• Saturday-What'sUP June 24 - 06:11 pm

Take a drive along US-2, on the southern borders of the U.P. and you'll encounter sandy beaches and beautiful views. There's plenty of rocks too and you can do a bit of rock hounding for treasures and souvenirs. These photos from Aimee Rathbun plainly show how clear Lake Michigan is, giving you a good view of the rocks lying in the water. A different sort of rock than you'll find on the shores of Lake Superior. You won't be finding any agates, but what you might be lucky enough to find, is Michigan's State stone, the Petoskey stone, which resembles a fossil. I wonder how many of you realize that Lake Michigan is the only Great Lake entirely within the U.S. borders? It's been too long since I ventured along her shores - - maybe it's time for a road trip!

What a beautiful relaxing stroll this would be on the beaches along Lake Michigan. It was always so much fun seeking that one special stone.

Very nice shots!

Hope to be enjoying those BEAUTIFUL Michigan shorelines TOMORROW! We are off to the UP to do some family tree research and eat some pastys.

The swimming along US-2 just about 15 miles WEST of ST. Ignace has to be some of the best in the State of Michigan. Miles and miles of beaches, no crowds, crystal clear, clean water, southerly breeze, and a tad warmer than the big lake they call Gitchee Gumee. In fact, we'll be there tomorrow !

Great!

Growing up in Illinois, I spent many days on the beaches of Lake Michigan and swimming in the water. I have always loved the water. Our wedding reception was even held on the shores of Lake Michigan at Illinois Beach State Park 23 years ago. However, now the beaches are closed almost as much as they are open due to high bacteria counts. Very sad. At least it is nice to see that Lake Michigan is clear and clean UP north. That's another reason to get up there.

Morning All.
--Jeffkal-- Know the exact spot well. Stayed at Dune Shores Motel with my twin daughters during their Mondo Adventure with dad in the UP when they were 15. Two full days of fun sun and surf. I'll be on the Superior side in Brimley starting tommorrow. Don't think there will be much swimming tho. Enjoy the day everyone!!

Toivo
"Saturday, June 24

The U.P. is bordered both north and south by two of Michigan's Great Lakes."

I think you forgot about Lake Huron on the East end.

Hey Toivo: The Wikipedia link you gave us says Petoskey Stone IS a fossil!! Check it out. They look much better if they are polished.

My wife's step grandmother has a cottage on Lake Michigan just south of Traverse City. It's a fantastic place to just relax on the beach or go rock hunting. We've found many Petosky stones there and have had a few made into jewelry. My wife has a ring and my daughter has a necklace both made at a local rock shop.
Sad to say we won't be making it up there this year. Our house needs more fixing up before our new baby gets here. I sure hope to make it to the Pasty Fest next year!

To me the most beautiful spot on Lake Michigan is at Snail Shell Harbor at Fayette. There is a bluff you can walk along and look down on the harbor that is stunning. Somewhere I have pictures I took there where you can see the fish swimming 70 feet below (carp I think).

The 2nd picture reminds me of a time when my husband and I were leaving the UP....and neither of us were anxious to get to the Mighty Mac for the crossover to the LP. We stopped on US2 by the beach. It was a warm September day so we set our beach chairs up in the sand and sat back to enjoy a few minutes by the lake. We drifted off to sleep and awoke about 2 hours later. It was great,just the 2 of us and the sounds of the gulls and the waves. I love the UP.

Erica--

What a perfect transition for the crossover on
Mighty Mac.

I always have a hard time leaving too. One
time I was up with my kids. We stopped at
Lehto's to buy our pasties, then settled in a
bed of wildflowers near the Marquette
Memorial and looked out at the bridge and
took our time eating our pasties before
returning to "reality."

Kosk,our first stop in the UP is at lehto's for pasties and it also is our last stop on the way out.
Pictures sure evoke a lot of memories!

Lehto's, yes! I always stop there on the way UP for a pasty. I'm embarrassed to admit I've never tried the StillWaters pasty. If it's better than Lehto's it must be really something.

Ok kids, here is your geology lesson for the day, albeit slightly late ;-)

Petoskey stones are masses of coral colonies called Hexagonaria Percarinata that occur abundantly in Devonian reef limestones. During the Devonian Period, what is now the lower peninsula, was covered by a shallow sea. Along its edges were huge reef complexes made up of these corals. After the seas left, the entire area was infilled with sediments which slowly depressed the land, causing the Michigan Basin. The corals became fossilized and today are made up of the mineral calcite.

I know you can pretty much find Petoskey stones in any gravel pit or beach in the Lower. My best one, about 12 inches across, was found in a gravel pit just north of Grayling. The biggest one I have ever seen was at Medusa Cement Quarry near Charlevoix and was the size of a truck!!

Capt Paul said: "The biggest one I have ever seen was at Medusa Cement Quarry near Charlevoix and was the size of a truck!!""

Imagine the rock tumbler needed for that one!

Pasties....let's set the record straight. Still Waters pasties are probably the best I have bought. They are most similar to the family recipe, now being made by the third and fourth generation of Finns in the family. Lehto's USED to be good pasties. They changed owners or something maybe about 15 -20 years ago. Never the same. Also had unfortunate treatment by management there to a Philipene family mamber. They thought she was Am Indian and refused to let family eat inside. We have since switched to eating "Suzie's" I think it is on the west bound side of 2. VERY good pasties. Will never forget trying to buy pasties from a restaurant in Houghton back in '79 on our honeymoon. It was 6p.m. and they had closed for the day. Had to go across the street to the IGA to get the day's leftovers. They were delicious.

Anna,

When I was last at Lehto's last summer,
Grandma Lehto herself was still working in
the kitchen and her daughter was serving at
the counter. I think, because my dad knew the
family way back when, that the Lehto;s came
from L'Anse or Baraga..

How horrible about the Native family. I
remember seeing that happen once when I
was picking strawberries in the CC as a child.
The Native children had to use the outhouse,
the "whites" got to go inside and use the
family's bathroom. It was my first real
experience of prejudice.

Lake Michigan is Beautiful but nothing compares to the beauty of Lake Superior. I Miss the UP

Ditto!

Lakes Michigan and Superior are really eaqually beautiful but different...I have lived near them all of my life......born on Lake Michigan raised on Superior and now back on Michigan. I remember my first recollection of the difference was as a little girl standing on my Uncle Sam's dock at Bootjack in a storm...WOW....I thought to myself this sure is different from what I was use to in Kenosha......Lake Michigan is pretty placid and the storms are pretty weak compared to the drama and majesty of Lake Superior and it craggy coastline....gotta lov'em both.....