Four States Fall 2018 - 6 - MARQUETTE, MICHIGAN

From there we bee-lined it to Marquette, our destination for the night. Our hotel was the Landmark Inn, one of our faves in Michigan. The hotel has a long history starting 1929. After a number of setbacks over the years, the hotel received a number of preservation awards for its renovations from shambles to superb.

Famous peeps that have stayed here are Abbott & Costello, Amelia Earhart, Maya Angelou, Ludicris, Duke Ellington, Louis Armstrong, Gloria Steinem, cast and crew of the film Anatomy of a Murder film in 1959, Jimmy Fallon, and Peter, Paul & Mary. And us!! Haha!!

We had a very hard time finding a parking spot, much circling. Lots of Porsches, it seemed. Once inside the lobby (below), we saw that there was a Porsche Club meet-up going on. Wish we had been driving one of those today, instead of our trusty 10-year old Prius!

We had stayed at this hotel years ago with Mike's sis and hubby while attending a family wedding and we were happy to be back. They have a few rooms named after famous people. At the time Sis got the Amelia Earhart room, pretty in blues.

We got a room dedicated to an author whose name I can't recall. It is no longer there because they discovered his non-fiction history book about the area was totally fabricated. Anyway, the room was made up to look like the inside of an up north log cabin with skis and bed made from logs. What a hoot! If I find the photo, I'll add it later.

This time we were on the top floor with a great view of Lake Superior. Our room was nicely appointed with luxe linens and décor. Not sure how we got that great location because all the other rooms on that floor were filled with a huge wedding party. They were partying up and down the halls, but once our door was closed, we didn't hear a peep.

This was our great view of Lake Superior and the huge old ore dock extending out into the cold waters. It was built in 1912 and is a reminder of the iron mining industry of the UP.  To learn more about ore docks, go to: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ore_dock. Some good photos there, too.

We were running later than expected and were a little pooped by the drive, so we decided not to go out to dine. As we really weren't hungry, the plan was to have one drink in the bar (just down the hall) and eat road snacks we had brought along with us for dinner.

Well, that plan quickly evolved. Once in the bar, things were rollicking and frolicking and we got into the mood pretty fast. We should have known that, as last time we were here with sis and bro-in-law we were the ones frolicking ("over"-frolicking, if I recall).

We had a nice seat by the fireplace, with more views onto the Lake. Cocktails were flowing...Myers rum Cuba Libras...and a margarita pizza soaked up the juices. We slept well that night.

Our view from the bar.
This is a photo of the bar the morning after, so you get the idea of how cozy it is.

Before heading out for Wisconsin, we had breakfast, took a nice walk downtown, and drove around the Northern Michigan University campus. There are some gorgeous old structures there and things were decorated for Halloween coming up the end of the month.

On the way back to the hotel for check-out, a green rock was sitting on a shelf by the entrance.

I curiously picked it up, as it seemed out of place. On the back was a little notice. Oh, how fun! I threw it in my purse in order to hide it in the next "geo-cache" mystery spot. Later, when we got home, I reported the spot where we found it and gave a hint as to where we left it.

Four States Fall 2018 - 5 - KITCH-ITI-KIPI, MICHIGAN

We continued on to our second stop at Kitch-iti-Kipi (Ojibwa meaning big or bubbling spring). It is within Palms Book State Park, a nature preserve founded in 1928 and covering 388 acres. In the 1930s, the CCC (Civilian Conservation Corp) constructed a more passable road to this out-of-the-way spring (M-49 road).

Mike said he visited here as a kid and I had long wanted to stop, but always seemed to be in a hurry coming from or going back home to make the side trip. Today we made time. I have to say it was a bear finding the place and GPS was not much help in this case.

There was one wee sign off U.S. 2, which we blew past the first time. We back-tracked a mile or so and made a turn onto the road we thought was the way. No signs anywhere for Kitch-iti-Kipi after that. Went seven miles and decided we had gone too far somehow. Went back to Hwy 2. Stopped in the tire store and asked directions. Yes, we had gone down the right road, but needed to go a little further and take a left at Betty Brown's General Store. OK, did that and still we were not sure if we had gone the correct way. Finally the road dead-ended and we were there, about six miles further than we had gone initially.

It was good to finally see the welcome sign at the visitors' center.

There was a little store inside selling "Yooper" products, such as these dog toys. Haha! Yooper is a fun term that refers to all things from the U.P., including those born there. So Mike is a Yooper!

After a little browsing and a short walk down the trail, we saw the spring. Didn't look that exciting from shore, but looks can be deceiving. We had to wait a few minutes for our turn on the observation raft, so we read the information signs.

The natural spring's original Native Indian name was Mirror of Heaven. There are several legends on how it got its current name, but you can research that if you are interested. It is the largest spring in Michigan. You can see 40-45 feet down to the bottom. Waters flow year round at a constant 45F degrees. Over 10,000 gallons of water a minute gush from fissures in its limestone and sand bottom.

The odor sometimes noticed near the spring is the result of the water's high sulphate content. Local well-drillers avoid tapping the water in this cataract formation because of that sulphate. I really didn't notice the smell today, but it was near freezing temps and maybe that made the difference.

Here is the raft on the far side of the 200 foot wide spring. The spring is about as deep as the height of the trees you see here (40-45 feet).

It is not known exactly when the raft system started, but there is a photo of a primitive style raft in 1910 on the sites historical literature. The raft is attached to a cable, which is manually manipulated by any of its current passengers. This big boy took the helm on our trip.

He also took our photo on board.

Ducks hang out in the spring. Here they are, bottoms up, feeding in the lush environment.

You can look on the outside of the raft, where waters are tinted green or blue, depending on if you are in sunlight or shadow. Huge fish seem to be suspended in space.

The raft has a portal in its center, where you can easily view fish, fallen trees, bubbling waters, and sand bottom of the spring. 

This is really the best view of the huge and happy fish that hang out here. They looked to be at least 3+ feet long, but that may have been due to the magnifying affect of the water. They are mostly trout--lake, brown, and brook.Yellow perch, walleye, and other species are also spotted from time-to-time. Fish move freely between the spring and nearby Indian Lake. For you fisherpersons...no fishing (or swimming) allowed here!

These photos do not do the beauty of this phenomena justice. You HAVE to see it for yourself!

We did not want to return to the boarding platform for others to have a ride, but alas, time was ticketing. Kitch is considered one of the U.P.'s seven natural wonders and it was fascinating. I have to say this treasure is well hidden, but well worth the side trip. And it is wheelchair accessible.

It is open rain or shine, but I would call in winter to make sure the roads are passable. If you are going there, the coordinates are: 46 degrees 0' 27.68" N by 86 degrees 22' 41.84"  W. Put that in your GPS and smoke it!

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kitch-iti-kipi