There are forecasts for rain later today so we decided to stop by the cruise shop to see if it would be a problem if we waited until closer to sailing time before we bought tickets. The lady said we shouldn't have any problem so we went off to see what we could before the rain started.
Our first stop was at Munising Falls. This waterfall is an easy 800 yard walk from the parking lot. Once you are there you can climb some stairs to get to the top but that was not on our agenda. There hasn't been much rain here this summer so the 50 ft waterfall was a little small.
After enjoying the view for a bit we headed back to the car. The weather is very nice today, the temps are staying in the 80's, so the walk was very nice. The last bit did head uphill a little but we made it with no great problem.
It was Bill's turn to drive so he headed up the coast toward the Painted Rocks National Lakeshore. We stopped to see Miners Falls first. This is also about 50 feet in size. The walk was 1.2 miles round trip. When we got there we took pictures of the falls. The first one is what Lydia and I saw at the top viewing platform. Bill and Terry hiked down the 77 steps to the lower platform and took the second picture.
Further down the road we encountered the National Lakeshore Headquarters. We learned a bit from the various displays here. We also got to see the Miners Castle rock formation from here.
This is Lake Superior. Look at the clear water. You can easily tell the depth of the water by the colors.
This was a nice area so we decided to enjoy our picnic lunch here. They had a number of tables that were situated in the shade of the trees and there weren't many insects.
We traveled up the road until we reached the end at Miners Beach.
We still had some time before the cruise so we headed south to see the town of Christmas, MI. You have to be careful here, if you blink you will miss the town. We stopped at the one store in town but didn't see anything we wanted to buy. We did enjoy playing with the owners dogs!
Once back at the marina it appeared that we would be able to get our cruise in. The sky was still looking good so we went in and got our tickets. Here is the marina and our boat is at the very end.
After getting in line we finally boarded the boat (or is it ship?). Just about everyone fit on the upper deck, since it was a weekday and 4:00 PM. The captain of the ship was very good at backing the boat out and guiding it on the course. The ride out was very smooth and enjoyable. Remember that, it applies later.
The first thing we came across was a sand bar out in the lake. I wonder who takes the flag down at dusk?
Soon we were passing the Painted Rocks National Lakeshore. Most of the Lakeshore can only be seen from the water or by hiking in. If you hike from one end to the other you will hike about 45 miles! No thanks, I will take the boat ride.
The cliffs are made of layers of different types of sandstone. The upper level is a hard sandstone, the middle is a softer stone and I don't remember what the lower level is. The area is called Painted Rock because of the streaks of mineral stains that decorate the face of the sculpted cliffs. The different colors are attributed to the different minerals. Those minerals include iron, manganese, limonite, copper and others. There are also "named" rock formations.
Here is a picture of Miners Castle, the rock formation we saw from the land -
We also saw a pirates face -
A flower vase -
Lover's Leap -
Indian Drum -
And many caves -
When we left the dock we started seeing dark clouds in the distance. They were soon over us and we all kept a weather eye on the clouds.
We almost made it to the turn around point when there was a huge bolt of lightening and a booming clap of thunder. The captain asked everyone to leave the top of the boat and go below to the enclosed cabin. Luckily the trip wasn't full and there was plenty of room for everyone inside. It soon started raining very hard. We made it to Spray Falls, which was our northern most point. If you look closely in the second picture you can see the rain.
We turned around and headed back in while nice and comfortable in the cabin. The rain came and left depending on the area we were in.
The last item we saw was the East Channel Lighthouse on Grand Island. It is interesting as it is not owned by the Park Services. It is actually the property of some of the landowners on the island. They have been taking care of it for years and are slowly restoring it.
It was about a quarter to seven when we docked. During the boat trip we asked a few people for suggestions for dinner. We narrowed it down to two places. We decided to flip a coin and this place won -
We all had the seafood buffet as it was about the same price as the items on the menu. They were a bit slow seating everyone and the entrance/exit is a really narrow hallway. The salad bar was not bad but I wasn't impressed by the fish. Most of it was baked or fried. I did have some white fish, which I did enjoy. If I ever find it again on a menu I will probably order it. The others thought the clam chowder was good (that is something I don't eat) and the hush puppies were fine (Smithfield's still serves the best).
Back at the rigs we were soon headed to bed as we had an exciting day. Tomorrow we head out but we aren't in a big hurry. Here are all the pictures I took. I hope you enjoy them.
No comments:
Post a Comment