UP Color Tour Friday POSBANG
I'm doing my first-ever UP color tour and there's plenty of it to POSBANG right now. Heading today to Pictured Rocks, then tomorrow to The Porkies and Copper Harbor. The weather forecast looks favorable to extending my trip into early next week, which means I won't be subjected to another miserable Lions game this weekend; I'd rather spend my time camping and seeing the sights Up North.
Have yet to see Dennis at any of the campgrounds up here though...
Say "Ya!" to da UP, eh!
September 25th, 2020 at 9:55 AM ^
I’m not very good at embedding pictures, but I am currently sitting on a hotel balcony in Mackinac City looking directly at the bridge. It also overlooks I-75 right at mile marker 339- so if you’re headed this far north, let me know and I’ll wave at you.
September 25th, 2020 at 11:58 AM ^
Which hotel? We usually stay at the best western plus which is surprisingly nice and outrageously expensive lol
September 25th, 2020 at 7:41 PM ^
Holiday Inn Express!
September 26th, 2020 at 7:14 AM ^
Nice. Seeing this thread made me take a look at prices and thought maybe the wife and I would shoot up there today. Then I saw that rooms were a click under $450 a night. Not! If I’m paying $450 a night it’s on a beach that has warm salt water. Not water that send your nuts into your throat when you dive in.
September 25th, 2020 at 10:01 AM ^
Husker du? Yooper du!
September 25th, 2020 at 10:03 AM ^
Nice! Such a beautiful area.
We are heading out to do the Kancamagus Highway in NH next weekend. Should be about peak by then.
September 25th, 2020 at 10:06 AM ^
Extending your trip? Don't you have to get back to work? Oh, wait...
I miss Fall in Michigan - Oct is my favorite month, by a long mile, even though the colors are nicer in Sept. However, I've lived in Virginia for the last ~30 years. Colors here peak more in Oct, and I'm looking forward to a drive through the Blue Ridge Mountains in the next few of weeks. The Blue Ridge Parkway is worth the effort...
September 25th, 2020 at 10:06 AM ^
Eagerly awaiting the day when my daughters are old enough (1.5 and 3 now) to enjoy this sort of trip with us. Have fun!
September 25th, 2020 at 10:15 AM ^
Steel bridge on Co rd 510 in Negaunee
September 25th, 2020 at 10:21 AM ^
been over that bridge many a day, though its been a while.
September 25th, 2020 at 10:54 AM ^
Love that particular place along the Dead River! Or maybe it's not, but it's a dead ringer for it.
This picture also illustrates that sunny skies aren't necessarily the optimal leaf watching weather. I gray overcast that still lets through sufficient sunlight makes those colors pop even better.
September 25th, 2020 at 11:18 AM ^
is the dead river. just east of the basin. buddy's sister has a cabin at that bridge, on the north side just out of sight of that picture.
September 25th, 2020 at 12:26 PM ^
Leningrad looking good
September 25th, 2020 at 3:11 PM ^
Here's something a little closer to home...
September 25th, 2020 at 10:37 AM ^
Heading to Door County in Wisconsin to see fall colors in two weeks. Haven't been there in years and should be around peak colors when we are there. Looking forward to it.
Enjoy the UP colors. My friend that lives near the Porkies has been sending me some beautiful pictures. I've hiked through the Porkies and have seen Lake of the Clouds in the summer. I'd love to go back and see it in the fall. Has to be spectacular.
September 25th, 2020 at 10:48 AM ^
Copper Harbor itself probably won't have a ton of color yet due to proximity to the lake, but go to Mount Bohemia or Bare Bluff and you'll see some. You'll also see a lot more color inland rather than near the lake. You could try Silver Mountain near Baraga, which should have some good color right about now. When I was at Tech, the Keweenaw usually peaked the first or second week of October, while points south and inland peaked around the last week of September.
Also, watch out for COVID in Houghton County. Tech has an outbreak going on right now.
September 25th, 2020 at 10:56 AM ^
There used to be a fall color cruise that left from Houghton and went along the waterway to Lake Superior. When we were seniors, the chemical engineering department took us all on it. Even bought us drinks on the cruise. Living large back then.
Enjoy your time up there.
September 25th, 2020 at 11:16 AM ^
Just yesterday I was telling some local born and raised Florida guys about the "leaf peepers" in the North. They found that to be a funny word which I couldn't disagree with. Happy leaf peeping!
September 25th, 2020 at 11:25 AM ^
"Leaf peepers" sounds like perverts lurking in the woods near isolated cabins.
