Monday 2 August 2010

Truer, Madder, Deeper…

We’re pretty impressed with Lake Superior, especially now that we’ve seen it up close and personal. Today we took a boat trip along the shore to see the Pictured Rocks, an area where the bluff along the lakeshore has become patterned with the vibrant colours of many different materials bedding down over millions of years: beautiful. Check out the photos.

It also brought home to us how enormous this lake really is. Our trip was a mere 37 miles… a teeny tiny little corner of the lake. Lake Superior is over 30,000 square miles in area, the same size as the whole of Scotland. It is the largest body of fresh water in the World: the widest, cleanest, deepest of all lakes... at least according to the Captain. Before wandering back to our motel, we took a quick paddle in the lake. It would have been rude not to. It was much warmer than we expected, given that its surface is 600ft above sea level and its deepest point (just 40 miles from Munising) is 700ft below sea level. Incredible! It was also crystal clear, partly because only 2 million people live around its 2,727 miles of shoreline… about the same population as Greater Manchester. Fortunately for Lake Superior, Yoopers live on its shores and not Mancunians; because if they did, we’re sure one would see all sorts of kebabs and chips floating on its surface!

After some fresh fish for dinner, we’re back in the room contemplating our next 6 days of cycling… yes, 6 days until another rest day this time. Bring it on…

Us x

1 comment:

  1. Pictured Rocks, that's what I meant. Not painted rocks. Quick paddle is right, the water is numbingly cold, even in the summer, but being from England, you're probably used to it. On the north shore (colder side), it can be in the low 40s, or around the winter water temp in England. A typical challenge is to swim out to a rock some 100 yards off the shore and back. And then find the local sauna ;)

    Definitely stop and see Mackinac Island if possible. It is, after all, the location of a former English fort, there to protect the fir trade. Bit touristy perhaps. They picked a beautiful spot, with a commanding view of the waterway.

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