Lake of the Clouds
One of our first stops on our "porkiemoon" was the Lake of the Clouds! We slept in a little bit to recover from our nine hour drive the day before, and grabbed coffee. We went for lunch at a place called the Konteka! It was maybe the closest restaurant other than our hotel, and also had a general store, bowling alley, bar and more. There's really not much in this part of the upper peninsula, besides amazing nature. After lunch, we headed back toward our hotel and up to Lake of the Clouds! This is one of my favorite sights, because it's insanely gorgeous, and really accessible. No hiking required!
You park the car, walk up a slight "cliff" and then all of a sudden, you cannot believe your eyes. We honestly lucked out. Usually by now, the peak colors are over with and most of the leaves have fallen off the trees this far north. But luckily, we've had a late autumn and the colors were perfect. I kept blinking and was like... am I really seeing this?! It felt like you were in a real-life painting. Every which way you looked, the trees looked like they were on fire with color. Seriously, so stunning. I feel so lucky to have seen this sight as it was.
After leaving the scenic lookout (and I really didn't want to leave), we drove for a long time into the mountains. If you want to see different things, you really have to do a lot of driving. From here, we drove maybe 45 minutes to another scenic lookout called Summit Peak. We had to hike maybe a mile to the top of the overlook, but it was also just incredibly beautiful! It's just always slightly creepy being in the U.P., if you've never been. There's hardly anyone around, and you're miles and miles out into the woods with bears, and who knows what else! I always get a little nervous walking down a trail, but at the same time, it's incredibly peaceful.
I have another post coming with our second half of the day exploring the Presque Isle River... such beautiful waterfalls! So I'll be back with that. If you ever have the chance to get up to the U.P., you should really put it on your bucket list. It's truly amazing, and I'm not just saying that because I adore Michigan. It's insane, and there's so much to explore! xo
Outfit details:
Post-Production Finesse Tunic c/o ModCloth
Forever21 Folk Girl Fringed Cardigan (similar, similar, similar)
Aeropostale Solid Long Parka (similar)
Old Navy Boots (similar)