Michael, Author at Run Mi 5k

July 7, 2024July 22, 2024

Iron

Iron County Run

I woke up to this sunrise on Sunday after spending the last five days in the U.P. I completed runs in four other counties: Schoolcraft on Wednesday, Gogebic on Thursday, Ontonagon on Friday, and Houghton on Saturday. Just one more county to make this weekend complete – Iron County. I stayed at Baraga State Park for three of the four nights, but I didn’t run in that county. I’m planning to run there on my next trip up.

The plan was to drive 9 miles south of Covington, which would be the starting point of my Iron County run. It seemed that if I just did the loop, it would not be enough distance for the 5k. So, I stopped here at the 9-mile mark.

I turned right onto Cable Lake Road and headed west. At the time, I had no idea, but I now realize that I was supposed to start the run about a mile further north. I was so confused as to why my distances weren’t matching the plan in my head.

It was starting off to be such a perfect run. The path was smooth and flat, and the temperature was just right.

To the south of Cable Lake Road, there was some standing water. Such a cool spot!

Turning south onto North End Rd. again it looks perfect and it’s going very well.

At this point, it looked like this run might be a little more than a 5k. The distances were just not lining up with what I had in my head, but everything was great, and so what if it turned out to be a slightly longer run?

Looking to the east, the forest appeared to have standing water, similar to the last road.

I continued on…

Then it was getting a little rougher to run. I had to duck under shrub overgrowth and started to think that this path didn’t get much traffic. There were some pretty big boulders on the ground, and I was thinking that this would not be a good place to turn an ankle.

The rocks got worse from there. I ran and walked through about a quarter mile of trail that looked just like this. Also, the mosquitoes were attacking me, and there were hundreds of them—just like in Dickinson County, but worse. At this point, I was certain I would go over a 5k distance and considered turning around. I had already done 1.5 miles, and if I turned around, it would be a 5k when I reached the car. But I didn’t want to go back because of the mosquitoes and the rocks, and I just wanted to see the rest of the trail.

So I continued on… It’s got to open up at some point.

Sure enough it did finally open up.

Found this old bridge in what seemed to be the middle of no where.

A beautiful river passed underneath.

So I continued on.

And on…

… and on.

Finally, I made it back to 141, the main road where my car is parked. However, I had already completed my 5k, and I had been walking about a mile to reach this location

This is what the river looked like from the bridge on the main road. I had walked 1.5 miles at this point.

I walked by a deer carcass, and there were probably 5 or 6 vultures scavenging the deer.

All in all this was a 5k run and a 5k walk, 10k total for iron county.

The plan is below. I plan to run this route first thing in the morning. It starts 9 miles after Covington on 141. Leaving the campsite at Baraga, (a county still yet to be done) but hitting this last county to the south of the U.P. then driving back down to where all the trolls live. Leaving at 6:00 am and I will reach my room by 2 pm. I will post this run by the evening of the 7th.

Iron County

Alpha
Amasa
Bates
Caspian
Crystal Falls
Gaastra
Hazel
Hematite
Iron River
Mansfield
Mastodon
Mineral Hills
Palatka
Stambaugh

Any place in Bold and Red are townships / towns / cities I’ve run a 5k for the county run (or the closest city to my county run)

Any place in Bold and Blue are townships / towns / cities I’ve run anytime in the past.

Any place in Bold and Green are townships / towns / cities I’ve done website / hosting / design work – best website builder for small business – WordPress design hosting and search engine optimization. I’m a small business website builder – contact me to get a website that works! If no Green color is on this page, please talk with me (Click Here). I’ll be encouraged to change one to Green!

July 6, 2024October 4, 2025

Houghton

Houghton County Run

I drove across the Portage Lake Lift Bridge. This was one image that I definitely wanted to include in my Houghton County run, especially since I’m running by MTU.

Running across the bridge so I could get a great look at the Houghton-Hancock waterway, known as the Keweenaw Waterway. It’s not a river but a channel of Lake Superior that cuts across the Keweenaw Peninsula.

The structure is immense and looks so powerful!

Also across the waterway is Mont Ripley Ski Area, where my nephew Cody used to ski a lot during his time at MTU.

