Day 4

"Pictured" Perfect-Denise

The Munising Motel was the best mom and pop motel we have stayed at. Clean, pleasant and comfortable. After a great night’s sleep, a yummy peanut butter and jelly sandwich we headed off to the Pictured Rocks Lakeshore area for some exploring. We went to Miners Castle and walked around. It is right on the edge of Lake Superior. It was much cooler and less buggy than yesterday. After listening to Frank talk to the ranger about where would be a good place to take a hike I decided that Frank and the boys could go on the hike and I would stay back. The trail was narrow, high up and right on the edge. My choice was confirmed when we started down a mile hike to Castle Rock beach which became steep and I got scared. Water and heights are not my two favorite things. Put them together and my body decides not to cooperate. After a few tears on my part (fear, embarrassment and frustration) we headed in the car to Chapel Falls where the guys could take a great hike and I could wait comfortably for them. It was quite the drive getting to the start of the trail and I decided to stay and wait rather than drive back to town, which I think, would have taken about an hour. It is here that I have been writing my share of this blog and wishing that I were braver.

Frank's take on Day 4

We awoke to another pretty day in the U.P. Bright sunshine and warm temperatures, though a bit cooler than the previous days with highs in the mid 70's.

Nick and Alex took a morning run up to Munising Falls to start their day. Denise and I walked over to Glen's Market to gather a few food supplies for the day.

Denise's review of the motel is accurate but none us were so sure of that when we arrived yesterday. But with a good nights sleep we decided to add another day at the Munising Motel. The only catch was we had to change rooms. Denise took care of the details with the front desk lady. As Nick was showering we removed all of our bags to the new room. Nick was surprised to find neither the suitcases nor any of us when he finished his shower as we hid out in the new room! But Denise could not keep the joke going and went back down to the other room a couple doors down.

So off to Pictured Rocks where our first stop was at Miners Castle. Erosion over long periods of tine have formed the shape of a castle in the sandstone cliffs. At one time you were able to walk atop the castle but due to erosion you must now stay on the platform.

Pictured Rocks is America's first national lakeshore and gets its name from the sandstone rock cliffs that are exposed along the lakeshore. The cliffs run for miles and are most prominent along a 15 mile stretch between Sand Point and Little Beaver Lake along the Lake Superior shoreline. In some areas the cliffs rise over 200 feet above the lake. The name Pictured Rocks is due to the pictures that seem to appear on the rocks from the multicolored sandstone and mineral stains on the rock surface. The sandstone dates back about 500 million years. Stains are caused by water running down the cliffs filled with oxides of copper, manganese, iron and organic minerals. There is a trail that runs the length of the park along the shoreline.

The National Parks lady suggested that a most memorable view of the area is at the Chapel Loop trail. After a quick P&J sandwich we decided to take a walk about. Denise was concerned about the height of the trail and decided to hang out at the car at the trailhead and write her blog page while Alex, Nick and I took a walk through the woods to the waters edge at Mosquito Beach. It was a long walk through the wet wood trail, but once to the coast we walked on rocks and Nick kept wanting to climb over the edge and look into the caves dug out by the waves into the side of the cliffs.

We spent about 2 hours on the hike and then returned and met up with Denise.

We headed back into Munising and had famous U.P. pasties (Meat pies for those who are not in the know. For those who associate the word with another meaning, get your head out of the gutter and shame on you!) It was a good afternoon treat and got us prepared for our evening activity.

Perhaps the best way to see the depth and beauty of this area is to take a boat cruise. We chose the Sunset Cruise where the colors of the rocks are intensified in the warm glow of the evening sun. Mineral stains give color to the famous cliffs of Pictured Rocks National Seashore. Red and orange colors are iron, black is manganese, white is limonite and green is a trace of copper. the cruise lasts for 2 1/2 hours and returns as night sets in. Munising is a small town with few choices for a late night after cruise dinner. But we had scouted out the Munising Pizza place as our dinner plans. We took it back to the hotel and it tasted great as we were all hungry.