Grand Marais Splash-in

You can't plan for all of the interesting things you should see. Sometimes you are just sitting in a small-town restaurant, wondering why all the planes are flying overhead, and the waitress tells you it is the Grand Marais Splash-In. Float planes - I heard the word seaplanes too and am not sure if they are the same thing - are important here. After some online research I learned that a seaplane can land on water and a float plane is a version with floats. There are regular flights to Island Royal, remote fishing camps, and some medical emergencies. 

The planes gather yearly so the owners and families can socialize and engage in some friendly competition. The events included a balloon drop, landing accuracy, and water rescue. 

The water rescue was the most entertaining. There is a weighted dummy in the water. The pilot is alone in the plane and must circle, land, turn off the prop, and life the dummy from the water. It is a timed contest with the time starting when the plane touches the water. About half of the participants were successful, with the challenge of overshooting the dummy before the pilot could hop onto the float and grab it. One of the more amusing attempts involved a pilot who had everything lined up perfectly, but he landed into a headwind, and his plane started to float backward when he was a yard or so short of the target. He struggled trying to paddle forward without luck. 

Cheeseburger

 It is Father's Day. We have ventured to Paradise, Michigan. 

I have a stroke of genius, and we begin the search.

Cheeseburger in Paradise. 

Trolls

Cindy saw a picture of a giant troll on a "things to do" Facebook page and found the location so we could take a photo. It was big as advertised, but as I found out a little more, it made this one even more interesting.

Swedish artist Thomas Dambo has created hundreds of trolls throughout the world. His work has two missions. First, you have to be in nature to see his work. Second, he relies entirely on recycled materials. So, he provides these sculptures to encourage an appreciation of nature and a greater emphasis on conservation. His sculptures are placed in forests, parks, and natural settings. 

While looking online, I discovered a map showing the locations of artistic works. My screen capture appears below, but if you use the link you will find that the actual online map is interactive. If you know where we are camping and click the X marking that spot, a small drawing of the troll from the photo I took should appear. 

Tahquamenon Falls

 We ventured from our campground today to visit Tahquamenon Falls in Tahquamenon Falls State Park. A tough word to spell, and my Mac thinks I've spelled it incorrectly. The pronunciation rhymes with phenomenon. The word is an Indian term for the color of the water, which results from tannins picked up by the water as it flows through low areas with cedar trees. A lot of water goes over this falls, which is supposedly second only to Niagara in the eastern United States. It does seem odd to me when what I read describes my location as eastern US.

There are several falls here, and the one I photographed is the larger Upper Falls. I took my Canon 7D on this trip. It was my first high-quality camera, but I seldom use it anymore because it is so heavy and the iPhone is so easy to use for quality photos. 

Pine Forests, Roadside Bars, and Breakfast as the Best Meal of the Day

 Here is the end of yesterday's story. We had stopped at the Two Rivers Motel and Cabins and learned that we had a bad (very bad) wheel bearing. Not having a clue as what we should do we asked owner Tim (co-owner with Jen) who we might call. Tim said he would take a look and try to fix it. When he and Jen lived in Madison, he had been a mechanic. Tim took off the wheel, looked at the bearing, and decided he might try to fix it if the camper were his, but thought we would be better off having someone who specializes do the work. So now what, how do you get a camper 40 or so miles to a specialty shop?

Tim decides to take off both tires, drop the entire axle, get the entire thing in the back of a pickup and send his dad and me off to a specialty shop he had located.

An hour or so later we arrived. Got the axle unloaded and the mechanics took over. Half an hour and $229 or later, the bearings were pronounced fixed.

We headed back to the campground; Tim and I managed to position the axle so it could be reattached, and the job was complete. Tim does not want any money even though he had spent a lot of two days on what he seemed to think was an interesting project. It was interesting, but the mosquitoes were really bad while he was crawling around underneath our camper. Cindy offered to pay, but he refused any compensation. We left money on the bed this morning.

Driving through the Upper Peninsula consists of a lot of pine trees, a few lakes, and periodic bars/taverns. The experience is much like the surroundings of our lake place in Wisconsin with fewer options along the road. Much as the absence of towns has alarmed us when we needed a skilled mechanic, it would be difficult for most to appreciate the lack of humans. 

We stopped at one of the places we found along the way for breakfast. The manager/cook turned on the Open sign when he saw us drive up and we had a great breakfast. We were the only customers the entire time. It is the slow season. Great food and adequate coffee.

We are now established in a half deserted campground in Newberry, Michigan. 

Better late than never.