We did get to look at some samples of iron and the equipment used to mine it in the front yard of the museum.
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Cliffs Shaft Iron Mine Museum
Congress Pizza
Congress Pizza was recommended to us by a local guy who sells rocks for a living. He said they had a unique thin crust pizza that was his favorite pizza. Visiting between lunch and supper time on a Monday night, we found very few people in the restaurant. However, the restaurant instantly gave off vibes of being a local hangouts. Photos of years of local high school sports teams line the walls. A woman who grew up in the area before moving out of Yooperland to New York was at the bar rekindling memories before heading back to her new home in the city.
We ordered a chicken and jalapeno pizza. The pizza had a thin cracker-like crust -- just the way I like it. I don't like pizza crust that overpowers the stuff on top of it. The pizza was delicious.
If we're in the area again, I'll be back to sample other options. Plus, I'd like to experience this place on a busy Friday or Saturday night.
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| Chicken and jalapenos on a tasty thin crust |
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| Congress Pizza has been open since the repeal of prohibition |
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| Inside Congress Pizza |
Da Yoopers Tourist Trap
Da Yoopers Tourist Trap is just that: a tourist trap. It consists of a rock shop, a gift shop, a bunch of odd-ball creations, and flush toilets. If you want souvenirs for your visit to Yooperland (Michigan's upper peninsula), this is the place to find them.
Hiawatha: The World's Tallest Indian
In the Michigan Upper Peninsula town of Ironwood stands a giant -- a 52 foot tall fiberglass statue of Hiawatha, leader of the Iroquois Confederacy. This statue was erected by the Ironwood Chamber of Commerce in 1964 in hopes of attracting visitors to Ironwood's downtown businesses.
The Big Indian is one of the few roadside attractions I remember from my childhood. It probably helps that there are photos to help me remember. Maybe I remember the photos more than the visit itself. I do, however, remember walking up those stairs. Like many things from my childhood, they are bigger in my memory than in real life.
Regardless of whether the photos of the childhood visit or the visit itself are stronger in my mind, they do example the value in photographing the places one visits. Take photos. Put them somewhere you and the others involved can see them. Photos are great cognitive aids that can help retain and recall memories -- memories of both what's in the photo and the experiences around it.
Although the Hiawatha statue was not exactly on the way to our next destination, memories of the childhood visit begged me to make a detour to Ironwood. Hiawatha was still standing there as I remembered from my visit four decades ago -- only this time, a little bit less magical. I am happy to have gone out of the way for a new visit and new memories.
The Big Indian is one of the few roadside attractions I remember from my childhood. It probably helps that there are photos to help me remember. Maybe I remember the photos more than the visit itself. I do, however, remember walking up those stairs. Like many things from my childhood, they are bigger in my memory than in real life.
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| Ben standing on Hiawatha's foot in 1974. |
Regardless of whether the photos of the childhood visit or the visit itself are stronger in my mind, they do example the value in photographing the places one visits. Take photos. Put them somewhere you and the others involved can see them. Photos are great cognitive aids that can help retain and recall memories -- memories of both what's in the photo and the experiences around it.
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| Sophia standing on Hiawatha's foot in 2015. |
Although the Hiawatha statue was not exactly on the way to our next destination, memories of the childhood visit begged me to make a detour to Ironwood. Hiawatha was still standing there as I remembered from my visit four decades ago -- only this time, a little bit less magical. I am happy to have gone out of the way for a new visit and new memories.
