Shoo Family Munising 2024 Trip

Just call us a bunch of ‘Yoopers’, don’tcha know!

This was our third trip up to the UP (Upper Peninsula), and the second checking out Munising and Pictured Rocks. We’ve enjoyed the Great Lakes’ hiking, food, biking, and cooler weather temps. This time we went with my brother, sister-in-law, and nephew.

We saw lots of waterfalls, including Minser’s Waterfall. Which we forgot that we had previously checked out in 2020. Still a pretty cool waterfall to checkout.

Previously we had explored the famed Pictured Rocks from a kayak. This time we did it in style on a pontoon. Cue “Gilligan’s Isle theme song.”

At first it was calm waters, spirits were high, the views were great.

What’s not pictured is the large swarm of black flies that attacked us and the 37 mph gusts of wind and waves on the return back to the dock. I was the unfortunate captain of the non-sea going vessel. Each wave that crashed into us, my kid was convinced that I had purposely steered for maximum impact.

Wet, cold, and slightly traumatized we arrived back at the dock in one piece.

I did receive kudos from the boat rental owner on my return docking skills.

Grayson and I brought our mountain bikes up to check out the Munising Mountain Bike Park. Gray was not a huge fan of the climbing and the steep drop off. We did a loop together in the morning and I went back out that evening to the park solo.

I found a whole other network of trails that had skinnys, bridges, jumps, a pump track and even a teeter totter. My mountain bike skills are the best as I’ve been riding road and gravel the last couple of years, but I gave it my best without trying to end up in the emergency room (as requested by my wife). Took me three tries but I was successfully able to ride up the teeter totter, balance, and ride down. Not bad for an old dude.