View from the Minong Trail

The following is a description of a 19-day adventure to Isle Royale National Park. The trip includes driving more than 900 miles to Copper Harbor and back, a ferry over the rough water of Lake Superior and two weeks of hiking to one end of the 45-mile long island and back. Part one of the drive there took me from Syracuse, NY area, through Canada and to Grayling, Michigan.

Section Stats:
Date: August 27, 2011
Length: appoximately 553 miles
Difficulty: Very Easy

Finally! It is August 27th and time to begin my two-week vacation.

After the glacial pace of August, it is finally time to put all my trip preparations to good use. Now only 900+ miles, and a portion of Lake Superior stand between me and Isle Royale National Park. Luckily, I have two days to travel there before my ferry leaves for the island on Monday morning.

The number of chores necessary to close down my apartment for the duration of my trip seems endless. Although some things are left undone, I manage to pack up my stuff into my Honda Fit for the two-day drive to Copper Harbor, Michigan. In addition to my backpacking equipment, I pack up a large cooler with all the perishable food left in the refrigerator and several peanut butter and jelly sandwiches to provide the bulk of my meals for the long drive.

Around mid- morning, with my fully-packed Pinnacle backpack, lightweight hiking poles, day bag with a couple changes of clothing, the cooler and a bag of assorted food stuffs, I set off in my car, looking forward to some island living for two solid weeks of backpacking and exploring the smallest of the National Parks.

I printed out my route using both MapQuest and Google Maps may days ago; both giving similar routes except for a small difference after crossing the Mackinac Bridge from the Lower to Upper Peninsula of Michigan. The first day takes me along the New York State Thruway, across the Canadian border through Ontario to Michigan. Once in Michigan, I make my way to Interstate 75, which I follow all the way to the Upper Peninsula. The last stretch of my route covers most of the Upper Peninsula along State Route 41 all the way to Copper Harbor at the end of the Keweenaw Peninsula.

My hope is to make it as far as Gaylord or Grayling, Michigan by the first day’s end. Unfortunately, with the late mid-morning start, those plans may be overly aggressive; especially given my typical moderate rate of speed (i.e. granny speed).

The miles pass swiftly along the New York State Thruway (I-90) to Buffalo. This comes as no surprise given my familiarity with the route, especially the portion between Syracuse and Rochester, which I have traveled many times before.

I make a mental note while driving by Montezuma National Wildlife Refuge to visit in the future. Also, I imagine what it will feel like when I pass here on my return trip. I quickly dismiss the idea and substitute thoughts about the island instead; there will be plenty of time to think about the trip back AFTER my island adventure.

Just outside Buffalo, I stop at the Clarence Travel Plaza to get something to drink. While there it dawns on me that I might as well eat my lunch too, as it is half past noon already. The brilliant blue sky and sunshine insist that my lunch of a peanut butter and jelly sandwich and some fruit be savored on one of the nearby picnic tables scattered about within a cluster of large trees.

The nice weather makes it hard to imagine that Hurricane Irene is at this very moment heading up the east coast. Lucky for me, I am slowly leaving the hurricane behind as I head west and out of its predicted path.

Not being able to sit still very long (since I am pretty much sitting the entire two days), I pace about the grassing area surrounding the picnic tables. Unfortunately, the area under the trees has been used as a dog park, with numerous little (and not so little) land mines just waiting to be stepped on, and subsequently stinking up a car. I manage to keep my wits about me and avoid every one of them. Thank God.

After following I-90 through Buffalo, I head for the border crossing with Canada near Niagara Falls. There are a couple of grand bridge crossing as the highway travels over Grand Island before reaching the Queenston-Lewiston Bridge. The Queenston-Lewiston Bridge is a marvelous sight, but unfortunately since I am driving I am able to only catch quick, little glimpses of the view.

The Canadian border crossing is long, tedious and frustrating. Cars and trucks are backed up as far as the eyes can see, requiring a very long wait. I spend a great deal of the time watching my car’s 48.4 miles per gallon gas mileage plummet before finally shutting off the engine between the infrequent moments when the cars start inching forward.

After crossing the border, my route takes a series of different Canadian parkways, made confusing by my lack of a map of Ontario. Unfortunately, when I pulled maps for the trip, I mistook an old map of Quebec for Ontario. It is all Canada, right? And they say American people are geographically challenged. Pish-pah!

While driving through Canada I keep my eyes peeled for a rest stop where I can purchase something to drink, and, more importantly go to the restroom. The only one I ever encounter, materializes just when I need it most to the east of London.

