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

1998
During our visit we celebrated our 25th wedding anniversary at Big Bay Lighthouse B&B in Big Bay, Michigan. It was a memorable experience - cozy, comfortable accommodations in a quaint and placid setting with hospitable and gracious hosts.
Liz Manguno, Marietta, Georgia

Summer 2005
Our favorite spots and experiences on the Circle Tour were: The Pictured Rocks, Lax Lake Campground and area, Apostle Islands, Thunder Bay and area, Wawa goose and Split Rock Lighthouse.
Cailin Clarke, Crediton, Ontario

June 2001
In late June 2001, I trailered my brand new Bonneville motorcycle from Atlanta to my daughter’s home in Norway, Michigan. I’ve been an avid reader of Lake Superior Magazine since before it was Lake Superior Magazine, so going around the lake has always been on my mind. Even in late June, it was always a bit nippy getting started early in the morning, but by noon I was stripping off the heavy leathers for a T-shirt ride. I headed west up Highway 2 towards Ironwood thinking that I was going to make great time and maybe apply for an “iron butt” award on my return. When I got to Duluth I caught a glimpse of the Aerial Lift Bridge and had to stop and visit the lakefront, museums and of course Grandma’s. I also stopped in Two Harbors to pick up a couple of “raised seal” birth certificates for my two youngest children (now 27 and 28) who were born in Lake View Memorial Hospital. On to Silver Bay where I ran into two old buddies I had been stationed with while serving in the Air Force at Finland AFS back in the late ’70s. They both retired in Silver Bay. A few miles out of town in Little Marais, I stopped to visit a dear friend with whom I attended college (a hundred years earlier it seemed to us) and then on to the Canadian border for my first night’s stop. I had packed a tent and sleeping bag, but the heat of the day and the call of the Casino were too strong to ignore. Day two was a beautiful run; I watched the sun come up over the Lake on the North Shore and watched the sun go down from the vantage of Old Woman Bay just north of the Sault. What a beautiful stretch of highway for a solo motorcycle rider - perfect weather and perfect location. By now I was only getting about 100 miles to the seat - so pulling over just to view the shoreline was a must. I learned about Winnie-the-Pooh on one such break. That second long day ended at a hotel on the Canadian side of the Sault watching the boat traffic. Day three arrived way too soon, but I took off for what I thought would be a record-setting trip back to Norway. Across the International Bridge and back to the U.P. I was going to press straight through, but the signs telling me to “see the bears” became too much to ignore. On the way to Newberry I decided to make a quick stop at Whitefish Point and pay my respects to the bell. With rain clouds gathering, I donned my rain gear and headed off to see Dean Oswald and his black bears. My dad and Dean had been firefighters in Bay City several years ago and that relationship got me and the Bonneville a dry spot in his garage while the heaviest downpour I’d ever witnessed dumped down on us. With the raingear stowed, I headed off for a stop in Munising where I had worked for the Probate Court a few years earlier; a minor tour through Traunik where we owned property after my retirement from the Air Force; up to Marquette; another detour to visit my old friend and barber, Gary Erickson, in Gwinn and then finally I was off to Norway and a hot bath. I love that bike, but next time, I’ll fit it out with highway pegs and a much softer seat!
Ken Newsham, Rosemount, Minnesota

August/September 1975
It was 1975, my husband and I had just bought out new 1975 Chevy pickup truck and my husband thought it would be nice to take the circle trip. We decided to go counterclockwise. It was beautiful and sunny when we left. We went on a side trip up to Copper Harbor for a while and then continued on. We stopped when we would see something interesting and would go on. We spent some time in Sault Ste. Marie and went over to the Soo Locks and watched some of the ore boats go through. From there we went on across Canada, going west. We went to where the amethyst quarry is and they let us pick up some pieces. We also stopped at Kakabeka Falls and on to Nipigon where we stopped for breakfast. That’s when it started to rain and the farther we went on, the harder it rained. We stayed overnight at Thunder Bay, but it never stopped raining, just got worse. The old wooden bridge was still in use up there, but it was hard to see in the driving rain. Somewhere along the way, we were stopped and told that the road had washed away and that we had to take a detour. They told us to go farther west where we were told what road to take. But by the time we got there, the detour road wasn’t any better, in fact it might have been a little worse. When we went through, the mud was up to our hubcaps. We were told to just go across and whatever we do, don’t stop or slow down. We just barely made it through. All the way down Highway 61, the pavement was washing away and we had to go at a slower pace so we could see where the pavement was missing. By the time we arrived in Duluth, we were so tired out, we got a motel room and stayed to rest up. We were very happy to get home, but it was an interesting trip. I would like to take the Circle Tour again, but go around clockwise this time.
Carol Lundquist, Albertville, Minnesota

