As Gary and I left Lake Ottawa to go on a road trip, the campground was clearing out. On Sunday night there were seventeen campsites filled, some of them with dogs that barked all day and some of the night. It was cold and rainy last night so we hoped it would drive the owners out and leave us in peace, but in the meantime, we would spend the day elsewhere.
I've been to Canada seven times and have yet to see a moose in the wild. I tell the Canadians I meet that moose are figments of their imaginations. We have been told there are moose in Upper Michigan so we were off to find one. Gary searched the Internet and found several locations that looked promising. First we tried the Amasa-Bates Road which is near Iron River. We scanned the swamps. No moose.
Next we drove to Van Riper State Park near Michigamme. The park attendant suggested two locations. First we took the road to Craig Lake. We drove miles and miles through beautiful forest and never got to the lake and never saw a moose. All we saw was one ruffed grouse. Next we tried to find the road to Dishno Lake but never found it. We need better county maps. We finally gave up and ate lunch. Moose were not in the cards for me in spite of the "moose crossing" signs along the highways.
Instead we went to Big Bay. One of Gary's favorite movies is Anatomy of a Murder, based on a book by the same name Robert Traver. James Stewart, Lee Remick, George C. Scott, Ben Gazarra, Eve Arden and others starred in the movie. Joseph ("Have you no decency") Welch played the judge. The movie was filmed at Big Bay. We drove around looking at the town and the movie sites, first stopping at the Big Bay Lighthouse.
I am very fond of light houses and this one is a pretty bed and breakfast. Maybe we will stop there some day. Gary stopped at Big Bay Outfitters to donate some money to the Yellow Dog Watershed project to help fight yet another nickle mine that would destroy the pristine environment up there.
We came home on Highway 550, stopping at Yellow Dog Falls, hiking along the shore line of the river. We kept looking at every swamp on the way home, but no moose were to be found. The kid who made sandwiches for us at Subway told me he sees them all the time at Amasa.
When we got back to Lake Ottawa, we were the only campers left.
The only moose I saw during the day was the moose head at a display at Van Riper State Park. The plaque said it was the head of a moose shot in Canada. I don't believe it.
I've been to Canada seven times and have yet to see a moose in the wild. I tell the Canadians I meet that moose are figments of their imaginations. We have been told there are moose in Upper Michigan so we were off to find one. Gary searched the Internet and found several locations that looked promising. First we tried the Amasa-Bates Road which is near Iron River. We scanned the swamps. No moose.
Next we drove to Van Riper State Park near Michigamme. The park attendant suggested two locations. First we took the road to Craig Lake. We drove miles and miles through beautiful forest and never got to the lake and never saw a moose. All we saw was one ruffed grouse. Next we tried to find the road to Dishno Lake but never found it. We need better county maps. We finally gave up and ate lunch. Moose were not in the cards for me in spite of the "moose crossing" signs along the highways.
Instead we went to Big Bay. One of Gary's favorite movies is Anatomy of a Murder, based on a book by the same name Robert Traver. James Stewart, Lee Remick, George C. Scott, Ben Gazarra, Eve Arden and others starred in the movie. Joseph ("Have you no decency") Welch played the judge. The movie was filmed at Big Bay. We drove around looking at the town and the movie sites, first stopping at the Big Bay Lighthouse.
I am very fond of light houses and this one is a pretty bed and breakfast. Maybe we will stop there some day. Gary stopped at Big Bay Outfitters to donate some money to the Yellow Dog Watershed project to help fight yet another nickle mine that would destroy the pristine environment up there.
We came home on Highway 550, stopping at Yellow Dog Falls, hiking along the shore line of the river. We kept looking at every swamp on the way home, but no moose were to be found. The kid who made sandwiches for us at Subway told me he sees them all the time at Amasa.
When we got back to Lake Ottawa, we were the only campers left.
The only moose I saw during the day was the moose head at a display at Van Riper State Park. The plaque said it was the head of a moose shot in Canada. I don't believe it.
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