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Wednesday, September 20, 2017

One last day...

When we got up the next morning in Manistique we were greeted with a very fogy morning!

This was taken in the front of our hotel.  We took our time leaving as this didn't look like good driving weather!






Bob noticed these cool spiderwebs, beautifully decorated with the morning dew, so I spent a little time outside with the camera.



It started to brighten up and we hit the road.


Our first spot of the day with Kitch-it-kipi or Big Spring.  I had heard of this and seen it listed as a place you had to visit in your lifetime, and after seeing it, I agree!
It's a Spring fed pool that is 40 feet deep.  The Springs put out 10,000 gallons of water per minute and the water is so clear you can see mineral encrusted tree trunks and fish swimming near the bottom.  You can also see that sand at the bottom bubbling where the spring water comes out.  The name means "mirror of heaven" and it came from the Native Americans who lived there.


This is a floating pavilion with the center cut out so you can see down into the pond.  There is a wheel that people take turns on that allows you to go from one side of the pond, to the other.


Here's Bob taking his turn at the wheel.


 Tree trunks near the edge of the pond.



 These are trout near the bottom.  The camera doesn't capture the depth well but they were down deep, probably close to 40 feet.  These were big fish, about a foot long.



Here's a picture looking across the pond.  It shows the color of the water and how you can look through it to the sides.  The pond is not shallow, even on the edges, it gets deep very quickly.
It was really beautiful and if you ever get a chance you have to go here!




Next up was Tahquamenon Falls, about 2 hours north.  It is the second largest Falls in the United States, after Niagara Falls.




It's known for the brown streaks in the water, which comes from tannins from cedar swamps which the river drains.  These are the upper falls.





We did the 96 steps down to get to the viewing platform!  (and of course back up when we were done)



It's an impressive sight and sound too!



We saw touches of Fall showing up in the area.



We then drove about 15 minutes to check out the lower falls, which are not nearly as big, but still a pretty sight.

Then it was time to head south.  After about 1 1/2 hours we came to The Bridge!

Here we are crossing over the famous Mackinac Bridge - it's 5 miles long.


 We stayed in Mackinaw City and came back to the beach in the evening.  The Mackinaw Lighthouse was closed for the day, but I always enjoy seeing it.




Here's the bridge!




And a little different view - the view from below.




I don't know why, but all kinds of kayaks were piled near the bridge.  They made a pretty splash of color.




The sun setting under the bridge.

And that's the end of a wonderful vacation.  We drove about 1200 miles, not counting the miles on the ferry.  We had perfect weather and saw a lot of God's beautiful creation.  We are thankful.

14 comments:

Jean said...

Breathtakingly beautiful, Mari!!! There's something about bridges...

Sandi said...

Ah...serenity!

Changes in the wind said...

You are right...there is such beauty all around us and the last picture was the best.

Sally said...

So beautiful, Mari! I always love seeing a spring; such clear water. We have several here in FL but I've only seen a few.

Happy that you and Bob had such a great vacation, thank you for sharing. :)

xoxo

Ramblings of a Retired Lady said...

It was definitely a fun, interesting vacation. You saw some beautiful sites for sure.

Laura said...

So cool! We'll definitely have to go there sometime!

Laura said...

Also - Ruby says she wants Grandpa to drive her on that boat. :)

Hootin Anni said...

What a great adventure. I love the color of the clear water at the pond taken from the 'other side'. And the clarity...wow.
That bridge is phenomenal...and the sun setting beneath it....stunning.

Those steps to the falls...wow. Awesome Mari.
And one more thing....I love the fog. My favorite 'weather'. And the webs are so cool.

Jenny said...

That Mackinac Bridge is truly something special -- and so was your wonderful vacation. I'd love to take pictures of many of the things you saw. Your dew-spangled cobweb photos are truly great. You should frame them and hang them on your wall. xoxo

Karen said...

I've enjoyed reading your posts this week, Mari. The spider web photo today is just incredibly beautiful. We are going on a road trip to Wisconsin in a couple of weeks. We'll take our time getting there, and will spend our time there with our son and his family. However, you have given me lots of ideas for future trips. I'm taking notes:) We visited Door County on a previous trip, but definitely need to go back and drive further north.

Terri D said...

You certainly did have a lovely vacation! Thanks so much for sharing the beauty with us, Mari.

LL Cool Joe said...

Wow a bridge that's 5 miles long! Amazing. I love the photo of the kayaks. Lovely splash of colour indeed. It looks like a wonderful trip.

Cherdecor said...

You certainly had a beautiful and restful vacation. The Mackinac Bridge is spectacular! Thank you for sharing your pictures with us.

Anonymous said...

Thank you for sharing these amazing pictures. I enjoyed them all! I have returned from a long blog break. Hope your afternoon is a pleasant one.