ADAM HAYDOCK

Last stop of the trip we checked out Bond Falls State park in Michigan which was a impressive waterfall for Michigan standards. The waterfall itself is fed by a dam that was made by the city to control the flow of water and preserve a small lake for people to enjoy. 

We meandered around the falls and climbed up side to get to the top of the falls.  I was considering climbing these falls but with all the people around and the slippery rock, I decided to stay dry so I didn't give anyone any bad ideas.

This was a beautiful waterfall with a impressive flow

Afterwards we took off and headed back to Chicago.  we kayaked 56 miles in two days while visiting 11 islands, 3 of which had sea caves, we hiked around 5 miles, and got to visit 4 waterfalls.  Not bad for a long holiday weekend in Michigan's U.P.!!!

After Leaving the Presque Isle River we went to visit the superior Trail and venture over to lake in the clouds to see the vistas and the kettle lake left by a glacier from the last ice age.

  The Superior trail is interesting as it takes you up to various vistas that overlook Lake Superior and the valleys below.  The section of the trail that we were on appeared to be pretty typical but reminded me a bit of Alabama with the rolling hills and the vegetation surrounding encapsulating the region.  The lake in the Clouds was a lot more scenic than I thought

It was very touristy and set up with concrete walkways and a large parking lot full of weekenders but the view of Mirror Lake was spectacular.  We walked around thinking about how this was a clear cut example of glacier erosion and how interesting this destination can be when the leaves are changing in the fall.

I can see why this is a choice location for people on vacation and sites seeing but if you can just get a bit off the beaten path you can nestle yourself in a nice little spot away from the tourists and enjoy the dry fresh pine smell, the warm summer weather and the valley winds of Lake in the Clouds.




Devil's Island Apostle Islands National Lakeshore

The sandstone of the Apostle Islands were deposited during the late Precambrian era, about one billion years ago, and form the basement rock for all the islands. The upper and lower layers are in the Precambrian Bayfield Group and were deposited by streams. The Devils Island Formation, between the sandstones, shows how sand-flats that were covered by shallow ponded water.  Terraces, wave-cut benches, and elevated beaches show evidence of higher levels of Lake Superior. High bluffs and glacial drift erode to provide sand for today's sandspits and cuspate forelands. The Apostles were glaciated repeatedly, with the most recent glaciation was by the Vanders Ice Lobe approximately 12,000 years ago. Following these extreme periods of rising lake levels controlled by land rebound, the Apostles were separated from the peninsula to form the archipelago. Above the bedrock there are regionally rare habitats that exist in the lakeshore. These habitats include old growth forests.

We loaded the kayak and set out by heading northeast toward Raspberry Island than to make the crossing to Oak Island which is where the first campsite was located.  The wind was with us as we paddled over 1 and 2 ft. waves aiming right for the lighthouse on Raspberry Island.  It was an adjustment that we had to go through to prepare ourselves with being on the water for 5 days but working as a team, we were able to make it to the first stop on the beach of Raspberry Island

Raspberry Island Apostle Islands National Lake shore

 Thankfully the waters started to lay down for us especially when we rounded the bend of the island so it went from 2ft. waves to calm conditions. 

Raspberry Island Apostle Islands National Lake shore

 It was delightful to see the calm waters and enjoy the sun before setting a course for Oak Island where the first campsite was.


Trail to the overlook point on Oak Island Apostle Islands National Lake shore

 After making the hike up to the opening, we were able to see just about every island on our route which was a bit of foresight into our future as we overlooked our journey for the following day.

At the overlook look out towards Raspberry Island Apostle Islands National Lake shore

 We started back to camp before dark and encountered some interesting mushrooms and fern plants growing right next to the trail

Mushrooms growing on Oak Island Apostle Islands National Lake shore

Small interesting ferns on Oak Island Apostle Islands National Lake shore

Once we reached camp and had dinner, it was lights out for us as driving through the night and getting a couple hours of car sleep along with a kayak rescue class and kayaking out to oak island from sand point made for a long day.  We decided to gets lots of rest so we could wake up early and get back on the water.

Oak Island Apostle Islands National Lake shore

We woke up the following day and decided to head out to Manitou Island and go counter clockwise to reach various islands along the way. 


Manitou Island Apostle Islands National Lake shore

We made our crossing over to Manitou Island and noticed a little settlement which was set up next to a dock.  We docked the kayak and walked around the cabins which had a display of items used over 100 years ago.


Settlement house Manitou Island Apostle Islands National Lake shore

Settlement house Apostle Islands National Lake shore

 After walking around a bit and taking a break from paddling we got back on the water and went around the leeward side of the island to avoid the wind and waves which allowed us to have calm conditions on the water.  We noticed the large Stockton Island to our right but figured that we would not have enough time to check that island out.

Looking back at Oak Island from Manitou Island Apostle Islands National Lake shore

 We continued around and up Manitou island until we got to sea cave to take the kayak into which was fun.  Afterwards we stopped on a bunch of rocks and had lunch while enjoying the island views and the super cold 45 degree water we jumped into.

Manitou Island Sea Cave Apostle Islands National Lake shore

 It was a beautiful day and we couldn't have asked for better conditions on the lake.  The islands also created a barrier of sorts that wouldn't allow the light winds to pick up waves enough to create rough seas as the waves would break on another island before gathering momentum.

taking a break on Manitou Island Apostle Islands National Lake shore

After lunch we made a B line towards Ironwood Island which was another island that had  similar features as the other islands without the sea caves we have encountered.  After that, we set a course for the south west section of Ironwood Island so we could make our next crossing over to South Twin Island.

