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BroncoRick

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This was the first big road trip in the Bronco since picking it up in June...we travelled up through the Mitten, across the Mackinac Strait to the U.P., and back down through Wisconsin across 10 days. This wasn't a wheeling trip for me (although we did hit a bunch of access roads), but rather a chance to really break in the Bronco on a long road trip, and get a fair amount of hiking and MTB done. What I found was that the Bronco is much more at home as a touring vehicle than I ever thought possible.

We loaded up the night before leaving, with an assortment of bikes and a full cargo area. Access to the tailgate was going to be restricted for this trip due to the bikes, but I didn't find this to be as much of a problem as it would have been in my Jeeps. Access to the cargo via the rear doors was workable for the duration of the trip. With 4 people in the cabin, however, we were definitely pressing the limits of payload on this vehicle. We began to set off northbound for the initial trip through Indiana and Michigan.

Ford Bronco First Big Road Trip: Michigan Upper Peninsula to Copper Harbor & Isle Royale Screen Shot 2022-08-05 at 1.44.28 PM


We stopped just south of the Mackinac Strait, and woke up next morning to cross over into the U.P. via the Mackinac Bridge. A pause just north of the Strait showed Lake Huron to the left, and Lake Michigan to the right.

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A stop at the nearby Father Marquette memorial, affords a more elevated view of the Strait and Mackinac Bridge.

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We headed west into the U.P. on US 2, along the beaches and dunes of the northern Lake Michigan coastline. Hungry for breakfast, a stop for Pasties was in order--a treat that was a historical favorite of loggers and miners in the U.P. If I recall correctly, more money was made mining copper in the U.P., than in the entire California Gold Rush. The logging of timber in the U.P. provided a primary raw material that went into the earliest vehicles built by Ford, and Henry Ford owned lots of land up here for that purpose.

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After the energy boost, it was time to hop back on US 2 and continue west.
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BroncoRick

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The Michigan U.P. is blessed with so many miles of untouched beaches and dunes along both the Lake Michigan and Lake Superior coastlines. As we continued west on US 2 towards Manistique, we couldn't help but stop at several of them to stretch the legs. US 2 runs right along the coast, so you have your pick of views and beachfront.

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Once in Manistique, we had worked up an appetite and it was time for a stop at Clyde's Drive-in for burgers and shakes.

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After that we made for more time on the Manistique beaches and a walk out to the Manistique lighthouse.

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With that, it was time to cross the Upper Peninsula on 94 up to Munising, and the Lake Superior coast.
 
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AlpineDescent

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I am really loving that Bronco you've got there! We have a BL in that color coming very soon (I hope). The UP is some of the most beautiful countryside anywhere and the beaches on the West coast of Michigan and along both sides of the UP are some of the best in the world (and shark-free to boot!). Sounds like a fantastic trip.
Are you going to check out Pictured Rocks?
 
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We made it across the Peninsula to Munising, and stayed right on the coast with a view of the South Bay. By this time it was getting late, and we made a stop at a beach-side food truck for some fresh Lake Superior trout. We had made our resolve to eat as much fresh catch from Lake Superior as we could handle.

The next morning we awoke in Munising, and doubled back east along the Superior coast into Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore. A stop at Miner's Castle gives you some of the best views you can get of the coastline, short of a taking a sea kayak trip out into Superior.

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Though the rest of the day we hit up various back woods hiking trails along Pictured Rocks. There are a number of trails that don't take you all the way to the coast, but offer up a bunch of fun hiking topography and water features. Of course, you can also hike up along the coast if you so choose.

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We headed back into Munising for the night, with our eyes on a second morning in Pictured Rocks.
 
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On our second morning in Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore, we headed to the east side towards Grand Marais. The eastern side of Pictured Rocks is dominated by beaches and absolutely enormous dunes. Some beach time along Superior was in order first...

...but as we continued we got into the dunes. Some of the overlooks are on top of dunes that tower 500+ feet over the coastline. These dunes are still growing in elevation.

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With day 2 at Pictured Rocks down, we had to make it all the way to Houghton in the Keweenaw Peninsula for the night, so it was time to pack back in the Bronco and head on out.
 
