Sunday, September 13, 2009

Pictured Rocks National Shoreline




East of Munising is the village of Grand Marais. Just outside of this little town are the Grand Sable Dunes. When Lake Superior was at a higher level after the glacial melt it deposited sand on the shoreline which is now exposed after the lake receded about 11,000 years ago. Give or take a thousand years. Ask a Palo Indian for a exact date. These dunes tower hundreds of feet on a extreme angle down to the lake. People do hike down for a swim but the hike back up is a killer.
Takes about a hour reported one adventurous soul. I elected to stay at the top as it was 85 degrees and humid. To the west is Sable Light on a wooded point. Down the road a few miles was Sable Falls which had three tiers. Hot tourists had to get into the falls with great care because there was slippery algae on rocks. This area was fantastic and off the beaten path. Just inland from the Dunes was Sable Lake. A nice place for fishing or a swim. Grand Marais is very small but had a few motels and a very nice harbor. I must return for some hiking and exploring someday.

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