A few days ago, we hinted at a flashback tale. We couldn’t possibly go any other way. Since learning about Hodags on our return to Michigan’s Upper Peninsula to catch a seaplane, we’ve traveled nearly 2,000 miles, through eight states, in seven days. Needless to say, there’s a great deal to catch up on, a-n-n-d we won’t be able to do so in one post, so bear with us. Here goes.
Runs 4900 mi. PA to OR
Runs 3300 mi. OR to MA
1st transcontinental road in U.S.
Runs 3300 mi. NYC to San Francisco
No interstates for us. Well, except for that whole follow-the-ambulance portion…
Now let’s get to that seaplane adventure, shall we? Seemingly ages ago, on the morning of August 28, we boarded a seaplane with four other passengers for a 45-minute flight from Michigan’s Keweenaw Peninsula to Isle Royale National Park in Lake Superior.
Our cabin wouldn’t be ready until mid-afternoon, so after leaving the small overnight tote bags with the lodge staff and consulting with the park rangers, we made our selection of doable trails and struck out to find…
Todd chose Suzy’s Cave, well, because…
Susie said she’d forgive the NPS for misspelling it. 😉
From here, 1.8 miles gets you to the cave & then 3 miles gets you back to the harbor.
After joyfully taking selfies among the mosquitoes at what we thought was the cave entrance, we continued on, following the trail around the rocks, only to discover we’d celebrated the backdoor exit. Ha!
The longer hike after the cave was more challenging, with changes in terrain, a bit of rock scrambling, and gorgeous views of Lake Superior.
After a well-earned bite of lunch, we enjoyed the view of the harbor while waiting for check-in. Once informed the cabin was ready, we happily walked the 0.6 miles UPHILL to the cabin and opened the door to find…someone else’s luggage. Uh-oh. Is this the wrong cabin or just the wrong stuff?
Matters not, since there’s no phone service on the island. No choice but to walk the 0.6 miles back to the lodge office to report the situation, which they offered to rectify straightaway. And they did. They jetted off on their golfcart. Ah, thanks? Oh well, we trekked back up the 0.6-mile path to the cabin.
With the luggage bit straightened out, we were finally able to remove our boots and rest before dinner. Good thing, because the restaurant is located 0.6 miles back down the hill. To their credit, with a captive audience of ravenous hikers, dinner was delicious. After which, we trudged the 0.6 miles back UP the hill for the night.
If you’ve been keeping track, that’s 0.6 x5, which added up to an additional THREE miles on top of the five-mile hike. Our watches were tossing virtual confetti at our accomplishing more than 20,000 steps!
“Royal treatment?” Honey, I’ve got blisters on my calluses. Ouch.
Yes, but listen. What do you hear? That’s right. Nothing but the gentle, soul-restoring sounds of nature. Ahhh.
After a good night’s sleep, we awoke to another beautiful day for the seaplane transport back to the mainland.
And with that, we returned to Hubbell, Mi, changed out of our hiking boots and hit the road. 270 miles to Duluth, Minnesota!
And because no flashback movie or book worth its salt would miss the opportunity to confuse the audience with the occasional brief return to the present, h-e-e-r-e’s Mochi!
Our Travels 