Our Trip of Lakes and Leaves: Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore…Amazing!

We left The Keeweenaw Peninsula and continued heading east on the Upper Peninsula towards the Straits of Mackinac and Mackinac Island. Along the way we took a cruise to Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore.

**Some of the color and caves** **at Picture Rocks National Lakeshore**

We drove down off of the Keeweenaw Peninsula and continued east on the Upper Peninsula, taking in the uniqueness of the UP and Yoopers. We had to stop in Munising at take the boat tour of Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore. It was a completely unique and amazing tour. I took a gazillion photos and would have put them all in here, but that wouldn’t work.

**This tour boat was coming back into Munising as we were going out**. **Grand Island is in the background.**

**Grand Island East Channel Lighthouse**

On our way out to Pictured Rocks, we passed through Grand Island Harbor Bay’s East Channel. On the Island’s shore was the East Channel Lighthouse, built to allow the harbor at Munising to be used for refuge if needed. Construction on the lighthouse was finished in 1870 and it was in use until 1913. It is privately owned and viewable only from the water. The wood siding has not be painted or refinished.

We continued on and were soon in the midst of the Rocks, with almost every color, texture, and overall shape. The boat tour guide provided descriptions and names for most of the different sandstone cliffs, revealing the imagination of those who named the rocks. The water was such a brilliant color that it seemed to try to rival the color of the rocks. Then, crown it all with the bright fall color of the leaves.

**One of the caves along the coast. The wave actions are constantly eroding and changing the sandstone.**

**This formation is called Indian Head.**

There are many different colors on the rocks, caused by groundwater seeping out of cracks in the rock, carrying minerals along to be deposited on the rocks. Copper causes blue and green stains, red and orange stains are caused by iron. White stains come from limonite, an iron oxide, and the brown and black colors from manganese.

**Last one!!** This formation is called Chapel Rock. There used to be an arch across the sandstone formation, but it collapsed in the 1940’s. The white pine tree on the isolated rock is about 250 years old and has roots that span across to the mainland.

After the tour we were a bit numb from sensory overload. There is just so much to take in. We drove south a bit off of the coast into the Hiawatha National Forest and spent the night at a small campground at Colwell Lake. We were camped right on the lake and the sunset across the lake, and the stars later the night were picture worthy.