Also across the waterway is Mont Ripley Ski Area, where my nephew Cody used to Snowboard a lot during his time at MTU.

There was a very nice pathway heading east towards Michigan Tech University.

Here, I was looking south into the downtown area of Houghton.

This must be where the Daily Mining Gazette is published.

Here’s another view looking west at the bridge.

This path was long and steady; I probably passed by 20 to 30 people on this trail, although it looks empty here.

Here I was about a mile into my run and needed to find a route back to the north. With the sun shining brightly and unable to see my phone, I had to huddle under a bush to make a plan.

This path was long and steady; I probably passed by 20 to 30 people on this trail, although it looks empty here.

Arrived at MTU. Cody, you should be proud! Cody also said that this archway is new. It wasn’t there when he attended.

Started heading back west and saw this house; it was too bright not to take a picture.

There was a great sidewalk heading back into town, which was nice as it allowed me to avoid the stress of all the traffic. What a busy little place!

I enjoyed seeing the statue of a fireman. My employer creates electronic products for the automotive industry, but they also manufacture hydraulic generators for firemen to use with the Jaws of Life. Additionally, my dad was a fireman, and my granddaughter’s other grandfather is a fireman as well. Thank you to all firefighters who serve or have served. It was very cool to see this statue.

Another rock formation that makes me miss climbing. I need to get back.

First glimpse back into town.

Looking to the east.

Looking towards the west.

Running through downtown. What a happening place!

Front side of the Daily Mining Gazette. I have a fondness for publishing companies because I worked for one for twenty-eight years.

A glimpse of the bridge from the west side, looking northeast.

A view of the Keweenaw Waterway looking west.

On the drive back to Baraga, I saw another part of Lake Superior. I’ve driven hours to get here, and this lake seems endless! What a magnificent lake.

The plan for Houghton changed many times! Initially, I thought I’d run the closest 5k from where I was staying at the Baraga State Campground. However, upon reviewing the topographic map, HOLY COW! While I’m not afraid of hills, tackling them on the 4th day of back-to-back 5ks seemed daunting. I think I’ll look for something a little simpler.

Above is a larger map of the first two planned routes.

This was the second planned route, and it looks so much less intimidating.

I finally decided to run in the town of Houghton for two main reasons: My nephew graduated from Michigan Tech University, as did my employer and several people I’ve worked with in the past. What a prestigious school! Additionally, the bridge is recognizable anywhere, and I wanted to make sure I have a picture of the bridge and waterway in this county. It was also a way of thanking my nephew Cody for running Ingham County with me.

Houghton County

Adams
Calumet
Chassell
Copper City
Duncan
Elm River
Franklin
Hancock
Houghton
Laird
Lake Linden
Laurium
Osceola
Portage
Quincy
South Range
Stanton
Torch Lake

Any place in Bold and Red are townships / towns / cities I’ve run a 5k for the county run (or the closest city to my county run)

Any place in Bold and Blue are townships / towns / cities I’ve run anytime in the past.

Any place in Bold and Green are townships / towns / cities I’ve done website / hosting / design work – best website builder for small business – WordPress design hosting and search engine optimization. I’m a small business website builder – contact me to get a website that works! If no Green color is on this page, please talk with me (Click Here). I’ll be encouraged to change one to Green!

July 5, 2024July 12, 2024

Ontonagon

Ontonagon County Run

Bond Falls was visited the day before this run.

Before the run, I saw a lake in the distance just north of where I ran.

I drove down the road to see why the Road from Google maps wasn’t appearing on my iphone map. It turns out there was a two track but not a real road. Parked at the south end of this road and decided to tackle it south to north.

I drove down the road to investigate why it wasn’t appearing on my iPhone map compared to Google Maps. It turns out there was only a two-track path, not a proper road. I parked at the south end of this path and decided to tackle it from south to north.

Here was the field that was marked as a road on Mapmyrun.

