![[Lake scene drawing]](http://images.midwestweekend.com/graphics/lake_scene.gif)
Along Michigan's Pictured Rocks, there's no such thing as a bad view.
White sandstone cliffs line nearly 40 miles of national lakeshore, the nation's first when it was created in 1966. Named for the colorful swishes and whorls painted by mineral-laden water oozing through cracks, Pictured Rocks draws tourists from around the world.
This part of Michigan is inconveniently distant for tourists from big cities; Detroit is closer to Charleston, W.V., than Munising. But it may be just distant enough. Munising, 45 minutes east of Marquette, is an unremarkable town, but it sits in a remarkable setting that would be mobbed if it were any closer.
In November 1905, the people of Minnesota saw Lake Superior at its most malevolent.
As dozens of ships left Duluth-Superior Harbor in the calm after a violent storm, an even worse storm hit, with blinding snow
and winds of more than 60 mph. The 4,840-ton steel steamer Mataafa turned back and, just as it was about to slip into the
harbor entry, was lifted by a giant wave, upended and smashed into first one concrete pierhead, then the other.
Another wave whirled the 430-foot boat around and grounded it 600 feet off the beach, where mountainous waves cleaved its stern from its bow.
At the top of Lake Superior, there's a dramatic coast lined with rugged cliffs, cobblestone beaches and islands.
It's the home of Parks Canada's new Lake Superior National Marine Conservation Area, created last October to protect the waters
between the Sibley Peninsula, east of Thunder Bay, and the Slate Islands, off Terrace Bay.
The many islands are big, much like the Apostles in Wisconsin except closer together. That makes them ideal for kayaking. The
Slate archipelago, where caribou live, attracts serious kayakers. But the Rossport Islands are perfect for any paddler.
When it rains on Isle Royale, you just have to soak it up.
Moisture comes with the territory in Lake Superior's northern reaches. No one comes here for the weather, despite early advertising that called it a "Summertime 'Bermuda' Paradise."
Bermuda it's not. But paradise? It depends on how you look at it.
There's a staggering number of things to do and see on Lake Superior. But if you have only a week's vacation, you can see the
highlights on this nine-day, eight-night Circle Tour. For more planning help, see Planning the perfect Circle Tour.
Duluth to Thunder Bay, 113 miles: Readers of Lake Superior magazine have voted Minnesota's North Shore their No. 1 favorite for the last four years, and Duluth was No. 2 for two years before falling to No. 3 in 2008.
With Lake Superior rarely out of sight, it's everyone's favorite drive. Stop to watch boats on Duluth's Canal Park. See Gooseberry Falls, visit Split Rock Lighthouse and take a run down the Alpine Slide on Lutsen Mountains.
Of all the Great Lakes, Superior is the drama queen.
It's unpredictable and petulant, throwing tantrums that threaten to swallow any boat that ventures onto its waters. In 1975, it famously swallowed one that itself was called Queen of the Lakes.
Superior loves irony, it seems. The first recorded wreck, in 1816, was called the Invincible.
Of all the vacations a person can take in this region, a Circle Tour of Lake Superior may be the best.
It appeals to waterfall watchers, lighthouse fans and history buffs. It's a magnet for kayakers and hikers. It makes a great honeymoon and also a great family trip, because small children adore the many pebble beaches.
You can do it in a car or a motorcycle; you can camp or stay in motels. It’s all things to all people, the perfect vacation for anyone who loves the outdoors.