Old Shoe’s Brews #1

This box is part of an ongoing series of letterboxes representing some of OldShoe’s favorite microbreweries.

Letterboxes in this Series…

Old Shoe’s Brews #1
• Old Shoe’s Brews #2

Clues…

Complete the Sudoku Puzzle and use the results to decipher the clues below.

 
| Click here to download the puzzle grid in Adobe .PDF format |

Each pair of coordinates points to a cell in the Sudoku puzzle. The corresponding number from the puzzle square is translated into a number, a letter or part of a letter in the clue text. Punctuation and spaces in the text are represented by zeros.

C6 G3 A2 B2 C1 I7 D2 A4 A2 B7 F4 E0 G3 D7 A4 I7 A8 G6 H3 H1 A0 G3 B7 B2 A4 G6 I8 F0 G8 D0 A4 F7 B0 E5 C1 B2 C9 G3 A8 H1 I7 G9 B2 D3 G3 E2 C9 G0 B2 B3 A4 A2 H4 I7 H7 D2 A0 H0 C0 A4 C3 D2 F0 E5 I7 B1 H7 B8 B2 G6 C2 E0 G3 H3 A0 C0 B7 G0 F3 A2 H0 D2 A3 I8 E5 H4 B7 I0 B0 C9 G3 A8 C4 E0 I7 D3 G7 B0 D2 B8 F3 A2 C0 C1 G3 B2 E7 A4 A1 C3 D3 I7 H8 B0 E5 D2 G3 A2 A4 H1 B2 I7 A0 B2 D7 G8 C7 H0 C1 F0 E5 C9 D0 I7 G9 F7 G4 B0 G3 I0 B2 D2 A4 G3 B9 C2 C9 E0 E8 I7 A4 G8 E5 D2 A2 B2 A8 D0 I7 C6 D7 B2 A8 D3 B0 F0 B3 D7 B2 A8 C4 D0 H3 F0 H8 A2 D0 I7 C6 E5 I6 I2 B7 B3 F7 A0 G8 H1 G3 A2 B7 E5 C0 G3 D7 A2 I8 I7 E5 A0 A4 D2 G0 C0 D2 F0 F3 D3 B0 I7 A1 A4 A2 E5 H1 C1 G0 A0 C9 G3 B1 C4 E0

Daughter of the Moon

(Hiawatha Series #3)

By the shores of Gitche Gumee,
By the shining Big-Sea-Water
Stood the wigwam of Nokomis,
Daughter of the Moon, Nokomis.
Dark behind it rose the forest,
Rose the black and gloomy pine-trees,
Rose the firs with cones upon them;
Bright before it beat the water.
Beat the clear and sunny water,
Beat the shining Big-Sea-Water.
There the wrinkled old Nokomis
Nursed the little Hiawatha.

– Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
Song of Hiawatha, Hiawatha’s Childhood

This is an ongoing series of letterboxes themed around Longfellow’s poem, The Song of Hiawatha. The boxes will be placed at various locations in or near the Hiawatha National Forest in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula.

Named after Longfellow’s poem, The Song of Hiawatha, the Hiawatha National Forest is located in the central and eastern Upper Peninsula of Michigan. The forest encompasses approximately 880,000 acres, and receives over 1.5 million recreational visits per year. The forest affords visitors access to white sand, scenic beaches and relatively undeveloped shorelines along three of America’s inland seas — Lakes Superior, Michigan, and Huron. From scenic and historic lighthouses to Great Lakes islands, from spectacular shorelines to the Midwest’s finest winter playland, the Hiawatha National Forest brings to life a myriad of fascinating and exciting natural, historical, and unique recreational opportunities.

Letterboxes in this Series…

• Song of Hiawatha
• Gitche Gumee
• Daughter of the Moon
• Nahma, King of Fishes

Getting There…

One of our favorite places for an awesome view of Lake Superior is from a roadside rest area just outside of the city of Munising. Along this stretch of highway, sunlit Lake Superior waves lap at sandy beaches and the wind blows the sand into drifts along the shoreline. Heading west out of Munising along the Lake Superior shoreline, you will find this Michigan Historic marker at a roadside rest area.

Clues…

From the marker, walk East along the drive. Follow the trail that leads into the woods six posts past the overlook, to a sandy clearing. At 100 degrees a faint path leads to the place where concrete supports recall a bridge across the creek. You should be able to cross even though the bridge is no longer there. Standing at the edge of the cement support on the opposite side of the creek, 320 degrees points to a fallen birch tree which holds the letterbox.

