Hike, Bike and Ice: Munising weekend 2014 comes to a close

As always, any good vacation must come to and end. 

Unfortunately, that was today.  But I am not going to let it put a damper on any of the fun adventures that we had this weekend!  The weather was awesome (a little rain overnight on Friday didn't bother us since we were sleeping), we met some great people and of course kept busy!

I will admit, I had every intention of getting up and going for a run along the lake this morning, but that never happened!  I actually slept until almost 8:30 (a very rare thing for me as my internal clock rarely lets me sleep past 7am).  We finished off the stuff we had in the fridge for breakfast and started loading up the car.  By the time we got everything packed up and the bikes on the car, we figured that we would head into town to grab a quick (early) lunch at the Lunch Bag again since I had another certificate to use there.

As luck would have it, the Lunch Bag didn't open until 1pm, so we were not going to wait that long.  Since the certificate we had was only good for another few days, we decided to run back to the hotel to drop it off the certificate for Pam, the uber helpful gal that was working in the office most of the weekend.  If we couldn't use the certificate, she could use it to enjoy lunch one day!

Good bye Munising!  Thank you for another weekend of awesome memories and adventures!  Next stop, on the way home, the UP State Fair.  I have not been to this fair since I was probably Darrin's age, if not younger!  

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This year, Sunday at the Fair was Scout Day!  All Scouts, in uniform, got in for free.  They also had scouts there doing demos on cooking, hiking, knot tying and more.  Once we got to the fairgrounds, the first thing Darrin wanted to do was find the Scouts... My mission was a restroom.  Thankfully the restroom was on the way to the scout tent!

When we got to the tent, Darrin was actually put to work, helping with some of the dutch oven cooking they were doing as well as helping with a Hiking preparedness presentation.  

We then spent the next few hours walking through the exhibit halls, browsing the fair vendors and eating a few fair treats.  We were just on our way our to the car and Darrin realized there was something going on in the grandstand. He said it looked like the Demolition Derby so we decided to go check it out for a while.

Come to find out it was actually "Armageddon on Wheels" - where demolition derby and dirt track racing collide! A Mini Van racing?  Chasing a retired police car?  Why not!

The next hour or so was filled with various races, interesting vehicles, lost of dirt and crashing!

Darrin decided one of the coolest trucks out of the course during the first part of the show was the modified Sprint Truck... truck?  Yes!  Someone modified their truck to resemble a sprint car!  Unfortunately, after he took the last jump on the course, his wings fell off the truck on his way off the track.  Hopefully he could get them fixed before the next heat!

The highlight of the afternoon (at least in our eyes) was the bus race.  Figure 8 bus races!  Everything from short buses to full size school buses were unleashed on the figure 8 track, with the mission to be the last one left standing, or the first on to finish 8 laps!  

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Finally we needed to hit the road for home so that we could get laundry and everything else done before it got too late. Once we got home, I had an ALS Ice Bucket Challenge to take care of, thanks to our good friend Dean. (hence why I added "ice" to the title of these blog posts)  I was going to post a few pics here, but we actually only got a video and my computer is not cooperating and allowing me to post the video (I tried adding the ones that I took of the bus races at the fair and I have not been able to get it to work).  One of these days when I have time to play with it more I will have to post the videos.

Overall, it was an awesome weekend that I am glad we had the opportunity for!  This was the 4th year that Darrin and I made up to Munising.  We have not decided if we are going back to Munising next year for our summer adventure or if we are going to go somewhere else to get in some hiking and biking.

No matter where we end up going, you can be sure that we will find all kinds of interesting things and places to explore!

Total miles for today = 2.3
Total miles for the weekend = 30.8

Yes this is short of our overall goal, which I knew was going to be tough.  We may not have made 50 miles but the miles that we put in were nothing short of awesome!

Now time to switch gears and start preparing for back to school!

Hike, Bike and Ice (part 2)

Any morning that you can wake up with the sound of the waves less than 50 yards from your front door, you know is going to be a good day! The waves also so relaxing that we didn't wake up as early as we originally planned!  Hitting the trail at 7am can't happen if you don't wake up until 7:30!

The fog over the lake left an almost eerie look to the morning and brought with it some chilly air.  This was not going to be the morning for the shorts out on the trail today!  We grabbed a quick breakfast in the room (hard boiled eggs and refrigerator oatmeal!) and headed out on the 20 minute drive to the trail head.

