We got lost three times trying to follow the well-meaning official directions to Arvon published by the visitor’s center. It would have been much easier had someone just told me to follow the obvious main route through the maze of logging roads that leads to the summit of Michigan. Labyrinthine they may be, but in retrospect it was trying to stay faithful to the map that brought us grief.

Following the dusty schlepp to Arvon we got lost again before reaching the main road and finally making our way to the historic Thunder Bay Inn, where were booked into for the evening. The inn began life as a logging supply depot and was later transformed by Henry Ford into a hotel. Today it is perhaps most famous for having been the setting of Otto Preminger’s movie Anatomy of a Murder. The attached bar was created as a setting for the film, and memorabilia of the movie—and the influence of the Ford family—bedazzle the hallways and other public spaces. The TV in the bar was broadcasting Lady Gaga and an inexplicable throng of pink puffs dancing in the opening ceremonies of the 2024 Jeux Olympiques in Paris.

Clem and I made a day of driving along the lakeshore to swim in the clear waters and marvel at the picturesque cliffs.

For our last nights on the lake we drove west and north to Eagle River on the Keweenaw Peninsula. The menu was lake trout, and the porch faced the setting sun on a blazing hot weekend to round out our trip.