Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore

 Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore stretches for more than 40 miles along the shore of Lake Superior. The area was established as the first National Lakeshore in the United States in 1966. 

The park's name comes from its colorful sandstone cliffs. Over thousands of years, mineral-rich groundwater has seeped through the rock, staining the cliff faces with vibrant streaks of red, orange, green, blue, and brown. 

We had viewed the colored walls on a previous visit, and this time it was from the water, which allows a closer and more varied view. A 40-mile trail runs along the edge of the water, and hikers were often visible. Four days was reported as the typical time frame for those willing to make the effort. 

Hundreds of kayaks followed the shoreline as this is another popular way to view the walls and caves.

This formation, consisting of multiple extensions from the shoreline, is called battle ship row. 

This tree is interesting. It grows on the rock without soil. If you look carefully, you can see the root system stretching to the left across the open area to the soil on the shore. The limestone is continually giving way, creating the caves and arches that attract the attention of folks like me looking to collect photos.

The contrast between the green (shallow) and blue (deep) water is evident here. This color change may indicate a steep 40 foot difference. 

Pasties

 No trip to the U.P. would be complete without a pasty (pronounced "pass tee"), gravy, and cold slaw. This is not an original topic, as I found a post from 2019 on the same subject, but from a different location. The longer you travel, the fewer novel topics there are.

The pasty (or pastie, depending on the sign) always reminds me of a chicken pot pie. According to Wikipedia, my definitive source, it originated in England, but I always associated it with the Finnish miners of the northern areas of Wisconsin, Minnesota, and Michigan. Michigan makes a strong claim advocating for the "home of" and "pasty capital". 

The miners, at lunchtime with dirty hands, found the pastie they had carried in was still warm, and they could hold it by the crusty edge and discard the crust when finished. I kind of like the crust the best. I believe the part about retaining heat, as I remember from my youth, burning my tongue on the potato chunks in my pot pie. Wikipedia claims it is not just potato chunks, but also rutabagas that provide the starchy chunks. Both Cindy and I prefer the chicken option. 

Muldoons, the store where we found our lunch, claims beef was the original. This makes some sense because I read about many with a preference to top their pastie with ketchup and that makes little sense to me with chicken. 

Grand Marais Splash-in

You can't plan for all of the interesting things you should see. Sometimes you are just sitting in a small-town restaurant, wondering why all the planes are flying overhead, and the waitress tells you it is the Grand Marais Splash-In. Float planes - I heard the word seaplanes too and am not sure if they are the same thing - are important here. After some online research I learned that a seaplane can land on water and a float plane is a version with floats. There are regular flights to Island Royal, remote fishing camps, and some medical emergencies. 

The planes gather yearly so the owners and families can socialize and engage in some friendly competition. The events included a balloon drop, landing accuracy, and water rescue. 

The water rescue was the most entertaining. There is a weighted dummy in the water. The pilot is alone in the plane and must circle, land, turn off the prop, and life the dummy from the water. It is a timed contest with the time starting when the plane touches the water. About half of the participants were successful, with the challenge of overshooting the dummy before the pilot could hop onto the float and grab it. One of the more amusing attempts involved a pilot who had everything lined up perfectly, but he landed into a headwind, and his plane started to float backward when he was a yard or so short of the target. He struggled trying to paddle forward without luck. 

Cheeseburger

 It is Father's Day. We have ventured to Paradise, Michigan. 

I have a stroke of genius, and we begin the search.

Cheeseburger in Paradise. 

Trolls

Cindy saw a picture of a giant troll on a "things to do" Facebook page and found the location so we could take a photo. It was big as advertised, but as I found out a little more, it made this one even more interesting.

Swedish artist Thomas Dambo has created hundreds of trolls throughout the world. His work has two missions. First, you have to be in nature to see his work. Second, he relies entirely on recycled materials. So, he provides these sculptures to encourage an appreciation of nature and a greater emphasis on conservation. His sculptures are placed in forests, parks, and natural settings. 

While looking online, I discovered a map showing the locations of artistic works. My screen capture appears below, but if you use the link you will find that the actual online map is interactive. If you know where we are camping and click the X marking that spot, a small drawing of the troll from the photo I took should appear.