A trip to the UP after the Pig Roast.

Tom · August 14, 2004, 02:15:14 PM

When the pig roast was over, I was taken on an excursion in the UP.

We cleaned the pig roaster (Jeff and Tammy did the work and I spectated) and headed for the UP. It was a pleasant trip North and I was anticipating seeing sights that I've never seen before.

We arrived at Lyle's house and delivered the roaster. I enjoyed a cup of coffee and visited with snowbirds. Not exactly a unique experience but the surroundings were definitely different. Lyle and his wife spend the winter in a little town outside of Ocala Florida and the summers in the UP. Jeff says that they make a wonderful garden and he gets to eat some tasty vegetables with them on occasion.

We then went to the Cabin, ate Pasties for supper, watched the news on TV and went to bed.

The next morning we found a good breakfast and headed for the "Soo" (Soute Ste. Marie} You have all been told of our experience at the Locks. It was great fun and here is a picture I took to help prove I was there.

We ate lunch in a Restaurant called Antlers. Jeff had a 12 oz hamburger. "whew!"
We looked through an antique (?) store and headed back.

Worn out, we went to an ice cream parlor and got a big double dip cone. It was wonderful. Quite a time was spent trying to find a place were the cell phone would get out (this is a continuing effort) and then we slipped off onto a trail in the woods to look at the forest. It's almost Rain Forest up there, wet and alive. I love it. We were "artificially" lost and that added to the excitement. For miles we traveled, taking pictures and examining the sights. Jeff even found a cedar log that had been cut into 5 foot pieces to clear the road. Somehow he got them into the back of his truck. I was schooled in the identification of Aspen, Fir, Spruce, White Pine, Oak and gum. Here is a picture of something that neither of us could identify.

The red part looks like a berry but is just a fleshy covering over the flowers receptacle. It made it look kinda like a strawberry but the fleshy, red part apparently fell off leaving the gray/green structure beneath. The leaves were fairly large, being about 8 inches to a foot across.

We passed over a pretty rippling creek on a wood bridge and took a picture of a spillway below.

Here is a picture of Jeff and the Forestry Forum Truck somewhere in the out-back of the UP.

We slept in the next morning a little bit an headed back home. We ate a big breakfast at a truck stop that Jeff was familiar with and crossed the Big Mackinac bridge again. I was really impressed with the great lakes. While I'm used to looking over a large body of water, The Atlantic Ocean, I can't drink the water. This stuff was fresh water and clear as glass. That was an unusual experience to see big ships plying fresh water.

Jeff stopped at a tourist/history site for me to see a water-driven saw-mill. It was quite interesting. Striking up a conversation with the head sawyer, Jeff explained that he was a head sawyer too. This one, Jim Graham, said that his only sawmill experience had been on the water-driven sawmill. Water was scarce even though it was raining. The beavers had dammed the creek and a power outage had shut down their pumps. They got enough head to saw about two feet down the cant and had to quit. Spring thaw was the sawing time of year.

That saw was working a lot better than I had suspected. It could be because Menominee Saw had built and maintained the blades for them. Jim had nothing but good to say for his experience with the company.

They had a pit saw set up but the show was rained out. We saw some hewing and had to go inside.

More traveling convinced me that I couldn't walk through another exhibit so our destination was home. Tammy fixed us a Pork Sandwich for supper (can't imagine where she found that) and we looked at the forum, watched a TV show and collapsed into bed.

It was a great time. I want to go back sometime.

Fla._Deadheader · August 14, 2004, 02:54:43 PM

Nice trip. I enjoyed it. Thanks

Bro. Noble · August 14, 2004, 03:12:18 PM

Well Tom, that was a nice report and I really enjoyed it BUT-----that photo proves that Kevin H and family was there. Heck it could have been Bibbyman on the camera for all we know :D :D :D

Tom · August 14, 2004, 03:18:11 PM

Naw! It was me. Bibbyman was standing behind Kevin. ;D

Shotgun · August 14, 2004, 04:22:08 PM

Tom,

The red fruit that you saw in the UP was thimbleberry, Rubus parviflorous. The UP is noted for its thimbleberry jam.

Good meeting you at the pig roast.

Norm (aka Shotgun)

sprucebunny · August 14, 2004, 05:24:03 PM

Thanks for the tour. I'd like to see/know more about the water-driven sawmill. Got any more pics or a link anyone? They often have alot of 4-6" wide belts running overhead or in the floor, It's the mechanical contraptioness of it that fascinates me. Locks are neat, too!!

SwampDonkey · August 14, 2004, 05:58:57 PM

I second that notion for thimble berry Shotgun. Although I had no idea it was in the east. Its all over the pacific northwest (BC) and a close cousin is salmon berry, but it flowers in April in Prince Rupert, BC anyway.

