Northeast Lower Michigan

Replaced by the New Light in 1871, and long since a museum. We were a little annoyed by the bait-n-switch tactics of the historical society--the roadside sign didn't mention the (quite reasonable, actually) fee, so we shot this from the beach, down the road. On Lake Huron, between Alpena and Rogers City, Michigan.

On Lake Huron, north of Alpena, Michigan.

Anchored off Rogers City, Michigan. The very ship Joan was looking at in a picture I posted a couple days back . I've cleaned up the haze a bit.... Looks like there's another ship, off on the horizon.

Near Rogers City on Lake Huron. Not the prettiest lighthouse on the Great Lakes, and surprisingly difficult to photograph well. On the other hand, it's an excellent museum complex , and an absolutely delightful park. And there's a shipwreck just a few yards down the beach. Well worth a visit.

Here's Joan, on the patio of the reconstructed cottage. The light tower is original; the cage atop the tower and the fresnel light are authentic but were originally in other lighthouses. We were told that the original keeper's cottage was a total loss; this building seems to look like it from the outside but is in no sense authentic. It is, however, delightful.

On Tuesday, we went to see the Presque Isle lighthouses.

On Tuesday, we went to see the Presque Isle lighthouses.

It rained on Thursday, so we mostly hid in the camper and read. Eventually we got bored.... Joan suggested we find Ocqueoc Falls, which (as perhaps you know) is the biggest/highest/only waterfall in the Lower Peninsula. My expectations were low, so I wasn't disappointed in the fall (at 3 or 4 feet it's basically the tallest drop in a rapids). That said, there's a great park and the scenery's just terrific. Well worth a visit if you're in the area; not worth a long trip if it's your main destination.

A photo with youngsters to give you a sense of scale. This is a small waterfall. One of the things we learned from Thursday's visit to Ocqueoc was that there's a trail along the river. So on Saturday, with better weather. we returned to the Falls and went for a short hike. The little park at the falls was just loaded with people on Saturday. We encountered several who'd come fairly long distances just to see the fall; all expressed disappointment.