2014 Big Truck across the NW, Day 2

The day started with a quick bike ride from the trailhead I had scouted last night. I was expecting some tough trails - what I got was a beatdown. In the first 100 yards I was already off the bike walking the hill. Baby head sized rocks mixed with wet roots and steep inclines made for quite a workout. A couple of miles of this

Led to this

Then a descent down this, which left me with a near glowing brake rotor and just a little bit of terror at not knowing the trail while going over 32mph.

Once I got back we decided to head up to Lake of the Clouds, then Presque Isle scenic area.  Jordan and I had to get in a quick round of 'attack the awning pull down strap thingy as though you were a ninja' (our game needs a more catchy name), during which she manged to injure her armpit.

After some brief pit-triage (not a lot you can do there, and I'm definitely not kissing that ouwie, and I'm sure that's not how that is spelled), we loaded up the Jeep and headed up to Lake of the Clouds. On the way, we ran into a group of Harleys, likely headed to Bike Week in Sturgis - either that or a costume party, or possibly a Village People concert. Whenever they were headed, it is certain that it will take a long time and involve lots of revving the air cooled engine to save lives at stoplights.

Once we got there, Jordan spent a nanosecond acting interested (captured below)

before breaking into full rock climbing mode. That would dominate the rest of the day, except for this brief Wall-E impression.

We did get to see what we came for, and it's pretty cool. We did learn that it's only 15 feet deep, and figured out what 'escarpment' means. You'll have to look it up or drive all the way up here.

From there we headed out to the Presque Isle River to see some waterfalls.  Once we got there, we decided to do a little hike out to the mouth of the river, and on the way we got to cross this little suspension bridge.

The trail led us out to Lake Superior, where an impromptu rock-skipping contest broke out. The winner was pretty clear cut, especially after I picked out a 1lb rock for her.

Next we went for a quick beach-themed selfie, which was ruined by the sheer size of my dome.

 

It is a pretty cool spot, very remote with great views of Superior.

We headed back toward the waterfalls, following Jordan as our trail guide. She prefers the more challenging routes.

Along with some mid-hike tomfoolery,

we saw 3 official waterfalls plus countless smaller ones and a bunch of rapids. The water looked like someone had dropped a million or so of these in it.

3 waterfalls and almost 500' of elevation change later (yeah, I'm one of those GPS dorks), we had completed the hike and it was time to head back toward the campsite. Here's Jordan doing her best Hannibal Smith.

We made one final stop at a place called 'overlooked falls', and it was apparent that it was time to call it a day. It was cooling off quickly, as was our child's patience. We did manage a quick stroll to check it out before previews of a meltdown told us to wrap it up.

Finally, back at the campsite, we took a break to grab some snacks, and Jordan decided to do her gymnastics tricks on the overhead bunk with one hand while crushing a yogurt smoothie with the other one. The result was not dissimilar from this.

We are now in the middle of some light rain, with possibly more on the way

so we may be laying low and calling it a night soon. Tomorrow brings an early departure, and many miles to try to get close to Teddy Roosevelt NP so we can grab a site there early Wednesday.

Tonight's blog brought to you by Brewery Vivant's Undertaker, which while delicious, will never compare to the original.