Great Lakes Grooving: Day 5 Ontonagon, Lake Superior

CrispyA · 2 Sep 19, 09:02 PM

Thursday 11 July

Having all slept well again, we were up at a decent time and had coffee and the remains of the muffins (which were really past their best) on the balcony. The air was a little cooler today but it was still lovely.

We had another long drive ahead of us, going from Wisconsin through to the Upper Peninsula (UP) of Michigan. We had thought about booking in an overnight stop but decided we would rather get a long drive over with and have more time at our destination.

We planned to have a big breakfast in Green Bay so said goodbye to Door County (having frustratingly forgotten to get a fridge magnet) and headed back down the peninsula.

We had been hoping for a Cracker Barrel but alas, there was not one. There was, however, a Perkins so we stopped there instead. A tasty and very filling breakfast was had by all and as luck would have it, there was a Walmart very near by, so we could stock up on essentials for our AirBnB. It was all very satisfying!

We then had a looonnnngggg drive through the Nicolet Forest which was quite pretty but very flat. There were some amusing moments when some large and very long legged birds crossed the road. They may have been cranes and were certainly quite a sight strolling across the tarmac. There were also rather too many road works and we tried to cheer ourselves up by imagining what the poor guys holding the "stop" and "go" signs had done to deserve the worst job on the construction site.

We also changed timezone. Drama! Well, not really but we did get quite excited by it.

Eventually we arrived at our AirBnB in Ontonogan which is quite literally a one horse town. We had been pronouncing it "On-toh-nog-an" but hearing the locals, it seems it is pronounced "On-tonna-gan" - who knew?

Our AirBnB was huge! It had four bedrooms and 2 bathrooms, with a sitting area and kitchen upstairs, as well as downstairs. We knew it was spacious but couldn't quite believe just how big it was! It was also really well equipped with wifi, pizza oven, every kind of kitchen item you could need, along with laundry facilities.

This is us outside it.

One of the other great things about this house was that it was pretty much over the road from Lake Superior, so once we were unpacked, we headed to the beach to dip our toes in the lake.

Lake Superior is huge (hence the name) and very cold, so we didn't much fancy a swim right now. We did, however, celebrate the Villa and their new Premier League status!

It was all very peaceful and we just sat for a while looking out across the water.

Back at the AirBnB, we posed by the car in a gangsta-style, because why not?

Then settled down with a beer to decide where to eat.

The choices were limited to about 2 different options so after a very short debate, we settled on Roxey's Bar which did burgers and beer. They were very nice burgers and lovely local beers from the Keweenau Brewing Company and we did have a nice chat with the guy behind the bar, who also did the cooking.

It was a tiny place and with mostly regulars, some of whom were having their drinks poured as they sat down at the bar. Everyone was very friendly though and nobody locked eyes with us and said "You're not from round here, are ya?" so we didn't have to have a bar fight. Which was nice.

Then it was back to the house and to bed as we were all shattered. It is surprisingly tiring sitting in a car all day and we were all asleep very quickly.

DisneyDaffodil · 2 Sep 19, 09:37 PM

Another great day. Your Airbnb looks beautiful, I don�t think I would want to leave that one especially with the gorgeous lake near by, it looks fabulous

**Loopylooloo** · 3 Sep 19, 08:44 AM

Bar fight lol.

well thats always good!
Must have taken a lot of planning to put this road trip together? How did you decide everything?

Melbatb · 3 Sep 19, 06:34 PM

How great to be so near the lake! I live a big, well stocked airbnb! So nice to have space - and good wifi!

The local burger place sounds good!

katiebaz · 4 Sep 19, 10:11 PM

What a great Air B&B and the beach looks lovely. Did it get warm enough to swim at all?

CrispyA · 5 Sep 19, 08:37 PM

Originally Posted by DisneyDaffodil

Another great day. Your Airbnb looks beautiful, I don�t think I would want to leave that one especially with the gorgeous lake near by, it looks fabulous

We were so lucky - this was a great place to stay, both the house and the location.

Originally Posted by Loopylooloo

Bar fight lol.

well thats always good!
Must have taken a lot of planning to put this road trip together? How did you decide everything?

There was a LOT of planning! Lots of research and spreadsheets and checking mileage but that's part of the fun! We knew we wanted to do hiking and spend lots of time by the lakes and didn't want to have many cities, so that helped us narrow down the best locations.

Originally Posted by Melbatb

How great to be so near the lake! I live a big, well stocked airbnb! So nice to have space - and good wifi!

The local burger place sounds good!

It was! And this was a fantastic AirBnB, for a very good price as well

Originally Posted by katiebaz

What a great Air B&B and the beach looks lovely. Did it get warm enough to swim at all?

There were some people swimming on our last day there and I guess we could have done, but it would have been a quick dip!