Tom: Looks like a good trip, too bad its been a rainy summer all over, even up here in the Maritimes. Seems to shower here almost every day. You had a long journey, no wonder the bed was a welcome site at the end of your daily tourism. And I suspect your an early riser so all the riding makes a man weary, but none-the-less a great time. :D The folks at the mill ya stopped at probably had it geared down, I know here at the historical settlement they do that. The settlement is closed up in winter here, but they have Christmas festivities there. But, be sure they have a modern kitchen where they prepare food for 200 folks at a time. When your in the other part of the house there are the old fireplaces and wooden benches and candle-light cherades to make it authentic. ;)

Jeff isn't the Saulte, in Michegan, a casino town? I know folks in Saulte, Ontario skip over there to gamble, or so I was told when I was up that way in 1997.

I stayed at the Pines Hotel in Saulte , Ontario. Maybe Kevin knows it, its not that big a town. I wonder if the old gentleman is still operating the hotel. I can remember from that point on toward Thunder Bay and Kanora your pretty much on your own because the little places along the way are closed up for winter. I had to take some jerry cans of gas along and watch out for the Moose. ;) I struck out from home and it was in the 80's in April and the next day when I pulled in to the Saulte at 9 pm it was an ice storm and the roads where ice 'til noon the next day. But, I struck out on the road at 5:30 am. Kevin will probably concurr that the stretch of highway up through there is pretty risky business at different times of the year. I know they have done alot of construction to upgrdae it since I was there. That's what they call the 'Canadian Shield' and it's DanG rugged country, but the folks are a friendly lot. ;)

cheers

Jeff · August 14, 2004, 06:06:21 PM

Yea, its got a casino, but I wouldn';t call it a casino town. There is a ton of history there and the Soo had been a tourist destination for decades before the casino. The one at the Soo is low key. Tom would have never known it was there I bet if I had not told him. There is plenty of things to do there rather then throw away money.

SwampDonkey · August 14, 2004, 06:20:36 PM

Sprucebunny:

Check out the Historical Logging and Milling Photos thread and there is a picture of a water driven mill there from Kings Landing Histrical Settlement in Prince William, NB. The mill pond is drained.

CLICK

SwampDonkey · August 14, 2004, 06:30:59 PM

Yes, I suspect there are alot more interesting things to do with your time than throw your pay cheque away. That was just something that stuck in my mind, as I was told from the locals at Saulte, Ontario. I don't know why they had to tell me that. :

I wasn't even in Saulte Ontario long enough or at the right time of year to explore things. The only things I've inserted coins into were vending machines , pay phones and piggy banks. :D

cheers

Tom · August 14, 2004, 06:47:13 PM

This water driven mill had no belts. It had a horizontal turbine that drove a vertical shaft that caused the blade to rise and fall, likened to a pit saw. The speed was 120 strokes a minute, give or take. The sawyer opened a gate that allowed the water to turn the turbine and closed the gate to stop the mill. All of the action was driven by drive-shafts much like the drive wheels on a steam locomotive. The carriage was advanced between down strokes and was accomplished by a shaft with a detent pin pushing on pins sticking out below the carriage. The whole contraption was rather noisy and quite ingenious too.

Jeff · August 14, 2004, 07:01:14 PM

Here is a picture of Jim on the job.

Tom · August 14, 2004, 07:18:52 PM

Jim on the job......... sounds like a country music song. ;D

sprucebunny · August 14, 2004, 07:51:13 PM

SwampDonkey- Thanks for the link. I like learning the history of the woodlands.

Tom- Thanks for explaining- I didn't think of the up and down type.Ingenious is what I love to see and try to figure out. I'm kinda known for being a little ingenious myself ;D

Furby · August 14, 2004, 07:57:51 PM

Mind if I ask the location of that mill, Jeff?
I'd like to stop by sometime.

Jeff · August 14, 2004, 08:05:38 PM

Furby, its old mill creek. If you ever go to da bridge its hard to miss the signs. Its just outside of Macinaw City

Furby · August 14, 2004, 08:26:48 PM

Soooooooo THAT'S what those sings are for! ;D :

Duh!
Thanks Jeff, I'll try to remember to check it out.

Paschale · August 14, 2004, 10:11:26 PM

I've been to Old Mill Creek myself, when the water's just pouring! That baby really can get going, and it's fascinating to see how ingenious they were over a century ago. And sure enough, that's Thimbleberry, and I hope you guys were able to sample some. Thimbleberries are really prolific in the Keweenaw, and every roadside stand up there has some Thimbleberry jam, which, in my opinion, can't be beat! Glad you liked the U.P. Tom! 8)

chet · August 15, 2004, 07:43:35 AM

QuoteYea, its got a casino, but I wouldn';t call it a casino town. There is a ton of history there and the Soo had been a tourist destination for decades

Sault Ste. Marie is the oldest city in Michigan, and the third-oldest city in the United States.

oakiemac · August 15, 2004, 10:34:34 AM

After the piggy roast, we too went up the UP. We went to Tahquamanun Falls. Had a good time but got rained out. :(

SwampDonkey · August 15, 2004, 06:12:48 PM

If I ever get over near Michigan State some summer I'll have to make the trip up through or down there depending on how I make the loop. I'm planning on going further westward and down through the bad lands and the grand canyon. I'de like to see the Dynosaur parks in Alberta and into Montano, Wyoming and Colorado, Arizona.