travel with kids – Page 16

It occurred to me today that, having been designated as a Lazy Summer Blogger, I have neglected to bombard you with vacation photos!

We spent the first day of our vacation hiking in the Porcupine Mountains in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. The Ojibwa gave these mountains their name, since to the Native Americans the silhouette of the mountains from afar appeared like a porcupine. The long, high ridges made the Porcupines too expensive and difficult to log, and much of the state park is considered old growth forest.

First stop: Lake of the Clouds

After hiking down to the marsh by the Lake of the Clouds and back up again, we headed to the Presque Isle River Waterfalls. The first waterfall we hiked to was the Manido Falls. The water was low since it was the middle of July, and we were able to do some exploring on the rocks. I loved the ripple effects the water has carved out of the rock over the years.

Manido Falls

Exploring with Lily

Rock Ripples

The next waterfall we saw was Manabezho Falls, the largest waterfall in the Porkies. We then crossed the swinging bridge over to Presque Isle. The rushing water and whirlpools in the river have carved circles in the rock. The Isle is so quiet and peaceful; we could have spent hours exploring. Unfortunately, we were unprepared for spending so much time hiking, and we didn’t have enough water or food with us. We left before we had our fill of this area; it was so beautiful.