Jonah 2:9 9) Salvation is of the LORD.
Wednesday 08/18/10 We arise with partly cloudy skies but expect sunshine although the weather forecast is saying rain tonight and tomorrow. After we have eaten breakfast and done all our chores we sit in the chariot and look at the agenda for the day. Something is not right the Blue Book (which is our itiniary from the LORD) tells us that we have reservations in a hotel tonight and we will not be staying in the fortress. We double check the dates and say ‘We will follow the LORD’ and out the chariot we get, and start to pack up. Well a few people who hadn’t met us were looking on as it was obvious we were packing up in rather a hurry as if we knew something that they didn’t. We give our information to Gabby and as we are driving off we get to the edge of the campsite and it starts to rain, and we can almost hear some say ‘ how did these people know this’? The answer = JESUS. We can’t help but laugh as we drive on and the rain stops and blue skies appear, we have beautiful classical music playing and we drive past the yellow fields, ponds and open fields of long grass accompanied by blue sky all the way – GOD is with us HE is showing HIMSELF to us and through us. By the time we reach the Lower Falls we take off our sweaters the wind is gone the sun is warm and we begin our hike. Lots of people all around and we stop and chat with Denise and Steve, they know their LORD and it is good to fellowship and we ask for prayer for Denise’s sister Dana who is in stage 4 of Parkinson’s disease, only the LORD can make things right. We give Denise our information and tell them both that we will keep Dana and their move to Florida in prayer. Denise tells me that the yellow flowers that I have been calling ‘Yellow Wisp’ (my name for them) are actually called ‘Golden Rod’ and we see many on our hike up to the falls. We reach the Lower Falls and they resemble a wedding dress but this time the white wedding dress has brown ‘tannic acid’ throughout, it is because the roots of the Hemlock and Spruce trees lay in the water, hence, tannic acid seeps into the water and this bronze color is present (see photo). The trail takes us along-side the river and again we are in awe at the beauty surrounding us, although a tiny shower of rain brings us back to reality reminding us we are very close to Canada and there are no weather predictions. On our way back I meet Lyndsey and her lovely dog, she is only young and is very interested in going to London one day, her cousin lives in Connecticut and travels to London often. We meet the family that Lyndsey is staying with chat a while and give all of our information ‘ Don’t be left behind’. Driving on to find our hotel we notice that we are now on Lake Superior, which today, is navy blue and gorgeous. We arrive in Munising, Michigan at our hotel and when we open the door to our room on the 3rd floor we have a balcony and the view is … dare I say it ? absolutely breath taking! Lake Superior with green islands dotted throughout – Oh! LORD here is paradise again. We swim in the indoor pool and generally hang around very Blessed and very thankful to Our LORD for HIS amazing Blessings each and every day. During the night I open the patio door for air and notice it is raining a little, I ask the LORD for sunshine for tomorrow’s hike, and I know that whatever HE does will be perfect.
