Presque Isle

After lunch on Thursday, we piled into our cars and headed to the eastern end of the park, about 30 miles away, where the Presque Isle River empties into Lake Superior.

I took these next two photos from the long boardwalk that runs along the west side of the river.

The weather could not have been better. My wife, daughter and I wandered to the beach where we spent a half hour looking for agates among the stones and relaxing.

We strolled up the east side of the river. Some of us explored further along the shore, edging our way along cliffs and climbing over rocks. Our goal was the larger waterfall about 200 yards upstream.

We climbed the bluffs and returned to where the rest of our group was waiting and enjoying the afternoon.

The other car-load went back to camp while our car took a side trip to the lookout tower on Summit Peak.

When we got back to camp, we had a minor crisis on our hands. The wind off the lake had really kicked up and our big, boxy tent wasn’t up to it. The weather report said the wind would continue and that rain was on the way for the next two days. It was about three hours before dark.

About 50 yards in from the shore, there was a small bluff that blocked most of the wind. Above the bluff, there was a clearing with more campsites. I was pretty sure my tent wasn’t up to the challenge where it was, and I didn’t want to have to deal with a collapsed tent in wind and rain and dark. I made the decision to move. We ate a quick supper, then packed up and transported our stuff to the new site. Another couple came along and set up next to us. The rest of our group decided they didn’t want to deal with the weather. They packed up their stuff and moved to the hotel about four miles outside the park. We five remaining hardy souls got established just as it got dark and enjoyed a relaxing campfire. Yes, part of our move was transporting most of that cord of wood to our new home. We didn’t take all of it. A couple were setting up their site in the dark at the next site over, and we told them they could take as much as they wanted. They did.