Copper Harbor

On Friday morning we packed up and pointed the Winnebago toward the Upper Peninsula of Michigan and Copper Harbor. We had drizzle and on and off rain through the day with some nice steady rain just before Copper Harbor. Our destination was Fort Wilkins State Park where we had reserved a campsite. Our campsite turned out to be very nice with an asphalt pad and electrical service. Don and I walked to check out the facilities and on our way back met a young lady on the road. I asked her if she had everything under control and she blurted out that her electric was not working and she didn't know what to do. What could I do but go back to the Winnebago and fetch my electrical tool box and go back to diagnose her problem. Thankfully it turned out to be just a tripped circuit breaker. She was very grateful as she could now run her furnace to stave off the cold.

During the check in process we learned that there was a reenactment going on on this weekend. Fort Wilkins is a Civil War (actually 1840s) era fort that was active for less than 20 years. Much of the original fort remains and most of the rest has been rebuilt to how it was back then. The original purpose of the fort was to protect the copper miners which who it turned out didn't need protecting. The fort was originally unactivated with the start of the Mexican War.

Watching and speaking with the enactors was interesting and they provided excellent material for photography.

Soldier & Barracks

Soldier on Porch

Quarters

Breakfast

Bobbi, Don & Mary

Battalion Commander

Loading the Cannon

Firing the Cannon

Munitions

Back of Officer's Quarters

Officer's Daughter

Officer's Son

After our tour of Fort Wilkins we went for a drive down the coast of Lake Superior. We viewed three lighthouses along the way and visited a bakery run by an order of monks.

Copper Harbor Lighthouse

Eagle Harbor Lighthouse

Sand Point Lighthouse

Jampot Bakery

Monk at Jampot Bakery

Monastery Chapel

The gardens at the monastery chapel were filled with beautiful flowers.

Before heading back to Copper Harbor we made a stop in Calumet to purchase some pasties from Toni's Country Kitchen who allegedly make the best pasties on the Keneenaw Peninsula. Then it was back to the Winnebago for a nice dinner and campfire.