Brimley, MI

Friday, September 8, 2023

Our day started at Tahquemenon Falls State Park near Paradise, MI. The weather was already better this morning — the sun was shining! — with temperatures in the mid-50’s. I blogged for a bit when I woke up around 6:00am, then Andi and I woke the kids around 8:00am and packed up our RV to head off to the next location.

Andi and I decided to drive toward the Great Lakes Shipwreck Museum on Whitefish Point which is located on the east side of Michigan’s Upper Peninsula. Here, the kids and I would do school while Andi worked. Then, we’d head to the Shipwreck Museum and Whitefish Point Lighthouse. It’s so convenient having an RV to “set up shop” wherever we want to be. Andi took his work calls in the Jeep while Tory, Aden, and I did school in the RV. Around 11:30am, our work was done & we were ready to explore.

Tory is super into all-things-haunted-and-scary, so I thought she’d get a big kick out of visiting the haunted lightkeeper’s house on Whitefish Point. Additionally, there’s a shipwreck museum on site which highlights over 300 ships that have crashed along Lake Superior’s coastline from Whitefish Point to Marquette, MI. Admission into the museum was a bit of a shock — $50 per family — but I do understand how ticket sales go to supporting the mission of the Great Lakes Shipwreck Museum.

First, we walked around the museum and read about various shipwrecks along “shipwreck coast.” So many lives lost over the years in shipwrecks, all thanks to Lake Superior’s wicked wind and waves. One of the most recent and infamous was the Edmund Fitzgerald, also known as “Big Fitz,” in November of 1975.

The four of us toured around various buildings on the Great Lakes Shipwreck Museum grounds, and watched a 20-minute video about the Edmund Fitzgerald. Tory was disappointed that she didn’t feel any “spirits” in the haunted lightkeepers’ house, but I’m sure they were present. The quirkiest part of the whole experience were the mannequin displays — they looked so life-like! Were they real or fake? Most of the mannequins were fake, except for the last building we toured — the coast guard’s lifesaving outpost. We expected the man to be a mannequin like all the other displays, but this guy totally fooled us. After standing still as a statue for several minutes, the man moved his head and freaked Andi and Tory out! The employee dressed in a Coast Guard uniform laughed and said his favorite part of the job is spooking visitors. He recounted a time recently when he startled twin sisters visiting the museum.

After walking around the shipwreck museum, the four of us made our way back to the RV. Next stop — Brimley State Park via the Whitefish Point Scenic Byway. What a gorgeous drive this 27-mile stretch was along the coastline of Lake Superior, passing by several campgrounds and overlooks. Nearly Brimley, we turned into the Point Iroquois Lighthouse parking lot to tour the museum and see the lighthouse overlook.

Point Iroquois Lighthouse has such pretty grounds, and was a much better experience than Whitefish Point Lighthouse, in my opinion. First of all, it was free admission, and the views from both the top of the lighthouse and from the shores of Lake Superior were peaceful and serene. Andi, Tory, and I walked around the grounds taking in the views and information while Aden waited in the RV for us. Mid-morning, Aden started to feel crummy and decided he wanted to stay back and relax in the RV instead of walking though another museum.

Thirty-minutes later, the four of us were back in the RV and on our way to Brimley, MI. This was a very nice state park campground with grassy camping sites and clean, private bathrooms. We checked in at the front entrance gate and made our way to the campground. Andi and I decided this place would be the perfect spot to dip our toes in Lake Superior. One of our trip goals is to stand in all five of the Great Lakes. Surprisingly, Lake Superior wasn’t as cold as I expected — it felt warmer than the air temperature around us which was 66 degrees and sunny this afternoon. The four of us splashed our feet in the water and walked along the sandy beach before making it back to our campsite.

Next, Andi and Aden decided to change into their swim trunks and take a plunge into Lake Superior. “It’s not even cold,” Andi exclaimed. Aden didn’t seem like he was feeling 100% this afternoon, but he agreed anyway. The boys put on their swim shorts while Tory and I followed along in sweatshirts and leggings.

They did it! Andi and Aden dove head-first into Lake Superior! Aden said the water wasn’t bad at all; it was getting out afterwards that was so cold. Andi and Aden headed straight for the shower house afterwards to wash up and warm up.

For dinner, we decided to go to Pickles Bar & Grill in Brimley. Glad we got there right at 6:00pm; the restaurant soon filled in with customers. We ordered fried pickle spears to share, as well as the breaded white fish, fish tacos, and chicken tenders and pizza for the kids. The food was surprisingly good and the service was fast which we hadn’t expected at all.

We spent the rest of our evening at the campground, lounging around the RV. Aden seems to have caught a cold, so he sniffled in his bed most of the night. Andi placed an order for grocery pickup tomorrow in Sault Saint Marie while I blogged about our day. We’re all so happy to be on the road adventuring again. Tomorrow, we’ll make our way to Sault Saint Marie to see the infamous “Soo Locks.”