PICTURED ROCKS NATIONAL LAKESHORE EXPEDITION!

Although I am not a Numismatist, I have always been interested in the geographical locations depicted on various USA coins.  This blog is about visiting the place depicted on the state quarter of Michigan, which is a tree atop a bluff, surrounded by water, and a line leading the eye OFF the bluff, to the edge of the engraving.  I was delighted to get to see and photograph that very tree, and the bluff it grows on, this past summer, at Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore (www.nps.gov), in Munising, Michigan.  

 There is a poster on display at the park headquarters,  by a talented photographer, that had this famous tree lined up to coincide with the sunset, shown below.  I learned that "line" I was seeing in the artwork is actually a tree root, extending from the isolated pedestal bluff, over to the soil of the bluff on the mainland.  

 

To get to Pictured Rocks, go to Munising, Michigan,  (www.munising.org), and in the area near the dock, you will see a repurposed historical, building that has been turned into the National Park Service Interpretive Center:

Notice the sign as you enter, says "Welcome" in several different languages.  Even though I didn't see the language I grew up with (which would be Howdy y'all!), I found the exhibits there very informative.  

The large, framed map on the wall, helped me get some perspective on where I was, in terms of geographical location.  In addition to being the access point for cruises to Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore, Munising is also an access point to the Grand Island National Recreation Area, and Hiawatha National Forest.  

Just below the NPS Interpretive Center, a visitor will see a large sign, showing the building where folks can purchase their tickets to take a sight-seeing cruise to the famous lakeshore.  The big blue building also has clean restrooms, and a huge gift shop.  

The building is located next to the dock on the south shore of Lake Superior, where boats such as this one, make numerous launches per day, to take the thousands of visitors they welcome, to get a "picture of the 'pictured rocks'!"

I noticed there was also a radar-equipped NPS boat for use by U.S. Park Rangers.  

My first visit to this area was in June, with a group of ladies who were on their way to do the International Bridge Walk at Soo Locks (see blog in archives titled "International Bridge Walk Expedition").  I wanted to include the photo below, to show that it is possible for a wheel chair to get onto the Pictured Rocks Boat Cruise.  A large area at the back of the boat is the only place where guests are allowed to stand up, so my friends Diana and Peggy, were able to have a fantastic viewpoint to see the shoreline, standing beside Helen in the wheelchair.

 

Another lady in our group (Diane, in pink jacket) took a position on the front row, of the top deck .

I stayed on the top deck some of the time, (where no standing is allowed), and also ventured down for part of the cruise to the standing area at the back of the boat.  Can you tell from my uplifted arms that I am thankful to be here!!?

Since Diane had commented about how much she enjoyed being on the top deck, on the very front, especially when the boat eased into the tiny cove, I made a point to head for that position, when I returned to do a second Pictured Rocks cruise, a few weeks later.  (Standing up was allowed as long as the boat was moored, so it gave me a chance to see some of the other watercraft docked at the marina which included sailboats and cabin cruisers.)  

One of the historic man-made structures the boat cruises by, is the East Chanel Light House, on Grand Island.   The wooden building was constructed of wood, and first opened for service around 1868, for the purpose of leading boats from the channel east of Grand Island, into the Munising Harbor.  However, the light was hard to see from Lake Superior, plus it was difficult to maintain, so it was removed from service in the early 1900's.  It's school-house/church-like structure reminded me of another NPS sight, with the appearance of a church, that is located on the Channel Islands (see blog in archives called "Anacapa Island Expedition!",  dated September 10, 2016).  

When we cruised beside sand beach, with its adjacent waterfall, we saw several folks enjoying both the water and the land.  Our guide told us this is one of the few places along the lakeshore, that is somewhat accessible by car.  Hence, it is the place where many hikers start their trek on the popular hiking trail, that is part of the North Country National Scenic Trail.  

Guided kayak tours are available, and popular during the summer months.  However, the information I read about kayaking, emphasized the "crumbly" nature of the sandstone cliffs, and that boaters must be cautious and aware of the possibility of rock falls.   In the early 2000's, one of the "turrets" of Miner's Castle crashed into the lake below.  Fortunately, no one was close by when this happened, but fishermen happened to observe the event from a distance.  

This natural arch is a very popular place for photographs.  

