There are two things wrong with this. First of all, unless traveling on washboard dirt roads, Grand Marais in not on the way to anywhere. The only good road in or out of Grand Marais is Michigan route 77. It dead ends in town. Grand Marais is in Michigan's upper peninsula, 60 miles northeast of Munising, 25 miles north of Seney (its nearest neighbor), and 45 miles northwest of Newberry. It is nestled along the shores of Lake Superior. Although located at the eastern end of the Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore, it doesn't get near the number of visitors that Munising, on the western edge of the park, does because of its remoteness. The second mistake is that there is a lot more to Grand Marais than the few stores. The trails, dunes, and waterfalls of the National Lakeshore and Grand Marais are definitely worth exploring. More importantly, there are 150 to 300 people (depending on who is doing the telling) who live there year round and their stories are worth listening to. 

Like many of Michigan's upper peninsula towns, Grand Marais has had its ups and downs. It first flourished as a lumber town, and when that business died, the town almost died too. Commercial fishing, some time later, helped to rebuild the town but when that era ended, the town struggled to become known as a tourist spot. It wasn't until the late 70's when the National Park Service took over the care of the Pictured Rocks and developed more of the area, that Grand Marais stabilized to what it is today---a retirement and part time tourist community known for its hunting and fishing. 

There are six lodging places within walking distance of the town and four more just outside of town. They range from a quaint bed and breakfast in a restored 1887 home on the bay to the new and modern Welker's Resort complete with restaurant, gift shop, indoor pool, and spa. Welker's is not right in town but out at the point; that seemed proper since it was just too modern looking to properly fit into the village itself. The gift shop at Welker's is nothing unusual with its tee shirts and typical tourists do-dads from such places as Taiwan. Except for the Annual Music and Arts festival held the second week in August, the town is not crowded with tourists. We camped at Woodland Township Park and Campground just four blocks from downtown. 

The campground is on a bluff overlooking Lake Superior and each of its 100 sites has a good share of trees. For us the best part of camping there was being able to walk or bike to town, the lakeshore, or to the Point and its museums. We even walked to a church on Sunday (it was across from the campground). 

At the corner of Randolph Street and Canal Avenue you will see a very large pickle barrel. It is an unique information center but was not built for that purpose. William Donahey, the author of cartoons and stories about the Teenie Weenies, lived in Grand Marais. In 1926, when he was doing some promotional work for the Murdock Food Co., they suggested that since the Teenie Weenies lived in a pickle barrel, they would build Mr. Donahey a pickle barrel in which to live. Mr. and Mrs. Donahey lived in the pickle barrel on their property during the summers until 1945. After Mr. Donahey died, the barrel was moved to its present location and now serves as the information center. 

In Grand Marais, you will not find a touch tone phone, stop light, or mail boxes. Houses do not have street numbers. All mail must be picked up at the post office. I discovered this while in the Pickle Barrel when a gentleman came in and asked the information lady if she knew where his uncle lived. Of course she knew the uncle (everyone knows everyone). The problem was trying to direct him to the house. She mentioned that there are no house numbers or mail boxes and tried to count, in her head, which house was his. She finally said that he should just drive in the right direction then stop at any house. Someone would point out his uncle's house. 

One morning be sure to visit Lefebvre's Fish Market & Bakery. It is just a block or two east of the post office and a sign points the way. The store is in Shirley Kirkens' house--- on her enclosed back porch. Signs out front state that she is famous for her "Sticky Buns" and just above the door a sign says, "get your buns in here." When we walked in, the aroma of freshly baked bread aroused our appetite. There were seven other customers crowded in the small area and Shirley was by the door taking two loaves of bread out of one of the two range type ovens in the front of the store. She apologized for keeping us waiting while she brushed the tops of the loaves with melted butter. She checked the bread in the other oven before resuming her position behind the counter to wait on the next customer. On the counter were two dozen "sticky buns" still hot---having just been released from their pans. They looked like my grandmother's. How could I resist? The display case under the buns was full of donuts and other breads, and to the left, a second display case was full of fresh and smoked fish, turkeys, and sausage. We purchased fresh fish, bread, and sticky buns. All were so delicious that we couldn't wait to return for more. Those buns were just like my grandmother's. 

When I returned another day, Shirley was not busy, so we talked. I was curious as to how and when she started her business and she was eager to share. The "store" opened in 1967 because fishermen in town asked her first husband (Mr. Lefebvre) if he would smoke and sell fish that they caught. Business grew in no time, and Shirley added some baked goods. 

