Started out by going to B’s Diner in downtown Iron Mountain. The food was okay but not terrific – the prices were reasonable. They make very large cinnamon rolls that are quite ordinary in taste and texture. We got one and split it in an effort to split our pants. Ooops.
The rest of the day we spent driving around the town scoping out the local architecture. There are lots of really pretty old wood houses that have been meticulously maintained complete with all the architectural doo-dads that were installed when the places were built back in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. During our wanderings, we noted about 10 or 12 deer that seem to be right at home close to town. The yearlings are getting fatter.
We finally made it into a Michigan DOT visitor information center, now that we are leaving the state tomorrow, and the clerk gave a good lead on where to get a clear picture of town and the area. It is the Bat Viewing Area in a nice little difficult-to-find spot and the view was great. The whole town and surrounding area can be seen from a nice observation platform donated by the local Rotary. Taking pictures almost seemed compulsory. We did.
We filled Charlotte’s tank with diesel and headed home to get ready for tomorrow’s departure, hopefully without detailed instruction from the World’s Smartest Human regarding dumping of black water, the best medical insurance, water tanks in 5th wheel RVs, campfires, mining or driving. We were successful in our efforts and were additionally rewarded with a nap.
We leave the UP tomorrow. It is not one of my favorite places but there are lots of great birds, magnificent lake and engineering project views, nice municipal and residential architecture and pretty fair roads. The people were very hospitable although they do talk like the characters in the movie, “Fargo.” When chatting with the waitress in B’s, we commented on the grand size of their cinnamon rolls. She said, “Yeah, it’s our joke.” The complete lack of laughter was almost embarrassing.