IRON MOUNTAIN, MICHIGAN - - IRON MINE

As small as the Iron Mountain and Kingsford area is, there is still plenty to do. We arrived here on Wednesday, June 27th,  so early in the day that we checked out two more of the St. Vincent DePaul Thrift Stores.  I love it and we went back another day because their paperbacks were 5 cents each.  I was looking for something specific and found two. But I managed to fill a paper shopping bag!!

On Thursday, we went to the Historic Iron Mine at Vulcan, MI for a train tour. The iron ore was first found about a hundred years ago when a pine tree was knocked over during a store. The property owner found that the roots were very red. Thus he felt it reason to check it out and mining began.
We traveled 2600 feet through tunnels to 400 feet below the earth's surface. It is known to be a rock hound and geologist paradise. The tour included an additional half mile round trip walking tour to get to the larger stope (mining area). The mine has been owned by two brothers since 1958 who opened the tour about sixty years ago as one of the Upper Peninsula's most popular attractions. They told us that four million ton of iron ore was removed from the first smaller stope and 26 million ton from the larger stope. These pictures were from the larger stope.

Our tour guide, Chris, pointing out the smaller stope.

The larger stope! Awesome sight!

Riding the train through the tunnel!

Notice the hanging hand tools that were used in
the early mining days, before the power tools.

The store was a large store of many, many rocks and minerals. Also in the store they had a bee nest that they must have recovered somewhere in the area. I thought it interesting, but lighting is not always best for my picture.

After leaving the mine and driving around the area we found an artificially built ski slope that we had been told about. But it was not as large as someone had told us it was. Oh well, everyone's concept of large is not the same.

Today we made another trip to Walmart for the items that were forgotten yesterday and stopped in a Goodwill.  I refrained from buying anything at GW. In fact, I did not find anything of interest. We also found a place where we can fill up with propane on Monday at 7am as we leave for Mackinac MI.
It is cloudy and rather gloomy this morning, but people are coming into the campground all the time.  Guess they think that it is a Holiday weekend! I think it is to be in the upper 80's clear through the 4th.
Gary could not find the flag pole in our underbelly.  Guess he needs to clean out good when we get back to Ohio.  Some place where they have a large dumpster!! Amazing how much gets packed away!!
Take care and enjoy July 4th!!

EAGLE RIVER, WISCONSIN and LUMBER JACK STEAM TRAIN

On Saturday, June 23rd, we moved on to Eagle River, Wisconsin at Hi Pines Campground. 

We usually had campers on both sides of us,
and listened to the kids in the lake.
They sure had plenty of fun equipment!!

With the exception of all of the fun equipment and the great new shower rooms, it was much like Timashamie at N. Georgetown in Ohio.  We always liked it there because of the friends.
It's not as lonely here as it was at the ELKS in Oshkosh.
Sunday after church we found an awesome restaurant called Leif's.  We went back again before leaving, but would have loved to do so again to repeat the Turkey Club!!

Going into Eagle River we passed a deserted farm and thought what an awesome Antique Mall it would make! But it will probably be destroyed and become more city as that is what is now all around it. It probably is beyond renovation and cost prohibitive.

Monday, June 25th was our next excursion! We went to the Lumber Jack- Steam Train, for their ride and exploration of the historical Lumber Jack forest and farm. It was all very interesting and good historical information!!

Of course, Gary has to check out the engineering side
of the train.

Our tour guide, who is a snowbird come
winter when he goes to Florida.
We rode in this open car with him.

The enclosed train was more of yesteryear!!

The train ride was taken by backtracking to the Lumber Jack Work Camp. When we finished there we returned going forward since there is only one track!!

Arrived!!

This is now apartments that you can rent.
The buildings are all well taken care of!

We thought that this would be interesting to friends back home!!

Now on through the museum buildings, the General Store, the farm animal buildings, the blacksmith shop, etc.

We missed taking the picture of the ladder on track
that allowed reaching things stored high on the walls.

Sandy, Gary thought you would enjoy this!!

Can you count the rings?

Pretty young Black-smith here!

This bumpy trip was not by train through what is left of
the forest.  Believe me when I say there was no springs
on these trailers!!

Our narrator in the pick-up told all about the trees
and the effects on the forest. She included the value
of each kind and what they were used for.

This feller was the only wild life that we saw that day.

Back in Eagle River we did our usual looking around for Antiques and Thrift Shops. On one of these trips about, we saw these deer on a church lawn. It seems like there are a lot of deer in Wisconsin. We sure have had to watch the roadsides!!  Made a few run back into the trees.  We even chased off a wild turkey and her many young.  I don't think that Gary hit any, but they sure ran!!

Sorry that this was such a long Blog, but had to save the pictures!!  Hope that you enjoyed this.
We move on to Iron Mountain on the border of Wisconsin, but in Michigan.  Stay tuned!!
Here in Iron Mountain I am looking out the front window watching all of the motorhomes and trailers come in for the July 4th weekend. It will be busy around here, but think that it is far enough away from cities and freeways that it should not be too bad for us.  Most of the people about here are boaters on the lakes!! This sure is Land of Lakes!!