Pictured Rocks

We made the short drive over to Munising, Michigan from Newberry on Tuesday September 3^rd.   Arriving at Wandering Wheels Campground early in the week before Labor Day Weekend gave us the opportunity to cherry-pick our camp site.  The majority of the sites were to close for comfort but we did luck up and find a few sites in the back of the campground that were spacious.  The tradeoff for more space was poor cell phone and internet service.  Our friends we met in Newberry, Ron & Kay Servies were parked in the back with us which made it nice for visiting.  While hanging out with Ron & Kay we met Joe & Cricket Cherry, little did we know at that time we would be traveling together the next few weeks.

Driving the back roads is where we usually always find hidden jewels.  Pictured Rocks National Shoreline was the main purpose for our stop in Munising but discovering Munising Falls and a small beach along Lake Superior one afternoon was very pleasant. 

The Pictured Rocks are colorful sandstone cliffs that tower 50-200 feet directly from Lake Superior.  The area is sure to take your breath away.  We toured the shoreline on a boat cruise.  In 2010 Michigan born pop-star Kid Rock used the Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore to film his video for the song Born Free.  His video has sparked an increase in tourism for the area which has become frustrating for the local folks who have enjoyed the area for years with few tourists.

It was time for a little shopping so we drove 50 miles to Marquette.  Once we arrived shopping became insignificant and spending time at Presque Isle Park became our main attraction for the day.  The locals refer to the park as the “Island”.  It is 323-acre forested oval shaped peninsula which juts into Lake Superior in the northern tip of Marquette.    We drove through the park in the midst of natural beauty from the sun rays beaming into the woods and viewing Lake Superior off in a distance. 

The last day in Munising was wet and soggy so we were looking forward to pulling out the next morning.



Our home on the road.  Setting up at Wandering Wheels Campground then packed up and moved to site #20.  Most of the sites in the campground are just like this one - not very favorable.



Munising Falls drop 50 feet over sandstone cliff and in the winter the falls will freeze forming an ice column.

This rose caught my attention in the stream below the falls.  As I watched the water rush around the rose I couldn't help but think of how it was stuck now but would soon be flowing  freely downstream again. 

The soothing sound of water flowing around the rocks caused us to stop and listen for awhile.

So much driftwood on the beaches




The gull gliding over the lake but staying near the land.




Seeing the sun rays penetrate the clouds and add sparkle to the clear water was truly a moment to stand still and think of how great our God is.
 




As light as it was with the sun beaming all around this gull and yet darkness stood along the side of it.

Our first glimpse of Pictured Rocks on our tour of the shoreline.

 

The water was blue green when looking at it up close but from a distance the color was a royal blue.



The cliffs stand 50 to 200 feet above the lake.  Notice the royal blue water in this picture.

Miners Castle

A good example of healthy trees growing on the rocks.

Mineral seepage creates the colors - Red and Orange are from iron.



Blue and green colors are from copper, black is from manganese,  white is from lime and the red and orange colors are from iron.

The blue green water against all the different colors in the rocks was gorgeous.

Amazing

Twelve Mile Beach

Caves of All Colors

Lovers Leap - legend has it that an Indian couple jumped together to show their love for one another but the water is only a few feet deep so it is stressed don't jump

Rainbow Cave - water from the rocks was falling into the lake as if it were raining

Rainbow Cave from a distance

This is where Pictured Rocks name came from it was like a mural painted on the rocks.  What do you see?



Indian Head

Battleship Row



The Flower Vase

Indian Drum

Not only could you see the different colors on the rocks but also in the water.

Chapel Cave -The captain of our cruise boat pulled into this cave.  We were so close to the rocks we could almost touch them.  Notice all the blue green colors on the rocks at the entrance into the cave.

Chapel Rock - a single tree perched atop its column. The small surface area of land on the top of the rock is insufficient to sustain a tree of this size. The tree's root system is stretched back to the mainland.



East Channel Lighthouse on Grand Island

View of the lake going back into the dock.

Rock Statues or rock balancing for those who really want to slow down.

Some would see him sitting alone as being lonely, but I saw him sitting alone as enjoying himself.

Trying to cross these rocks in flip-flops to reach the lighthouse was unsuccessful.

Another beautiful day on Lake Superior in Presque Isle Park.

The end of our day in Marquette.