Sadly though, on October 31, 1971, her husband and 15 year old son drowned in Lake Superior. Ever hear of the "gales of November" as in the story of the Edmund Fitzgerald? A sudden storm capsized their boat and they were never found. Shirley had to wait seven years to collect the insurance, but she had her business and worked to support her four daughters ages 4, 8, 12, and 14. 

She is now remarried and business is better than ever. Vern and Shirley are known for their smoked whitefish, and it was the best we had ever tasted. I asked her if she is afraid of the lake and she admitted that she is. She is glad that her present husband does not like to fish the big lake. 

Although there is an IGA grocery store, the Bayshore Market, and The General Store, neither sell a big city paper. They sell the local paper which comes out once a week. Asking around, we discovered that the daily paper (the Morning Free Press from Detroit) is sold at the Superior Hotel downtown, but the papers don't come in until noon. When you open the door to the hotel, you will think that you have just entered someone's private home which just happens to have a soda fountain, a candy counter, and two pin ball machines in the living room. The owner, Isabelle (Bess) Capogrosa might be in her kitchen which can be seen from the lobby, but she will quickly greet you. The newspapers are stacked on the counter. She gets about 120 a day. Some she sets aside right away for those who order the paper on a weekly basis, but everyone has to come in and pick up their paper there are no deliveries. The soda fountain no longer delivers sodas or sundaes, but you can sit on the stool and talk to Bess. We chatted for quite a while. I got a nice history lesson and learned about the local school. 

The school is a traditional two story brick building near Lefebvre's on Grand Marais Avenue. Although it says "High School" above the door, we were told that all grades go there from kindergarten through grade 12. There are approximately 80 students in the school, and many grades only have three or four students. Lately the graduation class has numbered around eight; although, Bess told me that she remembered a class of twelve. "But that was the year the twins graduated," she added. The town library is also housed in the school building. 

One of the traditions of visiting Michigan's Upper Peninsula is eating a pasty (pass-tee) which is a Cornish meat pie. The oval shaped pasties were brought into the area by the immigrants from Cornwall, England, who came to the peninsula to work in the many iron and copper mines of the 1800's. The pasty was a miner's lunch because it could be carried easily in a pocket and eaten cold or warmed by the lantern's heat. We ate our pasty at the cute Earl Of Sandwich shop. It is primarily a deli and ice cream shop with three or four tables, but the pasties were homemade, hot, and delicious. 

The best place to find out what is going on locally is usually the local bar. The Dunes Saloon looked like the place where all the locals go, so we went there too. Shortly after we settled at the bar in hopes of engaging in a little conversation with the bartender, every bar stool (10), and every table and booth (12) were full. Sharon and the cook were the only employees and watching Sharon perform the work of at least three was exhausting. She was smooth, fast, efficient, but we didn't get to talk with her at all. We did overhear the main conversation at the end of the bar and that was mostly anger at the policies of the Department of Natural Resources, especially as they related to fishing. On Friday, we decided to try the Dunes again and this time Pam was the barmaid, waitress, and busperson. She is 35, attractive, wore jeans, and a black Harley-Davison tee shirt. Since the place was only one-third full, we were able to talk some. Pam moved to Grand Marais six years ago when she became divorced. She is from southern Michigan, but moved to Grand Marais because she thought it would be a good place to raise her children. Her children love it there (there are four in their grade at school), but she is moving them to Marquette (a little over 100 miles west) because she is going to go to college there and was excited about the opportunity.  We never did see the cook but can attest to the fact that he/she was busy by the amount of pizzas, hamburgs, and nachos that were served both in the saloon and for take out. Do try the pizza. Not only is it the best around, it is the only one. 

If you are in Grand Marais in late summer, ask where the blueberries are. You will be directed east five miles then north on a trail type road. If you don't have a truck or four wheel drive, you can walk a mile or so; every bit of effort you exert will be worth the taste of the sweet wild berries. 

And don't forget to include the National Park in your visit. Be sure to start at the National Park Maritime Museum which is located on Coast Guard Point. Besides learning about shipping on the Great Lakes, you can get a schedule of Park Service Visitor Programs. The Au Sable Light Station began beaming its warning to mariners in 1874 and is well preserved, but it is only accessible by trails. We hiked several trails on our own and joined a ranger on a walk to the light station. On that walk we learned about the old shipwrecks which still litter the beach in this treacherous area of the lake. It was amazing to see full hull skeletons from the 1800's. This graveyard area (the beach as well as the waters) are protected. Grand Marais is definitely worth a weeks visit.