After taking my overdue restroom break and getting something to drink (and thus laying the groundwork for another possible emergency restroom break in the near future), I walk around the rest stop munching on some homemade cookies my neighbor was nice enough to give me for the trip. I notice a family piling into a single car in the parking lot with New York State plates, and I wonder where they might be from and where they are going.

The rest of the trip through Canada is quite uneventful. The topography is relatively flat with frequent farm fields surrounding the highway. When the signs start indicating the Blue Water Bridge crossing into Michigan, I am overjoyed by the prospect of returning to the U.S. The crossing into Michigan at the border goes much more quickly than the one into Canada, with a lot less waiting.

It is almost 6 PM by the time I cross the border back into the United States. I head east for Interstate-75, which I remain on for the rest of the day’s journey. Interstate 75 cuts the Lower Michigan in half as it heads from Detroit to the Mackinac Bridge.

When I stop at a gas station for some gas and something to drink in Capac, MI, I see the same family from my stop in Canada. They leave before me, while I am still quaffing down my beverage and munching on a dinner of green and red peppers, some remaining fruit and what are left of the homemade cookies. I keep wondering whether I will see the family when I stop again (I do not) or perhaps they are heading all the way to Isle Royale (as far as I know they are not).

Before total darkness obscures my visions, I take note of the numerous billboard road signs along I-75. Unlike New York, where the signs are infrequent at best, here they are common here. One such sign is for the “Cops & Doughnut Bakery.” Another advertises “Frankenmuth, Michigan’s Little Bavaria.” A smaller and less amusing one reads “Prison Area. Do Not Pick Up Hitch Hikers.” Yikes! I speed on past this section.

By 8 PM, I am driving through Saginaw just as the sun is setting and darkness begins to encroach on my day’s trip. I play around with the idea of stopping here, but I continue on since I would rather have a shorter second day. I will probably be less fresh tomorrow, so it might be a good idea to get as far as I can today.

As darkness takes hold, I find myself becoming increasingly drowsy and need of some rest. I keep watching the sides of the road for deer the entire time as the amount of traffic has trickled down to be almost nonresistant. Typically, I can only see a single vehicle’s lights behind me, and they are far behind me.

At one point, I spot a large canine waiting at the opposite edge of the road. Whether wolf or large coyote, I cannot be certain. I am thankful it did not make a mad dash across just as I passed.

By the time I hit Gaylord I am tired and in dire need of some rest but I decide to go another hour or so to Grayling. Even though I researched motels at both cities, staying in Grayling makes tomorrow a much shorter day.

When I pull off the interstate and into Grayling, I am overjoyed to find the Ramada Inn and Conference Center practically the first building on the left. I waste no time obtaining a room and moving my stuff out of the car and inside.

Before bringing my stuff up to the room, I check for any evidence of bedbugs on the mattress. Bedbugs have returned to the United States recently, and are an increasing nuisance. I am taking no chances of picking up unwanted companions on this trip. Armed with a lighted magnifying class, I check the mattress for the presence of the insect pest like an entomological modern version of Sherlock Holmes.

Upon finishing my bedbug check, I head for the door so as to start unpacking my car. Suddenly the door opens and I am face-to-face with a portly middle-aged man tugging at a wheeled suitcase. After a few moments of surprise, he apologizes, mutters something about a mistake and quickly backs out of the doorway and down the hall.

While still shocked, I receive a phone call notifying me that two people were assigned the same room and I must return to the lobby to get my card rescanned. Just what I need after a twelve hour trip behind the wheel. At the lobby the attendant apologizes profusely. Too bad I did not think to ask for a discount on the room.

I stay up nearly until 11:30 PM reviewing Hurricane Irene’s progress and channel surfing. I love how there are so many TV channels in motel rooms!

Finally, I settle on watching a rerun of “It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia.” It was the episode where the gang is trying to figure out who got Sweet Dee pregnant during a drunken Halloween party that none of them can clearly remember. At one point, Dee’s brother Dennis is implicated. Eeeewww. I went to bed before the episode concluded, so I never did find out the identity of the father.

Tomorrow concludes my trip to Copper Harbor, ending the initial phase of my vacation to Isle Royale National Park. By Monday morning, I will be exploring the trails of this rugged and remote island for the first time. Despite the excitement of my upcoming adventure, the days long journey takes its toll as I fall to sleep quickly thus ending my first of two driving days.

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