I reentered the U.S.A. on July 17, spending a week at Brimley State Park.  The park sits on the shore of Lake Superior near Sault Ste. Marie on Michigan’s Upper Peninsula. There were several Grand Design Reflections in the park during my stay and three of us were neighbors. I love seeing other Grand Design owners and usually introduce myself and act as a brand greeting committee of sorts.

Brimley State Park is a beautiful location on Lake Superior.

Three Grand Design Reflections in neighboring sites.

Lake Superior from Brimley State Park.

All the Great Lakes are high this year causing the loss of several feet of beach. If you ask me, the water is way too cold to be swimming!

Not far from the campground is Point Iroquois Lighthouse, which sits on a bluff overlooking Lake Superior.

I had never seen locks before so I drove into downtown Sault Ste. Marie to the Soo Locks where they have a free observation deck and visitor center where you can learn about how they were built. It takes about an hour to cycle through bringing a ship in, changing the water level, and the ship leaving. There are rapids that create a spillway from Lake Superior down to the level of St. Marys River/Lake Huron. Ships once had to unload their cargo and transport overland to another point where it was loaded onto another ship. The Soo Locks allow ships to pass through this point quickly and efficiently. “Soo” is the nickname for Sault (pronounced Soo) Sainte Marie.

A ship enters from the east by way of St. Marys River that connects to Lake Huron.

Ship at its low entry water level.

Ship at its high exit water level.

From Brimley, I moved west to Ishpeming, near Marquette. Here, I stayed at Country Village RV Park. The sites were all very spacious, making it a little easier for me to back into it. I appreciate that because I still suck at that!

Route 28, which crosses the eastern half of the U.P., is a good example of what it looks like up there—nothing but forest with a few roads cut through.

My campsite at Country Village RV Park.

I was here to photograph two lighthouses but discovered a wonderful little museum dedicated to the iron ore industry. I learned that during the American Industrial Revolution of the 19th century, nearly all the iron used to produce everything from railroads to automobiles came from the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. When adjusted for inflation, California’s Gold Rush produced $900 million but remarkably, the U.P.’s iron ore produced $48 billion. Of course the ore mining lasted longer than the gold but it’s still pretty impressive. The museum was free and a short movie cost $1. I love these little gems I keep finding!

Marquette Harbor Lighthouse in downtown Marquette.

The unpaved road leading to Big Bay Lighthouse.

Big Bay Lighthouse is a Bed & Breakfast with a spectacular view.

The Michigan Iron Industry Museum in Negaunee, MI.

Michigan Iron Industry Museum.

Trains would bring the ore to these loading docks in Lake Superior.

The ore docks are still standing. This one is in Marquette.

From Marquette, I moved to the northern tip of the Keweenaw Peninsula—yes, a peninsula on a peninsula. I stayed at Lake Fanny Hooe Campground in Copper Harbor with another Grand Design camper next to me. Whereas most of the U.P. produced iron ore, the Keweenaw produced copper and there are the remnants of a number of mines here.

Nowadays, The Keweenaw is a vacation, hunting and snowmobiling destination. In fact, friends of mine have a hunting cabin here and they were visiting the weekend I arrived so me met for dinner. One of my favorite things about this lifestyle is meeting up with people I know across the country. My previous job at the ambulance manufacturer contributes greatly with their dealers in half the states. On this leg of my trip, I got to see two of them.

US-41 is the main highway running up the center of the Keweenaw Peninsula. The northern end of it is heavily wooded and a beautiful drive.

Camping next to a fellow Grand Design owner at Lake Fanny Hooe Campground in Copper Harbor, MI.

I had dinner with friends Ed and Kristin at Mariner North. in Copper Harbor, MI. Ed is a former work colleague.

There are several lighthouses and a few waterfalls on the Keweenaw Peninsula so I drove the back roads quite a bit during my week-long stay. After visiting Eagle Harbor lighthouse on the western shore, I found a spit of beach across the harbor where I could have a tailgate lunch with a view of the lighthouse. The lofty sand proved to be problematic and required the four wheel drive to get my “big ass truck” back on the road.

