Pictured Rocks

We returned to Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore yesterday to do some more exploring...hiking and kayaking. We went to the part called Miner's Castle and this is what we saw. We saw the lake from the cliff overlooks and also hiked a mile through the woods to get to the beach. It was just breathtaking!

I actually forgot my camera, so I didn't take these pictures, but this is exactly what we saw. The water was this blue. You will not be disappointed if you come to visit us. So far, our hottest day has been 74 and there have been very few rainy days.

The picture above is looking up at Miner's Castle from the beach....the picture below is looking down at Miner's Castle from the cliffs overlook.


These are two more pictures from somewhere along the National Lakeshore...we did not get to see this yet.

I cannot describe how awesome this area is....there are so many accessible beaches along the Lake. And there are many, many smaller lakes where the water is warmer if you really want to swim. But many of the beaches right along Lake Superior are child friendly, in the sense that they are quite shallow and perfect for those little ones to play. My girls are loving it.

I'm so thankful the girls are both at an age where we can be active...we have gone hiking, biking, camping, kayaking, fishing, picnicing...it's great! The bike path stretches for miles along the lake shore and through the town. I've been running more, too. July 4th I am running a 5K through wooded ski trails. The following week, I am running in a 10K!

The national forest up here is so beautiful...I took 2 hikes through it, both ending up at Lake Superior. There were so many beautiful wildflowers, varieties of ferns and moss, lichen, trees....it was amazing. And we have seen some cool wildlife. We saw these really interesting ducks yesterday...there was a mama and 5 babies. They had red heads and a tuft of yellow. We actually got pretty close to them, close enough to see that the babies were riding on the mama's back. They would jump off to swim a little, then climb back on. It was really cool to see.

We are off to the library to see the Bergonzi String Quartet...they are giving a free children's concert!