We woke up to much calmer waters so we’re able to go our our tour this morning before we left town. It was so great!
We packed up the camper and all our stuff and got to the boat launch about 15 minutes before it left. Most people were already waiting in line so we were left with inside seats. We were definitely ok with that after braving the rain and choppy waters in the ferry from Mackinac Island! And it did start raining lightly as soon as we left the dock.
We had a great view from our seats and I took a million pictures. The minerals are what makes the different colors as water filters through the rocks. The water is cool aqua color too. Kayakers are getting very close to the cliffs, which is on my bucket list (though I am so glad we were warm and dry on this cold, rainy morning).
We saw the iconic Pictured Rocks arch, the Miner’s Castle, from the water today. It’s impressive either by land or water! We also went past the painted coves and rocks where iron, copper, and lime leaked out of the rock and oxidized to make all the colors. Rainbow Cave is named because it rains inside the cave, but we couldn’t tell because it was raining outside the cave at the moment. Battleship Rocks is where a bunch of outcroppings look like battle ships lined up in a row. Another outcropping is called Flower Vase, as it looks like a vase.
The waters were calm enough for the captain to take us into Chapel Cove. Jeff was very impressed at the driving skills it took to squeeze into this tight spot with just inches to spare on each side. We also saw Chapel Rock, with just one tree living on the outcropping, it’s roots reaching out over open water to the mainland. An arch had fallen years ago, but yet the tree lives on.
Lastly, we saw Spray Falls, a 70 foot waterfall that is too remote to see over land. Beautiful!
On the way back to the dock, the captain spotlighted the East Channel Lighthouse, built to help ships get safely to Munising Bay.
We didn’t make it to Grand Island this time, but we will make sure to do so on the next trip. Sounds like it is a must see with lots of hiking and kayaking opportunities.
It’s was about a 2 hour tour so the rest of the day, we made our way to Houghton where we got a hotel and slept in real beds and took nice long showers. We did make a couple stops along the way to see the ore docks in Marquette. It was raining so Jeff just jumped out to snap a couple pictures and then we were on our way. The ore docks are very impressive and I can imagine how busy they were back in the mining days.
Kline Road Trips 