Marquette to Keweenaw Peninsula

Saturday, July 6th, we left Munising around 8:45 with rain threatening-- our intended destination Marquette, MI.  We called Cinder Bay Marina to see if they had space available for that night, but we got only an answering machine.    We were about ten miles out by the time they returned our call and told us that the only room they had was on a wall that was not very protected.  So we decided to head back to Grand Island and anchor for the night.  About five miles into the turn around,  the marina called back and said they had made arrangements to move a smaller boat from a large slip so that we could have a space.  Gratefully we turned again and arrived in Marquette around 2 p.m.  Had anyone on shore been watching our morning maneuvers, we probably would have been stopped for drunken driving.  ( We later learned from the 50+ footers that they had spent the night on the wall.  Apparently around 2:30 a.m. when the bars closed, about 50 twenty to thirty year olds came to the park by the wall,  stripped naked and jumped into the 55 degree water.  Then they climbed out and sat on the grass to dry off.  Apparently this is a week-end event.  Hearing this, Tom was quite disappointed that we had not chosen the wall!)

Since Sault Ste. Marie we have been seeing statues, plaques, and churches honoring the beloved Father Baraga--also known as the snowshoe priest--who lived and worked among the Native Americans in the mid-1600's.  The Catholic church in Marquette honored him also.

At one time, Marquette was the leading harbor on Lake Superior used for shipping ore, lumber , fish and sandstone.  When the Soo Locks opened in 1855, ore shipping from this location was increased one hundredfold. Today all that remains is the immense ore loading dock.  The trestle leading to it has been torn down.  A similar dock about 10 miles to the west is still in use.

The historic sandstone county courthouse is remembered as the site where Teddy Roosevelt brought a libel suit against the local paper and as the location for the trial scene in the movie, "Anatomy of a Murder".

(For some unknown reason, photos from Tom's iphone are refusing to transfer to my computer at this location.  So I will publish now and update with photos later when they decide to cooperate!)

We stayed two nights in Marquette and then headed to Houghton in the center of the Keweenaw Peninsula on Monday.  We left in a light rain with a beam sea of two footers, so we rocked most of the way.   Just before the entrance to the Portage River (which bisects the peninsula),  we passed Lighthouse Island.  True to its name,  the only thing we saw on the island was a lonely lighthouse.

Lighthouse on Lighthouse Island

Soon we were at the lower entrance to the Keweenaw Waterway (at this point the Portage River).   There were some beautiful homes along the waterway.

Breakwater entrance

Beautiful home site and boat dock.

Once in the waterway we were again in smooth water.  I was more than ready to leave the roly-poly behind!  The marina, which was across the water from the town of Houghton, had older high fixed wooden docks.  We went bow in and had to stretch the power cord a long ways to reach the standard.

Town of Houghton, MI
Home to Northern Michigan University

The lift bridge at Houghton is thought
to be the heaviest lift bridge in the world
and larger than the lift bridge in Duluth.
It has road beds on the top and bottom levels,
so traffic is interrupted only when it is lifting.

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