• Date Circle Tour Completed
• Favorite Spot and/or Experience
• Member

August 7, 2004
Our favorite spot on the tour was Rossport Inn in Ontario and our favorite experience was the Sault Ste. Marie Lock Tour and seeing a wolf and a bear along the way. We also enjoyed the Keweenaw Peninsula (especially Brockway Mountain Road), the Copper Harbor Lighthouse Tour and the shipwreck excursion in Munising, even though that got cut short due to heavy wind and seas. We found the roads in Ontario to be quite good, and appreciated the passing lanes every 5-10 miles. All in all, a beautiful ride around a beautiful lake. I grew up in Duluth and sailed Lake Superior for 25 years out of Bayfield, but had never seen the extent of it before. And it’s extensive - our round-trip from the Twin Cities was 1,785 miles.
Locke & Dorothy Perkins, Hugo, Minnesota

August 6, 2004
The unparalleled beauty of scenery between Nipigon and Batchawana Bay, camping with our RV in the Ontario Provincial Campgrounds.
Robert & Janice Burns, Nisswa, Minnesota

September 1974
We were married in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, on September 14, 1974, and drove to Duluth on the 15th in our little Opel to begin our honeymoon. We went north the next day, kept looking at the map to see what part of the lake we were at through Upper Michigan and kept going until we were back where we started. We have many memories of the trip, but I keep thinking about the small cabins we found the second night of our drive around the lake. I can’t remember where they were, probably gone by now, but we felt like we were in the middle of nowhere. Our radio could hardly pick up any stations, no television, it was so dark, and we could hear the water hitting the rocks all night down below. The cabin was too hot, then too cold and I caught a cold from the whole experience, but I think we paid a whole $12 for the cabin for the night. When others are telling about their honeymoon experiences, my wife and I don’t say much because others look at us and say, “You did what?” But we did it and I know I had a good time. Cold and all.
Pul & Kim Budd, Sugar Creek, Missouri

August 11, 2004
We started at Sault St. Marie, Michigan, stopped at Terrace Bay, Ontario, Two Harbors, Minnesota, and Marquette, Michigan. We completed the tour at St. Ignace, Michigan. We did the tour on our 2002 Harley-Davidson Road King Classic. It rained off and on for 3 days, but the highlight of our trip was our stop at Split Rock Lighthouse.
Frank & Barbara Sabia, Scotts, Michigan

July 31, 2004
The weather couldn’t have been better, the scenery was beautiful and the roads were good.
Mike & Deb Hall, Leesburg, Indiana
Bob Petro & Lisa Justice, Warsaw, Indiana
Steve & Janice Rodgers, Warsaw, Indiana

July 25, 2004
The scenery was spectacular the whole trip. It was changing all the time. My favourite part was the Pictured Rocks Boat Cruise at Munising. My travelling companion is into kayaking and he was impressed with all the places to kayak. At White River it was a real big deal when the 2-car train came in and they loaded it up with a pallet of bricks, some lumber and all these guys getting on with fishing gear and camping supplies. We have many trains a day that pass through Brantford and we just take them for granted. It is an area that we plan to visit again and do some of the things we never got to do this trip.
Ginny Martin, Brantford, Ontario

• Date Circle Tour Completed
• Favorite Spot and/or Experience
• Member

August 18, 2004
Too early for fall colors, but the scenery was beautiful. Kakabeka Falls in Thunder Bay was beautiful. It had rained for a couple of days prior to our arrival, so the falls were flowing great. Enjoyed Munising also and took the Pictured Rocks Tour.
Richard & Sharon Bailly, Champlin, Minnesota

August 8, 2004
I made the circle tour on motorcycle and this is by far the best way to take the tour. The loop was a little over 1,700 miles from Fargo. I thought Wawa and Thunder Bay were the best areas. The bridge at Sault Ste. Marie was awesome as well.
Dave Ruhnke, West Fargo, North Dakota

August 14, 2004
Thunder Oak Cheese Farm, Fort William and the Amethyst Mine.
Lila Pfishner, Cedar Springs, Michigan
Wilma Fallstrom, Lowell, Michigan
Bonnie Ward & Ray Wiese, Constantine, Michigan

Tour was the summer of 2002. We took 13 days.
Favorite spot: Either Madeline Island in the Apostle Islands or Lake Superior Provincial Park, on the east shore.
Joseph & Evelyn Whalen, Channing, Michigan

June 24, 2004
The best scenery was between Wawa and Batchawana Bay, Ontario.
Joe Soucheray, St. Paul, Minnesota