Tahquamenon Falls Area & Soo Locks

We left Indian River, Michigan on Sunday August 30^th saying good-bye to the Trolls on the Lower Peninsula making our way to Kritters North Country Campground in Newberry, Michigan.  We stopped for fuel in Mackinaw City and boy were we shocked to see a full service fuel station.  They pumped your fuel and cleaned the windshield.  We can’t remember the last time we pulled into this type of fuel station.

After crossing the Mackinaw Bridge we decided to take the scenic route by traveling on US Route 2.  The next 80 miles we were enjoying the shoreline of Lake Michigan and watching those folks brave enough to charge into the cold water.

Our first day out was to Tahquamenon Falls State Park.  As we were walking along the trail to the Upper Falls we met a couple from Lafayette, LA.  They were very easy to spot because of the Ragin Cajun attire they were sporting.  After a short visit with the Cajuns we decided to take the nature trail back to the parking lot instead of the paved walkway.  Working on being aware of my surroundings, enjoying the peacefulness the woods have to offer an unexpected circumstance presented itself.  Terry stopped suddenly in his tracks and yells “bear” and scared the dickens out of me.  The thought of seeing one had already crossed my mind so I was already on the lookout.  Once my heart finished pounding only then could I laugh at myself with him.  We made it to our vehicle and drove four miles downstream to see the Lower Falls.  Although they are not as large as the Upper Falls it is just as beautiful.

Anxious to see Lake Superior we drove twenty miles north to Whitefish Point- one of those “ end-of-the-earth” type places which is the east end of a 50-mile stretch known as the “Graveyard of the Great Lakes".   More than 150 vessels are known to have sunk in the graveyard.  The Edmund Fitzgerald was the last one to sink in 1975.  The beach along the lake is pretty rocky with few sandy spots, one of those being around the boardwalk which can be met with a lot of people.  We really wanted the feeling of solitude so we started walking toward the tip of the point where there were very few people at all.

The following day we drove up to Sault Ste Marie to watch the Great Lakes freighters pass through the “Soo Locks.”   The Soo Locks were absolutely fascinating. There is a 21 foot difference in the water levels. The water is raised or lowered at a rate slightly over one foot per minute.

Our stay in Newberry was not only about the places we saw, it was also about the new friends we made.  We met Mike and Jane Ross from Kitty Hawk, NC.  Mike had lived in Lake Charles and still visits his relatives there.  What is the old saying “it’s a small world”?  We also met Ron & Kay Servies from Knoxville, TN and learned we had the same travel plans for Labor Day weekend. We were both heading to Wandering Wheels Campground in Munising, MI. 

Newberry is The Official Moose Capital of Michigan even though sightings are very rare.  This part of Michigan’s Upper Peninsula is home to a free-ranging moose herd.  We looked for them but did not see any.



Tahquamenon Upper Falls- the amber color of the water is the tannic acid produced by decaying vegetation from swamps the river drains.

The Upper Falls has a drop of nearly 50 feet, is over 200 feet wide and can push a maximum flow of more than 50,000 gallons of water per second over the edge.

We should have reverence for God and what he has created and find comfort in enjoying the beauty of his creations.

Tahquamenon River winds for about 70 miles then empties into Lake Superior

One of the largest waterfalls east of the Mississippi

Lower Falls - a series of five small falls flowing around an island.

Whitefish Point Light Station 1849

 

Her overall length was 729 feet and is the largest ship to have sunk in the area known as the Graveyard of the Great Lakes.

 

As we read the names of the crew it became so real that these men were not just the crew but they were fathers, they were brothers, they were sons, they were husbands.  They all had families just like us.  On that November day twenty-nine families mourned the loss of a loved one.

You can see the beauty of the Great Lake but feel sadness when thinking about the  lost of lives in this area.

Gazing over Lake Superior you get a feeling that it has no end.

 

We found all sorts of interesting rocks on the beach.  The water is so clear.



Driftwood galore on the beach.

We came across this tee-pee while walking on the beach.  I wonder how long it will last before it is used for a bon-fire.

 

Terry's bare feet greeting Lake Superior for the first time.

 The International Bridge going into Canada.

The Soo Locks - notice the difference in the water levels.



The Marbioko is 623 feet long. The next  few pictures will show the ship being raised.  Look closely at the bottom of the ship.

Ready to enter into Lake Superior

 The small beauty on the Great Lakes.

 Paul R. Tregurtha is the largest ship operating on the Great Lakes also known as the Queen of the Lakes. Overall length is 1013 feet.

The geese were plentiful.

For some reason all we could think of was "gumbo."