Lake Superior Shorlines- Last of Michigan & back to Wisconsin & OMG... Finally MINNESOTA!!!

Last things in Michigan seen were:Upper Peninsula Eagle and Sculpture Park… While cruising down the road alongside Lake Superior, saw our splendid National Bird just chillin’ looking out over the water; Unique roadside FREE park near Marquette Michigan, created by a “Junk Artist”… had some funny political statements to say through some of his sculptures….

In Ishpeming, they seem to be proud and famous for the Guiness World Book Record for having the LARGEST WORKING GUN (although, the way it works, it seems to be more of a cannon!)

Small fishing village, Escanaba, on northern tip of Green Bay- provided some excitement when a waitress at the Breezy Point restaurant spilled a dish full of delicious buttery garlic shrimp all over Ilea’s lap! (Now Free!!)

Copper Trail / Harbor… There is a sizable piece of Michigan land, the Kewanee Peninsula, that juts into Lake Superior that contains interesting history into the mining of COPPER…  Had a state park built there (Fort Wilkens) during the beginning of the copper mining days at the very tip- which was put there specifically because there were “worries”… debatable whether it was due to worries of  Indians being upset of our take over of their lands there, OR, due to lawlessness of the white American workers over the “loot”.

Apostle Islands National Park, Wisconsin… Dotting the North Western Wisconsin lake Superior waters are a group of  22 Islands known as the Apostle Islands.  Historians not sure as to why they were called that- although  it may have been  named by the Jesuit Priests that visited there. But that is real confusing if so- because according to the uh, ‘authorities’ on the matter, they can not agree on the number of  apostles (anywhere from 12 to 25!!) In any event, IRONICALLY, the most impressive and spectacular of these Apostle islands is one named DEVILS ISLAND! It has very unique geologic cave formations carved out by the continued bashing of waves over tens of thousands of years.

Duluth, Minnesota…stepping on the ground of our own, ‘last’ final 50^th state! It took us all of our 34 years together to finally do it- but we can now say that we have visited ALL 50 states!!  We saved Minnesota for last (seriously… how many people do you know who go THERE for a vacation?)  Duluth is located just across the Wisconsin state line at the very western most tip of  Lake Superior.  The city has some extraordinary FREE parks over looking the lake… first one was Enger Park and (100 year old) Tower with 360 panoramic views of city and lake.  Must drive a ‘Skyline Drive’ roadway to get to tower.  Another beautiful park had a HUGE Rose Garden, ‘ Leif Erickson Park’ (written as the Norweigan  guy who discovered America in the year 1000AD…huh?)