Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore

Lake Superior, named by French Voyageurs, is the largest of the Great Lakes of North America. It's also the world's largest freshwater lake by surface area and the third largest by volume. It has the highest elevation of all five great lakes at an average of 600 feet above sea level. The water contained in Lake Superior would fill a swimming pool five feet deep....if the swimming pool were the size of the United States! At 733 feet below sea level, Lake Superiors depth is the second lowest spot in the continental interior of the US after Iliamna Lake in Alaska.

OK, it's awesome.

We joined the 2 o'clock sailing of one of Pictured Rocks Cruises ships to take a bit of a ride on the lake and visit one of its most famous landmarks, Pictured Rocks.

As we headed northeast out of Munising Harbor, we began to get a sense of the vast area of Lake Superior.

Just around the headland, we got our first view of the sandstone cliffs that comprise Pictured Rocks.

At Miners Castle we saw a cave that has been hollowed out by thousands of years of wave action.

The sandstone has been stained over the years through the action of chemicals in the stone. Iron creates the reddish brown hue and magnesium creates the black.

It is said that a variety of shapes, both animal and human can be seen in the rocks.

Rainbow Cave is an unusual formation.

Indian Head Rock is pretty awesome, isn't it?

Battleship Rock presents a commanding presence on the shoreline.

And just around Battleship Rock we found Battleship Row.

We saw so many incredible sights on this trip that I got lost in the beauty and didn't get the name of this formation. I believe it's called The Flower Vase. A lone tree grows from the top of the rock, with just it's roots clinging to the stone.

Amazingly, only one root provides nutrients to the tree! Years ago, the rock between the tree and the shoreline fell away, leaving only one root spanning the gap to sustain the tree!

As we passed by the Flower Vase, a Bald Eagle left the top of the tree and soared off into the distance. An incredible sight to be sure! The eagle is just a dot in the photo just above the trees near the center.

The turn-around point for our trip was Splash Falls. Check out the color of the water!

During the winter, when Lake Superior freezes, and the waterfall turns to an icefall, ice climbers will come out to scale the icy waterfall.

We sat on the right (starboard) side of the ship on the way out, so we got a wonderful view of the vastness of Lake Superior on the return trip.

So we had to amuse ourselves somehow.....

 The American Flag flew proudly on the stern of the ship on this windy day.

Passing Grand Island on the way back to Munising we passed a lighthouse that was built in 1867 to guide ship through the narrow channel between sand bars. Only in use for a few years, one of the keepers lived here with his wife and twelve children!

Back ashore, we drove a short distance to park headquarters at Munising Falls. These falls once supplied water for a steam powered blast furnace that converted iron ore, limestone, and charcoal into pig iron used in railway ties or as an additive for other metals. As raw materials ran out, the furnace closed in 1877, leaving only a few tailings piles and scrap iron. Reclaimed by nature, the falls now flows freely into Lake Superior.

I guess we finally discovered the annoyance of selfies.....Donna has had a long, long day...

Back at camp, a snack of fried pork skins kept us going until dinner....one in the mouth, one in the hand, and several in the bag.....

It's a good life!