2020 Camping Post #3 – A Tour of a Single City

July 22 seems so long ago. What have I been posting about here since then?

Anyway, that Wednesday was our second full day of camping at Bewabic State Park in Crystal Falls, Michigan. It had been a cold, wet night the night before, and the temperature was only 59 when we finally headed out for a ride around 9:30. The sky assured us that rain was imminent.

Our ride consisted of driving up and down pretty much every street in Crystal Falls, population 1,370, and taking up a distance of 3.47 square miles, so it’s not like traversing every street would be a major feat. I would have liked to walk some of those streets, but there were those rain clouds hanging overhead. Instead, a lot of pictures were taken through the truck windows and others were “snatch and go” (jump out of the truck, snap a half dozen pictures, jump back in, instruct Hubby to drive to the next block, where I repeated my antics. I hope no one was watching us.)

And yes, the rain did eventually begin falling. I did, though, get the following pictures, between raindrops. 

Crystal Falls dam and power plant 

Clark’s Landing park which is adjacent to the dam 

Crystal Falls theater 

And lots of other buildings downtown 

The Iron County courthouse 

Harbor House Museum 

A Community Garden 

The Bigfoot Inn 

And finally Winks Woods, which is a fun little craft shop where we did some shopping to support the local economy. 

All of that took us just ‘til 11:15. After a lunch of leftovers, we read and napped and took a few short walks. Finally we resorted to building a campfire and making s’mores, even though we hadn’t eaten supper yet. But that worked out well as I was able to enjoy the s’mores more on an empty stomach.

 This red squirrel enjoyed them too.

We went to bed hoping for better weather on the ‘morrow

Down By The Lake

 That same day Jesus went out of the house and sat by the lake.

Matthew 13:1 (New International Version)

The above verse goes on to tell about the crowds surrounding Jesus, and how he got in a boat, from which he began telling parables. I like the picture painted in this short verse, though. I imagine Jesus sitting by the shore, watching the gently rolling waves, waiting as people gathered, walking many miles from their homes.

I’ve written here before, I’m sure, how much I love being on the shore of a lake, feeling the power in the water, drawing peace and strength from those waves. I know that I really can only acquire peace and strength from my Savior, Jesus Christ, but I see him in the water and in the blue sky above it. I can sense him in the leaves and pine needles of the trees outside as well. And even in the green beans and slowly ripening tomatoes in my garden. And I hear him in the laughter of small children and feel him in the warm, weathered hands of the elderly.

Yes, Jesus is my rock, and that rock, in my head, is on the shore of a quiet lake as well as in everything else around me.

Thank You, Lord, for being with me everywhere. Amen.

2020 Camping Post #2 – A Day of Towns, Waterfalls and Closed Places

 It already seems like our July vacation was so long ago. I’m glad that I take so many pictures on every trip as sometimes it’s the only thing that helps me remember. That and of course my camping log.   
               It was a strange trip though, with the pandemic going on, everyone wearing masks and most museums and other tourist spots closed. We gave it our best shot though.

               Tuesday, our first full day, we first headed out to Horserace Rapids, fifteen miles south-east of where we were camping. Very cool place, lots of rocks to climb on, and amazing views of the Paint River with cliffs on the opposite side. One of those places where I smack myself on the head wondering why I’ve never been here before.               

                From there, we drove twelve miles south, back into Wisconsin, to the tiny town of Florence. We drove around that little town WAY too many times. I thought there were so many cool buildings. And even a phone booth. Do kids even know what that is anymore?

               

               We drove back into Michigan to Iron Mountain, where I took pictures of the train depot, the Dickinson County Courthouse, and the WWII Glider & Military Museum and Cornish Pump & Mining Museum, which I already knew was closed, but I still wanted to take pictures of the outside.

               

               Next was the Jake Menghini Historical Museum, outside of Norway, again for just pictures of the outside. At least, with everything closed, it turned out to be an inexpensive vacation.               

               We continued on US 2 through Vulcan, where we turned around at the Vulcan Mine, which guess what? Was also closed.               

