Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore

Well, it has maybe been a little long since I was on here.  What can I say?  I’ve been feeling more at home up here…. Can you tell?  

I took a whirlwind trip up to Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore last week.  It was a-maze-ing!  It was so beautiful.  The first night I slung up my hammock, but woke up in the middle of the night to raindrops splashing on me (I don’t have a rain tarp yet), so I jumped into my car and slept there for the night which was kinda small but more comfortable than I remembered.  The next day I hiked 10 miles and visited chapel falls, chapel rock, mosquito falls, and a whole bunch of beautiful forests.  Then, on my way out, I was driving on the very muddy road and trying not to get stuck when I splashed into a big puddle too hard and my car turned off and the hood started steaming!  I coasted out of the puddle and just sat there for a minute to catch my breath.  I tried to start the car, but it wouldn’t catch, just turned over.  So I popped the hood, and everything was wet.  Peaked under the car and nothing was hanging off.  There was no cell signal up there, but I did have my camping stuff if worse came to worse.  So I waited for about 15 minutes and read a brochure so I didn’t freak out unnecessarily.  And then my car started and I was very relieved and thankful and I drove out. 

I camped that night at site 7 of little beaver lake campground.  I decided to attempt to start a fire in spite of having a history of failed attempts.  It was going fairly ok, when the neighbor guy came over and gave me a hand with some lighter fluid.  And then when I was figuring out how to cook my spam, he came over and helped me get the grill unstuck and let me have the extra 2 hamburger buns that he and his son and nephew hadn’t used.  So nice!  That night I slept in my tent and super tucked down in my sleeping bag because I was cold!  The next morning I woke up after my neighbors had packed up and left but there was a granola bar and a chocolate milk sitting on a stump outside my tent for me.  So Mr. Franco from Dearborn, MI, Thank you so much!

Then I scooted out, drove the 2.5 hrs back, and made my ferry by about 5 minutes.  Whew!

My breakfast - Thanks Franco!

 

Chapel Rock 

That is a root growing from the tree and its rock to the main land

Beautiful

Beautiful

Lake Superior was kinda cold.  But I was there!

Chapel Falls

My brother would be proud 

That is the puddle that killed my car - It looked a lot bigger in person

Drying everything out after I got home