A Quick Tour of Iron Mountain – Blog Post #11 Camping in Michigan

After I had thoroughly explored that new waterfall Wednesday morning, July 14, Hubby and I drove over to Iron Mountain, Michigan.

I’m not sure if it’s one of those occupational hazards, but working in healthcare, I only feel as if Iron Mountain is known for its Veterans Administration Medical Center. Which is on East H Street; I know because I mail them things and I think that is such a dumb name for a street. (And yes, there are A through I streets.)

Anyway, I digress. The city of Iron Mountain is also home to the Dickinson County Courthouse.

A beautiful old building – as all courthouses should be.

A random old house. I can’t remember just where it was in Iron Mountain.  

The Menominee Range Museum, which was closed due to COVID.

But that didn’t stop me from walking around outside, taking pictures.

Believe it or not, Lydia’s Clothing Store was right across the street, in this beautiful church. I don’t know why I didn’t step inside. Stupid COVID still has me gun-shy about going in unfamiliar places. My research on this building came up empty, but I’m still working on it.

By then, it was time to get serious about finding someplace to eat lunch. On my internet search of the city, I had found an interesting place, which I will tell you about next time, but on the road to get there, we came across this little mining memorial.

Next to Chapin Mine Lake.

You’ll need to be sure to come back on Friday to see where the road past that small park led.

 For more information:

            The Iron Mountain VA - https://www.ironmountain.va.gov/about/index.asp

Dickinson County Courthouse - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dickinson_County_Courthouse_and_Jail

The Menominee Range Museum - https://menomineemuseum.com/mrhmuseum

Our Sinful Selfs

     On my blog post from September 5, I wrote about copying verses, chapters, and even entire books from the Bible. How doing that would help a person better understand the word of God and remember those Words. 

After I wrote that post the first Sunday in September, I started transcribing the book of Romans into my journal. The book of Romans has some great verses; I’ve blogged about many of them here. In fact, some believe that Romans is one of the best books of the Bible. The apostle Paul wrote the book Romans to explain just what salvation through belief in Jesus Christ really means.

I’ve gotten through the first chapter, and it paints a pretty bleak picture of who we are.

   21-23 They know God, but they do not give him the honor that belongs to him, nor do they thank him. Instead, their thoughts have become complete nonsense, and their empty minds are filled with darkness. They say they are wise, but they are fools; instead of worshiping the immortal God, they worship images made to look like mortals or birds or animals or reptiles [or money or houses or cars or other possessions].

 24-25 And so God has given those people over to do the filthy things their hearts desire, and they do shameful things with each other. They exchange the truth about God for a lie; they worship and serve what God has created instead of the Creator himself, who is to be praised forever!

   29-32 They are filled with all kinds of wickedness, evil, greed, and vice; they are full of jealousy, murder, fighting, deceit, and malice. They gossip and speak evil of one another; they are hateful to God, insolent, proud, and boastful; they think of more ways to do evil; they disobey their parents; they have no conscience; they do not keep their promises, and they show no kindness or pity for others. They know that God's law says that people who live in this way deserve death. Yet, not only do they continue to do these very things, but they even approve of others who do them.

And though you all read those verses, thinking, “oh, yes, there are so many horrible people in this world,” you also have to admit to yourself that those lines describe you as well. I know I can put my name next to many of those sins, and I am so ashamed.

Yes, we need to try harder, we need to read God’s word, we need to pray, we need to put others first in all things. But the Good News is that God will still forgive us; He knows how imperfect we are, and that’s why He sent His Son to die on that cross.

Lord, God, Heavenly Father, please forgive my many sins. Send Your Holy Spirit into my heart to keep me from constantly disobeying Your commandments. And thank You for saving me through the Grace of Jesus Christ. Amen.

Another New Waterfalls – Blog Post #10 Camping in Michigan

     Wednesday, July 14, the forecast was for hot and humid conditions with a good chance of rain by the afternoon. Hubby and I set out for our day’s adventures by 8:30, hoping to get in some waterfalls before the weather got too bad.

My “Waterfalling in Wisconsin” told me about a promising waterfall near Florence, Wisconsin, thirty miles south of where we were camping. The thing was that Google maps showed me a more interesting route than the book did, and heaven forbid, I follow directions anyway. Where is the fun in that?