September 25th, 2020 at 12:25 PM ^
Are the biting fly's and mosquitos gone ?
September 26th, 2020 at 6:05 AM ^
They've been gone for weeks. Was at my place north of Michigamme in mid July and barely swatted a mosquito. Was back again in late August and never swatted one. Much better this year than years past for whatever reason..
September 25th, 2020 at 12:55 PM ^
If you are in the Marquette area, I recommend getting up to sugarloaf and then hiking to little presque isle point. We did it last week and there were almost no people and it was a really enjoyable day. And that was before there was a lot of color.
September 25th, 2020 at 1:13 PM ^
My great grandpa was a copper miner in the UP,.
My brother played for Steve Mariucci at Northern Michigan, before Mariucci coached the 49ers.
September 27th, 2020 at 10:13 AM ^
Mine (pun intended) was, too.
In fact, he came over from Germany to Westphalia MI in the 1850s, found out about work opportunities in the UP mines and wrote his family back home. Soon 3 of his brothers and a couple of cousins all crossed the Atlantic and they all moved to Copper Country.
Builders and wagon-makers by trade, they laid timbers at the bases of several copper mines in the Kewenaw area; eventually the brothers all moved to the GR area, most of them farmed, one of them opened a wagon-making business and held several patents on wagon hitches, and they were all "fruitful": I attended a family reunion 3 summers ago along with over 1500 "cousins", including some from Germany.
September 25th, 2020 at 1:30 PM ^
Enjoy you time up north Rob, you've earned it.
September 25th, 2020 at 1:57 PM ^
My significantly better half is a graduate of Michigan Tech (not a snow cow at all) and The University of Michigan (Masters). Because of this I have been blessed with many memories in the UP and Ann Arbor with her. The UP is awesome and The Fitz (Fitzgerald) is worth stopping at if you love food and booze.
September 25th, 2020 at 8:34 PM ^
The rooms above the Fitz are terrific. Seeing the Big Dipper over Lake Superior was amazing.
Food and booze covered in an Under the Radar Michigan episode.
September 25th, 2020 at 2:08 PM ^
I've stayed with friends at the Huron Mountain Club in the Fall. Fewer bugs and cool nights, it's a great time to be in the UP.
September 25th, 2020 at 3:01 PM ^
Photos or the color changes aren't happening. Have a great time!
September 25th, 2020 at 3:06 PM ^
Heading up in 2 weeks and can't wait.
Have a bangin' weekend all! Go Blue!
September 25th, 2020 at 4:17 PM ^
I just returned from a fishing/camping outing to the Boundary Waters. The colors were beginning but were a ways off from peak. Otherwise, it was beautiful.
We had a spectacular time fishing-simply incredible.
September 25th, 2020 at 4:27 PM ^
I was up in cooper harbor all last week. Great time, colors were just starting. Do not miss both mountain outlooks in cooper harbor or canyon falls on the way up.
Had some great Aurora viewing. This weekend especially tonight looks really good (high kp index) if you have clear sky you should see them fairly easily.
Enjoy.
September 25th, 2020 at 5:41 PM ^
Gotta love tannic acid.
September 26th, 2020 at 4:44 AM ^
That pic takes me back to, I believe 1973-74? Wife and I road my chopped 54 Panhead on a camping trip. Nice ride, great scenery and enjoyed the falls but it was summer of course. Two years ago rode the harley back from Maine and met up with my nephews to rode the UP. Wonderful to see it again. Crossed over the locks bridge and took the trans Canada hwy back to New England. As beautiful as Maine is, I do love my home state.
September 25th, 2020 at 6:51 PM ^
That deserves a huge bang. Feels stupid to say here, but you can't not stay that there is nothing better than Michigan in the fall.
Happy Friday!
September 25th, 2020 at 8:32 PM ^
It sounds like you have a great plan. I am envious.
We did the fall tour a little early this year, around Labor Day
Fossil hunting around Alpena then to Ocqueoc falls (largest in lower peninsula)
St. Ignace, Tahquamenon Falls, Black Rock Brewery in Marquette, Sugarloaf
Research at Michigan Tech, then Calumet (Michigan House), Hungarian Falls, Brockway Drive, Conglomerate Falls, Copper Harbor, Devils' Washtub
Stayed in Gladstone last year. Nice place
September 27th, 2020 at 2:14 PM ^
I'm camping at McLain State Park until tomorrow morning, no sign of Denny so far. Still looking for discarded Pepsi bottles, a sure sign of his location.
Going to be hunting for Yooperstones tonight along the shore, have a UV flashlight to help me spot em.