Recently, Caesar, my mom and I ventured to Michigan’s Upper Peninsula for a four-day trip. It was remote, adventurous, and at times exhilarating for both good and bad reasons. I think all three of us had an overall good time up there, if for no other reason then to try something new.
Our first day we spent a lot of time driving – hitting the road at 5 a.m. and making it to our first trail around 2 p.m. We stopped in the small town of Paradise and from there, we searched for some nearby trails to visit. Our first stop was to Tahquamenon Falls State Park.
Unfortunately, on the trip to the UP, Caesar jumped out of my Jeep wrong and sprang his ankle. So we only ventured a few easy miles and spent time walking very slowly, allowing Caesar to get into rivers to cool off. Caesar was also just coming off a leg surgery that took double the time to heal, so I made sure to keep what was left of his surgery incision as clean as possible with leg wrap.
We did get to see the lower Tahquamenon Falls which were beautiful. We also wandered off on smaller trails surrounding the lower falls. Mostly, though, on the first day we took it easy, so as not to irritate Caesar’s leg more.
That night, we stayed in the tiny town of Hulbert at the Tahquamenon Inn. The Inn was small and homely, but very affordable and allowed dogs. I laughed because the motto of the Inn was “A Smooth Place To Rough It,” which seemed very accurate.
After grabbing some dinner, we rested for the night. I iced Caesar’s leg and gave him some aspirin. In the morning, we ate a delicious breakfast provided by our host and headed off to Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore.
The entire trip is thanks to a post I saw shared on Facebook. The post featured images of Pictured Rocks, and it was beautiful. I needed to see this place in real life.
At Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore dogs are only allowed at certain places. They are allowed at certain beaches and several short trails. Since Caesar’s leg was still a bit swollen, visiting Pictured Rocks was actually the best idea for the second day.
We spent a lot of time in the water, which was easy on everyone’s body. The shores of Lake Superior were crystal clear and beautiful. The sand and sun were warm, making the water feel like a retreat. Caesar, who is part fish, especially loved swimming. Even though you’re not supposed to, I unattached his leash and let him swim free. In his old age, Caesar doesn’t wander very far from me like he used to when he was younger. I think his hearing gets better each year he gets older!
I loved watching him enjoy the beach. It really made me wish there was somewhere closer to home I could take him weekly to enjoy the sand and water. At one point, he got tired of swimming and planted himself on the beach where he could keep his eyes on me. He dug his face into the sand and came up covered in the tan speckles.
After some time, we decided to dry off and head to a few trails. As I said, dogs are only allowed at certain areas of the park, and we visited many of the acceptable spots. After stopping at Sand Point Beaches, we visited Munising Falls Trail, Miners Falls Trail, Miners Castle Overlooks, and ended on Miners Beach, which was FULL of beautiful rocks and was right near the spot that the photos on Facebook were taken. There, we enjoyed more swimming and sun-bathing (actually, Caesar and my mom enjoyed sun-bathing more than I did; I do not like tanning).
As the evening settled down and Caesar had a harder time getting into the Jeep, we decide to call it a day, grab some food, and find a place to stay.
We ventured into Munising for food and found a local pizza place. It hit the spot. In the parking lot, we called dozens of hotels trying to find a place. At one point, I thought we might have to spend the night in the Jeep, but eventually we found, what seemed like, the last available hotel on the entire peninsula. We drove an hour and a half to Ishpeming where a cheap hotel sat. Triangle Motel, who’s billboard touted “clean rooms,” looked like it was right out of the television show Supernatural, but… it offered a placed to stay and allowed Caesar to stay as well.
We were smart that night and booked a hotel for the next night in Marquette, best known for being the home of Northern Michigan University.
After a restful sleep (where we didn’t get murdered), we awoke early the next morning to get coffee and breakfast. We stopped at a local coffee shop in Ishpeming and then headed to Marquette for a pasty. A pasty is basically a pot pie, and is apparently a staple of the UP. It was pretty tasty and very filling.
The morning was full of rain, but it was also much cooler. Caesar’s leg was still a bit swollen, but he was not in pain. I could move his ankle and put pressure on it and he did not mind, so I gave him an aspirin as a precaution, and we headed off into the rain on a local trail in Marquette.
I probably should have done a bit better job at writing down the trails we ventured to that day, but I can’t totally remember. There were many, all of them located in Marquette. On one particular trail we saw many dog-friends and also a ton of different mushrooms. I love stopping to take a look at what is on the side of a trail when I am out and about. It was interesting to see the mushrooms covered in hungry slugs.
After we spent some time admiring the wildlife in the woods and hiking several miles, it was time to check into our hotel.
Once at the hotel (which was much nicer that the pervious two stays), we rested up a bit and ventured to downtown Marquette. There, we did some shopping and walking around the city. We ended our evening at Border Grill, which offered very delicious vegetarian options and very hearty meals.
This would be our last night in the area. In the morning, we headed for home, making a stop in Michigan’s glove on the other side of the Mackinac bridge to take a dip in Lake Herron, and a final stop for some local Italian in a diner off of I-69.
If I were to tell you the truth, at times the trip was stressful for me. Caesar’s sprang dampened my spirits on the first day. Having to search for hotels stressed me out. Being in such a remote location also gave me a sense of dread. I knew that if Caesar didn’t feel better after the first day, I was stuck 8 hours from home not being able to do much. This trip was way out of my comfort zone and it made me appreciate home even more.
Despite the anxieties I sometimes felt, we had a lot of fun and I especially loved the beach day. However, I have yet to find a place like Cuyahoga Valley National Park where I can step out into the woods with Caesar, and then come back out into civilization – and a place where I am within a few hours driving distance from my local vet.
The UP is extremely remote. Thankfully, we picked up a map of Michigan on the way up. It came in handy when our phones could not get signal and we had no idea where we were. That just doesn’t happen in CVNP. If you’re heading to the UP, make sure you don’t find yourself stuck without a hard copy of a map.
The older I get, the more I realize the importance of appreciating what you have. Growing up, I thought Ohio was drab. Now, there is no place I’d rather be. But I also recognize how special it is to be able to take my senior dog hours and hours away for an adventure. Caesar may not be here for many more years, and I’m glad we could create memories like visiting the UP together. It’s a trip I will certainly never forget.
Great article, yes the UP is very remote but it has some of the most beautiful scenery!