22 August 2013 - Marquette, MI

Last night, as we were preparing to go to bed, we looked out and had an awesome view of the moon rising over Lake Superior, silver light in contrast to the glow of a sunrise.  The night was soft and warm, wrapping us in comfort and peace, and we loved the angel reflection on the water.

We rested in comfort and have enjoyed our stay in Duluth.  We have been surprised by the loveliness of this area.  We had not thought of this location as a vacation destination, but now we appreciate its beauty, attraction and the things to do.  We are close to the Boundary Waters for camping and boating, Lake Superior is full of fish and a gorgeous body of water.  Duluth has a rich heritage, both historical and ethnic.  It would be worth it to come back to this area and spend more time.







This morning we walked the waterfront, the water a deep and unreal blue, sunlight glistening on its surface and found monuments and historical artifacts lending additional enjoyment to this area.  After breakfast, we headed east, across the border and into Wisconsin, the state of cheese, football and farms.  The north of this state was settled by many from Scandinavia, bringing the Lutheran religion with them.  It still boasts a number of churches devoted to that belief.  These people also brought with them an ethic of hard work, industry and family.  We have seen it in the farms, buildings and towns.  The area is lush, green, rolling hills and attractive farms.  It even has classic cars for sale, including a Buick convertible, in red, no less!  My level of temptation briefly flared, but I controlled it.

            

Even the cows seemed interested in watching those who watch them.  The grass is lush, the cows are getting fat and are the source of famed Wisconsin cheese.

 The roads are lined with lovely Queen Anne's Lace, clover and rich forests of pine, birch and other trees.  We have fallen in love with this beautiful part of our great country.  However, we think the winters here might be rather harsh and tough on the inhabitants.  Summer is so much nicer.

Our destination today has been Marquette, MI, over the border and into the upper peninsula of Michigan.  It has us again on the shore of Lake Superior.  We also found that this is the home of Northern Michigan University, which opens for the fall semester in a couple of days.  People are flocking here to start school and we found that we were indeed lucky to find a nice room.  As we looked out on the lake, we found we are right by the launching site for the rowing crews.  We watched them move out onto the lake and it is obvious that this is a new season for them.  The oars were not in sync, they went  slow and had a power boat with instructor shadowing them.  But they seemed to be having fun and I am sure they will get much better as time goes on.

Tonight we will review the coming journey with the plan to go to Sault St. Marie and cross over into Canada.  Weather has been as good as you could wish and here in Marquette, it has cooled off and is delightful.  Again, we find this is probably the most wonderful country on earth, with basically good people and a variety that is hard to imagine.  We love it!