I started running down a two-track path, but about halfway through the field, it became clear to me that it wasn’t a road at all—perhaps a truck had driven through this patch once. I realized I might be trespassing on private property, although it wasn’t posted. By the time I realized this, I was already more than halfway through the field, so I decided to continue. To the owners, I apologize, but I left nothing behind except footprints. It was much rougher running through tall grass than running on a road.

Finally back on a road heading north.

A dog made it very clear to me that I didn’t belong. It was very aggressive, barking and bumping into me three or four times. I was sure I would be bitten, but thankfully, I wasn’t. I’ve encountered many dogs during my miles of running on this challange, but this was by far the most aggressive. I’ve decided I’ll never run by the shepherd’s home again. This was probably my most regrettable run so far. Next time, I’ll definitely choose a different location in Ontonagon.

Heading west back to the main road I was on, Post Office Rd.

Looking north, the beauty of this county is truly unreal!

There were flowers everywhere!

This road had a slight hill to it, but I was super tired at this point. Three days of 5Ks and running through that field have worn me down. This will be a super slow run.

Back on the main road heading south.

Throughout my travels, I’ve seen rock faces multiple times but hadn’t managed to capture any until I headed back to Baraga to my campsite. They always stand out to me because at one point in my life, I was a rock climber, and I plan to be one again someday.

What a great day, and fantastic trip this has be so far and to know that I still have two full days left! I’ll tackle Houghton and Iron Counties next!

I initially planned for this route, but I realized it was longer than 5k. Since I’m running daily 5ks for the next 5 days, I decided it wasn’t the best choice.

This route looked perfect! That is, until I turned on the topographic map…

Another Option but this one looked long again.

I finally agreed to run this route. It was semi-flat, the perfect distance, and not too far from the main road. However, as you’ll see above, this route failed me big time.

Ontonagon County

Bergland
Bohemia
Carp Lake
Greenland
Haight
Interior
Matchwood
McMillan
Ontonagon
Rockland
Stannard

Any place in Bold and Red are townships / towns / cities I’ve run a 5k for the county run (or the closest city to my county run)

Any place in Bold and Blue are townships / towns / cities I’ve run anytime in the past.

July 4, 2024July 12, 2024

Gogebic

Gogebic County Run

Driving west to do more runs, I hung my shoes and shorts out the car window because both were totally soaked. This photo and the next 5 are not taken in Gogebic county. These just are showing how my day went prior to running. The first was driving from Schoolcraft to meet up with my parents in Ontonagon county.

After completing my run in Schoolcraft County, I started driving towards Baraga. I found out that my parents were in town, which was conveniently on my way to the next runs. Excited about the unexpected opportunity, I called them and asked if they wanted to meet up. They agreed, and we spent a wonderful afternoon together, visiting two beautiful waterfalls in the area.

This was the first falls we went to Agate Falls.

We saw two young fellas jumping over the edge of these falls.

There was a rails to trails system and we saw a couple ORVs going over this bridge.

Then we went to the most beautiful falls I’ve ever seen in Michigan, I’ll have to get the name at a later date. But this one was spectacular!

In the pink shirt, you will see my mom posing by the waterfall. Before she went there, I saw a lady in that spot and thought she had to wade through the water to get there. I jokingly said to my mom, “You should go over there so I can get your picture.” Then my mom proceeded to go there—there was a path. It was rough going, and I regretted suggesting it. Right before I took this picture, she almost lost her balance. Great photo, but not worth the risk!

Getting back to running!

Decided to run around Bass Lake North of Watersmeet, because it was about a 5k run. this road is called Bass Lake Rd. but if I choose to run west the road is called “Sucker Lake Rd” LOL

The dog noticed me running past his property. Let me know if I don’t belong here.

There were a lot of rocks on the road, which was great for driving but uncomfortable for running. I ran as far left as I could.

I turned south at this sign, North is Old US 45 and south is Bass Lake Rd on the east side of Bass Lake.

A peak to the south.

I have a running buddy on Strava who always takes pictures of flowers along her path. This one’s for you, Gene.

Sometimes when you’re running around a lake, you don’t anticipate how great the view will be. I took this picture to capture my run around the lake.

But it opened up to give a full view of Bass Lake. You can see the island on the lake in this panoramic view.

This picture shows the north end of the lake and the island.