Thursday 08/19/10 Happy, Happy Birthday to darling(s) Cara and Cindy (our Jamies friend) and we pray your day is a special as you both are. Terry steps out onto the patio to take a sunrise photo (see photo) as the sun climbs up the sky above the horizon. Today we are off to ‘Pictured Rocks’ and we drive on a dirt road to get to the beginning of the trail. Rows of bright ‘golden rod’ and some trees already beginning to turn golden/yellow as autumn is just around the corner in these parts, a time of year when the trees get to display such colors as fiery red, golden yellow, burnt orange and many have two or three colors on one leaf, people come from all over the states to see this display – we have seen this amazing display in the Pocono Mountains – it is as if the sun puts a spotlight on the trees and the leaves shine and sparkle and dance in the breeze with silver and gold overtones – the amazing Handiwork of our GOD. Our hike today is level, making it a leisurely 8 miles. It takes us through an open green forest with one bird singing occasionally and after a mile we reach a waterfall which is small and pretty. The next lookout is a mile further on and this one is hard for me to do it justice with simply words, maybe the photos will help. The forest window opens up wide onto the Lake-like-Sea - Lake Superior as EMERALD as ever and it is as if someone turned the page of this HIS-story book ‘ The Bible’ and a stream runs from where we stand onto the beach and sits on the pinkish sand until it is ready to join the Lake-like-Sea - this glassy Emerald Sea., and I am reminded of Rev. 4:3 3) And HE who sat on the throne was like Jasper and Sardis Stone in appearance and there was a rainbow around the throne, in appearance like an Emerald. Two little girls are playing on the beach and they tell us that the water is quite warm (I hear it is 72 degrees – warm) and they tell us that the hike we are on gets even more beautiful, they are just happy to have this amazing sunny day to play in, and what was the weather forecast ? Rain all day, not when the LORD is in charge, HE has given us another hot sunny day to play in also, thank YOU LORD! We climb a little higher and see the masterpieces – this is ‘Pictured Rocks’ (see photo) a formation of rocks that look strangely out of place in Michigan, it seems that we are somewhere like Cancun or maybe Greece on the Mediterranean. These rock formations look like ruins in a sense, and to give you an idea they have been given names like, Grand Portal (see photo), Miners Castle, Chapel Rock, Indian Head, Rainbow Cave and Spray Falls - these are Scenic Wonders. We stand at Chapel Rock and see the first Masterpiece a tree sits atop a rock formation that stands on the Lakes edge it is majestic and strong and the tree has held its ground (pun intended) sitting on top of this unusual formation its root has reached over to the other side of the land – it is not giving up, it is holding on to the ‘Root of Jesse’ – another Name for JESUS – HIMSELF in Isaiah 11:10. We stand at Grand Portal and marvel at this beauty and as we stand in awe the LORD sends an eagle that flies ( in front of us) across from Grand Portal to Chapel Rock, this is the one bird that we had not seen on this journey, yet now, we witness the flight of this eagle – Rev. 4:7 7) … and the fourth living creature was like a flying eagle. The Emerald glassy sea beneath us Rev. 4:6a 6a) A Sea of glass like crystal … and an eagle flying in front of us - Is the LORD speaking to us this morning ? Is HE giving us a prelude of heaven ? In some places where we stand we hear a crashing of waves that bellow through the caves, this is what is known as a ‘Thunder Hole’ and some places where we stand we hear a gentle lapping of this Green Glassy Lake-like-Sea gently caressing these Masterpieces, and all is calm in this afternoon sun as we stand in awe at Lake Superior in Michigan, truly we have seen paradise. Reluctantly, we leave this majesty and hike inland back to our awaiting chariot. The drive back takes us past fields of yellow and lime green these colors cover either side of the road and the country-side beyond with blue sky and NO rain in sight. It seems to me that the rows and rows of ‘golden rod’ along the sides of the road are smiling today as they drink in the warm rays from the sun. We stop for coffee and chat with the two young girls behind the counter, one of the gals tells us that she has lived here all of her life and the weather that they had last week is not normal for these parts – it was 90 degrees all week. She tells us that the water is 72 degrees and that it is greener this year than she has ever seen – GOD’S Own light. Our next stop - an overlook which is part of the Pictured Rocks called ‘Miners Castle’ named by an Englishman. I can see why he named is castle as it stands on the edge of the land and the lake flows around it resembling a moat. Trees grow out of the top of it and as we begin to take it all in we realize we may be on overload there is just too much beauty here. We are Blessed and truly thankful to our LORD as we drive back to the hotel and savor this amazing view from outside our room.
