Colwell Lake

Thursday, August 9th, 2007 -- Colwell Lake near Steuben, MI

This is going to be a very short update. Internet access is very limited and unreliable. I've become so involved with our website and blogs that my need for the internet is almost an addiction. Maybe the time away from it will be good.

My last post had us prepared to cross the Mackinac Bridge -- August 2nd, I believe. A lot's happened since that day a week ago, but I'll just cover the highlights in this post.

The move across the bridge and up to Munising was uneventful. We checked into the Wandering Wheels Campground near Munising, and while the sites are big and wooded, the dusty road and grounds made for an unpleasant time. Happy to have stayed only three nights, this past Monday, the 6th, we moved 20 miles to Colwell Lake, a National Forest Campground in the Hiawatha National Forest. This place is nearly the ideal campground -- large secluded wooded sites, very private, very clean -- you almost feel like you're the only one in the place. There are only 30 sites and half of them are right on the shore of the small lake. The only negative is the lack of electric, water, and sewer connections -- which, when you consider that if there were full hookups, the place would immediately loose it's charm, quiet, and pressure from other campers, isn't a negative at all. We just made sure we arrived with a full load of freshwater -- 105 gallons -- and that we're really conservative on the use of electric power. We can cook with gas, heat water with gas, and run the fridge on gas -- and we've got more than enough gas for the two weeks.

While staying at Wandering Wheels, we ventured out to Whitefish Point on Lake Superior, and visited nearby Tahquamenon Falls. That was an enjoyable trip! The Great Lakes Shipwreck Museum was one of the highlights as it was educational and had a couple pieces that had a particular interest to us... the ship's bell from the Edmund Fitzgerald, and a 2nd order Fresnel Lens from the White Shoals Lighthouse.

The time spent at Colwell Lake is so un-hurried and relaxing, it's even a vacation for us. We're kayaking, skiing, reading, cooking, having nightly slow pontoon rides around the lake as the sun sets, and telling stories around a big campfire each night. As time and internet access permits, I'll try to get more updates posted during the next couple weeks. Those of you who need to make contact with us know our cell phone numbers -- just leave a voicemail. We try to check those every couple of days.

Really Unwinding...

T