Northern Michigan | Autumn Foliage Season Calls for Watching Sunrise

It’s been over a month since the semester started, and I noticed I’ve been stuck in a bit of toxic productivity these past two weeks. Since I’d never taken history classes before, joining the history department meant I had a lot to catch up on 📚—plus, I signed up for 3 history courses right off the bat, one of which is even taught in French! This left me voluntarily/forced to sacrifice my rest time to get tasks done. The result? I was exhausted every day, my productivity plummeted, and I barely finished anything. My French professor gave me some honest advice: “Things will never be ‘done’—you should just fuck everything, sleep, and ask for extensions.” I tried it, and sure enough, my joy came back! 😌 Just in time for fall break, I took a proper rest and fully recharged—now I’m back to my high-energy, confident self. Let’s Talk About This Perfect Fall Break! We drove all the way north from Lansing to Munising and booked an Airbnb near Lake Superior with direct lake access (I’ll drop the details in the comments! 📝). This Airbnb was such a huge surprise—Photos 1-11 were all taken there! Its balcony is basically right over the lake, and there’s a side door that leads straight down to the water. You can rent a boat to paddle 🛶 or jump in for a swim (if you’re brave enough!). The best part? The balcony faces east, so you can watch the sunrise right there in the morning 🌅—and after that, you can crawl back to bed for more sleep. Pure happiness! I spent a whole day sitting in the yard working on writing—there was a thick layer of maple leaves on the ground 🍂. When I got tired, I’d look at the lake, watch seagulls fly by 🦅, or lie on the lounge chair to zone out and nap. Suddenly, I understood the point of a “writing retreat”! Even the view from the room’s window felt like a little slice of heaven. Picture Rocks Cruise We also booked a Picture Rocks Cruise—it’s less than a 5-minute drive from the Airbnb! I originally thought it was just a single rock, but it turns out it’s a whole island. After the water level dropped, various natural factors created rocks with layered colors in different shades 🪨. Sailing along them felt like gliding past a long, living painting—truly spectacular! The cruise lasts 2 hours. We chose the $52 “Sunset Spray Falls Cruise,” which runs from 5 PM to 7 PM—perfect for catching the entire sunset 🌇. The only heads-up: the wind on the deck is really strong, so wear extra layers and a hat! Otherwise, you might get a headache from the cold. A Quick Stop at Kitch-iti-kipi On our way north, we also made a detour to Kitch-iti-kipi. Some people call it “North America’s Jiuzhaigou,” but it’s actually pretty small. The water is crystal-clear, a deep green that looks beautiful 💧—but it’s genuinely tiny, and you can’t paddle or do much there. I don’t recommend going out of your way to visit it. #NorthernMichigan #AutumnFoliageInNorthernMichigan #UpperMichigan #MapleLeaves #MapleLeafSeason #LifeInNorthAmerica #FallBreak #FallBreakTravel #PhDDailyLife #USPhD