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Before reaching Houghton and the Keweenaw Peninsula, we had to make our way through the Huron Mountains, so a stop for dinner in Marquette Harbor was in order. By this time in the trip, I was beginning to realize that if we were doing this in my old Jeep, we would have been exhausted beyond belief and my back would have been screaming. Not so in the Bronco--the interior is an awesome place to be on a long road trip, the suspension takes all the harshness out of a long drive. And it was occurring to me that the best unspoken feature of this vehicle is the range. I was getting 400+ miles per tank and now upwards of 430+.

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Marquette has a pretty nice downtown with a nice view of the harbor. We sat down for food at the Vierling. More fresh catch.

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After dinner, a walk down to the harbor leads you to the old, and gigantic, iron ore dock. Apparently, there is one of these still in operation in Michigan, somewhere.

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After that, off through the Huron Mountains and into the Keweenaw Peninsula, to Houghton for the night, on the banks of the Portage Canal.
 
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The next morning in Houghton, we dove into the local Finnish culture with some Pannukakku at Suomi.

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Houghton has a wonderful river-side downtown; we strolled around for a while at the shops and then down to the riverfront, where we happened upon the birthplace of pro hockey:

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By now, we were starting to see signs of our northernmost destination on this trip, Isle Royale National Park, which is in northern Lake Superior. There's a seaplane dock here in the canal which can get you to Isle Royale:

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But the most conventional travel there happens by ferry. This is also the dock for the Ranger III, which is the National Park Service's largest piece of moving equipment. It can take passengers and gear (including kayaks, canoes, and motorized fishing boats). The NPS operates this ferry and it is a 6-hour one-way trip from Houghton through the canal, and across Lake Superior, to Isle Royale. We're not taking this ferry, but it was worth the stop to chat with the Rangers.

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We crossed the canal to take in some more local Finnish culture at Finlandia University.


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...and then crossed back over the canal again to head out into the countryside, to the site of a preserved Finnish homestead, the Hanka Homestead. This homestead was still in operation and occupied by the family members all the way up into the 1960's.

Ford Bronco First Big Road Trip: Michigan Upper Peninsula to Copper Harbor & Isle Royale Screen Shot 2022-08-05 at 3.23.50 PM


The sauna:

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The underground store room:

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With this side trip wrapped up, it was time to traverse the rest of the Keweenaw Peninsula, and get up to Copper Harbor for the night.
 
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We made it to Copper Harbor, which is also the northern terminus of U.S. 41--downtown Miami is on the other end of this one. We're firmly in copper mining country now, and the historical evidence is all around. But this is also the port for the Queen IV, the ferry that we'll be taking tomorrow morning to Isle Royale National Park. There's another great driving road here, Michigan 26, which runs along the Lake Superior coastline, and is a very fun drive in the Bronco.

Ford Bronco First Big Road Trip: Michigan Upper Peninsula to Copper Harbor & Isle Royale Screen Shot 2022-08-05 at 3.31.49 PM


The next morning we awoke early to board the ferry, for what would be a 3-hour ride across Lake Superior to Rock Harbor at Isle Royale National Park. The water out in Lake Superior is still a chilly 38 degrees in the middle of July; you don't want to fall in. Isle Royale is one of America's most remote National Parks, and it is the least visited National Park in the US, in part due to its remote nature.

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We only had time enough to see a small part of the National Park. Most of the people that come across on the ferries are backpackers there for much longer trips on the trails, or kayakers and canoers there to see the park from the lake. But it was enough to know we'll be back. There is lodging at Rock Harbor; we had a cabin for the night which had a nice view of Tobin Harbor, a more protected harbor where the seaplane lands and takes off.

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We additionally took a sunset trip out to Raspberry Island for some sunset hiking, and a boat tour that took us around to the other side of the Isle.

There are over 1000 moose on Isle Royale, and several dozen wolves. We didn't see either, but saw plenty of evidence of the moose on our hikes, and additionally saw eagles, peregrine falcons, and much more wildlife. The loon calls will occasionally trick you into thinking a wolf is near. I also saw an entire school of herring off the dock in Rock Harbor--really an amazing sight. There must have been hundreds and there was a unique turquoise coloring that was so clearly visible through the waters of Lake Superior.
 

Seatmandan

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Had mine up there at Brockway Mountain end of October last year. My daughter is a student at Michigan Tech in Houghton....

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