        

           

                When we drove back through Norway, we stopped at a historical monument for the Norway Spring. In 1903, it was caused by a hole drilled by the Oliver Mining Company in their search for iron ore.

               And the Viking ship welcoming all to the city of Norway.

               

               Finally, we stopped at the Fumee Creek Roadside Park, in honor of Brenda O’Brien. I always wonder who these people were that have parks dedicated to them.

               Anyway, the waterfalls over the creek was very pretty, despite the people who were there, one in particular, a woman with a large 35 mm on a tripod who tried, kindly, to tell me where to get the best view of the falls. I wanted to say, I’ve been viewing waterfalls for 40 years, I think I got this, but thanks.              

         The main falls is easily seen from the parking lot, as well as the bridge crossing the Fumee Creek, but the best spot is up the few dozen stairs to the upper falls, which though not nearly as high, I thought, was much more delightful. Until four people joined me, at which point, I had to scamper back down the stairs.       

                 That was about the time when the sky decided it had had enough of just being gloomy and began to release its rain. As I was writing this, I was thinking I should share a screenshot from Google maps detailing our entire route. I decided, nah, let you figure it out for yourself.  

Those Beans

 “Or suppose a woman has ten silver coins and loses one. Doesn’t she light a lamp, sweep the house and search carefully until she finds it? And when she finds it, she calls her friends and neighbors together and says, ‘Rejoice with me; I have found my lost coin.’ In the same way, I tell you, there is rejoicing in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents.”

Luke 15:8-10 (New International Version)

When I was a kid, summers were for running wild, spending our days (and some of our nights) outdoors, climbing trees, traipsing through the woods, and sometimes through the swamp. It meant freedom. At least until the beans in my parents’ garden took over our lives. 

Then, from the end of July, until school started, it was a couple hours every day, bent over in the garden picking buckets’ full, then cutting each one into three or four bite-size pieces so Mom could blanch them and freeze them. I have a lot of happy childhood memories, and one of them is sitting in the kitchen in the evening, nearly in the dark because it was hot out and if we kept the lights off, supposedly it kept it cooler in the house. The Milwaukee Brewers would be on the radio, and as we listened to the game, we’d be cutting up all those stinkin’ green beans.

Flash-forward nearly a half-century and here I am, picking, cutting, blanching, freezing my own beans – more wax than green as I like them better. And it’s not as hot in my house; I’m too cheap to get air conditioning, but I do have more than one fan. 

Yesterday, while out in the garden, tossing those beans into an ice cream pail, I missed and one of those beans fell to the ground. One, just one, tender five-inch-long, green bean. But I had to stop what I was doing to pick it up and put it in the pail so I didn’t forget about it and lose it.

As silly a thing as it was, it still reminded me of the verse above. If I get this excited about one little bean, imagine how excited God gets over one little human soul?

Thank You, LORD, God, for loving each and every one of us, for caring about our futures, for gently placing us in Your bucket when we stray. Amen.

2020 Camping Post #1 - Overview

   A week ago, this past Monday, Hubby, Dino and I took off for our annual camping trip. If you follow this blog (or just plain follow me in real life), you know the trip didn’t turn out as hoped. I try to keep it in perspective – the worst day on vacation is better than the best day at work! But really, it is what it is.

Overall, we had a good time and made it home safe and somewhat sound.

Here’s just a quick summary of some of the places we visited from our home base for the week, Bewabic State Park, just outside of Crystal Falls, Michigan. Over the next few weeks, I’ll give you more details, along with more of the 490 pictures I took! 

The road to Horserace Rapids. Perhaps that ominous sky was foretelling how our week would go. 

 Horserace Rapids, worth the hike and the rain held off. 

 Dickinson County Courthouse in Iron Mountain

 

 Viking ship welcoming you to the city of Norway

Fumee Waterfalls

Crystal Fall Dam and Power Plant

Downtown Hancock

View of Lake Superior from where we ate lunch

Assinins Cemetery, near Baraga

Pinery Indian Cemetery, near L'Anse

Sweet Dino, just chillin' with us

More pictures and stories coming soon.