Silas Journeys to the Great Lakes

Our first destination in Wisconsin was Great Northern Bison Ranch. John and Melody Christian, with their two children, are the owners of this ranch that raises grass-fed bison. They have an interesting story that they shared with us.

It started in 2021 when they sold their beautiful home in Colorado and said a lot of really hard "goodbyes" to hit the road in a massive RV traveling with their family full time. (Doesn't this sound familar?!)

They both owned their own businesses and felt called to prioritize their family life together; finding a more humble way to live—the dream of owning land and a farm one day somewhere in our beautiful country.

They eventually bought land in Ogema, Wisconsin and originally started homesteading there. "The Lord revealed to us that that piece of land was His way of integrating us into a kind and caring community, and ultimately leading us to meet the Holcombs and stay a night on their bison ranch."

One night turned into all summer and fall, and eventually they found themselves as full-time ranch hands, caring for their home, a bison herd, and bison meat business while the original owners were called to live out of state.

Fast forward to one year later, and the Lord blessed them in taking over the ranch and becoming owners. One family passed to another family, the same love and care for the herd, the same passion for an authentic business with quality products.

We found out about the ranch through Harvest Host and booked a one-night stay for Monday June 29th on their full-hook up site for a mere $20. We had a wonderful visit with them and purchased some bison meat that included a 1.65 pound T-bone steak for dinner that night and some bison brats for our freezer.

Tuesday, June 30th we traveled from Great Northern Bison Ranch in Rib Lake, WI about three hours east to just across the Menominee River into Michigan to stay at the River Park Campground, a hidden gem. Driving in to the park we passed the city water treatment plant, an industrial looking area, and found the park behind a commercial plaza. However, the park itself is very nice, with a lovely walk along the river. This unexpected gem takes only cash or check (no credit cards) and by phone or email reservation . A definite do-over just northeast of Green Bay, WI.

Enroute to Menominee we had to stop at a Culver's Fast Food Restaurant for lunch to introduce Silas to Cheese Curds. I ordered the Cod sandwich with medium cheese curds for Silas to try. He ordered a Butterburger and strawberry milkshake. Karen had her usual and brought a salad from the RV. Silas liked the cheese curds and we rated them a 6 on a scale of ten. He definitely doesn't like the name and I have to agree.

Look at this beautiful campsite at the River Park Campground. A paved pull-through with full hook-ups next to the river for $40 a night.

The weather in this area has been unseasonably warm with intermittent heavy rain, thunder and lightning. So on Wednesday we got on the road by 10 AM to try and put the storm front behind us as we travel north to Munising in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan right on Lake Superior.

We arrived at the campsite and lost an hour to the time change to the Eastern Time Zone. But our spot at site 4 and the weather was awesome!

In late June, we booked a one-night only stopover at Munising City Tourist Campground. We arrived on a sunny, 85-degree day with clear skies, and our Water/Electric 50-amp site offered a great unobstructed view of Lake Superior.

Best of all, there were few mosquitoes but some annoying biting black flies. It was a perfect Upper Peninsula Day, and we know we were fortunate with the weather. The campground's restrooms and showers were well kept. Many sites share water spigots, so extra hose lengths are helpful.

We were able to add a day but had to change to site 60.

50 Amp service and water are available by the lakefront. The shoreline sites are larger because they don't have sewer hook-ups.

Silas venturing into Lake Superior!

On Thursday, July 2nd we drove into Munising to Glass Bottom Shipwreck Tours. This two-hour tour covers a distance of about 9 miles and features sights both above and below the water. The tour heads toward Grand Island containing 13,000 acres of pristine wilderness. Most of this island remains as it was during the fur-trading days of the Hudson Bay Company with a small band of Chippewa Native Americans who lived there.

The first stop was the two-masted BERMUDA, a typical canal schooner, designed to trade through the confining dimensions of the old Welland Canal between Lakes Ontario and Erie. Launched at Oswego, New York in April 1860, she was 136 feet in length, 26 feet in beam and 11 feet, 9 inches in depth. Her early years were spent in the grain trade between Lakes Michigan and Ontario. When the demand for iron ore increased, she shifted to carrying ore down from Marquette, MI.

On September 21, 1870 she left the lower lakes for Marquette with a cargo of general supplies, arriving without incident. After loading 488 tons of ore she departed on October 14, but was overtaken by a gale off Grand Marais. The pounding of the waves caused her to start leaking and her captain brought her to shelter in Munising Bay where she reportedly filled and sank. When she left the docks in Marquette, it was said that she already had two feet of water in her hold. This would certainly cast doubt on the wisdom of her departure.

The large rectangular opening near the stern marks the location of the BERMUDA’s trunk cabin, which contained the galley and quarters for some of her crew.

The tour was a two-hour, fully narrated, historical excursion of two shipwrecks, Bermuda (1860-1870) and Herman H. Hettler (1890-1926). We also enjoyed a close-up view of the East Channel Lighthouse, built in 1867, colorful rock cliffs and beaches of Grand Island.

Wednesday, July 3rd we departed the Munising campground and continued on to Sault St. Marie for the 4th of July weekend celebration. At the last minute we were able to move from our original dry site at Sherman Park campground to a waterfront site at Aune-Osborn Campground with water and electrical hook-ups.

Aune-Osborn Campground sits right on the St. Marys River, with level gravel sites, clean and well-kept facilities, and the incredible experience of watching huge Great Lakes freighters pass by. The park is noted for its friendly staff and good value, with easy access to restrooms, showers, laundry, and a convenient dump station. Downtown attractions, shopping, and local restaurants are just a quick trip away. We journeyed into town to see the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Soo Locks complex, visit the Information center and stop for ice cream at Zak & Mac's Chocolate Haus across the street.

We celebrated the 4th of July taking a fascinating cruise through the Soo Lock Complex on the Original Soo Lock Boat Cruise Company.

In the MacArthur Lock being raised 21 feet to the level of Lake Superior.

The Canadian iron ore carrier Algoma Equinox preparing to enter the Poe Lock from Lake Superior.

This is a very friendly and informative tour of the Soo Locks, as the tour takes passengers from Lake Huron level, through the MacArthur Lock up to Lake Superior level and then makes its way over to the Canadian side to ride their Lock back down to Huron level. Highlights are a closeup view of the still-operating low-head hydroelectric plant on the US side and at the upper end you get to see the gigantic steel mill on the Canadian side.

We viewed the third largest steel mill in Canada just before we entered the Canadian Lock on our way back to the St. Mary river which flows into Lake Huron.

After our cruise we enjoyed a meal at Antler's Restaurant where I ordered a Bleu Cheese burger and Poutine. If you're unfamiliar, Poutine is a famous Canadian dish of French fries and cheese curds topped with a hot brown beef and chicken stock gravy. It emerged in the Centre-du-Québec region of Quebec in 1959, though its exact origins are uncertain, and there are several competing claims regarding its origin. After our late lunch ,we then drove downtown with our folding chairs to wait for the 4th of July parade. We watched the parade from 7:30 pm for about an hour before watching the fireworks show that night from the campground, And so ended our celebration of 250 years of independence!