• Friday-What'sUP November 8 - 07:47 am

Driving along M-28, you travel directly through the town of Munising, where these photos from Danielle Mahoney take us today. As you come around one of the first curves into town, there are a few homes which are bordered by hills on one side of the road and Lake Superior (just out of view) on the other side. Then Danielle takes us further into town, getting ready to make the sharp curve up ahead, with the last shot heading around another bend in the road before you drive right out of the business district of the town.

Whenever we go through this town, it always brings Hub Perreault to mind. He owned and operated Hub's Super Valu on the curve in the last photo. Being a Lake Linden native, every time one of Lake Linden-Hubbell's sports teams headed downstate for playoffs, he'd make sure they were supplied with goodies from his store and often times even a dinner on him at a local restaurant. Coincidentally enough, as I was checking on information to accompany Danielle's photos today, I also discovered that Hub passed away 4 years ago this month. Thanks for taking such good care of our kids, Hub.

Munising is a great place.

After Grand Marias, Munising is my next favorite town in UP. Outside of the C.C. of course. Munising had the greatest book store years ago! Good pastys at a small bakery there too!

'The greatest book store' is literally true. We could spend the entire day in there, all the different nooks and levels., unique way of organizing. ALWAYS there were treasures to find in their old, used books. We really miss it, was always a 'must stop' in Munising.

Yes, I remember well as I was part of the first team to be "treated" by Hub. He was a great man that loved the "Lakes." Let's just say, back in 1988 and 1989, we didn't go away from Munising hungry. Stoping at that corner restaurant coming back from Newberry in '89 was an amazing memory.....Loaded with Hub and Lakes fans knowing we were going to Pontiac to play for the State Championship....

Spend a week in the spring and fall in Christmas/Munising. Take the same route as the above pictures at least two or three times a day. Sigh!!! Miss it so much (along with the Keweenaw). p.s The Munsing Bakery is closed and for sale. They had good pasties and donuts/coffecake/cookies.

We used to vacation near Munising when I was a kid. That's why I love it UP here so much.

Does anyone remember the Red Owl Supermarket?

Great minds think alike Mskatie - I'm with you, after Grand Marais, Munising is my 2nd favorite UP town. Great camping, nice town, beaches galore, Pictured Rocks, and GRAND ISLAND. We camp at Tourist Park campground for 2-3 weeks every July and the sites are amazing. Right on the water, with the best view ever.

When I was a kid (literally, not at heart like now), I remember vacationing for a couple weeks in Pictured Rocks most every summer. We always stopped in Munising at Hub's Super Valu to stock up on food and supplies before heading out.

What's funny is that in 2002 when Nat led the sedimentary geology field trip to the Pictured Rocks they stayed at a campground one night. After the trip, she described to me this beautiful campground on a lake that she was sure would be great fishing; it was the same campground and lake I stayed at 25 years prior!! If we get the chance, Nat and I are going to spend a couple days in that same campground next summer when we're UP there........

This area has a lot of great snowmobiling adventures!

good morning all..I too love the town and activities around Munising.
Hubert(Hub)grew up in Hubbell, he was my first cousin and also my God father. We always stooped to visit him on our way downstate, and the last time I stopped to talk with him in about 2003 he was outside with real estate people going over the selling of his store. It was a nice final visit with a great man.
It is apprapo that this day the LAKES play for the regional football championship against their long time rival Crystal Falls.

Mary says: Thanks for pointing that out, Eddyfitz! GO LAKES!

Yes, those are great memories of Hub. I remember him coming out to the parking lot and telling the Lakes players and coaches as they got off the bus to "Go in and take what you want." That almost put coach Warner into a tizzy as he was trying to patrol the store making sure the kids weren't taking advantage of the offer. Lucky he had a good group of kids, except for that Gilles character :o) OK, I can raz him since he's my cousin. Coming back after the big win in Newberry, and eating spaghetti at the DogPatch with all the fans was something nobody associated with that team will ever forget.

Eddy, Hub was a buddy of my dads and we always stopped at his store when we went north. When I was coming south from my dads funeral I stopped and told Hub he had died. He had tears in his eyes and kept telling us how much he liked dad. He really was a good man. The next year I was headed north with my daughter Danielle and her family. We stopped and he loaded Andrea the Irish dancer up with all kinds of goodies. She mentioned the store when we were going through town some years later. Was curious what had happened to the owner. She felt bad when I told her he had passed away. It is now raining hard here in Berkley, nothing harder to rake then wet leaves. Glad that Doug has to clean the yard and not me.

Mary Drew at Pasty Central (Mdrew):
"Christmas is just around the corner!"

What a co-inky-dinky, as "Christmas" is also "just around the corner" from Munising! (As suggested above by Carole (Carole) as well.)

Grand Marais: One place I have somehow managed to miss in all my years traveling around da UP. Although I've been to Brimley, Tahquamenon, Paradise and the "Bunny Tail" (Whitefish Point), somehow Grand Marais always seemed to be a lonesome outpost, "too far off the beaten path" at the end of the road (M77) 25 miles north of that wicked "Seney Stretch" with only one way in & out!