**WileyCoyote** · 14 Sep 19, 08:22 AM

Wow what a fabulous find the Airbnb place looks. Perfect location.
Mmmm Perkins breakfast. It�s a must. Looking forward to mine in about 19 days time ...
amazing seeing all the driftwood on the lakeshore there

Glad there wasn�t a Slaughtered Lamb moment in the local bar. Showing my age there 😉

CrispyA · 14 Sep 19, 05:15 PM

Originally Posted by WileyCoyote

Wow what a fabulous find the Airbnb place looks. Perfect location.
Mmmm Perkins breakfast. It�s a must. Looking forward to mine in about 19 days time ...
amazing seeing all the driftwood on the lakeshore there

Glad there wasn�t a Slaughtered Lamb moment in the local bar. Showing my age there 😉

Perkins was great! Hope you enjoy yours.

I did laugh about the Slaughtered Lamb!

**smithlane** · 19 Sep 19, 07:07 PM

Great day Elizabeth. Ontonagon! Try saying that 10 times whilst drunk

We love Perkins, have never had a bad breakfast in there. Also who doesn't love stocking up in Walmart at the beginning of the holiday!
Your Air BnB looks fab, bonus with it being across the road from the Lake.
Very glad you didn't end up in a bar fight

CrispyA · 19 Sep 19, 08:16 PM

Originally Posted by smithlane

Great day Elizabeth. Ontonagon! Try saying that 10 times whilst drunk

We love Perkins, have never had a bad breakfast in there. Also who doesn't love stocking up in Walmart at the beginning of the holiday!
Your Air BnB looks fab, bonus with it being across the road from the Lake.
Very glad you didn't end up in a bar fight

I struggled enough to say it when sober!

The AirBnB was really good, we had a great time there. And yes, I'm relieved about the lack of fisticuffs, although I think we would have managed okay!

2 Sep 19, 09:02 PM	#1
	2 Sep 19, 09:02 PM CrispyA Imagineer
CrispyA Imagineer Join Date: Oct 11	Great Lakes Grooving: Day 5 Ontonagon, Lake Superior Thursday 11 July Having all slept well again, we were up at a decent time and had coffee and the remains of the muffins (which were really past their best) on the balcony. The air was a little cooler today but it was still lovely. We had another long drive ahead of us, going from Wisconsin through to the Upper Peninsula (UP) of Michigan. We had thought about booking in an overnight stop but decided we would rather get a long drive over with and have more time at our destination. We planned to have a big breakfast in Green Bay so said goodbye to Door County (having frustratingly forgotten to get a fridge magnet) and headed back down the peninsula. We had been hoping for a Cracker Barrel but alas, there was not one. There was, however, a Perkins so we stopped there instead. A tasty and very filling breakfast was had by all and as luck would have it, there was a Walmart very near by, so we could stock up on essentials for our AirBnB. It was all very satisfying! We then had a looonnnngggg drive through the Nicolet Forest which was quite pretty but very flat. There were some amusing moments when some large and very long legged birds crossed the road. They may have been cranes and were certainly quite a sight strolling across the tarmac. There were also rather too many road works and we tried to cheer ourselves up by imagining what the poor guys holding the "stop" and "go" signs had done to deserve the worst job on the construction site. We also changed timezone. Drama! Well, not really but we did get quite excited by it. Eventually we arrived at our AirBnB in Ontonogan which is quite literally a one horse town. We had been pronouncing it "On-toh-nog-an" but hearing the locals, it seems it is pronounced "On-tonna-gan" - who knew? Our AirBnB was huge! It had four bedrooms and 2 bathrooms, with a sitting area and kitchen upstairs, as well as downstairs. We knew it was spacious but couldn't quite believe just how big it was! It was also really well equipped with wifi, pizza oven, every kind of kitchen item you could need, along with laundry facilities. This is us outside it. One of the other great things about this house was that it was pretty much over the road from Lake Superior, so once we were unpacked, we headed to the beach to dip our toes in the lake. Lake Superior is huge (hence the name) and very cold, so we didn't much fancy a swim right now. We did, however, celebrate the Villa and their new Premier League status! It was all very peaceful and we just sat for a while looking out across the water. Back at the AirBnB, we posed by the car in a gangsta-style, because why not? Then settled down with a beer to decide where to eat. The choices were limited to about 2 different options so after a very short debate, we settled on Roxey's Bar which did burgers and beer. They were very nice burgers and lovely local beers from the Keweenau Brewing Company and we did have a nice chat with the guy behind the bar, who also did the cooking. It was a tiny place and with mostly regulars, some of whom were having their drinks poured as they sat down at the bar. Everyone was very friendly though and nobody locked eyes with us and said "You're not from round here, are ya?" so we didn't have to have a bar fight. Which was nice. Then it was back to the house and to bed as we were all shattered. It is surprisingly tiring sitting in a car all day and we were all asleep very quickly. __________________ West Coast July - August 2014, Howdy Texas! August 2015, Rocking in the Rockies July - August 2016, Bier, Bratwurst und Bahnsteige: Berlin 2017, Touring Tennessee 2017, Expedition East Coast 2018, Hola! Madrid 2019, Great Lakes Grooving 2019, It's Czech, Mate, Prague 2022, Veni, Vidi, Edi, Bibi Italy 2022