Day 2 Today our destination is Copper Harbor via route 41 and some scenic routes with stops along the way. First stop was this beautiful sandy beach with sand dunes just past Munising. Great place to stretch your legs, skip a few stones, and use the restroom.

Next stop was at a roadside scenic pull off just before Houghton; Canyon Falls and Gorge. This hike is fairly easy; it meanders through the woods to a waterfall and a massive rock Gorge, well worth the stop and an easy hike. The rock face colors were spectacular with all the minerals deposits and the sun reflecting off them. We continued on our way through Houghton (forgoing the Grist Mine tour-a little too confining for me) and then Hancock where we stopped to pick up Pasties for our picnic lunch. We decided to wait to eat them until we found the perfect spot. Venturing on we stopped in Calumet, MI and took a self-guided tour of the restored Opera House, it is still a work in progress but it’s was beautiful. From the hand painted murals, wood staircases, to the ornate balconies and ballroom you could almost envision the theatre back in the early 1900’s. The first play ever performed there was March 20, 1900. The historical society has been able to collect many photos and memorabilia from the early days and them available for you viewing.

Continuing on we decided to get off the main highway (Route 41) and take the scenic route to try to get in a few small hikes, waterfalls, lighthouses, and beautiful scenic shore lines. There are many little roadside picnic areas along the way and a perfect spot for lunch. We pulled into one called Tobacco River picnic area, just past the town of Gay. The pasties we bought were still warm and very tasty and the views were awesome.
We ventured on stopping at Havens Falls in Lac La Blanc area and continued searching for the trail-head for the Montreal Waterfalls. We had a number of directions from brochures and the internet, only one specific enough to get us close to our destination (or so we thought). Having no signal of any kind on our many electronic devices we relied on instinct and good old fashion maps. Well, we found the road we were supposed to turn on, Smith Fisheries, only to discover that this very narrow dirt path of a road had private property signs posted everywhere as well as a barricade across the road a little way down it. Being that our trip was in its’ infant stages we opted (yes even Steve) to obey the rules and turn around forgoing the 2 mile hike to the Montreal Falls. Disappointed and convinced that we took a wrong turn somewhere we continued about 15 miles into Copper Harbor and asked for directions to the Trail Head of the Montreal Falls. We were in the right place, they said that since this is off the beaten path and usually only locals (Yoopers that is) hike this area, the private property signs are just ignored and you should venture on. Too late in the day to drive back, hike the 2 miles, and get out before the sun goes down so we went to Plan B. The adventure guide suggested that we hike an area nearby called Horseshoe Cove. Once again directions were a little sketchy but we found the trailhead and hiked out to this beautiful cove surrounded by trees, water, and lava rock formations. We also stopped at another area to see a lighthouse that protected the harbor. The evening ended with Dinner and watching the sunset from a beach about 5 miles South West of Copper Harbor.