It’s no secret that I love a two-track road. When David and I are on a paved route and see a two-track off to the side, we both turn to check it out as we drive by, as is true also when we spy a cabin or an open, savannah-like clearing, all of these sights beckoning our eyes and spirits. Luckily we don’t mind getting somewhat lost, either, as our Michigan county atlas is old and battered and, it turned out, missing a few crucial pages, while the xeroxed map we got from Bess at the hotel was, she warned us, about 20 years old. On two different days, therefore, we set out with specious destinations. Specious: plausible but false; deceptively pleasing—or, how about “more an excuse than a plan”? I can hear it all said against us in a court of law, and my only response (in our defense, as it were) is that it seemed like a good idea one day to search out the old airfield far from town (getting there is like an African safari), and another day we said to each other, “Let’s take a drive out to Peanut Lake; do you think we can find it?” but we didn’t care all that much where we ended up. Sometimes taking the wrong road turns out better than the original plan. This isn’t where we meant to go, but isn’t it gorgeous scenery? Well worth the time taken to stumble upon it!
Sarah's a good traveler on any kind of road. She doesn’t care where we are, as long as she’s with us.
Then there is the micro-scenery--as good as the big picture, in my opinion.
And here is—Peanut Lake! We found Peanut Lake! Can you believe it? We actually found our way to Peanut Lake!
Coming soon: a trip to Munising and Marquette, a few odds and ends, and then no more vacation photos for another year, as the blog catches up to my life, which is already back to the book business in Northport.
4 comments:
Ah....sitting here in my cube at work this was just what I needed. Love that the pupster is so happy and gets to go on these trips too!
Are you staying open again this winter?
Winter! We're still taking a "wait and see" attitude on that. We do, however, now have a 4WD truck to negotiate our long country driveway, so....
My eyes are tired tonight, so I read "we don't mind getting somewhere lost" and "we set out for special destinations." And it all made sense.
I had to draw the line, though, at following sandy two-tracks in my FWD sedan with Nora Metz riding shotgun. It crossed my mind that if I got us stuck really far back of beyond, I'd have to carry her out piggyback or die trying. (Nora is 94--almost 95--and quite popular.)
That lichen is one of my favorite sights all across the UP, especially tucked under a canopy of bracken fern. It looks like a whole 'nother planet.
Gee whiz, Gerry, thanks for the heart-stopping scare! You freaked me out, girl! I thought for sure my lack of an editor (and not your tired eyes, had done me in again. Phew!
Some years ago I took a friend my mother's age on the safari two-track out to the Grand Marais airport. That's "airport" as in "grassy area cleared of trees and miles from towns or paved roads," you understand. To say my friend was dubious is putting it mildly, but we made it there and back to town safely.
Reindeer moss. Don't you love LOVE it?! And don't you just love that we have it here where we live, too?
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