On the banks of Lake Superior, nestled in a deeply wooded stand of pines, Jeff Glass carved his homestead out of the wild Upper Peninsula frontier-and it's like nothing you've ever seen. By the sweat of his brow and the toil of his hands, Glass-That's Ranger Jeff to your and me-cut out of the 52-acre plot a six sided log home for his family, 60 camping sites with full hook-ups, a sanitation station and restrooms, a rock-faced office building, an octagon fudge factory and the piece de resistance, Pau-Puk-Keewis Lodge, a hexagonal wooden building that imitates the shpae of traditional Ojibway dwellings.

In case its name didn't tip you off, the camp-resort gleans much from the area's Native American heritage. As any Longfellow fan will

tell you, Gitche Gumee means "Shining Big-Sea-Water," the vast shores of Lake Superior, the second-largest freshwater lake in the world. "The park pays homage to the legend of Pau-Puk-Keewis, the 'handsome storm fool' who dashed away with a white women who liked the Indian way," explains Glass.

The resort's other Indian features include intricately carved granite stones that depict Native American Symbols and poetry,Ranger Jeff Glass all chiseled by Glass himself. The rocks are near the Pau-Puk-Keewis Lodge, which offers campers access to the movie theater, a library and a pool table, among other things. Even roads to the campsites are named after local Indian lore: Ojibway, Minnehaha, Chippewa.

The Indian theme, Glass says, lends the RV Park and Campground its unique character. And if that and three miles of secluded Lake Superior shoreline don't tempt you, Jeff's wife, Nancy (a.k.a. Mrs. Fudge), and her homemade fudge confections no doubt will.

A short jaunt from the resort is Pictured

Rocks National Lakeshore, where the wind, rain and ice have carved sandstone cliffs into multi-colored arches and columns, with caves dotting the steep walls about Lake Superior. Marquette, the largest town in the Upper Peninsula, lies a few miles to the west.

Highly praised by campers for its clean, natural environment, Gitche Gumee is the ideal vacation spot for those who want to enjoy nature as it should be-unspoiled, but accessible. The overwhelming beauty of the U.P. and the character of people like Jeff and Nancy Glass are rare treasures, indeed, and they're what bring campers back to the veritable forest of friends at Gitche Gumee RV Park.*