Friday 08/20/10 We leave the hotel in the rain, just like Canada, Michigan has to pay for the beautiful sunny days. We drive most of the day and see the sky begin to get blue, although that changed several times during the day as we head west to ‘Porcupine Mountains State Park’ and will camp at ‘Union Bay Campground’. Oh! that amazing Emerald Green lake-like-sea that we were in awe with yesterday is now very gray, still beautiful, but nothing like it looked yesterday, it is the color of the sky that makes the difference and it is gray today, so the lake is also. We arrive mid afternoon and the sun is shining so we pitch our fortress and the sun goes behind the clouds and it looks like rain, we asked the LORD for sun long enough so we could get all of our bedding in the fortress before it rains, and HE did that for us. Around 4pm we take a 4 mile hike through the forest to Mirror Lake, the day is still cloudy and the lake mirrors that (pun intended) ha ha. We stop for a cup of coffee and start to chat with Grant and Jack who are taking a break from their job in Wisconsin and hiking in this beautiful Michigan. We discussed how we are writing a newsletter and that how we are mesmerized by the Emerald Green Lake-like Sea and that how we had just read about the glassy sea and emerald crystal sea in the Book of Revelation. Grant immediately spoke about his faith and what the LORD has done in his life – he and Jack are Christians. They tell us that they work at a boys home in Wisconsin (the neighboring state) a place called ‘Rawhide’. This home helps juvenile offenders seek a better way of life before they get lost in the prison system, they are like a liaison between the juvenile and the system. Grant and Jack have an amazing opportunity to give the wisdom of the LORD to these kids, although it is not a Christian Company so they have to be wise, but said that the LORD has placed 2 Christians in their unit – praise GOD. These guys were our inspiration for the day knowing that the LORD has us and them right where HE wants us – please pray for the Holy Spirit Power in this boys home and that the LORD would use Grant and Jack for HIS work Ephesians 2:10. Later we visit with Jill and Phil and their two boys, Nathan and Nicholas from Minnesota, we will be in Minnesota in a few days. We also see and visit with lovely Jessica, Mike and their 15 month old son Noah, they are wonderful young people and ask us over in the morning for coffee, Terry threatens that we’ll be there at dawn – yeah right, not even for coffee. The night draws in and we spend a peaceful Blessed night in the fortress, Terry reads from the Book of Micah (Micaiah) and then wins one more time at ‘uno’, I need prayer on that one as I am about 20 games in the negative, but I WILL NOT GIVE UP.
Saturday 08/21/10 We awake to a drizzling looking day in Michigan, but we hear tomorrow is going to be beautiful so we pray for a nice afternoon or evening, and hope that the sun comes early tomorrow. I meet lovely Patti and her daughter Brittany in the restroom. Most people stop to talk to me because of my accent as they think I’m on vacation, and then they are shocked to know that I am American and have lived in America for over 35 yrs. We talk and laugh and I give Patti my information and she is a Christian, I knew she was just by her lovely demeanor, it is so awesome when the LORD shines through a person. I give my information to Patti ,we hug and say farewell and Terry and I take off on our morning hike. It is the Escarpment trail an 8 mile hike up and down the mountain – we are looking for the perfect view of this gorgeous lake. Well it is very misty and we start our hike through the forest, I notice there are no flowers in this forest but much vegetation like lots of red berries (for the animals) and all different shades of green leaves, fern, being the most prevalent. When we climb to our first overlook we see a portion of the lake from which runs a river that has carved its way through the green fields for miles, no emerald today, but gray as the sky is still quite gray. It is a beautiful, refreshing, but rather strenuous hike as it takes us continuously up and down. The next up is an incredible view of the lake and river and as we walk and follow the river for a mile or two we find ourselves way up above – looking down. The hike is very Canadian in that it takes us to the view and allows us to walk a while on level ground looking down at the lush landscape. At the top we now find wildflowers growing, remember those tiny white stars that I have seen before ? as well as yellow ‘golden rods’ they look like pretty maids all in a row mixed in with pretty white daisies. It