Ironwood Island Apostle Islands National Lake shore

 We set our course and made it over to South Twin Island for some relaxation and another meal to ensure we are staying energized on this kayak trip.  Rocky Island is right next to South Twin which made for super calm water conditions on this warm sunny day

South Twin Island Apostle Islands National Lake shore

Just to the west of us Rocky Island acted as a barrier to South Twin Island which made conditions even more enjoyable.

South Twin Island Apostle Islands National Lake shore

South Twin Island Apostle Islands National Lake shore

After South Twin, we set a course for Otter Island passing right along Rocky Island on the way.  We wanted to make sure we stayed away from Otter Islands shore as there is a summer restriction to help protect the birds.

Apostle Islands National Lake shore

Devils Island Apostle Islands National Lake shore

Bear Island looking at devils island on Apostle Islands National Lake shore

Old boat on Bear Island Apostle Islands National Lake shore

At times walking through the woods you could hear the mosquito's along with smelling the fresh pine.

Bear Island Apostle Islands National Lake shore

After swimming through the Sea Caverns near the shore bay of Bear Island we got back on the kayak for what will be one of the longest days of Kayaking we have ever done.   We set a course by going north on the east side of Bear Island to cross over to York Island.  The sea caves on the north side of Bear Island were also pretty interesting to check out.

Bear Island Apostle Islands National Lake shore

They were not as plentiful as they were on Devil's Island but they had their own unique twist to them.


Bear Island Apostle Islands National Lake shore

After reaching our point on Bear Island it was time to make a B line to York Island which is a small island near the mainland.  This Island crossing had the last large exposed crossing of the trip and the conditions were warm and calm on Lake Superior.  The Lake was mysteriously calm on this trip.



York Island Apostle Islands National Lake shore

Sand Island Apostle Islands National Lake shore

Sand Island is near the mainland so companies take people out on half day trips to see these sea caves which caused some traffic backups here and there but soon enough cleared up for us to go through.  Once they worked themselves through we were able to take our time and meander through these beautiful Sea Caves.

Sand Island Apostle Islands National Lake shore

The Sandstone was a bit different on sand island as it was more of a monotone red in the majority the features but with spots of a cream color white embedded with the red which IMO made these sea caves different than the other ones on Apostle Islands.

Sand Island Apostle Islands National Lake shore

In some sections of the sea caves, we were able to stay connected and continuously weave through the honeycomb caverns which seem to connect to one another. 

Sand Island Apostle Islands National Lake shore

We stopped for a bit to get out and swim around through the sea caves and continue to take close up pictures of these features while the occasional kayaker came by wondering if we were OK.



Sand Island Apostle Islands National Lake shore

when we got into the cavern, the stratified rock appeared to have different colors of reds and basalt stones embedded into the sandstone depicting ancient lava activity as described from previous research on the region.


Sand Island Apostle Islands National Lake shore

I was amazed to see these rock formations and how they seem to be comparable to Utah slot canyon and Arch formations.  The waters were still a brisk 45 degrees but the wetsuits that we had on helped out a lot.

Sand Island Apostle Islands National Lake shore

After working our way from the sea caves, we headed south to the tip of Sand Island and made our last crossing to the mainland.  The winds were with us and after another hour we made it to the mainland shore line.  Now we had the task of kayaking to the Cornucopia's before the thunderstorm.  Across the lake the clouds started to look dim and the sun began to disappear behind the cloud front which was slowly brewing a thunderstorm. We took a break and headed south down the mainland shore line for a few miles until we started to get to the mainland sea caves.


mainland Sea Caves  Apostle Islands National Lake shore

We passed by a series of tall cliffs containing some sea caves until we got to a bay with the famous balancing rock

Mainland Sea Caves Apostle Islands National Lake shore

We continued down the mainland sea caves section and some of the sea caves started to become more familiar as I have been here in the past and remember going through this section.

Mainland Sea Caves Apostle Islands National Lake shore

The clouds started to creep a bit closer but we were making progress while enjoying our glide down the shore cliffs.  Kayaking through some of the water worked arch formations and admiring the dug out caverns appear to be a work in progress as debris from above came rolling down at times. The hanging gardens, moss, tell me that this place is still active especially when the waves are strong and ice is abound.
We continued to work through and under natural bridges as we started to wrap up the end of the trip and make our last push across the bay
As the sea caves started to end the winds picked up and the thunderstorm was starting to gain some momentum.  I saw lightening strike across the lake and knew we had to make a push for the last point if we wanted to make it off the water in time.


We paddled and pushed hard to get across the last bay and onto the tip where cornucopia's take out was located.  Initially, we were going to be picked up at Little Sand bay on Sunday but we finished our route and even took on more to get to where we are now so we could enjoy some of the other features Michigan had like the lake in the clouds, different waterfalls, and the superior trail. We bend around the last section and our destination is in site. The waves started to develop and we soon found ourselves into the wind with 1s and 2s at 1 to 2 sec troughs. The rain can be seen falling out on the lake from a distance but that distance was shrinking as the storm moved closer to us.  The shoreline became more defined and eventually we made it to the harbor and break the shoreline just as it started to rain.  In a matter of two in a half days we traveled 56 miles, hiked 5 miles, and visited 11 islands with a tandem kayak.  That was a great workout and a nice adventure on the great lakes.  We were amazed to see how pleasant the conditions were for us and how we just barely missed the clouds and the thunderstorms.  The following day they had 2-4 ft waves and thunderstorms in the area so we were lucky to finish when we did.


 APOSTLE ISLANDS MORE PICS: https://www.flickr.com/photos/exploration-worldwide/sets/72157645156849528/

WISCONSIN WATERFALLS: https://www.flickr.com/photos/exploration-worldwide/sets/72157633351859726/


SHIPWRECKS OF THE APOSTLE ISLANDS: https://www.flickr.com/photos/exploration-worldwide/sets/72157633273034234/