Marquette is about as far away as Tennessee, and I usually need good cause to go there. Last time I went to the UP for work, it took over 40 hours to accomplish a day and a half of legitimate work. As for pleasure, there are so many distractions and good fishing opportunities on the way, I guess it's been hard to find a reason to go that far west in the UP. Plus, there's that seven months of winter (or so) up there.
But this time I was fortunate to score a seat on a State of Michigan flight from Lansing straight to Marquette. I could leave the house by 5:30 AM and probably be home by 8:30 PM, with all travel and a full day of work included. I was fortunate, too, to have a nice calm day with amiable temperatures. It was a six-seat plane (perhaps a bit smaller than I expected), and the locals admitted that it seemed like May with sunny skies and 32 (or so) degree temperatures.
The work went fine and I accomplished a couple of long overdue tasks. But what made it one of my most memorable days of work was simply surveying the landscape and waters, challenging my geography and fishing knowledge of Michigan. It was fun to recognize old friends, but it was eye-opening to see how many other possibilities exist.
 |
| A Full Moon prepares to set as the plane takes off from Lansing. Admittedly, there's not a lot of quality fishing opportunities within sight, here. |
 |
| On the ground, near Marquette, Michigan. |