We drove to the WE Energies Powerhouse, and I followed the canoe portage signs down some stairs to the bottom of the dam. The sign I read said the trail came out at the top of the falls, which it clearly did not.

I went back up to the powerhouse and followed the canoe portage signs in the other direction, up a service road that ran along the river. I couldn’t see the river, only heard it. Signs along the way kept pointing to Breakwater Falls, so I had to be heading in the right direction. 

 Oh, and by the way, Hubby had gone to the outhouse when we got there and wasn’t out yet when Dino and I came back up the stairs. I hesitated, worried he would wonder what happened to us, but then thought, oh, well, he’ll figure it out, he knows me well enough.

After ten minutes walking along this service road, the dog and I came to a parking area with a Breakwater Falls sign pointing into the woods. Even though the book had said this should be Pine River Falls. 

We headed into what was a damp rabbit trail, until we came to a tree over the path which was too big for Dino to jump or crawl over, and when I tried to pick him up, his body language clearly said, nope. So, I rather irresponsibly tied him to a branch in the downed tree, scaled it, and kept going. I mean, the river was right there, the falls couldn’t be that far away.

It wasn’t, except that when I got to that falls, which was maybe six feet in height, there was clearly a second falls twenty feet or so further downstream. 

I came to my senses, realizing that I couldn’t leave Dino alone any longer and Hubby might be frantically searching for us. And if he found the dog tied up alone, he would really be concerned.

I backtracked, released the dog, and headed back up the service road. As we got almost to the powerhouse, here was Hubby ambling along, confident he was on the right path and not at all worried about me. 

But of course, I wasn’t going to give up on this – whether it was Breakwater Falls or Pine River Falls, or both. 

When we got back to the truck, I consulted all of my sources, none of which was the internet, thank you, trees. Hubby was pretty skeptical of my directions, but he went where I pointed. When WiFi returned for a few fleeting moments, I realized that my maps and the gazetteer were correct and we would end up near that service road where the Breakwater Falls sign was. 

Or not.

We came to a different parking lot which had a boat landing and area for two or three campsites, and even a men’s and a women’s outhouse. But I left all that luxury behind for the boys to enjoy, while I plunged into the trail heading towards the dam. 

It was quite the hike along another rabbit trail to the dam. Even when I was about halfway back to that service road parking lot, where the canoe out-take/in-put was. Where a sign read “½ mile portage”. I wouldn’t want to carry my canoe along that trail.

I made it to the top of the dam and ambled down to the “Breakwater Falls” sign and once again plunged into the woods.

The waterfall was beautiful, and as anticipated, another falls was just beyond, this one maybe a little bit taller. And totally unexpectedly, downstream from the second falls, I could see the top of a third fall. I was like – what?

So I kept going, tromping through the trees and mud (thankful for my new hikers) and even gingerly across wet, mossy rocks

The third falls was probably the height of the first one, but still just as pretty. I studied the water flowing downstream, burbling over rocks, no more falls called to me and I thought I had to be close to the powerhouse.

By the time I finally came out of the woods, to where the boys were waiting in the air-conditioned truck, I had already stripped off my t-shirt; I was a sweaty mess and my legs were trembling from the hike. I felt like I’d been gone for hours, but it was only maybe 40 minutes!

I need to get in better shape. 

Not sure what happened in that picture, but it’s kind of how I felt until I had sucked down enough water. And a handful of trail mix.

For more information: 

https://www.travelwisconsin.com/natural-attractions-and-parks/breakwater-falls-276866

https://www.exploreflorencecounty.com/tourism/featured-destinations/breakwater-falls-wis-6th-largest-waterfall/

http://www.waterfallswisconsin.com/flocty.htm

Wildlife Walk and Wonders. And Work – Blog Post #9 Camping in Michigan

   I always post my blogs first thing in the morning, which means I actually write them the night before. This week, luckily, I started my Wednesday post on Monday night. Good thing, because I am exhausted tonight (which is really last night, as you read this.)

