit into one day. It is open year round.

Tahquamenon Falls has two separate waterfalls known as Upper Tahquamenon Falls and Lower Tahquamenon Falls. You can drive or hike between the two. It's a short drive or a 6 mile (one way) hike between the two falls. There is enough parking at each of the falls. Each falls has it's own visitor center/gift shop, restrooms, and food available. 

We went to Lower Tahquamenon Falls first since that is the one that we came to first. There is a short walk from the parking lot to the first overlook of the falls. You can get a decent look of the falls. 

To get a better look of the falls, we followed the trail (about 1/3 mile one way) to the scenic overlook. Here we could feel the spray of the falls. 

If we (okay, the hubby) were more adventurous, we could have continued down the trail to the bridge to get a better view of the falls. We could also enter the river here to play swim and play in the falls. You can also rent rowboats to get to the falls as well. 

After checking out the lower falls, we drove to the Upper falls. There are two options to view the Upper Falls. We followed the crowd to the overlook. which is to the right. If we went left we would have seen the falls from the Gorge. 

There used to be stairs leading down to the overlook. Now there is a ramp to get to the overlook with benches and other overlooks. We get down to the main overlook and discovered the hubby didn't have his phone. So we didn't spend much time at the overlook as we raced to retrace our steps to find his phone which was safely in the car. 

The overlook was crowded which made it difficult to get a good view of the falls. It also deterred us from lingering to enjoy the falls.

I wonder if the gorge view would have had better views.  

 Both views were spectacular but we liked the lower falls better than the upper falls. It might have been the view of the lower falls was better. Maybe there were less people. Maybe we didn't have to worry about a missing phone.

Tahquamenon Falls definitely needs to be on everyone's Upper Peninsula bucket list. Even if you don't like or have mobility issue, you can still see both falls easily.