I didn't have a chance to get a photo of the parking lot of the trail but there were a few cars already here... which we figured were probably people that were out camping on the trails somewhere.  A few minutes later we were on our way!  The fog out on the lake was floating into the woods so it gave the trail a very calming, serene feeling.

Start of the trail

A few miles in on the trail, we came across Chapel Falls.  This is a high cascading falls that you can either see right from the top or from across the ravine.  When we got to the overlook to the falls from the other side of the ravine, it was so foggy you could hardly see the falls - but you still could hear it!

Chapel Falls

A short while later we made it to Chapel Rock.  We actually didn't even realize we were there until we were literally right next to it because the fog was still so thick!  In the below picture, the beach is actually just beyond the tree but you can't even see it below!  From here, our original plan was to head down toward the beach and head south, but yesterday when Darrin was looking at the map, he asked if we wanted to add a few miles to our adventure and head up to Spray Falls.

Chapel Rock

We hiked up towards Spray Falls, knowing that we had about a mile and a half to travel.  With the current pace we were hiking we guessed on how long we would have to hike to get there.  With the dense fog still around us, it was difficult to tell where we were and how for we had traveled.  After a while, we knew that we were getting close, however with the rain that fell the night before, the trail was starting to get really muddy and, although my shoes were already wet, I decided that I didn't need to get them covered in mud to. We opted to turn back around and head back to Chapel Rock/Beach.  We figured that we were probably only a short distance from the falls.  I guess we will have to come back another time to find Spray Falls!

Lunch stop @ Chapel Beach

Once we got back to Chapel Rock, we actually saw the first other people of the day on the trail!  We left the parking lot nearly 3 hours ago and did not see a single person on the trail, up until now!  The dense fog obviously kept more people at home early in the morning. We stopped and chatted with them for a while and then headed down to the beach to find a spot to have lunch.   

The beach was deserted except for us, a seagull and one gentleman walking along the shoreline.  We found a big log to stretch out on, have lunch and relax for a while,  With the fog and cold breeze, we didn't stay down on the beach for too long.  It was time to get back on the trail and keep moving!  Darrin was on a mission to get back to the motel in time for the Packers pre-season game.

The lake is out there somewhere!!

The fog still was just as thick as this morning, even though it seemed to be trying to roll back out.  We kept watching it roll out, only to have it roll back in a few minutes later.  When we got to Grand Portal Point, we came across a group that had actually camped on the bluff the night before.  They commented on their fabulous view that morning - a large white wall of fog!  

Mosquito Beach

We kept moving and before long we made it to Mosquito Beach where it was time to stop for a snack break.  While we were sitting on the shoreline, I noticed a bald eagle flying nearby, which landed right on the top of one of the nearby trees.  It was then that we noticed a second one soaring around the same tree.  We watched them for a while, until they took off, heading south and getting lost in the treeline.

Mouth of Mosquito River

 Next stop, the mouth of the Mosquito River. We had fun looking at all of the "rock men" stacked up on the bigger rocks!  Someone obviously was having fun building these little piles all over the mouth of the river! By this time, I lost track of how many miles we actually walked but I knew that we were on the last leg of our adventure - and we were both starting to get tired!  Knowing that we were at less than 5 miles to go, we kept us moving!

Mosquito Falls

After nearly a full day of hiking we finally made it to the final stop on our adventure - Mosquito Falls!  We had a mile to go, we were tired and getting hungry so we didn't waste much time at the falls.  We made it back to the car, scraped some mud off our shoes, exchanged those wet shoes for flip flops and headed back to town!

This was a awesome day, but time to go back and put our feet up for a but while we contemplate dinner!

Dinner at Mudoon's Pasty Shop

We finished out this day with dinner from Muldoon's Pasties.  Last night was the best fish in town, tonight, the best pasties in the Upper Peninsula!  The rest of the evening was spend relaxing at the motel, chatting with the group of scuba divers that were staying right near us and watching football.

Total mileage for today = 16.5
trip total so far = 27.5

Tomorrow - final day of vacation, heading to the UP state fair!

Munising weekend - Day 2

Munising, Day 2

There is nothing like waking up to the sounds of the waves just feet from your door and birds chirping outside your window!  No time to waste - there were bike trails calling and our friends Beth and Chad were going to be in town today!  We were on a mission to get in our bike ride before they arrived in town, so that we could spend time with them, sharing our adventures and favorite spots in the area!

