UP TO COPPER HARBOR
Day 3
Heading north on 41/26, we blinked through beautiful downtown Ontonagon and headed up to Houghton-Hancock, where we spent a the night in a lovely campground - the Hancock Recreational Area. Compared to the crowded conditions in Union Bay, this campground was positively roomy and much more private. Jake took to the water on Portage Lake and we learned how to chase the ball and not bring it back.
Day 4
The following morning, we took M203 to 26 and followed the shoreline. At Eagle River we stopped at Fitzgerald's Eagle River Inn for a belated birthday lunch for Bill. While the food was good, we couldn't figure out why it was so highly recommended - maybe dinner was better. Further up the road we stopped at the Jam Pot, a bakery run by monks. These guys create some of the most mouth-watering concoctions, and I left with 4 frozen pasties and 2 apricot bourbon muffins for breakfast the next day. Yumm!
Eagle Point was really worth spending more time than we had to explore. The lighthouse offers tours, which include a maritime museum and commercial fishing museum. The harbor didn't appear to be all that protected, but as they say, any port in a storm.
Marching relentlessly onward, we finally arrived at Copper Harbor, a kind of poor man's Door County (which is just our style.) The Ft. Wilkins State Park was a pleasant surprise, with a pull-through site, perfect for a 36 ft motorhome towing a 16 ft duck boat. There were well-developed bike trails and a boat launch on Lake Fanny Hooe (as in ho, ho, ho) and the fort was meticulously restored and filled with exhibits.
Day 5
A beautiful sunny day required a special outdoor activity, and having secured a second night in our site, we decided to go for a boat ride on Lake Fanny Hooe. There was a nice launch just down the road, so Bill backed the duck boat into the water using the RV (no mean feat) and we got underway. Viewing the fort from the lake made us wonder why it was located on Fanny Hooe instead of Superior, but decided that was a moot point - the lakeshore was less than a quarter of a mile west, and this was probably a far more protected spot in the winter.
This is when Jake decided to take his famous walk on the water. He literally walked over the gunnel, thinking I suspect, that the stuff on the other side would either hold him up, or only be ankle deep. Imagine his surprise - and ours. Bill fished him out by the collar, and after a major shake and lick, Jake settled in for a nap.
What a beautiful day - there were very few private residences on the lake and the illusion of wilderness was very strong. No wildlife, though, other than a fishing eagle who finally moved on. With all the acorns littering the ground, one would have expected some deer activity, but we saw none.