In addition to arches, the erosion caused by wind and water and the freeze/thaw cycle, also produces shallow caves with the cliffs.   The kayaks used for the guided tours, are the type where the paddler is enclosed in a rubber "apron" attached to the kayak.  The reason for this is to keep the kayak from filling with water, in the event of a large wave.   I published a story about my sea kayaking experience, where I was enclosed in a rubber "apron" snapped onto the kayak, in a blog titled "San Juan Islands Kayaking Expedition",dated July 4, 2020, that one can access in the blog archives.  

The National Lakeshore extends for about 13 miles, and with some of the cliffs reaching as high as 200 feet, the imagination can get very creative in trying to make recognizable "images" out of the various formations.  Our guide told us many people see an Indian head in this formation below: 

This arch shows the gigantic chunk of stone beneath it, that fell into the water, to create the arch.  

Our guide told us that the protection from harsh weather, provided by the blocking effect of Grand Island, is what accounted for the fact, that some parts of the cliffs, have trees growing from the vertical spaces.  

We passed by one area that had structures with roofs, that have been placed by the park service to provide overlooks for visitors, who are not coming by boat.  

 

Some of the people standing on this overlook platform, waved at us as we cruised below them.

There are several waterfalls within the National Park area, and this one is called Bridal Veil Falls.  The constant presence of falling water, (even though it was barely a trickle when I visited) is enough to give the appearance of a very long bridal veil:

These colorful rocks are one reason this place became the first National Lake Shore, in 1966.  Groundwater seeping through the sandstone leaves bright stripes of color---iron creates red and orange, copper creates blue and green, manganese creates black, and calcium creates white.  

I mentioned that one's imagination can create stories from what the eye sees.  The markings of the bluff in photo below, reminded me of black and white vertical striped "bar codes", that one sees on almost all packages these days, that will link to the product manufacturer.  

I imagined this bar code to be pointing to the "product manufacturer", with the message from the famous words of Jesus, when the Pharisees told him to quieten down his followers.  He said, "I tell you, if they keep quiet, the stones will cry out."  Luke 19:40.  

The photo I took this summer, of the tree growing on the pedestal, makes me concerned for its well-being, because its color is not a vibrant green, like those on the surrounding hillside.  However, even if it lost all its green branches, the resulting bare branches would still make it a good "perching" tree for the bald eagles that find dead trees to serve as their overlook for any prey they can use down below.  

There is a narrow opening in the cliffs called "Chapel Cove", which our boat captain very skillfully, maneuvered the entire length of our boat into.  

When the front of the boat was inches away from the end of the cove, two hikers who were on the trail above us, greeted us with a friendly yell.

 

As the boat was backing out of the cove, I snapped a photo of Helen sitting in her wheelchair in the stern area, and like the way the bluffs on either side of her head, illustrate what a narrow passage we were in!

The tour I went on in June with the Arkansas group, took place around mid-day.   When I went back with the Making Memories Tour group (www.MakingMemoriesTours.com) in August, we booked the sunset tour.  That sunset event was delightful, and completed our grand tour of each of the five Great Lakes, with the opportunity to cruise the waters of each of the lakes.   Now we were headed to our respective HOMES.  I learned that the word "HOMES" can be a mnemonic device to help one remember the names of the lakes, with the first letter of each name---Huron, Ontario, Michigan, Erie, Superior--spelling "homes".    These experiences "Up North" gave me "MILES OF SMILES"!  Tricia

MAID OF THE MIST EXPEDITION!

In case I forget the chain of events that led to being able to get this photo of me holding a bottle of Niagara water, while simultaneously being in a boat cruising on the Niagara River, I am writing it down in this blog post!

Niagara Falls State Park is the oldest state park in the United States of America!  It is always free to walk into the park and experience the falls! 

Visitors walk along a scenic path beside the river, to get to the falls area. 

The green cylinder is the ticket booth to start the process of purchasing tickets to ride the famous boats, Maid of the Mist (www.maidofthemist.com).  I was with the Making Memories Tours group (www.MakingMemoriesTours.com) that came to New York via motorcoach, and our tickets had been purchased in advance, so we did not have a long wait in line.  I had visited this state park in the past (see blog dated September 12, 2008 in the archives), but the line to purchase tickets for the boat ride was so long, and my time there was so short, I had to forego the boat ride.  Hence, my excitement at the prospect of getting to cruise under the falls on this trip!

