Twofer: Catching up on Michigan/Minnesota Experiences

Picture Rocks National Lakeshore

From July 25th until the 27th, we were staying at an RV park in Munising in the UP (Upper Peninsula) of Michigan.  Unfortunately, rain prevented us from enjoying one of the days, but the other day we were able to take a boat tour to see the Picture Rocks National Lakeshore on Lake Superior.  It was much more beautiful than we expected.  The seashore is comprised of rocky cliffs whose coloring is remarkable.  Below are some photos from there.

Amazing colors, including the color of the water, which is not exaggerated in these photos.

Duluth, MN.

Here in Duluth, we are staying for a week at the Spirit Marine and RV park, an unusual combination.  Our RV backs up to one of the docks and faces the St. Louis Bay of Lake Superior.  This is the most interesting RV park we've been to.  We love sitting outside our RV and watching the boating activity in the bay as well as coming and going from our marina.

Note the back end of our motorhome to the left of the boat on the right.

 This beautiful sailboat was built by one man over five years.  He cut and shaped all the wood, and put it all together.  He has hopes of taking it onto big water - like the ocean - one of these days.  It has four sails.  It sits opposite the dock right behind our motor home.

This stately old tugboat is moored alongside another wharf opposite our motor home.

Our marina/RV park was once a major shipbuilding site during WWII and before.  They built 350-700- foot boats here and launched them into the river, though their engines were attached elsewhere.  The water is too shallow here for a  fully-loaded boat of that size. 

In addition to the charming place we're staying here, Duluth seems to be a great small town as well as a major port in the Great Lakes.  Iron ore from mines nearby are shipped from here to Pittsburg and elsewhere on the Great Lakes, and has been for years.  The city has also turned its downtown working harbor into a tourist attraction with museums, good restaurants, shops and lakeside walk with a variety of attractions.  There is a 70-mile-long paved bicycle path within three blocks of our RV park, a zoo up the street, and many other attractions.  Lots of things to do here.