Our Labor Day Getaway

Lake of the Clouds is one of many great views in the Porcupine Mountains Wilderness State Park, which is located in the the Upper Peninsula of Michigan.

Porcupine Mountain Wilderness State Park

We went to da UP, eh! Yes, again. We can’t stop! There were some concerns about traveling during Labor Day this year, but we decided to go anyways. The Mackinaw Bridge was to be completely shut down for the 60th Anniversary Mackinaw Bridge Walk. Traffic didn’t affect us because we didn’t come back until 1am. Yeah, we are 26 for not much longer, so we live like a couple of hooligans.

My good friend Jenn was going to be in Laurium for a quick job meeting, so she called me up looking for a sidekick. She didn’t have to say much more than “U.P.” and I was booking a cabin and planning our itinerary for the next 4 days. We decided to go to “The Porkies” first. Despite the rain overnight, it ended up being a beautiful day trip. We stayed at the White Birch #2 cabin and then headed to Lake of the Clouds. Brent and I had backpacked the entire park a few years ago, but never had a chance to visit the Presque Isle River. On the far west end of the park, off Lake Superior, we found the most beautiful cascading waterfalls, a few fishing holes, and a nice day hiking spot.

Copper Harbor, MI

To our surprise, it happened to be the night of The Bell’s Brewery Trails Festival. Impromptu concert tickets were bought, Two Hearted Ale’s were drank, and a new discovery of an awesome band was made. The Last Revel, pictured below, was a sure treat to see live. We were the only people in the crowd not belching out the lyrics, and although we were definitely feeling out of place, the music really hit home. Folk-tastic is how I want to describe them, but go check them out on Spotify, Pandora, Google Play, or their website for yourself. The lead singer’s voice is not recorded to the fullest effect on the versions online, and the violin in real life is just out of this world. Although I lost my Oakley’s here, I don’t regret it!

The Last Revel jammin’ out in Copper Harbor for The Bell’s Beer Copper Harbor Trails Festival

Emily is now the Annual Keweenaw Mountain Lodge Golf Tournament title holder. Brent won the 1st annual title in 2016.

Last Stop, Brockway Mountain

Sipping in silence, we both enjoyed a glass of champagne as we stared at this beautiful view (see below). The clouds were moving so fast I felt like our car was going forward. We both knew what the other was thinking, but we just couldn’t get the words out to describe the feeling. Last year, we said our vows at The Keweenaw Mountain Lodge and then took a trolley to this very spot (pictured below) for a champagne toast. Most of our wedding photos were taken here. We had planned to go here after our Isle Royale 1st Anniversary trip, but unfortunately were cut off for a weather delay. It was so good to be back here.

Brockway Mountain (Emily’s favorite place) on a sunny September day in 2017