Munising, MI

As happens 98% of the time in Staff's world, luck was on our side. I say that because 2% of the time my husband's luck runs out. Like 2 nights ago when we arrived in Munising and couldn't find a campsite.  That's how we ended up in Christmas, a tiny neighbor of Munising, which is also fairly tiny.  I can't even recall the campsite except that it was pretty low grade.  It had vault toilets.  Need I say more.  Just the name "vault toilet" is enough to conjure up all sorts of frightening images.

Anyway, we called the campsite down the road in Munising the next morning and, of course, they have a campsite - wait for it - right on Lake Superior.  I mean, beachfront, 50 feet from our trailer door.  Not bad. And yes, we could have that same site for 2 nights in a row.  Of course.  That's my man's luck at work. 

Normally one can't swim for very long in Lake Superior.  And by "one" I mean me.  But this year the heat wave has caused the water temperature to rise to just above hypothermic levels.  Practically tropical by Lake Superior standards.  I still hit an involuntary high note when I waded into the water, but I got used to it.

Yesterday I dragged Staff to Miners Falls, a pretty little waterfall near town.  The picture is on my previous post.  It was lovely.

Doggies love the water.  Actually Finny and Yuki could play in it for hours.  Finny loves to try to dunk his elderly sister.  So naughty.  Cloud isn't that fond of water.  He just sort of walks near the edge and then backs off.

Today we kayaked along Pictured Rock cliffs with a guided tour.  Oh, my.  If that isn't one of the top 20 wonders of the world, it should be. Every time we rounded another chunk of cliffs, the next one was even more spectacular. Colorful stripes in the sandstone rock are created by minerals, even petroleum in some parts.  

The water reminded me of the Carribean with its crystal clear greens and blues, only no scary fish.  At one point we docked our kayaks and our guide let us take a swim.  Both Staff and I were joyful at the opportunity to bend and stretch our achy 40-something muscles.  Did I mention how back-breaking the house moving stuff has been?  I'm sure I have.  I've told anyone who would listen.

One thing they did not tell us until we were floating along the cliffs was that occasionally there is a small landslide of falling rock.  Apparently no one has ever been seriously injured, though another guide was struck once according to our guide.  Just as I was asking Staff to steer us away from the cliffs, a shower of tennis ball size rocks plummeted into the water in front of us. There it is again, 98% lucky.

We didn't want our camera to get wet, so I found these on the Internet. I don't know who these kayakers are, but they may as well be us.  This is pretty much what we saw today.

After kayaking along this stunning display of nature showing-off, we decided to go out to eat rather than eating what I like to call, "trailer food."  PB&Js, chips and grapes get old after awhile.

About 25 years ago, Stafford played in band and they performed at Foggy's Bar and Restaurant right down the road in Christmas.  Our tour guide said their fried cheese curds were good, so we figured we'd snack on curds, then go somewhere else for real food.  Well, it looks like Foggy's is a changin' with the times.  As Munising has developed over time, so has Foggy's.  Not only did they have cheese curds, but an entire menu from Mexican, to burgers, to fish fry. They even sell Foggy's attire.  I was tempted to buy a hoodie with "Foggy's" sewn across the chest.   

I ordered the whitefish platter, broiled with lemon pepper.  OMG!  The best whitefish of my life.  And I don't think it was because I was so tired.  Honestly, if you ever pass through Christmas, MI, I highly recommend stopping at Foggy's.  Don't be turned away by the lack of air-conditioning or the spider webs right outside the half-open windows.  Delicious.

Tonight we are looking forward to a good night's rest.  The warm breezes and mild temperatures have been great for sleeping with the windows open. 

Unfortunately, our campsites have been remarkably all located next to either a train track or highway.  (Another part of my husband's 2% failing luck) It reminds me of the movie "My Cousin Vinny" when loud noises kept waking him up in the middle of the night.  As much as I really prefer fresh air, tonight the air-conditioner will be cranked up to tune out all the highway traffic.

EWWWW!!!  A spider just crawled across my screen. Good night.