Two Harbors, Apostle Islands, engine light issue and Copper Harbor

 

Hello from the coast of Lake Superior! You wouldn't think there are mountains big enough to have to make tunnels through but sure enough, we went through two of them along the coast line in Minnesota.

We went to Split Rock Lighthouse and heard all about how dangerous the waters were along the coast and how many ships went down before it was built. Crazy that with only access from the water they built this lighthouse, 3 homes for the light-keepers and the storage building in 1910 for $75,000! But even more impressive, in only 11 months!!

The 3 houses for the light-keepers were all the same but were very nice considering the times. They even had "fancy" bathrooms. 😀 While the lighthouse is no longer in use with today's GPS and navigation systems, the lighthouse is a cool place to visit.

Another great spot to stop and visit was Gooseberry Falls State Park. As you can see, it's a popular place, especially on a beautiful hot summer day!

Anxious to get away from the crowds we hiked the Gitchi-Gami and Superior Hiking Trail. I think we saw maybe 4 people total once we hit the 4 mile trail! It had a moderate elevation increase but the views were fantastic! If it wasn't for the smoke still from the Canadian fires we would have been able to see the Apostle Islands.  

Looking down at the water from approximately 200 feet up you could see the rocks at the bottom of the lake. The picture doesn't depict the significance of the depth or how big those rocks really are but it was still cool to see.

We continued our hike and while most of the flowers are past season we still found a few pretty ones along the trail.

 

I also found these studly hikers, one was a little more talkative than the other! 😁

Made it back to the falls area and there were a few less people. The trail crossed over the bridge shown on the right and we got a great picture of the upper falls from it. It was a beautiful state park and would highly recommend visiting it (there is also a campground there you can stay at but no hook ups at all).

Next stop Apostle Islands and Bayfield, WI.  There is the most beautiful old house there and the grounds are so well maintained. Somebody must have some bucks!

The weather didn't want to cooperate with us as it poured 2 out of the 3 days we were here but we did get at least one kayaking trip in. Had to laugh at the marina with the statue of liberty, I guess it was helpful in finding our way back. We didn't go far but did see some unique rocks and even a start of fall...yikes!

On our way to the Porcupine Mountains, the engine light came on.😖 This time it said "low DEF" and "poor DEF quality". Those were new ones to us but we knew they weren't accurate because we had just filled up the DEF. Of course it was a Saturday and repair shops were closed so we spent the weekend at Tomlinson's Truck repair. I'm not sure which was more odd, our view from our "site" or the pig that went into the bar next door!

It was certainly an interesting stop and not the stay at the "Porkies" we planned but the good news was that after waiting all weekend and most of Monday we were back on the road. Turned out it was another quirky DEF issue and after doing a forced regeneration of the system the code went away, good grief! Back to the serenity of camping and beautiful Copper Harbor...

We stayed at Lake Fanny Hooe campground which was really nice because we could walk right into town and kayak right from their beach. Noodle really enjoyed the lake and is starting to get more adventurous on the kayak. I told him he really needs to stay in the cockpit if he isn't going to wear his life jacket!

Good boy, back in the boat! It was a great day and a nice five mile paddle.  We really enjoyed our time here and had the best dinner out (these are a treat for us since we mostly cook at home now...I know who would have thought??) at Eagle Harbor Inn. Dave had the fettuccine with Salmon and I had a Lobster gluten free pizza that was the best! Plus I had the most handsome date. 💗

We visited the Jampot and got some jam and muffins (not gluten free, sorry Michelle!).  We went to the top of Brockway Mountain and took in the lovely 360 degree views and cell service!

It was cool to look down at Copper Harbor and see Lake Fanny Hooe from up top. Once we got to another lower lookout point we could even see the campground and Phoebe!

 

We hiked to Manganese Falls right from the campground too. It was another uphill hike (Dave loves those best, not!) but was a pretty little falls and some lovely flowers along the way.

We had a great time in the Keweenaw Peninsula kayaking, hiking, biking and my favorite sport, shopping! I'd like one of Bruce's Moscow Mules in this mug!

Our last stop on the peninsula was at Baraga State Park, another place we'd recommend.  It was a bit noisy from 41 but has a great bike trail that goes into town right from the campground. There is also a little drive in restaurant right on the trail to neutralize those calories burned with a tasty root beer float and strawberry shake!  😋 Good times we are so thankful for! Next stop Grand Marais and beautiful Pictured Rocks. Stay tuned...