After a quick breakfast in our motel room, it was off to the Valley Spur Bike trails, just south of town.  The Valley Spur trails include 4 loops, of varying distances and expertise levels. We opted for the longer loop (12 miles) that was calling our name.  According to the maps, aside from the hill at the beginning of the trail, this was a fairly level trial.  This sounded like just what we were looking for!

Ok, a hill at the beginning?  I knew we were in trouble when this "hill" was named "Stairway to Heaven"!!  This was no little hill!  The incline was steep, winding and decorated nicely with rocks, tree branches and other random features.  I was determined to make it to the top without having to stop and walk my bike!  After the first turn, I lost Darrin in the trees behind me... there was only one way up the hill so the sooner I got to the top, the longer break I could get while I waited for him!!  After what seemed like forever, the crest of the hill was finally in front of me - and I was ready for a short rest.  From a quick look at my phone, that first part of the trail was less that 3/4 of a mile.  I would swear that it was more like 2 miles - at least that is what it felt like! But I made it all the way to the top without having to walk! Once we got past that hill, the rest of the trail was a piece of cake.  At one point, where the ATV trail crossed the bike trail, which crossed the horse trail, I think we ended up getting turned around and found ourselves on a gravel road instead of the bike trail.  We knew which direction we were heading, so we kept going.  Eventually, if this road didn't bring us back to the trail (Which Darrin was pretty sure it would from when he was studying the map at the motel) we knew that eventually we would come back out to the main highway, which would get us back to the car.  Darrin was right, we made our way back to the trail right where he thought that we would.  Before long we were back at the car, completing our biking adventure.  As a result of our missed turn in the trail, we didn't hit the 12 miles that the loop should have been, but we did hit right about 10.5 miles.  Excellent morning ride!

Beth and Bill from Uncle Ducky's with her new kayak!

Perfect timing to finish our ride too.  Just after we arrived back at the car, Beth called to say they were about 30 miles from Munising.  Just enough time for us to head to the motel, take showers and meet them at Uncle Ducky's to pick up their kayak!  People say those goofy contests on facebook to like and share this post are just a scam to get you to a certain website or page... Beth will proudly tell you that they are not!  Thanks to Uncle Ducky and his contest, she is the proud owner of this new kayak!  Oh the places she and Chad will be going now!  So happy for you my friend!!

Muldoon's Pasty's

Once we had her kayak securely strapped to the top of her car, it was time to find lunch!  Where were we heading for lunch?  Why Johnny Dogs of course!  Unfortunately, we pulled into their parking lost to find that they were closed for the day!!!! Closed for private parties/events... What to do next?  So, second best... it was off to try Muldoon's Pasty shop.  Voted best pasties in the entire UP, they must be good.  The wonderful smell of fresh baked pasties really can wake up a person's senses!  The small pasty and gift shop is located in a small house right on the main highway heading out of town.  You can't miss the quaint little house with the huge sign out front advertising their award winning pasties. This was the first time that Beth was actually having a fresh pasty!  The few times she had them before was when we brought frozen ones home and shared with them.  Reheating them is ok, but nothing beats one fresh out of the oven!

Summer fun with old friends, sharing adventures!

Muldoon's Party's go into the oven weighing just over a pound each, filled with beef (or chicken if you so choose), potatoes, carrots and rutabaga, wrapped neatly into that beloved flaky crust!  These were definitely worth the stop for lunch!  We enjoyed our tasty treats outside in the perfect afternoon sun, planning our plan of attack for the rest of the day.  It would be an adventure, taking Beth and Chad to some of our favorite places that we have found over the last 2 years!

After a quick stop at the motel to drop off Beth's car and get some water, we were off!  First destination for the afternoon was Miners Falls and Miners Castle, just a short drive from our motel!  When we arrived at the parking are to Miners Falls, we were disappointed to see a sign that read no pets beyond this point... Beth and Chad were traveling with their dog today and she loves to hike!  She would not be able to join us on this one.  Beth offered to stay behind with Maya in the parking area while we make a quick run down to the falls so Chad could at least get some pictures.  A short time after hitting the trail, we saw at least 3 groups with their dogs... I guess the sign didn't pertain to them.  oh well, we were not the ones that were breaking the rules, we were just out to have a fun afternoon!

Miners Falls

Miners Falls never disappoints.  The viewing platforms at the top, as well as the bottom give you the complete feeling of the power behind this tall but fast moving wall of water!  This is one of those local hot spots that we have stopped at each and every summer we have been here - it is always just as remarkable as the times before.

