October 6, 2007

• Swimming in the Temperance River

  I never wrote my third North Shore blog from July. The pictures have
  been in my photo blog for quite awhile, but I do still want to put them
  up, so here’s my last “How I Spent My Summer Vacation” blog.

  One
  of the things that we really enjoy when we go up to the North Shore is
  swimming. There is a lovely beach area at the Temperance River where it
  empties into Lake Superior. The water is warm, and although the beach
  is pebbles instead of sand, it’s a large and comfortable area. The kids
  always have a good time there. Unfortunately, I did not have a camera
  along when we swam there this year, but I did have it when we hiked the
  falls area of the river.

  These pictures are of an area upriver above the falls that bring the water down to the lake.  It’s quite a climb, as you can see here.  That’s Dan, Andy, and Matt helping Jake and Ryan climb.  Madison must have gone on ahead.  Betsy, Jess, and I took an easier path because we had Will.  At one year old, he has to be carried on hikes.  Did you know that other hikers look at you strangely when you are carrying a baby?

  

  It takes a good half hour or forty-five minutes to climb above the falls, but once you are up there, the water is calm and fairly shallow in most places.  Here’s Dan in the first picture and Ryan, Jake and Andy in the second walking in the river.
  

  

  

  Here are all 4 kids getting ready to “get wet.”
  

  

  Will likes the water.  Everybody else waded across to the other side of the river, but even though it is shallow, it was too deep for Will to wade, so he got left behind with me.  He was a little disappointed because he likes to be with his brother and cousins, but he decided to play happily anyway.

  

  There are some areas of shallow rapids that are fun for the bigger kids.
  

  

  

  There are also some nice, flat rocks for those times when you need a little break or just a little sun.

  

  Dan and Andy had to be constantly on the alert, though, because this was just below the area where the kids were swimming:
  

  

  That’s only the beginning of a long series of rocky and progressively steeper waterfalls that carry the river down to Lake Superior.  It’s lovely to look at,  but you wouldn’t want to slip over it!

  That’s our day at the Temperance River.  I highly recommend it if you have a chance to visit the North Shore.

  • 1:22 pm
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