Summer of 2000
My husband and I have been together 10 years, and just three years ago we completed the Circle Tour. We live in Forest Lake, Minnesota, and have traveled to the north shore several times a year for our “fix” (as we call it.) We LOVE the north shore - the lake, the hiking, the snow, the leaves, the wildlife, etc. In fact, for several years we planned on moving up there and making it our permanent residence. Yet, after we had our first child we ended up staying close to family and friends in town here. Now we still travel north - but with our 18-month-old son in tow.
Four years ago we completed the Circle Tour - a longtime dream of ours since we had already done so much of it. My family has a cabin near Marquette, Michigan, so we had done the Michigan portion several times. The only part left to explore was Canada.
There were many things we loved about our trip - the northeast wild section where we saw fox, Native paintings and ancient rocks … the tiny tourist stores in Canada where everyone talked with an accent … the bear that almost chased our dog down a camp trail at Sleeping Giant. Despite the fact that it rained every day of our 10-day trip, we still had a wonderful time. There is no way that you can’t have a good time when you have such a spiritual lake guiding your every move.
We are excited to take our son around the lake when he is a few years older, and we hope that he will grow to love the North Shore as much as we do, considering he has already been there 3 times in his 18 months of life, we are sure he will at least have a connection!
Heather O’Meara & Brian Kwiatkowski, Forest Lake, Minnesota

We did the tour in September 1980
We liked Copper Harbor, Sault Ste. Marie, Pancake Bay Provincial Park, Wawa, Thunder Bay, Split Rock Lighthouse and, of course, Duluth. We did the tour counterclockwise.
George & Karen Radzak, Duluth, Minnesota

• Date Circle Tour Completed
• Favorite Spot and/or Experience
• Member

Summer 2002
We completed the Circle Tour of Lake Superior for the first time on a motorcycle in 2002 and did it again in 2003. We have plans of making the trip again in August 2004. Of the trips we take it’s the only one we do yearly … Why, it’s one of the best.
We would have a difficult decision to make in picking our favorite locations. I think Terrace Bay and the drive from Nipigon to Terrace Bay has to be one of the most beautiful places on earth. My wife and I watched the sun set on an empty beach in Terrace Bay and it was totally romantic even for this 62-year-old and his wonderful wife, Debbie.
Chuck &Debbie Knodt, Stillwater, Minnesota

I completed the Lake Superior Circle Tour Sunday, July 24, 2004
My favorite part of the trip was the solitude, being alone, stopping at my own pace, which was often. So many beautiful visions!
Barry Sucher, Sarasota, Florida

We started in Superior, Wisconsin, on Monday, June 28th, and ended back in Superior on Wednesday, July 7, 2004.
It is extremely difficult to name a favorite spot, but Isle Royale National Park was great, as was Old Fort William at Thunder Bay. The Agawa Canyon train tour and the Sault Locks were also interesting. We had a moose join us at the water’s edge while at Isle Royale, so that was probably the highlight of the trip. Your maps, magazines and point-to-point Travel Guide added to our enjoyment. We make the trip again next year, but will take more time the next time around. We look forward to being members of the Circle Tour Club.
Donald Haack & Darlaine Watson, Klamath Falls, Oregon

My husband and I both grew up in Duluth and have lived in northern Minnesota all our lives (50+). He traveled around Lake Superior when he was young, but I never made the trip. We completed the Circle Tour the week of June 13-19, 2004, and loved every mile.
We had great traveling weather with fog only one evening (Wawa). Your Lake Superior Travel Guide that is issued with your magazine was extremely helpful and interesting. We saw sites we would have just passed by if it were not for your detailed guide! I will list some of our favorite spots:
Palisade Head - watched and talked to rock climbers and at the same time had kayakers on the water below. Beautiful sight.
Father Baraga/Cross River site - we’ve passed this many times, not realizing it was there!
Overlook picnic area at Kama Bay, Ontario - this was gorgeous! A site we would not have experienced without your guide.
Aguasabon Falls and Gorge.
Wawa, Ontario - Silver falls and the delicious cabbage rolls we had at the Cedarhof restaurant.
The Great Lakes Shipwreck Museum at Whitefish Point was wonderful! We learned so much about the power of Lake Superior.
Tahquamenon Falls was beautiful. Saw a bear cross the wooden boardwalk ahead of us! We were glad we had bug repellent with us here. The mosquitoes could carry a person away!
We drove forestry roads from M-123 (County 500) to Grand Marais, Michigan. Even though this is a dirt road, we enjoyed the hardwood forest. In many places it looked like we were in a tunnel of trees. This would be a wonderful “fall color” drive.
Lake Superior Brewing Company and Pub, Grand Marais was a surprise stop. This was not listed in your guide but should be! Wonderful food and beverages (home-brewed beers and root beer). They have a chicken perini to die for!
Grand Sable Dune Log slide - fun sand to walk in - WATCH FOR POISON IVY!
After a very friendly visit with two gentlemen at the Ontonagon Visitor Center, we headed on to our favorite spot, the Porcupine Mountains. The sites are awesome! We hiked the paths to Lake of the Clouds, Summit Peak Observation Tower and along the Presque Isle River Falls area. We even crossed the suspension bridge out onto an island and down to the shores of Lake Superior. We were tired, but it was a wonderful tired feeling. Hope to go back there this fall!
As you can see, we thoroughly enjoyed this trip! We now realize that we could have spent more time in Canada, but maybe next time.…
Bob & Sheryl Tokarczyk, Mountain Iron, Minnesota

