The UP - part 2

Michigan's Upper Peninsula - Part 2

(Sightseeing and genealogical research)

August 4, 2017 - August 25, 2017

From Marquette we drove to Munising, gateway to Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore.  We missed seeing this beautiful area on our trip in 2003 and we've been kicking ourselves ever since.  The best view of Pictured Rocks is from the lake of course so we immediately signed up for a boat trip.  I think you'll agree it is spectacular.

There are numerous trails throughout the park but only a few are short enough for the average American to easily get to the shore of Lake Superior.  The platform above some trees near the center of this picture is one easily accessible place but the real views belong to anyone who travels there by boat or kayak.

The coast is shaped by wave, ice and wind action.  The colors are courtesy of the various minerals in the soil.

Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore stretches for 42 miles along the south
shore of  Lake Superior from Munising to Grand Marais, MI.
The 15 miles of cliffs can reach as high as 200 feet. 

Here you can see where large chunks of the cliffs have broken off and fallen into the lake.

I think this looks like an abstract painting of a coastal city as flooding begins because of global warming.

The area is very popular with kayakers.
This sand beach is nestled between cliffs on either side - the perfect spot for a campsite or just a break for a meal.

Nature's been working hard on this stretch of cliff.

We didn't see many arches but this one is beautiful.

This section of cliff will eventually succumb to natures forces.

The beginning of either a tunnel or an arch.

Pieces of the cliffs that have fallen into the lake.  

Spectacular cliff.

Another arch/cave combination.

The captain actually steered our boat right into this narrow area. You could almost touch the walls on either side.

I don't know what is it about rocks that make them so appealing but I love them

I wonder where this chunk came from.  I don't think it fell from above.
Perhaps the waves pushed it to the right many years ago?

Short video for you to enjoy.

From Munising we drove to Tahquemenon Falls, the largest water fall in Michigan. (FYI: the name rhymes with phenomenon.) Due to large crowds we were only able to get into see the upper falls which is the larger of the two falls.  The line of cars to get into the lower falls parking lot was all the way out to the road and them some!

The falls are 200 feet across and drop about 48 feet.

The brown color comes from tannins leached from cedar swamps.
At the height of the spring runoff approximately 50,000 gallons of water flow over the falls.
The foam is due to the soft water, dissolved organic matter and water turbulence.

From the falls we drove to Sault Ste. Marie, nicknamed the "Soo" in order to help people pronounce it correctly. Here a set of locks lowers or lifts ships 21 feet between Lake Superior (the higher of the two lakes) and Lake Huron. Canada built the original locks in the late 1700's (!!!) on the Canadian side but they were destroyed in the war of 1812.  An American company built new locks in 1853 and turned them over to the state of Michigan in 1855.  The U.S. Corps. of Engineers took over the locks in 1881.

There are 4 locks on the American side and 1 on the Canadian side.  One lock on the American side was rebuilt in 1968 to accommodate new, larger freighters on the Great Lakes. It is 1200 feet long, 110 feet wide and 32 feet deep.  The largest vessels on the lakes are 1000 feet long by 105 feet wide so they pretty much fill up that big lock. They are massive and they carry approximately 60,000 tons of cargo.  Per the brochure that is comparable to 6-100 car trains, each train with a capacity of 10,000 tons or, perhaps even more amazing, 2308 large trucks capable of carrying 26 tons each.

Stern of a freighter positioned in the lock.  It's headed from Lake Superior down to Lake Huron and beyond.
The long white structure positioned in front of the pilot house is a conveyor boom which is used to unload the cargo.
The entire unloading process is done automatically by means of conveyor belts, bucket elevators or high-speed loop belts. 

Middle section of the same freighter.
In the background is the Sault Ste. Marie International Bridge between the U.S. and Canada.

Bow section of the same freighter.

The same freighter has now been lowered and is proceeding out of the lock.

The freighter in the distance is waiting to enter the locks to travel on to Lake Huron.
In the foreground is an empty lock.  

Weird to think of Duluth, MN as an Atlantic seaport!

Found this interesting.

A few blocks east of the Soo locks is an old freighter, the "Valley Camp," that has been made into a museum.

The Valley Camp - now permanently relegated to shore duty.

The stern of the Valley Camp.

The Valley Camp is the model on the far left.  As you can see, she is small by today's standards.

2 floors of maritime exhibits in the hold of the Valley Camp.

More exhibits in the hold.

Fascinating nautical knots and rigging. 

The captain of this ship probably felt like I did when I was stuck in the mud in Ontonogan!
No tow truck is going to get this out.

The pilot house.

Great view from up here.

Seems like a quarter mile to the stern from here and this is a small freighter.

There's our motorhome and car waiting in the parking lot.

Mates quarters.

More mates quarters.

The wheel house.  There is a lot of equipment in this space.

Crew's dining area.

Part of the galley.

 

Officers dining area.

Interesting historical benchmarks of navigation on the St. Lawrence and the Great Lakes.

Part 3 of the UP is next.