After one has their tickets, they proceed across an elevated walkway at ground level, where they wait to get onto an elevator that will carry them to the bottom of the river gorge.  The photo below shows a docked Maid of the Mist boat, waiting to take on more passengers.  

While I was waiting for the elevator, I snapped a photo of a glass door with the maple leaf emblem saying "All are welcome here", so that means that even the Arkansas hillbilly reflected in the glass, is welcome!

On the walkway, there is good view of bridge that spans the Niagara River, and connects the USA to Canada.  

 When you purchase a ticket to Maid of the Mist, it includes a "one size fits all" blue poncho, intended to keep passengers from getting completely soaked, when they are at the falls.  

The front of the Poncho has the Maid of the Mist logo, noting its origins go back to 1846!

Apparently most people discard their wet raincoat after the cruise, as evidenced by the huge bags of thrown away raincoats.  However, I kept mine, as did several other people in our group.  

The Maid of the Mist is proudly celebrating America's 250th birthday, as seen by the painting on the top deck.  The name Nikola Tesla on the side of the boat, is a reminder that all the boats in their fleet are now fully electric.  

On my previous visit, I had gone down the stairs pictured in the photo below.  However, there were no people on the steps this time, and I could later see that the top was closed off, with several pieces of heavy equipment apparently doing repairs at the facility.  

Across the river on the Canadian side, we could see a boat full of people in pink ponchos, which is their signature color vs. the blue colors of the American side.  

I was amused at this sign as I exited the Maid of the Mist area, knowing that, indeed, a ride on Maid of the Mist at Niagara Falls, is a "BUCKET LIST" item for thousands around the world!  In fact, these falls produce 750,000 gallon-BUCKETS PER SECOND!

As our motorcoach was driving across the bridge, I noted there was a walkway on the bridge for pedestrians, so they could say they "walked from the USA to Canada".   That is exactly what several friends and I did in June, on a much longer bridge.  You can read about that adventure in the archives, in a blog dated July 7, 2026, titled "International Bridge Walk Expedition!".  

Once our boat made it across the bridge, it was time to go through Customs.  Everyone had to get off the bus, go inside the building, then stand in line, to show their passport.  While we were doing that, officials were inspecting our bus for contraband.  Apparently, we all passed, because we were able to reboard the bus, in just a few minutes.  

 

 It was just a short drive to our hotel on the Canadian side of the Falls, so after I was settled into my lodging, I went outside to explore the area.  Since so many of the hotels have the word "niagara" in them, I took a photo of the exact name of my hotel, with the landmark tower in the background, so I could find my way back "home" after walking around the area.  

When I made my way across the street to the sidewalk above the falls, I was delighted to see there was a rainbow over the falls, so I asked another tourist admiring the sight, to take my photo with the rainbow in the background.  

The photo below shows the top of Horseshoe Falls, on the Canadian side, as seen from the street-level of our hotel.

 In case there was any doubt as to which side of the river contain the Horseshoe Falls, the Canadian flag, with its red, maple-leaf center, removed all doubt.

To get from street level, down to the level of the river, one can take a long walk, or simply pay for a ride on the funicular, that transports several people at a time, down the steep slope, to the bottom of the gorge.  

The next morning, I was out as soon as it was daylight, to see what the falls looked like, in the early morning.  Because of the temperature differences in the air and the water, the scene was completely obscured by mist from the falls, but the sun could be seen, peeking through, from the American side.  

After my morning walk, and a nice breakfast at the hotel, we boarded the bus to go see the "Floral Clock" (www.niagaraparks.com), pictured below.  It is situated close by the river, and the hands of the clock are powered by the hydroelectric energy generated at Niagara Falls.  It also has Westminister chimes that ring every quarter hour.

I am very thankful I had the opportunity to visit the world famous Niagara Falls, on both the American and the Canadian sides.  When our Maid of the Mist boat was next to the falls, with nothing being heard but the roar of millions of gallons of falling water, I was reminded of the Scripture verse from Revelation 1:15 that says, "The sound of Jesus is like the sound of many, many waters."  Thanks to this trip, I now have a better idea of what that verse means!  Needless to say, this "Bucket List" trip, gave me "MILES OF SMILES"!  Tricia