I don’t know how the medical community in the rest of the country is doing, but here in northern Wisconsin, I feel we are at a crisis stage. No, the pandemic is not that totally bad around here, but we are seeing enough cases, hospitalizing enough people, that it is putting a strain on our already taxed health care services. And I only work in a clinic. For years, people asked me why I didn’t go back to school to get my RN. This is why – I don’t want to work in a hospital or any critical care or long-term care facility. And I feel so bad, sometimes guilty, that I work my 7:00 am to 5:30 or 6:00 pm shifts, four of them in a row and then get a three-day weekend. But I still spend a lot of hours when I am not at work, thinking about what I should have done, how my patients are doing, how my co-workers and providers are doing. I need a vacation – like maybe two weeks off every month…

I’ll keep planning the next vacation, just as I keep reliving the previous ones.

So, here are pictures from the afternoon of our second full day of camping in the UP in July. Back at Bewabic State Park and taking a walk.

And finding something to love in every day. Something to carry me through the days that are rough.

A Weekend Project - you know how those go

   When you do things, do not let selfishness or pride be your guide. Instead, be humble and give more honor to others than to yourselves. Do not be interested only in your own life, but be interested in the lives of others. (Philippians 2:3-4, New Century Version)

Last night, I asked Hubby what I should blog about today. He said that I should write about the project we worked on this weekend – putting rubber tiles on the floor of our storage shed.

I’m not sure what Hubby wanted me to say. Because he surely didn’t want me to tell you about all the heated discussions we had. Or that I completely quit halfway through, claiming that my hands hurt too much to continue, which was only partially true. I just couldn’t stay in that hot, dark shed any longer!

The packaging and even the video I found for installing these tiles made it look ridiculously easy. Just place them on the floor and snap them together. Right! In whose world?

I know that the uneven floor is mostly to blame, but that still doesn’t explain why some of the tiles snapped right together and others just said, “no, not doing it.” Or why, when measuring the edges, some how this metal shed which is just over a year old isn’t even square. Or maybe it’s just because, before we even got started, I clonked my head on the doorway. Remember, I’m short? How could I ever run into anything overhead?

Then when I sat down to write this and brought up the BibleGateway website, the verse above was the verse for the day. Hmm? Maybe it’s not just about my head, or my aching fingers, or my sore back. Maybe it’s about Hubs too, at least a little bit, about his bad back and his aching knees and his allergies kicking up in the confined space.

Lord, God, forgive me for my selfishness, forgive me for my impatience, forgive me for my short temper. And thank You so much for a patient, selfless husband. Amen.

Oh, and P.S., God, can you keep Hubby from reading this? Thanks 😉

Iron River - Blog Post #8 Camping in Michigan

   Tuesday, July 14, was our second full day of camping at Bewabic State Park, between Crystal Falls and Iron River. It was a laid-back day for us, for a change.

I wanted to drive around the city of Iron River, twelve miles west on Highway 2, but we stopped at Larson Roadside Park first. It is supposedly the first roadside park in America, created in an unbelievable 1918. I mean, how many cars were possibly on Hwy 2 that long ago?

This one could have been one of those cars - a restored 1929 Model A pickup.

Hubby talked for a long time to the guy who had restored it, doing all the work himself, having found the original parts in some old garage. His wife said he could have it if he finished rebuilding it in one month. I’m so glad that the challenge was accepted.

On to Iron River and Central School. The main section was built in 1904-05.

The two wings were added in 1910-11. The building was used as a school until 1980 and was recently renovated into a 22-unit apartment complex.

The Windsor Center was once the West Iron County Middle School, and before that West Iron County High School, and before that the Iron River High School.

The Iron River Town Hall was constructed in 1915, thirty years after Iron River was incorporated.

The First Lutheran Church.

Iron River Seventh-Day Adventist Church. 

A really cool building which I could find out nothing about on the internet.

Veterans’ Memorial.

Apple Blossom Trail, which runs between the Iron River and the Iron County snowmobile and ATV trail.

I only walked a short segment of it, maybe half a mile.

With evidence of the mines which were once in the area.

I didn’t even know I was also walking this course until I found the sign. 

I need to try Disc Golf sometime. Maybe. Or maybe not. Or at least I need to walk this entire trail. 

 For more information:

The renovation of Central School - https://www.secondwavemedia.com/upper-peninsula/features/ironriver52213.aspx

The Windsor Center - https://www.windsorcenter.org/about/info

The First Lutheran Church - https://firstlutheranironriver.com/

The Apple Blossom Trail - https://mitrails.org/apple-blossom-trail.php

The Disc Golf Course - https://udisc.com/courses/the-tailings-nkU2