Once again, we’re underway. We passed under the lift bridge and made our way north on the Portage Canal.
Coming around a bend, we quickly hugged the shore to stay out of the way of Ctetia, a cruise ship we had seen docked in Houghton a few days ago.
The North Entry Light marks the entrance to Lake Superior. We then traveled a little over 70 nautical miles to our next port, the Black River.
This harbor is very difficult to pick out of the surrounding hills. The recommended visual clue is the Copper Peak Ski Jump, on top of the highest hill, and visible from over 35 miles out!
The Black River Harbor is within the Ottawa National Forest. It is a small harbor, well protected, about 12 miles north of Bessemer.
The US Forest Service has done a nice job of developing the recreational area, with campgrounds and picnic areas in addition to the harbor. There are a number of trails leading to impressive high overlooks of Lake Superior. Other trails lead inland on both sides of the river to a series of five beautiful waterfalls.
This suspension footbridge leads over the Black River, where the path takes us through a virgin timber stand.
These giant pines are part of the remains of the large forest that once covered the entire southern shore of Lake Superior.
Rainbow Falls is the first of the series of falls. It cascades 45 feet to the rocks below.
In the heavy shadows of this pine, you can see how small Jerry is.
On the opposite side of the river, we got a good view of Monarch.
The bridge, built in the 1960s, is supported by huge timbers, and sways slightly when crossed.
Back aboard Monarch, the evening shadows came early, as the high forested hills hid the sun. After our hike up and down the steep hills, we were hungry for dinner and pleasantly weary for a peaceful night’s sleep.
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