is cool and damp as we walk on our way back and realize that be had better be very thankful that we saw what we saw earlier as now the wonderful views we had from the overlooks are now covered completely in mist and very little can be seen down below. Our last step of the hike finishes around 4pm and we drive into Ontonogon (yes, I know some of these names are pretty hard to pronounce ) the little town where we stopped for coffee yesterday, and we went back for a coffee. The lady who owns the coffee shop recommended a family restaurant across the street to eat, and since Terry is missing his home cooked dinners that wifey cooks, and hasn’t been eating as well as he should, we went and had a good meal. Our waitress was called away and told us that Cheryl would be helping us when we are finished. I notice a lovely blonde little lady, about my age, helping out and we smile at each-other in passing. The restaurant seems to slow down when Terry and I are just finishing our meal and Cheryl comes up to our table and hears my accent and says “I was just in London, in May, I recognize you have a London accent”, well her mum (the blonde lady) by now was sitting across from us with her friend ‘Bob’ and turned and said to me ”My son loved the Brits, he was in the war in Iraq, and said that when the Americans arrived with no bottles of water, the Brits would help them out and throw them bottles of water, he really liked the Brits” . Her name is Sharon and she tells me that Cheryl, the waitress, is her daughter and that Cheryl only helps out here but drives 3 hours to get here (that is what we call the Mid Western Work Ethic) unheard of in many places “What dedication” . Sharon also said that Cheryl has a B.A. in Business and really would like an administrative position in a decent company but recently she was turned down on getting a job as someone in the company seemed to know someone and bumped her out of getting this job that she really wanted. However, we have seen this before at Agape and the LORD moves in a way that HE knows to be the best way and sometimes we have seen HIM bump the other person out after a few weeks as they didn’t work out and in this case who knows they could call Cheryl back? So we ask for prayer and a miracle for Cheryl and we ask that the LORD JESUS hears us and opens a door that no man can close for her. Sharon then said that her older daughter has a good job but is in D.C. but so wants to be in the Montana area or somewhere closer to home, even back in Michigan would be great so we are also asking for prayer for ‘Christa’ that the LORD grants a move for her, and that she would be happy in her work. Sharon promised me that she would seriously consider going back to church if the LORD provided work for Cheryl and a move for Christa. I had mentioned JESUS to Sharon and she told me that she used to be very involved in the church but has let it all go, that she is embracing the ways of the native Indian more, and I gave her the Scripture 1 Timothy 2:5 5) For there is One GOD and One Mediator between GOD and Man, the Man Christ JESUS. Sharon has been terribly shattered as her 21yr old son ‘Nicholas’ was killed in Iraq. When we hear of a very tragic thing like this there is no answer, but I did say to Sharon that JESUS did not start the Iraq war but man did, that we should know that JESUS has not missed one tear that Sharon has shed HE feels all of the pain and in HIS Word HE says that HE will replace all of her mourning with JOY one day Psalm 30:5. We shared with Sharon how my brother and sister-in-laws only child ‘Nicholas’ went to be with the LORD so young and my brother Jimmy hoping that this may comfort her in some way, knowing that others are and have gone through the same terrible pain that we all wish we could change. We know that the LORD put us there today and it was as if when I hugged Sharon the LORD was hugging her through me, and I kissed her on her forehead just like the LORD was doing that, I could sense HIM saying to her “I LOVE You my daughter, and I feel your pain”. When we left we hugged everyone and Bob, Sharon’s friend is going to contact us on the net and check out the website. Around 7pm, on our way back to the campsite, we stop at an overlook and the sun has successfully pushed its way through the clouds and it is gorgeous. The dark rocks sit out in the water and the water, although, not green looks a silver/gray shining with tiny stars dancing all over it in this evening sun. Eventually, we say goodnight to another wonderful day and Terry beats me one more time at ‘Uno’ I keep telling him “It is NOT skill, it is luck”, he always gets a great hand of cards…excuses, excuses.
