Four States Fall 2018 - 9 - Into the Bog (Cranberry Fest)

The cranberry farming industry started in the mid-1800s. Today Wisconsin is the nation's leader and produces about 60% of cranberries for American consumers. It is Wisconsin's #1 fruit crop and was named its state fruit in 2004.

To celebrate this, Eagle River has an annual Cranberry Festival. It includes farm tours, tastings, and shopping. And that was one reason we were here at this time of year.

We started with the farm tour. It was a little out of town but the drive was spectacular. Trees were bright "cranberry" red with a little yellow and green mixed in.

Our destination was Lake Nokomis Cranberry Farm, where 320 acres are dedicated to cranberry production.

We had to wait a bit for our turn to tour, so we had time to check out the gift shop and farm equipment.

Pretty soon a bus took about 20 of us out to the berry bogs. Cranberry Pete was our guide and a very funny fellow.

These berries are grown in low-lying areas called bogs or marshes. They like acidic, sandy, wet soil. Contrary to belief, however, plants do not grow under or in standing water. Vines creep across the sandy surface while developing berries.

Later irrigated flooding waters are used for winter weather protection (against frost) and during fall harvest time.

Chains and rods roust berries from the sunken vines.

Cranberries have hollow chambers which allow them to naturally float to the surface once released from the vine.

The floating berries are rounded up by men with large "ribbon" bands. In this case, the farm complements their work force with non-violent inmates from the local prison. Even though this is a cold, tough job, it is a big reward for their good behavior. They receive a few minutes of freedom out in nature and a hot, home-cooked lunch.

Next the berries are spray rinsed, extraneous vines removed, sucked into a hopper, and deposited into trucks for transport to processing and canning plants.

Here's Tim and Nancy, checking out the process.

On the way back to the farm house, we passed by some older (including a flat boat) farming equipment,

Cranberry Pete gave us a hardy thanks for our enthusiasm.

Fun facts:
- It takes 3-5 years from original planting to get a crop large enough to harvest.

- There is a wealth of wildlife around cranberry wetlands due to the abundance of fresh and filtered water. Some flora and fauna found here are bald eagles, calypso orchids, sandhill cranes, trumpeter swans, loons, osprey, turkey, and wolves.

- Cranberries are good for urinary tract health and minimizes formation of dental plaque. Research suggests it is a preventative against ulcers, acid reflux, and some cancers (kidney and stomach, particularly). They are low cal and fiber rich.

- The largest export markets for cranberries are the U.K., Germany, Mexico, France, Australia, Russia, and Taiwan.

Four States Fall 2018 (State 2) - 8 - EAGLE RIVER, WISCONSIN

Soon after that we crossed the border into the state of Wisconsin.

About 30 minutes down the road we entered the town of Eagle River, our destination for three nights. We were meeting fabulous friends Tim and Nancy from the Chicago area for a get-together.

Rather than a hotel, we stayed at a condo-style resort named Wild Eagle Lodge. It is located on the shore of both Lynx Lake and Duck Lake, two of a chain of 10 connecting lakes covering 14 miles of waterway. There are dams at both ends and several rivers and creeks that feed into it. Here's Nancy at the compound's entrance.

We were on the second floor of the Canvasback building. Notice the boulder with the yellow grass.

That's where we placed the rock we found in Marquette. It was pretty obvious with its bright green color, but it took over a month for someone to post that they found it. They never said where they put it after that, which was a little disappointing. I really thought I was going to track its location "all over the world." Naive me!

Our accommodations were quite comfortable. A spacious living room with working fireplace...

We didn't cook, but we used the ice-maker and fridge in the fully equipped kitchen...

There was a nice balcony overlooking Duck Lake...

There was a large bedroom, two baths, and a washer and dryer...

Charcoal grills were available. Canoes, kayaks, and rowboats were complimentary to use. There is an indoor swimming pool in the lodge, along with books, games, and videos for guest use also.

Once settled we headed a few doors down the road to T&N's unit.

Always so happy to see our good friends again. We brought Meyer's rum and wine, and they had beer and snacks. We imbibed in pre-dinner cocktails and caught up on the latest news.

That night we enjoyed dinner at the Blue Heron Restaurant at the lodge and checked out the club house.

As we were tired from our drives, it was an early evening for all. Mike intended to read in bed, but quickly feel asleep. I cozied up to the fire and did some reading, but quickly joined him as my eyes kept flapping from tiredness and an overfilled belly.

The next morning we had breakfast at Leif's Cafe, a little ways down the road. 

It was quite busy because this was the weekend for the town's annual Cranberry Festival, but the food was worth the wait.

Four States Fall 2018 - 7 - Nuggets and Twilly's

We had one scheduled stop before heading to Eagle River. On a recent TV show we learned that the world's largest known (per Smithsonian Magazine) float copper "nugget" was displayed at the Presque Isle Park near Marquette. It was originally discovered on the Quincy Mine property in Houghton, Michigan using a metal detector. (Mike REALLY wants one of those!!!)

That was the reason we had gone out of our way to Marquette in the first place. Just out of town, we were briefly side-tracked at another ore dock. This one was in working order. A long ship (low lighter red with white area) was docked along side receiving a load of iron ore. Learn about the loading process in this 1:44 minute video:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MdBJZLHDV8w. Interesting!

Back to our main mission. The weight of this float copper is estimated at 53,100 pounds (28,085 kgs) and size is 14 feet by 12 feet by 17 inches thick. Float is a geological term used to denote any material that was carried by erosion (or glacier) away from its spot of formation.

We drove all round the island looking for the nugget. We didn't see any directional signs, but it is so massive that we figured we just couldn't miss it. Alas, you won't see photos because we never did find it.

Near the end of our exploration, we asked some ladies where it was located and they said it was now owned by folks in Golden, Colorado. It had been on exhibit at the Chinese Mineral Show in Hunan, China in 2016, but they didn't know where it went from there.

Read more and see photos at:
https://collectorsedge.com/blogs/news/collectors-edge-minerals-purchases-the-worlds-largest-float-copper-3-24-2016

We did see lots of embedded copper in its natural state among boulders and along the shore of Lake Superior. So not a total loss. And the park was lovely even on this cold and sleety day.

On the way out of town we saw a bit of Northern Michigan's campus.

Continuing southwest to Wisconsin we saw the first significant snow of this winter. Keep in mind this was October 4th.

We passed through several small towns including Negaunee. We liked their City Hall building, but found out later it is now a senior citizen's home. Pretty cool!

We made a quick pass through Ishpeming, a place we had not explored and just off the main road. It was a typical small up north kind of town. There was a mining mural, reminiscent of older times. I'm sure that lunch box was carrying pasties!

And it had an unusual turbine on top of its highest hill. It was the first of this type we had seen. It is 162 feet tall and a vertical-axis style turbine. We learned later that is not working and is set to be dismantled. Boohoo!

Next we drove through the village of Bruce Crossing, a tiny burg with not much more than a post office and a bar. As some of our best friends are Lynn and Sandy Bruce, we decided to wet our whistles and give them a toast in Twilly's.

A sign on the front door said it all. It wasn't anything to do with Scotland, as our friends the Bruces are.

We were the only two inside, but it was warm, with interesting decor, and good, cheap drinks.

Back on the road for the last leg of the day.

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.