From Miners Falls, it was on the Miners Castle, just down the road a little further!  Along the way to Miners Castle, you will also find the turn off to Miners Beach.  This is one of the most popular beaches in the area and you will always find a a crowd here!  It doesn't matter if you reason for heading there is relaxing on the beach, swimming orto launching a kayak, Miners Beach is truly a destination!

Miners Castle is probably one of the most recognized areas of the entire Pictured Rocks lakeshore and is visited by thousands of travels each year.  There was a second turret out on the point, but that was lost due to erosion back in 2006.  It is interesting to look at pictures from previous years just to see how things have changed over time, mainly due to the effects of mother nature!  The thing that always amazing me when we visit this area is how clear the water is down below!  One day I will travel this area via kayak so that I can get that unique up close perspective of this awesome area!

Now it's time to head to the other side of Munising for out next stop of today's adventure!  Scott Falls is just West of Christmas, about 15 minutes from Munising.  This waterfall is right along the side of the highway and I don't know how many years I drove right past it growing up before I even realized it was here!  It is a small waterfall that you can walk right up to, behind, under, through, whatever your choice for the day might be!  as you can see from the picture, Darrin opted for the INTO the waterfall option.  Yes, the water was cold, but it actually felt very refreshing after being out in the warm summer sun all afternoon!

One of the cool features of this falls is that you can easily walk from the base of the falls to the top via a short trail just to the left of the pool at the bottom.  Give you a totally different perspective of a waterfall when you can literally stand in the water right at the top, just before it makes it decent of the edge!  By the time we left Scott Falls, I thing each of us had somehow found our way into the water, even if it was just walking in the cool pool at the base of the falls... including Maya!  It is a good thing that we always have a tote filled with towels in the back of the car!  Darrin needed to sit on one and Beth needed to try and contain Maya's muddy paws so they didn't get the car covered in mud!

From Scott Falls is was a short drive to Bay Furnace.  A local gem that we found 2 years ago on our first trip through the area.  Bay furnace is the location of a huge stone blast furnace that was was used when iron ore was smelted in the forge and melted into pig iron.  The stone furnace is the only things that remains of the small town that once was in the area.  One of Darrin's favorite things to do when we visit Bay Furnace is to do a little "rock" picking.  If you look carefully you can find some awesome purple "rocks" that were created years ago when the melted iron was cooled in the cold waters of Lake Superior  Darrin has found several of these awesome purple treasures over the years and was having fun this year finding some for Beth.

Beth and I at Bay Furnace

While Darrin and Beth were carefully searching the waters for treasures, it gave Maya a chance to burn off some energy and tear up the beach.  Once again, good thing we had those towels in the car, she was really going to need it now as her white fur was now caked with wet sand from the beach

Our final stop on our adventures for the afternoon was at the Munising Lookout to get a true birdseye view of Munising Bay, all the way out Pictures Rocks.  This was a quick stop tho on our whirlwind tour as it was quickly approaching the dinner hour and we were very much looking forward to a cookout for dinner to complete this awesome day!

Once we made a run through the grocery store, it was back to the Sunset Motel to fire up the grill!  That is one of the best perks of the motel!  They have grills, charcoal, grill utensils and everything  that you need for a cookout without having to haul everything with you!  There is nothing better than a cookout, right on the lake to follow up an afternoon adventure with good friends!  Darrin got to work right away to get the coals just right for our feast of burgers and hot dogs, along with some cold beer and chips!  Everything was cooked to perfection and Darrin was now referred to by the hotel staff as the weekend grill master!  Pure perfections!

After we got everything cleaned up from dinner, we had one last adventure for Beth and Chad before they headed home... the true hidden gem of Munising!  Tannery Falls is virtually just across the road from the motel, up a short trail.  This, in my mind is the coolest waterfall in the area. It is not well advertised so there is rarely anyone else at the falls when we have been there.  I have heard tho that you do need to make sure NOT to park on the main road near where the trail starts or you will be ticketed.  There are areas close to the trail where you can park, so that might be your best option!  :) The walk back to the falls takes you right along the end of a rock cliff through a narrow cavern.  The tree cover of the cavern always keeps the air temps a little cooler that what you leave from when you start the hike!  Just when you are really getting into enjoying the quiet hike, you round a bend and discover a breathtaking little waterfall (i say little, but it is in actuality 40 feet high).  This again, is one of those falls that you can really interact with!  Today, this was where Darrin took his 3rd shower of the day, as he had to walk into the water again!  This falls is right near one other waterfall (Memorial Falls) which we had not made it to yet so that was another adventure for later (later tonight as it would turn out...).

