Listing Through Life

I did some research on the Internet before we began our vacation, looking for things to do if it rained. I saw a reference to Joe’s Pasty Shop, which claims the distinction of making pasties famous as “the” food of choice in the U.P.

When we found the place, it didn’t look very promising.

The inside didn’t look much better. There were six booths and a few stools along the counter.

The menu was as follows:

Traditional — beef, potatoes and onions (available without onions) — $3.75

Cornish — beef, potatoes, onions and rutabagas — $4.25

Finnish — beef, potatoes, onions, rutabagas and carrots — $4.50

Veggie & Cheese — green beans, potatoes, onions, tomatoes, celery, mushrooms, carrots and cheese — $5.00

Breakfast — eggs, ham, bacon, potatoes, onions and cheese — $5.00

That was the menu, but a woman walked out of the back and said, “We have traditionals available right away, but any of the others will take a half hour to fix.” We all ordered traditionals.

This was the first time I’ve ever ordered a pasty when I wasn’t offered gravy. It was also the first pasty I’ve ever had that didn’t need gravy. The crust was so good, I would have eaten and enjoyed it without the filling. Incidentally, if you haven’t been to the U.P., pasty rhymes with nasty.

Our friends from the hotel met us at the campsite and followed us as we drove the 40 miles or so into Ironwood, Michigan. The much-feared, long-forecasted rain began when we were about halfway there and never stopped for more than an hour at a time for the next two days. Our first stop in Ironwood was the Hiawatha statue.

There isn’t much more to do around a giant Indian statue than there is to do around a giant loon statue, so once again, we didn’t stay long.

After lunch on Thursday, we piled into our cars and headed to the eastern end of the park, about 30 miles away, where the Presque Isle River empties into Lake Superior.

I took these next two photos from the long boardwalk that runs along the west side of the river.

The weather could not have been better. My wife, daughter and I wandered to the beach where we spent a half hour looking for agates among the stones and relaxing.

We strolled up the east side of the river. Some of us explored further along the shore, edging our way along cliffs and climbing over rocks. Our goal was the larger waterfall about 200 yards upstream.

We climbed the bluffs and returned to where the rest of our group was waiting and enjoying the afternoon.

The other car-load went back to camp while our car took a side trip to the lookout tower on Summit Peak.

When we got back to camp, we had a minor crisis on our hands. The wind off the lake had really kicked up and our big, boxy tent wasn’t up to it. The weather report said the wind would continue and that rain was on the way for the next two days. It was about three hours before dark.

About 50 yards in from the shore, there was a small bluff that blocked most of the wind. Above the bluff, there was a clearing with more campsites. I was pretty sure my tent wasn’t up to the challenge where it was, and I didn’t want to have to deal with a collapsed tent in wind and rain and dark. I made the decision to move. We ate a quick supper, then packed up and transported our stuff to the new site. Another couple came along and set up next to us. The rest of our group decided they didn’t want to deal with the weather. They packed up their stuff and moved to the hotel about four miles outside the park. We five remaining hardy souls got established just as it got dark and enjoyed a relaxing campfire. Yes, part of our move was transporting most of that cord of wood to our new home. We didn’t take all of it. A couple were setting up their site in the dark at the next site over, and we told them they could take as much as they wanted. They did.