Song of Hiawatha

(Hiawatha Series #1)

By the shores of Gitche Gumee,
By the shining Big-Sea-Water
Stood the wigwam of Nokomis,
Daughter of the Moon, Nokomis.
Dark behind it rose the forest,
Rose the black and gloomy pine-trees,
Rose the firs with cones upon them;
Bright before it beat the water.
Beat the clear and sunny water,
Beat the shining Big-Sea-Water.
There the wrinkled old Nokomis
Nursed the little Hiawatha.

– Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
Song of Hiawatha, Hiawatha’s Childhood

This is an ongoing series of letterboxes themed around Longfellow’s poem, The Song of Hiawatha. The boxes will be placed at various locations in or near the Hiawatha National Forest in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula.

Named after Longfellow’s poem, The Song of Hiawatha, the Hiawatha National Forest is located in the central and eastern Upper Peninsula of Michigan. The forest encompasses approximately 880,000 acres, and receives over 1.5 million recreational visits per year. The forest affords visitors access to white sand, scenic beaches and relatively undeveloped shorelines along three of America’s inland seas — Lakes Superior, Michigan, and Huron. From scenic and historic lighthouses to Great Lakes islands, from spectacular shorelines to the Midwest’s finest winter playland, the Hiawatha National Forest brings to life a myriad of fascinating and exciting natural, historical, and unique recreational opportunities.

Letterboxes in this Series…

• Song of Hiawatha
• Gitche Gumee
• Daughter of the Moon
• Nahma, King of Fishes

Getting There…

To find the trail, turn south on H-03 (Forest Lake Road) from M-28. Travel 4.5 miles, passing through the village of AuTrain, and turn east onto FR-2276. You will see a Hiawatha National Forest Recreation Area sign at this intersection. Go 1/2 mile to the next sign and turn left (stay on the pavement) until you enter the campground. Take the first campground loop to the right and you will find the trailhead near campsite #11. The campground is seasonal, closing for the winter in mid-October, but after this you can still get back into the area and park at the campground entrance, near site #1. From here it is just a short hike to the trailhead.

Clues…

As you follow the blue blazed trail, read the informational postings about the various kinds of birds that can be found along the way. Keep alert for a buzzing zee-zee/zee-zoo-zee song, at which point you will find a wooden structure located in front of a fallen log, about 25 paces up the trail. Standing behind this structure, gaze due south to a triple trunk tree with a hole in the base. Find the box in an indent around the back side of this tree, under cover of leaves and a decaying log.

Au Sable Point Light

Background Information…

For many years sailors dreaded the eighty miles of dark shoreline that stretched east from the Grand Island Lighthouse to the light at Whitefish Point. Unmarked by any navigational light, these dangerous shores claimed dozens of ships. To fill the gap, a lighthouse was placed on Au Sable Point in 1874. An eighty-seven-foot brick tower was built on a rise, placing the light about 150 feet above Lake Superior’s surface. The Third-Order Fresnel Lens displayed a fixed white light. The attached, two-story brick keeper’s dwelling was large, but those who lived in it knew their’s was one of the most remote mainland light stations in America. The nearest town, Grand Marais, was more than 12 miles away, and there was no road. Keepers either hiked in or came by boat.

The Coast Guard automated the light in 1958. Although the light remains active, the old Third Order Fresnel Lens has been removed from service and is in the lens room in the light tower. The lighthouse tower, the attached red brick keeper’s house and the red brick fog building, as well as several other structures, are still standing at the site.

Au Sable Point Lighthouse is one of the least accessible mainland light stations in the United States. Just as its keepers once did, visitors today must walk to it. The 1.5 mile trail to the lighthouse follows the Lake Superior shoreline and passes the remains of several shipwrecks. These shipwrecks are a sobering reminder of the incredible power of Lake Superior.

During the summer months interpretive tours of both the keeper’s house and the light tower are offered.

Getting There…

To reach the lighthouse, take Alger County Road (H-58) west from the town of Grand Marais about 12 miles to the Hurricane River Campground, where a day-use parking area is available (once you pass Grand Sable Lake, the road turns to dirt, and can be a bit rough in places). In the NW corner of the campground, the two-track trail to the lighthouse is marked.

Note… Where the road turns to dirt, the snow removal ends, so unless you are coming by snowmobile, do not plan to visit during the winter.

Clues…

Lakeshore trail east of lighthouse to the place where a triple barrier prevents you from walking off the edge of the cliff. Look over your shoulder to see a fallen birch log. Herein lies the box. Please cover well when you leave!