Sunday 08/22/10 My dearest brother Jimmy we never will forget you and will meet again. We chat with Jill and Christina, our neighbors, and before leaving we all hold hands and pray for all families, and we ask that you please keep in prayer Jill, Phil, Nathan and Nicholas and Christina, (hubby), Matthew and Colin, and of course our family. Before leaving this beautiful area we take a 1 mile hike to Summit Peak, there is a still-ness in the forest, it is quiet and not one leaf is moving. The hot sun shines on the trees and everything in the forest looks a golden yellow. Summit Peak took us up a lot of stairs to an observation tower and there we look down at the tops of many green trees and the Lake which is way off in the distance. One more hike before we leave and this one takes us to three waterfalls. We walk along the path and see the falls in stages three waterfalls that culminate at the Lake-like-Sea Superior. ‘Nawadaha Falls’ is the first falls that we experience and the water with its bronze tinge (tannin) flows rapidly down stream to ‘Manida Falls’ and here, at the speed of 12,000 gallons per second, the water rushes over the edge of the falls into the ‘Presque Isle River’ taking with it two kinds of Trout and two kinds of Salmon, the only fish in these waters. A telescope sits here available for use, so I look through it and it shows me the water close up, and on the water I see streaks of shining silver and I am reminded of a verse in the Bible that says “now we see through a glass dimly, but then we shall see clearly’ (paraphrase), oh! how I long for heaven. At the third falls ‘Manabezho’ a majestic red rock stands at the entrance of the falls and as the water maneuvers by, to its side, it rushes along the Presque River and gushes over the top of the falls which feeds into an open window that looks onto Lake Superior and there the water becomes calm as if it has finished its duty by bringing 12,000 gallons per second over the falls into this 380 mile long , 160 mile wide and 200+ feet deep Lake Superior. As we walk back we see the trees that sit on their thrones, the Monarchs of the forest, day after day year after year eons after eons, they are indigenous to this ‘neck of the woods’ the Spruce, Hemlock and Green Birch. We say farewell to beautiful, beautiful Michigan and we drive towards Wisconsin and gain another hour back, we are now only 2 hours ahead of our kids in California and 6 hours behind London. We cross the state line and say ‘hello’ to Wisconsin and we notice shorter trees and it looks like more pine trees, and maybe a little dryer looking. We are catching a ferry from Bayfield, Wisconsin over to Madeline Island where we will camp, and it appears that there is a detour, so we drive in a round-about fashion to get there but the sun is shining and we can smell the warm grass as we drive on. We arrive at Bayfield, a gorgeous little town that sits on Lake Superior, lovely houses stand high on hills, coffee shops, bookstores and rows of whatever you have need of is right here. The ferry runs every half an hour and the crossing is only 3 miles to Madeline Island but there is no way of getting there but by ferry. We get in line for the 5:30pm ferry – it is on time and we drive our car on and as we cross the Lake it is calm and blue, and we hear that in the winter months it freezes to two feet of ice and some actually drive on it, not me, and thinking about it ( I sometimes do that – think I mean) this must have been how the bears got on the islands, they can walk over to the islands, however, I am then reminded that bears do swim. Before long we are driving onto ‘Madeline Island’ which is one of the 22 islands named ‘The Apostle Islands’, and no-one can tell us why they call this but the French fur traders (who were predominantly Catholic ) were here and I thought about it and am thinking that it may be named after the apostle Paul as it is singular ‘Apostle’ and he traveled to many islands to preach the Word of the Gospel. I believe that the French priests that used to give the Gospel to the Indians probably named it. This Madeline Island is the home for 220 people and in the summer that number expands dramatically to about 2500. Madeline Cadotte, is the island namesake, she was the daughter of Chief White Crane and married French fur trader Michael Cadotte. The Ojibwe Indians made the island their home for hundreds of years before the Europeans arrived. In 1659, the explorers and fur traders came to Chequamegon Bay and for 150 years it was an outpost for French, British and American fur traders. After the Sault Ste Marie locks were built in 1855 the area became home to many new settlers and like people before them they traveled by water. Passenger and freight ferries criss-crossed the Bay and as railways and roads improved, ferries, except those linking Bayfield and La Pointe, faded into history. In case you’re interested Bayfeild and the Apostle Islands are about 450 miles from Chicago, and 350 from Madison, Wisconsin which is where most of the vacationers come from. Being on the island is reminiscent of being on Prince Edward Island, only much smaller, and as we drive the old country roads and pass by fields of yellow ‘golden rods’ we notice that the trees are now mixed and are bigger again and big enough for the 6 nesting pairs of eagles that inhabit the island. Here we are again in paradise and thanking JESUS as we take an evening hike at ‘Pointe Trail’ where the lake (in part) laps against the red (sandstone) rocks and in part crashes against them (see photo). We retire at dark and are so very, very thankful for ALL our GOD does for us, who are we that YOU would consider us LORD?