This picture shows the south end of the lake. Just past here, kids were playing in the water, and a little farther down the road, there were private cookouts and community gathering spots on the lake. It seemed like everyone was enjoying their Fourth of July!

I glanced back to the north of the road I just ran on, overlooking Bass Lake.

One last look at heading south on Bass Lake Rd.

Turned North on 45 to finish the last third of this run. Love seeing such a big shoulder on a road that has a 65 mile an hour speed limit.

Beautiful look to the west.

Looking north again. Not sure why I took this picture—maybe I needed to see that my face needs a shave and my hair needs a little control. Surprisingly, I don’t look as sweaty as I thought.

One of the feeder Creeks to Bass Lake, what a great final picture!

There really wasn’t much of a plan for this one. I was going up to the U.P. to complete a few more counties. But when I arrived at Schoolcraft, I found out my parents were staying in Baraga State Park. We decided to meet up and visit a couple of waterfalls In Ontonagon County (I think) I have 5 days in the U.P. so I’m going to try to complete one county each day I’m here. Schoolcraft yesterday, Gogebic today, thinking Iron, Houghton and Ontonagon the next three days.

Gogebic County

Bessemer
Erwin
Ironwood
Marenisco
Wakefield
Watersmeet

Any place in Bold and Red are townships / towns / cities I’ve run a 5k for the county run (or the closest city to my county run)

Any place in Bold and Blue are townships / towns / cities I’ve run anytime in the past.

July 2, 2024July 6, 2024

Schoolcraft

Schoolcraft County Run

Headed up to the U.P. after work on Wednesday with the plan to knock off 5 counties over the weekend. Here I am on US-2 heading to Schoolcraft County.

I was racing against sundown, trying to get my run in before I lost the light. I had a plan to run in Blarney Park, but the map from “mapmyrun” didn’t match the actual route in that town. So I headed north to the next spot that I thought might be good, but it looked like private land. Finally, I headed up to Germfask, but the clouds looked intimidating.

I started my run heading east, but the road didn’t even appear on the iPhone map app. It was getting too late to stop, so I just ran on this road that the map didn’t recognize. I had to hurry so I could drive back about 20 miles to get to the campsite I planned to set up after the run.

Great start to the first run of five for the long Fourth of July weekend.

Then it started raining.

Hard!

But even in the heavy rain, this county looked so beautiful.

At this point, It was coming down hard and I wasn’t exactly sure if the path would be the same as what I had on my map.

But the turns matched what I had in my memory, so that made me happy with my decision to try this run.

Crossed a big river and it was still pouring.

It was a great site to see the water tower of Germfask!

Rain stopped as I got into the big town. This was looking North

Looking south

As I started running south, back towards my car, I could see a rainbow to the east. It was one of those double rainbows, and this was a special day for sure!

Continuing to the south, Completely stopped raining but there were puddles and I was soaked from head to toe!

I passed a campgroud on this road and thought that I might see if they have space after my run. That way I wouldn’t have to backtrack 15 miles.

When cars would pass by I would be running in deep puddles!

Turned out the campground was on this river and I was able to catch a spot that was on this river.

Made a new friend in the Morning.

This was the view from the edge of my lot, unreal! Big Cedar Campground, Kayak and canoe livery. Great Stay!

This will possibly be my fourth run on Memorial weekend. We’ll see how I feel Saturday Morning after running a few other counties.

Another couple options for the Schoolcraft Run. Maybe another place in Germfask or maybe a Lake (Smith Lake) over by Hiiawatha. Suggestions?

Schoolcraft County

Blaney Park
Cooks
Doyle
Elkhorn
Germfask
Gulliver
Hiawatha
Inwood
Manistique
Mueller
Seney

Steuben
Thompson

Any place in Bold and Red are townships / towns / cities I’ve run a 5k for the county run (or the closest city to my county run)

Any place in Bold and Blue are townships / towns / cities I’ve run anytime in the past.

Author: Michael

Iron

Iron County

Houghton

Houghton County

Ontonagon

Ontonagon County

Gogebic

Gogebic County

Schoolcraft

Schoolcraft County

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