UP north

The Ojibwa Indians made the Grand Island area their permanent home. They called the seven mile long Grand Island Gitchee Minis or "Great Island." In winter they moved across the harbor to Minis-ing on the mainland, the "Place of the Great Island." From the dining table we look across to Great Island.

We spent four fun-filled days camped at the Bay Furnace campground in Hiawatha National Forest in Christmas, Michigan. The campground got it's name from the blast furnace that is nearby where pig iron was made between 1870 and 1877.

We have really experienced the UP. We have tasted pasties, made with either beef, pork, or vegetables in a pastry crust. The copper miners would take them for their lunches.

We have seen all sorts of trees, especially the beautiful white birches, and even burned a few in our fires.

On the 5th day the high is forecast to be 61 and the low is forecast to be 48. The winds will shift to the northwest and gust up to 50 mph. Waves will build Friday evening up to 20 feet, which will cause beach erosion and some minor flooding. It is beginning to feel a little too much like Christmas. Time to move a little further south...at least to Wisconsin.