Monday 08/23/10 The sun is hot and the birds that we hear this morning are very out of sync, we hear one of each bird chirp which sounds more like the tin pan alley brass band -no symphony orchestra here this morning. I meet Diana in the bathroom and we talk about children and how, if we surrender them to the LORD, it all works out the way HE wants it too, so much better than how we want it to. Diana has a lovely daughter ‘AnnMarie’ and a son who I didn’t meet. We return to ‘Pointe Trail’ to see it properly as it was late last night when we were there. It is called ‘Pointe Trail’ because we are at the point of the island - the sky is a light blue and the Lake-like-Sea is blue with a tinge of green but nothing like the emeralds that we saw in Michigan. The rocks are also different they are slabs of rock that lay at the lakes edge, some alone, some on top of one another a red sandstone, it is similar to ‘Pictured Rocks’ but not quite as dramatic. Today we are taking a boat trip around the Apostle Island so we head back to the ferry depot to get back to Bayfield which is where the boat trip will leave from at 2pm only this time we leave our chariot parked on Madeline Island, and walk on the ferry. At Bayfield we grab a cup of coffee and talk to a few people, then on the boat for 2pm. Once on the boat Terry and I sit as people are still coming on, and one man walks on and on his t. shirt is something about a ‘Bob Dylan’ tour back in the 60’s, I supposed that the man probably worked with him, and we all know that I have always prayed for ole Bobbie. A few minutes later a couple walk on and on his shirt is “JESUS’ and I smile at his wife and tell her “If we have HIM we have life and life more abundantly” both Don and Joy (from Missouri) agreed happily and were encouraged that we were so happy to see JESUS on his shirt and we all knew that JESUS was right there with us. The trip took 2 hours and it went around each of the islands, Madeline being the biggest and Stockton the second largest other than that they are all fairly unutilized, I’m sure that the bear like that. Raspberry island has a wonderful lighthouse that is in operation it stands at the point of the island in its red and white glory. Now off of the tour boat we stand in line for the next ferry and we chat with Natalie who is one of the 220 that live on the island. She tells us that she wrestles and plays soccer and volleyball but she has a problem with her right shoulder ( a blessing that she is left handed) but just like my left arm she said when it ‘catches’ the pain is unbearable and the doctors do not know what it is. Something to do with not having enough muscle, and I have the same problem but this poor girl is only 16yrs old. I told her that we would pray for her as I cannot imagine that she has to go through the same pain that I do (since I exercise it, it is better). Please pray for that the LORD heals Natalie’s shoulder and she doesn’t have to have an operation at her young age. Back on the ferry and we chat with Joanne and Pete who were on the boat tour with us and from Minnesota. It seems they know their LORD but in this neck of the woods they are not evangelistic. Back to Madeline Island we hike the Bay View trail after dinner and watch the evening sun behind us sink beneath the horizon one more time, and one more day is leaving us. I seem to always be in the bathroom when Diana is there (the LORD) so I chat again with her and this time give her our information, she lives in Minnesota and knows her LORD. The moon is full and bright and it is night and I beat Terry at Uno tonight – finally-yeah!
