Beaufort Lake

August 18, 2008 -- near Three Lakes, MI

We're parked on the western shore of Beaufort Lake in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. Beaufort is about a mile and a quarter long, a mile wide, and has a surface area of about 460 acres. It's deepest point is 35 feet with the average depth in the 15 to 20 foot range but there are a few shallow bars and an occasional boulder just below the surface waiting to eat your boat propeller. As we kayak or canoe around the lake we're 1640 feet above sea level. There's one small public campground along the north shore and no resorts or other commercial establishments with water frontage. The water is clean and clear, and the lake is surrounded by mostly heavily wooded hilly land. All in all, not a bad place to spend a few weeks during late summer in the north-country.

I have to clear something up. In recent posts to this blog and in the "What's New" section on our front page I've been referring to "Camp Soldner" -- the place we're camped during our time on Beaufort Lake. Unfortunately, I haven't made it clear that Camp Soldner is a private lake property owned by Dar's brother and his wife. You see, people in the UP of Michigan refer to their lake cottages as "camps". They have a "camp" on Beaufort Lake... not a cotttage. Anywhere else we've been in the USA this place would be a "cottage". But in the UP of Michigan, it's a "camp". I wrote a little about this and other "regionalisms" unique to the UP last year while here and started referring to it as Camp Soldner. With a little tongue-in-cheek the "Camp Soldner" moniker was born. Well, anyway, I've recently received a couple inquiries from people who read my blog and were having trouble finding more information about Camp Soldner. I can only imagine how, after reading about this place and seeing the pictures, people could be interested in making reservations and grabbing a few weeks of this paradise for themselves. Unfortunately, for the foreseeable future, Camp Soldner will remain private. Sorry for misleading you.

T