Lake Superior and Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore

I woke up in Mackinaw City, at the very tip of the Michigan mitten. I crossed the big bridge (paid $4) 
and headed for Clyde's Drive-In, which was purported to make the best burgers in town. Well, they just happened to be closed for reparations today of all days. So I left dejected, but still excited to explore new territories. 
 The UP, (that's the Upper Peninsula) is way cool. It's a total resort community that I never knew existed. My first jag today was going from Lake Michigan, which I had my feet in this morning at the Super 8 Motel,
to Lake Superior, where our first stop was at a sandy beach access called Piping Plover Nesting Area. It was lightly raining, so there were no people on the beach. We had the whole place to ourselves. We ran and ran and then stopped and I ate the pizza I had left over from last night.


Then I got on County Road 58 and headed toward the Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore.  The drive itself was gorgeous. 


 Which is a good thing because the Lakeshore and the Pictured Rocks Cliffs were a bit tricky to find. Eventually I did. I'm glad I didn't give up looking. Because it was so cloudy, I was concerned that i wasn't going to be able to see the pictured rocks. (I didn't really know what pictures rocks were. I'm still not sure I do.)  But I'm glad I stuck with it, because the sight of the pictured rocks was an unexpected spectacle.

I loved this sign. It is cleverly disguised to look like an official park rules sign, but on closer inspection, it's poetry.
As we broke away from the upper peninsula, Michigan returned to looking disheveled and unkempt. 
I stopped for a burger in a place called Jozwiak's in Menominee, MI. It seemed like Menominee, MI and Marinette, WI are twin cities. Which is cool because it's so much fun to say Menominee-Marinette. But if they're twin cities, it's obvious which one mom liked best. Marinette was fresh and clean, new paint and clean, crisp corners. Menominee was run-down, rustic and weathered. 

Now I'm in Green Bay and I'm thinking I might cancel my trip tomorrow. I had intended to visit Duluth and some of the National Forests up there, but I'm getting really tired of long drives, so I might stay put in Green Bay. I'll see how I feel in the morning. 

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