Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore

We continued down Route 123 to 28 and followed that West into Munising.

Munising is where we planned on spending the night, so we figured it would be a good idea to establish where to stay, and then go back out till nightfall and dinner.

The Superior Motel looked as good as any, so we checked in, and dropped some gear in our room.

The room was a step up for us, compared to the last few nights, and not too pricey after splitting the cost.
 

The "UP NORTH" motif was a nice touch also and stayed in the spirit of the ride.
 

    

There were a few Lighthouses in the area I wanted to check out, but first we would run up to Miners Castle in Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore.

Dusk would be here soon, so I wanted to be sure to visit this place in person, as I have seen many incredible photos of it.


This place of beauty was authorized as the nation's first National Lakeshore in 1966.

Measured by surface area, Lake Superior is the largest freshwater lake in the world.

If drained, the water would fill a swimming pool the size of the lower 48 states to a depth of nearly five feet !



Just about 35 miles north of here the lake is at it's deepest - at 1,300 feet.

The sky was amazing and kept changing and shifting the whole time we were there, as dusk was slowly trying to settle in.

Our pictures were picking up different shades of light and darkness with every shot.

The forest floor had a soft and magical look to it.



The name pictured rocks comes from the streaks of mineral stain that decorate the face of the sculpted cliffs.

The ramparts of the cliffs are composed of 500-million-year-old Cambrian sandstone of the Munising Formation.

Streaks on the cliffs occur when groundwater oozes out of cracks.

The dripping water contains iron, manganese, limonite, copper, and other minerals that leave behind a colorful stain as the water trickles down the cliff face.