Tuesday 08/24/10 Our fortress comes down and we pack up and eat breakfast at a picnic table in the windy sun by the silver Lake Superior. The leaves seem to be already turning a light red - the wind seems to be slowly ushering in the winter, as the kids get ready to go back to school and the nights draw in quicker now. It is 9:35 am and the next ferry back to Bayfield is 10am so we talk to Emma who is working here and one of the locals that live on Madeline Island. We asked Emma how many kids in the schools and she said primary schools are about 30 to 40 children and middle school she isn’t sure and high school about 20 kids, wow, where the boys and Angie went in Southern California there is 2500 what a different lifestyle. As we talk we all notice that the lake is very choppy due to the wind and on the lake we see a family of ducks and they look so funny, they are staying in the water and literally being tossed to and fro bouncing up and down quite out of control, Terry said that it is their ‘Roller Coaster’ we all wondered why they stayed to be (almost violently) tossed around this way- it was a video clip for candid camera such funny little ducks. We mentioned to Emma that we will be praying for Natalie and I have been (of course, they know each other well). Emma wants to study English Literature and we told her about our Jamie who teaches that subject and gave her our info while bidding farewell. Within 20 minutes we are back at Bayfield, have coffee meet a wonderful family from Thunder Bay, Canada (we will be very close to Thunder Bay this evening at our campground in Minnesota). Our drive is almost 200 miles today and we drive along sunny tree filled roads with the wind blowing the leaves on the trees that shimmer like silver trinkets. Bales of hay are stacked on the many acres of farmland, and soon enough we are saying farewell to Wisconsin and hello to Minnesota and shortly we see Duluth, Minnesota a busy mining, quarry town. We are turning north and heading up to the north shore of Lake Superior in Minnesota which is very close to Canada and probably quite chilly. We stop at ‘Gooseberry Falls’ for a hike and it turns out to be one of the better hikes. We walk first to see the, very busy, water fall’s one lower and one upper. The lower falls are rocky but now we are see much bigger cliff type rocks with trees growing on them, the rock is a darker red rock than Wisconsin and in some cases it is black just like we were seeing in Canada - the volcanic rock. We walk upwards and across a red rust colored bridge, and everything here from gorgeous stone walls to picnic tables were built during the depression by the Civilian Conservation Corps, they got work and did a great job. We pass a very high wall that is built from the red and black rock which just adds to the rustic, rugged beauty of the area. The trail takes us upwards along narrow green paths, everything seems to be neater here just like it is in Canada. We meet a few people on the trail but none that have the time to stop. At the second overlook we look over at the wonderful Lake-like-Sea Superior the color of the lake today is a navy blue, as we stand at the overlook chatting with two ladies from Minnesota an eagle flew by, too quick for Terry to get a photo of, and believe it or not a minute or so later another one flew by, and Terry missed that shot also- where is he? So now we have seen three eagles so far - I thought they glided and swooped more but they flap their wings quite quickly. Another amazing hike into GODS amazing garden and as we read in Revelation 9:4 4) They were commanded not to harm the grass of the earth, or any green thing, or any tree… So all these ‘green peace’ people, who are often believers of the earth and not of JESUS think they are so ahead of everything and everyone, and yet here is GOD the creator of ALL of this beauty and HE says not to harm it – do they know this? We find our campground ‘Temperance River’ and it is quite beautiful, is chillier at night though, and we sense the wind ushering in the winter, we are 72 miles from the Canadian border. We take a late evening walk along the rocky beach where a lighthouse stands (see photo), all is calm and beautiful and as we climb the rocks on the beach we come across a large cross that has been erected at the edge of the lake, this cross is in honor of Father Baraga (see photo). Father Baraga was born in the late 1700’s in Yugoslavia and came to America in 1830 because he had a calling to work with the Indians here. He lived on Madeline Island with the Objibwe tribe and one day he and an Indian guide sailed across to the Temperance River area to familiarize themselves and help the Indians here. Their boat was wrecked in a storm but their lives were saved, and because his life was saved, Father Baraga devoted his life to helping the tribe here at Temperance River. As we stand looking at this cross that faces the silver Lake-like-Sea, all is calm and we thank the LORD for another wonderful week – week 23 now coming to a close we realize we are getting very close to seeing our family again whom we have missed a great deal. We thank all of those that are keeping in touch with us via email, and it is often that we try to respond but get cut off as we are sometimes way out here – thanks for your love and patience - only by HIS Grace are we saved.
P.S.. We learned that Longfellow was inspired by the Northern Michigan Peninsula like “Tahquamenon Falls’ to write his book “The Song of Hiawatha”, so each night after we read the Bible Terry reads me a chapter of this novel and it is heartwarming to listen to having seen all the places that Longfellow mentions.