Perhaps I should correct that oversight one day, including discovering that "other road" (CR-58) as well!

While some folks might find today's photos a bit damp and dreary, they sure feel like home to me, and so appropriate today — I woke up this morning to such blissfully cool weather I thought I died and went to da UP!

(After a "long hot summer," fall has finally arrived in Phoenix just this week, with the daily high temperatures now in the 70's and morning lows in the 40's!)

Wow, Mikie, the sky in Lansing is blue with not cloud in sight and you say it's raining hard in your town. I guess it's true that if you don't like the weather in Michigan, just wait a while...

Alex - my brother's first job, after the paper route, was at Red Owl!! It was on Main Street, then moved to the highway....

Sigh. Our furniture moved to Munising last July. It did leave a fowarding address, so we visit it as often as possible.

We live on the left side, past the first picture and before you get to the second. On the left corner of the second picture is the Munising City Hall. They recently got a very impressive fron door.

A local business, Modern Woodsmith, worked with high school shop kids to carve it.

We have no hesitation in retiring to north country - the city and residents are awesome. If you have small kids, the Parks and Recreation have super programs, year round.

Miner's Beach is our current favorite place, but we are always drawn to Sand Point and Bay Furnace.

fron door = front door. Sorry about that.

FRNash/PHX,AZ:

But there is more than one way in and out of Grand Marais. There is a fantastic little road that runs from Grand Marais to Munising through Pictured Rocks (Au Sable Point Trail). It is a beautiful drive that departs the west side of Grand Marais as Carlson Road, then winds its way west, past Grand Sable Lake and the sand dunes, then Grand Sable Light house and Hurricane River camp ground, then it skirts along twelve-mile beach before it turns south for a few miles to where it runs into Adams Trail. You then head west on Adams Trail which will take you through Melstrand, before it enters the east side of Munising as East Munising Avenue. The main route is pretty easy to follow, but if you have time, there are dozens of little side roads and trails that you can explore along the way. Many lead to waterfalls, hidden beaches, and small lakes and streams. I probably shouldn't be telling people about this, it is such a beautiful untrampled area.

Actually there are 3 ways out of Grand Marais. The aforementioned M-77 and AuSable Point Trail are 2; the third is taking H-58 east along the lakeshore to Deer Park, then heading south on H-37 towards Newberry. Great agate hunting along this stretch of beach too...

For the really adventurous, there is also a road that leads off H-37 just south of Deer Park to the east that will bring you out to M-123 very near Paradise. As I said though, this trip is for the adventurous, as well as a 4x4 or high clearence vehicle as the last time I travelled it I had to cross several little streams and a good sized one. I believe this road has been featured here.......

While in Munising my favorite drive EVERY day is on Sand Point Rd. We go to the end and from there you can see out into the lake or Grand Island across from this point. The sunsets from this location are awesome. My other favorite is Bay Furnace Campground located near Foggy's Steakhouse. We go there at least twice a day while up there. We take the path through the woods to go to the beach. From that position we can see the other end of Grand Island. And it is such a clean campground. And Miners Beach is a must while there. The sand is soooo clean. Also spent many many years camping at Woodland Park in Grand Marais. Made many friends and have great memories of our times there. This town is a MUST to see even if off the beaten path.

David C Cloutier (Dccloutier):
"Carlson Road … past Grand Sable Lake [… Au Sable Point Rd …] Adams Trail … through Melstrand [a.k.a. CR-58]?"

I was aware of CR-58 — 50 miles of twists and turns through back country, often well south of the lakeshore, from Grand Marais to Munising. Definitely not a route for a speedy trip! Not that speed would be the objective along that route, of course.

Wasn't there just another major round of road work/paving (with road closures) east of Little Beaver on CR-58 this summer? Did they get as far as Kingston Lake?

"I probably shouldn't be telling people about this, it is such a beautiful untrampled area."
That's probably true, but we won't tell!

FRNash

http://www.factory4x4vans.com/

Bob Jewell, Farmington Hills (Rjewell):
Yes, that sure is it, thanks Bob!

(Ya can always count on da Pasty folk to come through! — I did spend some time yesterday searching through the current Pasty Central home page, to no avail.)

I used to hitchhike back from MSU in the late 60's and I would always look forward to Munising. One year after getting my favorite roast beef sandwich at a bar in downtown Munising , I continued my hitch hiking. I remember it was snowing and I was getting a little worried about getting a ride. I did get a ride out of Munising to a beach area where the waves were crashing over the beach. It was at an intersection as there was a yellow light. No sooner than being dropped off a buss load of high school boys went by. Then a car that stopped and backed up and and the window came down "did you ever play high school basketball". Yes, "I was the end,guard and tackle on Dollar Bay's team. Oh, so you know Harvey Filppula, get in" That is what it is like in the up , everyone looks out for the other guy and they are friendly. My next next ride was from my cousin who drove me home all the from the Republic Junction to Dollar Bay.