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Agate Beach, near Copper Harbor (Amanda Friedman) [enlarge photo] APRIL 2007 ISSUE • Table of Contents: April 2007 • Secret Hotels of California Wine Country • River Cruising in Eastern Europe • My Brooklyn Is Better Than Yours • The Cool List: Best New Thrills • Web Smart: Booking Cruises Online • Road Trip: Michigan's Upper Peninsula • 40 Best

Activities

Day 2. Copper Harbor to Houghton
The sun creeps through the curtains early, and we awake to find ourselves possibly the only tourists in town. Like the water, the real tourist season doesn't warm up until after the Fourth of July.

Copper Harbor is small enough that it has only one traffic light. On a quiet day like today, even that seems like overkill. We drive the entire length of the town in about a minute and a half and then have a pleasant breakfast at The Pines. The restaurant is made completely from white pine, and the walls are decorated with paintings of black Labs and moose.

Afterward, we browse at an elegant gift shop, The Swedes, which sells little gnome statues, polished rocks, and pamphlets of local lore like "A Brief History of Ahmeek, Michigan." I had enjoyed the lilting Finnish music on local radio the day before, and, seeing a stack of CDs behind the counter, I ask the proprietress, Mary, if she has any recommendations. Looking aghast, she flings her arms out and exclaims, "Does it look like I have time to listen to the radio, sir? I run a business!"

The morning is so sparklingly clear that it seems a waste to spend any more of it inside. The walking path to Hunter's Point leaves from the marina and runs for 1.6 miles along the lake. But in less than 10 minutes we turn off at Agate Beach, which is gorgeous and totally empty. For an hour we crunch up and down the red-rocked cove, marveling at our luck in having the spot to ourselves.

Of course, there are a few trade-offs to coming in early season. Jamsen's Fish Market, a charming-looking seafood spot right at the ferry dock, isn't open. The ferry that operates sunset cruises isn't running yet, either.