Tannery Falls

Darrin was actually not the only one that tried out the water at Tannery today.  Beth and I also had to show him that we were out to have just as much fun as him!  And I will tell you one thing - that water was cold.  Much colder than the water at Scott Falls earlier in the day, but we were not about to let a 15 year old have all the fun!!

This afternoon spent with Beth and Chad was an amazing afternoon.  It really makes you realize how much friends can make a difference!  This summer I have come to realize that I have some simply awesome friends and family that I have been able to share unforgettable memories with!  The summer may be winding down quickly but I am determined to make the most of the summer days that are left and start thinking out the next adventures and see where they take me!

the quiet evening sunset over Munising Bay, Sunset Motel

Wausau Bike Weekend, part 2

After Wendy and I surrendered to the trail and hitched a ride to Wausau with John and Tom, we made it to Wendy's parents house.  My first thought as we were arriving?  I am so glad that we didn't' have to bike up that last hill to the house!  Mosinee Hill is not a hill to have to go up at the end a 90+ mile bike ride!  Once we got the bikes and everything else unloaded, we had two things in mind... showers and food!  

And yes, in that order!

Once showers were done a a beer consumed, we were off to find food at the Great Dane Brewing Company.  On my agenda for the evening?  An awesome burger and a beer!  My apologies to all my foodie friends, the Great Dane Burger, topped with homemade artichoke dip was amazing, but I was so hungry that I forgot to take a picture of it before I inhaled it!  That burger washed down by a nice light home brewed ale was just was ordered after a fabulous day out on the bike trails!

Next big stop on the agenda was the Wausau Balloon Rally and Rib Fest.  We arrived just in time for the start of the evening festivities and many balloons were already in the process of being inflated.  There were several that we recognized from the several rallies that we hit last yeas as well as a few new ones.  The one pictured to the left with all the sea animals on it has always been one of our favorites. The weather was a bit breezy but not enough to deter many of the teams to show off their balloons.

After the long busy day, we didn't stay at the festival too long, but we were there long enough to find Sara, David and Jamie!  It was great to see David and Sara after way too many years, and to finally meet Jamie.  What an awesome family! We definitely  need to try and find time to get together more often - Wausau is not really that far from Green Bay!!

By the time we got back to the house, I was ready to crash!!  It was a full day and tomorrow was going to be more fun and adventures!

Saturday morning brought more fun and adventures!  We headed to downtown Wausau for the annual Chalk Fest.  This again was another event that we discovered last year and wanted to check out again.  For the entire weekend, local artists take over Downtown Wausau and transform the sidewalks into amazing works of art!  This is an awesome event that we are glad we heard about and greatly enjoy the talent that is showcased.  I am always impressed by the vast variety of ages and talent that is showcased at the event.  One of these years we will actually remember to check out the event on Sunday so that we can see more of the finished masterpieces! 

Our final stop on this weekend adventure was at Doc's Timeline Bar and Saloon in Bonduel for a late lunch.  We have driven past here more times that I care to count and have never stopped in.  One of these we will have to stop back when it's not a super busy Saturday afternoon so that we can actually take some to check out all the fun features and nostalgia of the restaurant and bar.  We opted to sit at the bar and were greeted promptly by the awesome bartender (sorry, don't remember her name but I will definitely recognize here when we go back next time!).  

While we were waiting for our lunch to arrive, we had the chance to try the Musket Balls that Tom ordered.  What is a Musket Ball you might ask?  A Musket Ball is Doc's version of a corn fritter, complete with whole kernels of corn inside them, deep fried to a golden brown and then rolled in powered sugar.  Delish!  Finally it was time for the main event!  The Pulled Pork Platter was awesome!  Perfectly cooked, juicy and soaked up the flavor from each of the different sauces that they had to offer.  Our favorite?  Hands down it was the Captain Morgan Sauce!  Best part?  There was enough food on our platters for a second meal!  Dinner tonight was going to be just as awesome as lunch!!

John enjoying Tom's Musket Balls

Pulled Park Platter, served naked, allowing us to enjoy all the sauces!

Thanks again Wendy for an amazing weekend, riding the trail with me, John and Tom for driving the SAG wagon for us and picking is up when we called it a day and surrendered to the trail and for all of you that stand behind me and support me in all of these crazy adventures that I get myself into!

Until next time my friends...

Next up?  Miller Park Sausage Race 5k in Milwaukee!