Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore

Our week at Gitche Gumee Bible camp last September was the warmest week of the season, according to camp workers, in spite of the late September date. So, when we stopped in Munising on our way home at the end of the week and boarded a boat for a late-afternoon cruise along the Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore, we were able to sit quite comfortably on the top deck. 

This post contains more photos than I usually include in a single post, so I'll keep my words to a minimum.

One of the boats used on the Pictured Rocks tour

The next picture is a view of the Miner's Castle rock formation. I had previously shown this formation from an overlook on land here.

Miners Castle

Bridal Veil Falls slows to a trickle after the spring snowmelt.

Petit Portal and Lover's Leap

Rainbow Cave

Grand Portal

Broken Vase

Can you see the Pirate? His nose is just above the waterline.

Chapel Cove

Chapel Rock

A tree on top of Chapel Rock is sustained by its root system attached to the main bluff.

A view along the shore

Spray Falls

Grand Island East Channel Lighthouse

The Pictured Rocks cruise was a great way to wrap up the week. The next day, we had home in our sights.

Autumn Beauty in the UP

As we drove home from Gitche Gumee Bible Camp last September, the fall colors in Michigan's Upper Peninsula were at their peak. Our route took us past Lake Plumbago in Baraga County, and the sight of the trees, in all their fall glory, reflected in the still water of the lake, just took our breath away.

Doug and me at Lake Plumbago, Baraga County, Michigan

A little further down the road, we saw a sign promoting a trail to Canyon Falls. Well, Doug and I are suckers for waterfalls; and, by then, we were needing to stretch our legs a little. So off we went in search of a new waterfall.

The trail to Canyon Falls

A view of the Sturgeon River along the trail to Canyon Falls

We came to this little waterfall but were assured by other hikers that this was not Canyon Falls.

Canyon Falls...worth the hike

Doug took this image with our camcorder.

Next stop on our way home was the Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore. But it deserves a post of its own. Stay tuned.

On the Way to Gitche Gumee

Last September, during my year-long break from blogging, Doug and I and our friend, Pat, traveled to and through Michigan's Upper Peninsula (UP) to spend a week at Gitche Gumee Bible Camp, located in Eagle River, Michigan, in the Keweenaw Peninsula.

The Upper and Lower Peninsulas of Michigan are connected by the Mackinac (pronounced MAK-in-aw) Bridge, a suspension bridge of approximately five miles (8 km) in length.

Entering the Mackinac Bridge

The bridge from a viewing point on the UP side

A look at the fall colors that were beginning to pop out in the UP

Tahquamenon Falls wasn't too far from where we stayed that first night of travel. So we took advantage of the remaining daylight and went to see the falls.

Upper Tahquamenon Falls

Our route the next day took us through the city of Munising, Michigan. We knew there were several sightseeing opportunities in that area, so we stopped at a visitor center for advice on what we could see in the short amount of time we could spare. A ranger there told us about Wagner Falls, which she said was her personal favorite of multiple waterfalls in the vicinity and which was very near.

Wagner Falls

Then we drove a short distance to an overlook with a view of the rock formation called Miner's Castle. It's part of the Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore, which is best viewed in the late afternoon, from a boat out on the water.

Miner's Castle

For comparison, I'm including another picture that I took of Miner's Castle back in 2004, from the same overlook, but with late-day lighting. You might also notice that there are two two turrets in the earlier image. One of those turrets broke off in 2006.

Miner's Castle in 2004, with two turrets

By the way, for those who may be wondering, Gitche Gumee is a Native American name for Lake Superior and means "Big Water." 

Back with more soon.