Wednesday, August 26, 2015

GRAND TOUR CRUISE OF THE APOSTLE ISLANDS

 We took the Grand Tour 3 1/4  hour  cruise of the Apostle Islands  on Mon. Aug. 17 on the Superior Princess. We arrived at the dock sufficiently early to get seating on the upper open deck. The ship is powered by two John Deere diesel engines rated at 600 hp each. I was surprised that 90% of the  seats for passengers were filled. 

Camera used is a Canon Power Shot SX150 IS.

 

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As we left the breakwater area the forest of masts in the harbor is in the background.  The ship’s crew was young – even the captain was well under 25.

 

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The  brownstone blocks were quarried on Hermit Island but never shipped.

Blocks from the quarry were used in buildings as as afar away as Buffalo NY, we were told.

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Lichens and chemicals have stained these rocks. Birds are responsible for the white areas on the rocks below.

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Sea kayaks are popular modes of transportation among the islands.

 

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Erosion has left a few of these standing rocks on Basswood Island. 

 

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This fishing camp on Manitou Island was the camp in best condition when the Lakeshore took over the Apostle Islands so was preserved as an example of the many island fishing camps. A volunteer stays here to greet and guide the occasional visitor who arrives on his own boat for sightseeing or camping. Brown bears inhabit several of the islands and easily can swim to the others.

 

Devils Island was the northernmost and the most spectacular of the 20 some odd islands.The day was quite overcast, but the sun came out a bit as we reached the northern part of the island, bringing out the colors of the eroded rocks.

 

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The sea caves present grotesque forms with  columns and arches.

 

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Lighthouse and tender house on Raspberry Island. The riprap was installed to stop erosion of the shoreline.

Three are 9 lighthouses in the Lakeshore, all automated and run by the Coast Guard.

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