Northwoods by Great Lakes

Well-lit corner bedroom on the first floor with a private bathroom across the hall. Cherrywood Ethan Allen canopy queen bed. 10-minute walk to cafes and an Anytime Fitness gym. Porcupine Mtn. State Park is 15 miles away. On quiet street 1 block from the Ontonagon Riverwalk and 20 minutes' walk to Lake Superior The space The house stands in a row of nearly identical houses on one side of a quiet street across from a woods owned by the Dept. of Natural Resources. Norwegian lumbermen built these houses in April, 1912 (same month that the Titanic sunk) and I have found Norwegian newspapers from Chicago and Minneapolis as well as other Norwegian language documents in the attic joists and even in the walls (these along with homemade wooden skis and a homemade fly swatter). Stepping inside the house the visitor will see a wall-to-wall scholarly library. The living room offers plenty of seating and lighting. It is requested that visitors stamp off snow, ice and mud from their shoes and boots on the rubber doormats outside prior to entering the house. Please remove boots and shoes in the front hallway at the entranceq. From here one enters a kitchen and a dining room. Along the walls of the kitchen hang large prints of paintings. The dining room is lined with custom-made floor to ceiling wooden shelves containing cooking utensils as well as equipment for home canning and food preservation. There is a long table with a bench on one side and chairs on the other. The guest bedroom is located on the first floor off the back hallway. It has a ceiling fan and a small fan on the bureau. A variety of pillows to suit varying preferences and the pillows are always double or triple cased. Washed sheets are usually hung to dry on the line in the backyard to catch the fresh lake air. A bedside stand contains brochures and maps of the region, including guides to waterfalls, ski areas, state parks, and the nearby Adventure Mine in Greenland. The bedroom has three opening windows. The view from this bedroom includes a bed of ostrich king ferns directly beneath the window and of a raspberry hedge further back (usually ripe at the end of July). The yard in back is also shaded by two box alder trees. A flower and herb garden are in the front yard. The house is a relaxing place. A guest spent the evening reading Jon Krakauer's book called Into the Wild. Sometimes Lake Superior’s crashing waves can be heard from the front porch after a storm. I am in close walking distance of parks (including Rose Island) , a beach, a river front, and several restaurants not to mention close proximity to Michigan’s largest state park the Porcupine Mountain Wilderness Area, the ski slope, and a national forest. Across the street is a woods. Respect to all guests regardless of ethnicity, religion or religious sect, nationality, race, sexuality, or political opinion. Surprisingly, and in contrast to the national Airbnb trend skewed towards younger guests, the age demographics of guests here goes equally across the gamut. If there is anything that I can do to improve your stay, I will try my utmost to accomplish that. Guests are asked not to strip the bedding. I treat the dignity, privacy and peace of my guests with respect and consideration. In writing this, I recall that even in some of the finer hotels such as the Hyatt, I have had the feeling of being in a military camp or a dormitory as I was awakened early in the morning way before I wanted to be awakened. Guests are leaving their rooms beginning at 530 AM and breakfast may end at 7:30. The cleaning staff knocks at the door insistently every twenty minutes beginning at eight AM or even earlier. Sometimes hotel staff enters rooms "accidentally" with its master keys. That while guests are a state of undress in bed or in the bathroom. No such occurrences here. At many hotels a guest encounters absurdly early check out hours such as nine or ten AM (violation of which subjects guests to predatory fines and penalties). Not here either. Ontonagon is located in an area of Michigan known as the Upper Peninsula or the U.P. The most important fact of note about the town is its walkability. From my house downtown is a ten minute walk, but the beach is just beyond that to the north. The Lake Superior shore is all of 20 minutes away by foot. On this date of writing, I walked 2 blocks from my house and crossed across the bridge onto Rose Island. From there I went down the harbor boardwalk. I was checking to see whether it would be suitable or not to release Painted Turtle highway rescues here. Along the way I saw three families of Canadian Geese with goslings about 5 weeks old. I passed a beaver lodge as well. There is some question as to whether the lodge is occupied, but beavers are certainly present as the town's electricity was cut one evening in December, 2020 when beavers chewed a tree trunk which then fell on an electrical line. The beavers are busy here in the morning and at dusk with their projects. Beaver pelts were what brought French traders to this region in the early 1600s. For those arriving by a private plane the Ontonagon County Airport is very close, so close in fact that its skylight is sometimes seen. The yacht marina is visible across the river. I am a block from the Ontonagon River boardwalk. The Ontonagon River is the longest river in the Upper Peninsula and here it is very wide. There are 200 waterfalls in the Upper Peninsula. I recommend a guide by Phil Stagg called Waterfalls of Michigan: Book 4. The West: The Definitive Guide to Waterfalls of Michigan. It is 240 pages long and new copies are available for $25 from Gitchee Gumee rock shop in Ontonagon (close to Syls and across the street from Blakes Automotive). This volume covers only Ontonagon and Gogebic Counties. An app called All Trails gives an idea of some good hiking trails around here but paper maps are available at the tourism information bureau at the Citizens State Bank. There are no shopping malls here. We make do with a thrift store. There is, however, a Shopko 110 miles east of Ontonagon in Marquette, a city of 15,000 people and the largest city in the U.P. There is one coffee house in Ontonagon and it is called Gigi's. Gigi's is located on the right going north on River St. just before Miners State Bank. Gigis is open 7 am to 3 Pm with the exception of Wednesdays. Connies also serves a wide array of coffees, but serves sandwiches and ice cream as well. Connies is located across the street from Circle K. Between Connies and Gigis on River Street stand three restaurants next to one another: Squeeze, Up North, and Roxys. Squeeze has the best vegetarian fare. It also has a small grocery and, being located downtown, obviates the need to go out on the highway east of town to the IGA supermarket. Roxys serves a full menu of hamburgers, but on Tuesdays it has a taco plate. Like many area restaurants, Roxys has a fish Friday menu. Up North, located on the same block between Squeeze and Roxys, is open from 7 to 3 each day and serves breakfast and lunch. At the far north end of downtown on River Street two blocks short of Lake Superior is Syl's Restaurant, the queen of Ontonagon dining. This restaurant is open early in the morning and closes at 9 PM. It has a full menu for three meals and also offers pies and pasties for take out. It has a bakery cabinet at the entrance with jelly rolls, donuts, and loaves of bread. Syl's makes pies on order for $14. You can place orders from Syls at its location or from Squeeze since both are under the same ownership. Just beyond Syls going north across the intersection is a free EV charging station on the left. It serves two vehicles at a time. Guest access Guests have access to the entire first floor. During your stay I attempt to make your stay at my house enjoyable and even fun. As a health measure I ask that guests refrain from the custom of extending your hands to shake mine. In my case I am particularly susceptible to becoming severely ill from catching colds and other communicable respiratory ailments. Your cooperation and understanding is appreciated. Other things to note Eating as well as storage of food and drinks only in the dining room and kitchen. Check in is after four, but guests are welcome to come as late as they please. I tend to stay up late. Please give me an idea of your expected arrival time.