• Date Circle Tour Completed
• Favorite Spot and/or Experience
• Member

June 6-20, 2004
My granddaughters, ages 13 and 12, and I departed from Missouri on June 6, 2004, in anticipation of completing the Lake Superior Circle Tour. We returned home on June 20, 2004, after successfully driving the full circle from Superior, Wisconsin, eastward to Bayfield where we stayed three nights visiting the Apostle Islands and Madeline Island; then through the upper Peninsula of Michigan including Porcupine Mountains Wilderness State Park, Houghton and Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore, then to Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario, where we stayed three nights followed by Wawa, Marathon, Nipigon and Thunder Bay, before returning to the U.S. and Grand Portage, Minnesota. Then it was on to Two Harbors, Minnesota, where we stayed in the Lighthouse.
Our favorite places were Bayfield, Wisconsin, and the Bayfield on the Lake Condos; followed by Pictured Rocks and Mackinac Island in Michigan. The Sault Locks in Ontario and Dreamfields Riding Center at South Gillies near Thunder Bay, Ontario. The vote is unanimous that our overall favorite place, other than playing on the many beaches where we stopped along the way and stopping to watch the moose on the Trans Canada Highway, was the Two Harbors Lighthouse Bed-and-Breakfast Inn. We would return in a heartbeat if that were possible.
Betty Hunter, Stephanie & Kimberly Friend, Rolla, Missouri

Late May-early June 2004
Nipigon to Terrace Bay - the islands were wonderful, picturesque.
Ted Villaire, Chicago, Illinois

June 15, 2004
Minnesota - Awesome state! Beautiful along Superior! Ouimet Canyon in Ontario is spectacular!
Timothy Plath & Donald Kuzinski, Rogers City, Michigan

June 2004
We made it! 1,458 miles, 5 hotels, 2 cars and 4 lighthouses later, our 9 smiling faces can say we did the Circle Tour. Our group left Duluth Saturday morning and headed for Thunder Bay. We stopped at Gooseberry Falls for a walk, Split Rock Lighthouse for picnic lunch and Grand Marais for frozen custard. Crossing the border was smooth and the Victoria Inn in Thunder Bay had a fun pool area with a water slide. Rossport Inn had a great home-cooked dinner with blueberry pie a la mode to die for! Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario, had another water slide at the Best Western Great Northern. Our favorite lighthouse stop was at the Shipwreck Museum Whitefish Bay. Another favorite find was the Harbor Haus restaurant (German) at the tip of Copper Harbor following a beautiful, hilly ride up to the point. Voted #1 Vista lookout was the top of Copper Peak ski hill just outside Ironwood, Michigan. We rode the chairlift to the base of the ski jump where there is an elevator followed by a few stairs that let you climb to the top of the world. We finished our loop back in Duluth Saturday at 7 p.m., the next weekend. Eight days is a minimum I’d say to feel like you saw enough along the way.
Stephanie, Dan, Julia, Nathan and Samantha Sunnarborg, Bloomington, Minnesota
Marian & Ken Sunnarborg, Duluth, Minnesota
Dave & Betty Gordon, Duluth, Minnesota

July 5, 2004
My wife and I along with four of our friends just completed the Circle Tour of Lake Superior. My favorite part was the road from Wawa to Sault Ste. Marie. The road along the water and all the little coves that we stopped at were great!
Kevin & Michelle Greenhow, Jim & Cindy Paulson, Jim & Kelly Leino, Eau Claire, Wisconsin