Enjoying a tailgate lunch with a view of Eagle Harbor Lighthouse.

I got stuck in the lofty sand and needed four wheel drive to get out.

Eagle Harbor Lighthouse on the west coast of the peninsula..

Not far from Eagle Harbor is Eagle River Lighthouse, a private home.

Mendota Lighthouse is on Bete Grise Bay on the east side of the peninsula and only visible from across the canal.

Copper Harbor Lighthouse is only viewable from across the harbor at Fort Wilkins State Park.

Silver River Falls.

Haven Falls.

Manganese Falls is right next to the campground, but difficult to get a good view.

Jacobs Falls are right next t0 the roadway on Route 26. Right next door is the Jampot, a bakery run by monks from a nearby monastery. They specialize in jams and I bought several. People call them “Monk Jam.”

The Jampot in Eagle Harbor, MI is run by monks.

Monks at the Jampot in Eagle Harbor, MI.

There was no cell service in the campground so I had to drive to the lake up the road to make calls. One day a couple arrived on bicycles and proceeded to remove their clothes and go skinny-dipping. Either they didn’t think I could see them or didn’t care. Either way, I don’t think they anticipated being in my blog.

A couple skinny-dipping.

Brockway Mountain Drive is a rugged nine-mile road with some spectacular views and numerous mountain bike trails.

View of Lake Superior from the top of Brockway Mountain in Copper Harbor, MI.

A tourist checks out the view from the edge of a cliff.

View from the top of Brockway Mountain, 1,320 feet above sea level.

The view overlooking the town of Copper Harbor from a turnout on Brockway Mountain Drive.

It was time to come down from the “Way Up North” of the Keweenaw Peninsula but on my way to see some lighthouses on Lake Michigan, I wanted to stop in northern Wisconsin to visit a former colleague. I spent a weekend in the tiny Antigo Lake RV Park in Antigo, Wisconsin, a city-owned facility with about a dozen full hook-up sites. One day I met a young lady from the city who was checking the sites. We had a nice long talk and I gave her a tour of my camper. During our conversation, I mentioned I’d never had cheese curd—a major food group here in Wisconsin. The next day, she brought be a bag of them to try. How sweet! They were cheddar flavored and tasted pretty good.

Antigo Lake RV Park.

My first cheese curds.

Lunch with former colleague Kevin and his wife, Jamie at Red Eye Brewing Company in Wausau, WI.

Time to get back to Michigan so I moved to Menominee and another city-run location. River Park Campground is located directly on the Menominee River that separates Menominee, Michigan from Marinette, Wisconsin. At the mouth of the river is Menominee Lighthouse, my purpose for being here. I also took a 55-mile drive north to Escanaba and the Sand Point Lighthouse.

River Park Campground in Menominee, MI.

There’s a belief among campers that all campgrounds are built next to railroad tracks. I’d say it’s about 90% but this was certainly the closest.

The lovely little Menominee Lighthouse at dusk.

Sand Point Lighthouse in Escanaba, MI.

From here, it was on to St. Ignace on the north side of the Mackinac “Mighty Mac” Bridge. This would be my home base while I went off on another of my crazy lighthouse excursions with Lerro Productions. My next post will focus on that trip and will include a few of the lighthouses I featured in this one. They will, however, be more dramatic since many were shot in the middle of the night and with the Milky Way.

KOA St. Ignace/Mackinac Island campground in St. Ignace, MI.

If Wisconsin is known for cheese curds, then Michigan is known for pasties (Pasty: pronounced pa-sti). These meat pies can be found everywhere and I finally had an opportunity to try one.

My month-long route around the Upper Peninsula of Michigan.

Next post:
27 Lighthouses in 5 Days

My name is Lindsay Reed and I’m a photographer and retired graphic artist with a passion for both lighthouses and road trips. I am living as a full-time solo RVer in my 33 foot Grand Design Reflection Fifth Wheel trailer ( I spent my first two years in a 31 foot Coachmen Mirada motohome) and plan to spend the next few years traveling the U.S. and Canada photographing not only lighthouses, but everything else there is to see in this wonderful land. I hope you enjoy my blog and will follow my adventures in the months and years ahead.