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

August 20, 2005
My mom and I took the Lake Superior Circle Tour this summer. My mom turned 80 in July and she helped with driving. We only had 2 days of rain, but really enjoyed the trip. The amethyst mine in Thunder Bay was a must see. Got to pick a few amethysts. My mom didn’t like our hotel in Thunder Bay, except it was the only one available. Took a lot of pictures, Read about the Inukshuks in the magazine and photographed the ones we found. The Canadian North Shore was beautiful. We hit a rough spot in Grand Marais, Michigan, about 24 miles of gravel. Was my mom mad! Loved the Pictured Rocks even through the rain. The boat trip really gave you a good view. We stopped at the cemetery in Calumet and finally found my Great Grandfather’s grave. He died in the mine when my grandma was 3 years old. I live about an hour and a half from Superior, so I visit whenever I can. I like to collect unusual rocks and have found the rock books very helpful. We used the magazine on the trip. Some old ones and some new ones. All had good articles and visitor info. I’ll sure go back and continue exploring.
Gerry Arlt, Phelps, Wisconsin
Rose Borchardt, West Bend, Wisconsin

August, 2005
Kobe, miniature schnauzer went along. Wawa, Munising, favorite places. Impressed by the people and places that are so dog friendly.
Bryan L. & Kobe Hansen, Sartell, Minnesota

June 2005
We met at my cabin on Lake Vermilion on the 10th and left the morning of the 11th. We went through Ely on the way to the North Shore and spent the first night in Nipigon, Ontario. We spent the next night at Batchawana Bay, Ontario, the next night, Monday the 13th at Sault Ste. Marie, Tuesday at Paradise, Michigan, Wednesday at Bayfield, Wisconsin, and Thursday back to Vermilion for a total with small side trips of 1,379 miles. We made the trip on motorcycles.
Tom Hartley, St. Louis Park, Minnesota
Alan Lindquist, Maple Grove, Minnesota
Greg Benson, Prior Lake, Minnesota
Thorson Lindquist, Little Falls, Minnesota

June 20-26, 2005
Two brothers taking the Circle Tour on motorcycles. So many wonderful spots on the tour. The full moon rising over Lake Superior at the Rossport campground, the Dogpatch restaurant, the road into and out of Copper Harbor. I could go on. If you are interested, check out http://ct.the-homers.com for a chronicle of our trip.
Mike Edwards, Lakeland, Minnesota
Matt Edwards, St. Croix Beach, Minnesota

Feb. 9-22, 2005, on snowmobiles
On February 9, 2005, we unloaded our sleds at Trout Lake, Michigan, in the U.P. and headed west through Wisconsin and north through Minnesota to Gunflint Lake where we crossed into Ontario and headed east to Dubreuilville and south to Drummond Island and the ferry to De Tour and west back to Trout Lake. “Got R Done” - 13 Days, 2,000-plus miles, trail permits, remote border crossing permits, trailering arrangements through Thunder Bay are, etc. All four of us are retired and so time was not an issue, we just wanted to “Git R Done.” We had one Ski-Doo, one Arctic Cat, one Yamaha and one Polaris. All made the trip with no problems. Other than the sleds, all we had was what was in our pockets and our saddle bags.
Bob Forman, Swartz Creek, Michigan
Jim Tuttle, “Stub Willick”, Ron Ptaszenski, Ludington, Michigan