Rock Hunting and a Review of Superior Steam in the Keweenaw
When I was a child, my dad got the whole family on board with rock hunting. We spent many hours sitting on Lake Superior beaches raking through pebbles, looking for agates. We have a family joke: when one of us kids would find something we thought could be a prize agate, we would excitedly present it, Daddy, is this an agate? He would turn the small rock over in his hand, maybe even pop it into his mouth to dampen it and hold it up to the sunlight. More often than not, the answer was one word, Chert. Over time, that word came to be code for anytime you found something you thought was a cool, rare thing that actually turned out to be meh, just like an ordinary brownish rock. Looking back now on those rock hunting expeditions, I realize that the real treasure wasn’t in finding agates or even plain old chert. Rather, it was in the timeless moment of sitting on a beach taking in the eyeful of blue above and below the horizon, feeling the sun warm on your head and your heart beating with the gentle wash of the waves.
Agate or chert?
I am definitely on the treasure hunt for great experiences in the sauna. When we travel, we look for venues we can visit. We have sampled saunas and spas from Santa Fe to Montreal. Some were as fantastic as finding an agate while others turned out to be chert, not bad but not outstanding. At the other end of the spectrum are the sauna experiences that disappoint. The category includes saunas that are a sideline amenity to a pool, a gym or even a vacation house rental. The ones that are never hot enough and have signs on the wall with lists of rules including my least favorite: don’t throw water on the rocks.
This past winter, we enjoyed a sauna that was definitely an agate, an experience we will treasure. It was a long drive to a remote corner of the Upper Peninsula of Michigan called the Keweenaw Peninsula. We traveled there during a month when most of the businesses in that neck of the woods are closed for the season. One that stays open and offers a simple but stunning experience is Lake Superior Steam located near the town of Eagle Harbor.
A sauna open to tourists is a fairly new thing in the Keweenaw. I have been traveling there for many years. When I was young, it was a camping destination and rock hunting hotspot for my dad who would kick around old mining tips looking for copper ore. When we had young children of our own we would take them to the Keweenaw for summers on the sandy beaches, hikes among the tall white pines and visits to the ghost towns and old copper mines. In more recent years we have seen a new style of tourism appear based on active lifestyle adventures with mountain bikes, kayaks and, in winter, “extreme skiing.” Along with this new demographic, has come a new interest in sauna.
After a long drive, we arrived at the offices of Fresh Coast Cabins where Lynn and Jason Makela have been renovating the property since 2020. The addition of a sauna they call Lake Superior Steam to their venture is entirely good and in the spirit of this very Finnish part of North America. It is open for rental to the public (you do not have to be a cabin guest) for sessions that range from 75 to 90 minutes.
We were given a friendly but informal orientation to the sauna before being led down a short forested path. It’s a nice feature when the sauna is separate from other buildings in this way. It is a notable part of the transition from the mundane to the sacred place of sauna. The building stands alone on the rocky shore of Lake Superior. Inside the sauna cabin, the wood fired stove provided satisfying heat but what really elevated the experience was the full picture window with a view to the shifting drama of gray clouds over white caps on the lake.
Just like rock hunting on a beach, that immersive and beautiful view of the lake brings on a calm, reverant feeling. The Finns have a saying, Jokaisen on kayttaydyttava saunaaa samalla tavalla kuin kirkossa, In the sauna one must conduct oneself as one would in church [source]. While all saunas do not have to offer an amazing view of the landscape it is wonderful when it happens. Sauna is naturally a space to grow inwardly quiet and at the same time feel a greater awareness of one’s connection to nature. Even in our small backyard sauna with one tiny window, I find that rare feeling as I cool off in a lawn chair, taking in a view of the trees and sky.
In February, a view of Lake Superior with its ice coated shoreline would have been enough to cool off some people after the heat. A few steps into the well appointed changing room to sip hydrating lemon water was certainly pleasant. Even a brave moment on the outdoor deck to sit on chairs in the whipping winter wind was dramatically refreshing. I could not resist the suggestion to try the cold-water plunge in the tub-like depression among huge basalt boulders. It refilled with a giant splash of water as each wave rolled in. The weather was so cold that, once you were wet, every step back to the sauna cabin created an instant ice patch. I took a different route each time I dipped to avoid my own ice slick. I was glad to have the use of water socks.
We were free to cycle through over an hour of heating, cooling and lake gazing, ample time to find that golden, peaceful state of mind that only a good session in the sauna can deliver. Well, either that or an afternoon hunting for agates on the beach. The cost to enjoy a 75-minute private sauna session is currently $65 per person (plus tax). You can book your sauna online at lakesuperiorsteam.com.
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