Shipwreck Tour
Because we heard there was a chance of scattered thundershowers Monday, we did two different boat cruises out of Munising Monday. The first was on a shipwreck tour in a glass bottomed boat to look down through the water at some of the old wooden wrecks here in the bay. These are apparently very popular for divers to explore because of their accessibility. These wrecks sit in an area called the Alger Underwater Preserve, which means that besides being of historic value, they are protected. One can be prosecuted for damaging or removing any part of the wrecks. The water is so clear you can see down quite some distance. On our 
way out to the sites of the wrecks the narrator pointed out local landmarks including the picturesque, but non-operative East Channel Lighthouse at the southeastern end of Grand Island. We see the southwestern corner of Grand Island from our campsite. There was a bald eagle posing in the 
top of a tree nearby. Eagles are numerous in this area.
When we got to the first site, they lifted the seats covering two viewing wells and we could see the wreck of the Bermuda quite clearly through the polycarbonate windows in the bottom of the boat. The narrator said the tallest parts of the wreck were about six feet under water. The captain was able, through the use of two electric motors, to keep us hovering above the wreck, moving back and forth and up and down along the 150 feet of the wooden hulled schooner. It is said that she was carrying iron ore and probably wrecked sometime in the mid-1880s. It was 
amazing to see how intact the body of the boat was. A recovery company won the rights to reclaim the valuable ore aboard and broke open the top of the hull to get it out, but other than that, she seemed in pretty sound shape. The wood has all been preserved by the cold water, and the fact that the Bay has three feet of ice on it every winter. We were told that any valuable parts of the rigging had been retrieved shortly after her sinking to be used on another boat. 
Since we were in relatively shallow water, you could see the bottom as we moved to the next site. It made you kind of dizzy to watch it go by so quickly, though. The next ship we saw was the Herman Hettler. She was a 210 foot wooden steamer that sank in November 1926. You could see parts of her scattered all around because she hit a rock reef and sank only partially. She was considered a navigation hazard, so she was 
dynamited by the Coast Guard and her remains rest in about 25 feet of water. You can see various parts of the bottom structure of the ship itself and other items such as the anchor and long bolts that were used to keep various pieces tightened together. Also visible were the Captain’s white porcelain toilet and claw foot bathtub with two huge boulders sitting in it.
The third remains we saw were of an unidentified ship they called a scow-schooner. Again, you could see many large chunks of the well preserved bottom of the boat. They said it was not well designed for use on the lakes due to the flatter bottom. It wasn’t constructed to handle the wave action here on Lake Superior. The trip was quite interesting and not at all eerie like I thought it would be.
Pictured Rocks National Seashore
The second cruise of the day was to take a twilight cruise of the Pictured Rocks National Seashore. I am not sure that words can adequately describe the three and a half hour trip we took out of Munising Harbor, but I shall give it a shot. It looked threatening as we headed over to the cruise, but Bruce had
re-checked the weather report and it still looked like it would hold. We dressed in fleece and hoodies and I grabbed my umbrella as I left the truck. It was drizzling when we boarded the boat and we were hoping it would stop. After some seat shifting for people who went downstairs to be under cover, Bruce and I scored front row seats. And, to our good fortune, shortly thereafter the rain ceased. It was beautiful the rest of the evening and it was topped off by a beautiful sunset on the return trip.
The brochure advertises this cruise as being “voted #1 Boat Cruise in Michigan” by Michigan Living and AAA Magazine. It invites you to “Come join us for an adventure you’ll never forget!” For once, something lived up to the advertising – even surpassed it. Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore is a park that is only three miles wide, but 40 miles long. It gets its name from the sandstone cliffs that rise out of Lake Superior and are seemingly painted a multitude of colors by various minerals contained in the water that seeps through between the rock layers. Added to this is the strange way the various rock layers have been eroded by ground water and the waves into caves, arches, columns, and coves. The combination of shapes, colors and the evening light 
was spectacular! Mother Nature is such an artist! Bruce will add some photos, but I am not sure even photos can adequately represent what we saw. I would highly recommend this trip, if you get the chance. It is worth the trip to the U.P.
The next few pictures need explanation. 
The first is a lone pine tree perched on a rock. Look closely and you'll see it's root system goes from the tree, left to the shore.The tree was growing on 
shore and over time the rock around it was eroded away, in Lake Superior's violent winters, leaving this tree on a thinly soil covered "island". To survive it had to grow an anchor to shore and nutrients, amazing.
The next show our boat heading into a narrow opening carved into the shore. The radar dome is ahead of me, and the pole is on the bow. We 
continued in, until we were actually under the ground above us. I looked up and shot this picture, on my left is the radar and way under the rocks is the bow marker pole. The last shows us backing out, with the passengers still amazed by what we had just experienced!
On the return trip, the light conditions 
had changed markedly and Bruce was able to capture different features. Soon however, it got too dark to take many pictures of the rocks and our attention turned to the sunset. As we have mentioned before, the sun doesn’t set here until about 9:30, so we had a long relaxing ride back snapping sunset pictures or just relaxing and enjoying the view. 
Tuesday. So we’re sitting here under our awning looking out the west channel of Munising Bay in Munising, MI. The bay opens into Lake Superior only a few miles out. We’re watching the seagulls challenge each other for perching rights in some sort of berry bush at the edge of the beach. Maybe we should check out the berries. The gulls apparently find them worth squawking and shoving over. The birds are so heavy on the flimsy twigs that they can’t settle on them and must continue to flap to support themselves. No matter where they are, it seems seagulls are always entertaining. The weather here is sunny, with some scattered clouds, and 75 degrees with a stiff breeze from the west. Our day’s activities will include catching up on the blog while we have internet, some basic food prep so I can get meals ready with less fuss and maybe some laundry, although a bit later we might be inclined to carry the kayaks over to the beach and go for a paddle. It’s tough, but somebody’s got to do it! We're staying in municipal park here in Munising. Before you start thinking cannons, statues and pigeons, they are different out here. We've stayed in several during our travels, and we have never been disappointed.(Before posting, we actually went up to an observation position over the bay, and a thunderstorm rolled in. I’d forgotten how vicious thunderstorms can be out here in the Midwest – WOW. Thanks Liz for preparing this one. Tomorrow, We are leaving the relatively unpopulated part of the UP and heading to country where no-one has cell service or internet- NO-ONE, bye bye!BWB)
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