Fall Color Lake Superior
Wisconsin-Upper Peninsula Lake Superior Circle Tour
During the last week in September we were up north along Lake Superior catching fall color from Sault Sainte Marie, Michigan to Duluth, Minnesota.
Along Lake Superior the area that generally turns full color first is in the Michigan Western Upper Peninsula around the Porcupine Mountains and the middle of the Keweenaw Peninsula on the way to Copper Harbor. We hadn’t been in the central and eastern UP during fall foliage time so this trip we spent most of our time in that area. We saw very pretty color around Tahquamenon Falls and the State Park forest. Due to lots of recent rains the river was high and the falls were roaring. Outstanding scenery. While we in the area I visited the Village Fabrics & Craft Shop in Paradise, Michigan. It is a great shop offering everything a quilter would need, plus it has a fine offering of yarn for the knitter.
We also spent some time in the Marquette area. My sister and her husband Dan climbed to the top of SugarLoaf Mountain were they had a great view of Marquette Bay and Presque Isle. Ross and I were doing something else that morning – I think catching up on our Internet work or just being lazy 🙂 The last evening we were there in Marquette we dined at the Portside Restaurant where they had excellent sandwiches, very good wait service, and served a number of Michigan Craft Brews on tap. After we left we were driving down the street and I saw a quilt shop on Marquette’s Washington Street that I didn’t know existed. I’ll have to do some research and find out about it . . . and for sure the next time I am in town have to stop in and see the place.
By the time we left the UP heading towards Bayfield and Ashland, we were seeing good fall color from the Central to Western UP. On the way to Ashland from the UP color was also good, but across the bay from Ashland in Washburn and Bayfield the color was just starting to change. When I was in Ashland I had a chance to stop in the Ashland Area Fabric & Quilt Company www.ashlandquilt.com which used to be located in Bayfield and known as the Bayfield Quilt Company. I had a nice talk with Barb the owner about why she moved and how business was doing. The shop has a nice variety of fabric for the quilter to chose from and as you can see from the picture the lighting is superb. So if your visiting Ashland or just passing through stop in – it is easy to find on Hwy.2.
We spent some time up in the Bayfield Orchards, including a stop at Hausers to get some apples and apple butter. Originally we had planned to stay around for the Bayfield AppleFest but cold and rainy weather in the forecast plus some pressing business at home caused us to change our plans.
We decided to head towards Duluth where the weather was supposed clear and maybe we could get one more sunny day before we had to go home. We took US 2 from Ashland to Superior, Wisconsin rather than the usually more scenic lakeshore drive (Hwy 13) around the Bayfield Peninsula and west along the lake. In the fall in late September US 2 is generally much more colorful than Hwy 13 and we found this was the case this year. The best time to take the lakeshore route is the first or second week in October. In addition to the colorful fall foliage we were surprised to find Amnicon Falls (in Amnicon Falls State Park) not only in good color but the rapids and falls roaring. A rare treat because the Amnicon River usually turns to a trickle of its springtime self in August and September.
Ross was going to golf at Nemadji Golf Club in Superior but a sore back changed those plans so we headed on home with a nice sunny day for a drive.
Get more Lake Superior region fall color tour info on our ScenicPathways blog: Upper Peninsula Fall Color Scenic Drives and Fall Color Minnesota Scenic Highway 61.
Til next time,
Jo