• Friday-What'sUP May 16 - 11:50 am

Today we go on another U.P. adventure courtesy of Brenda Leigh. This time we're at Grand Marais, with her and a couple of friends. They started with checking out the information boards and the display showing the large wheels that were invented to help loggers extend the season year round. Here in the U.P. most logging was already done in the winter months, but this invention helped to move the logs around, from what I can gather off the info board.

After that, they checked out the Log Slide. One of Brenda's friends had never been at there before and wanted to go down to the bottom of the Log Slide. She was skeptical as to whether they would follow her down, but Brenda assured her they would and they did. She said it takes about five minutes to get to the bottom and about an hour to climb back up. Brenda admitted that it's a tough climb back up, but doing it with friends made it much more fun.

The view from atop the Log Slide is outstanding, as you can see from Brenda's photos. They also show the ice still floating around Lake Superior on the eastern end, too. If you look close in the fifth photo, you can see the Au Sable Lighthouse out there on the second point. Stay tuned for tomorrow's Pasty Cam, where we'll join Brenda after their hike to the light.

Great pix and I must admit that if I climbed down that hill, the bottom would be my new home because I don't think I would make it back up to the top :-(

I can see why you took an hour to get back up. Climbing up a sand hill is one of the worst things ever for old legs. Not that yours are old.
Mine are!
I would not be tempted to even try.
The view from the top, that you captured beautifully, would be just fine for me.

I'm with Alex on all counts. I'd NEVER get back
up unless somebody was at the top pulling me back.
Looks like a fun adventure.

The last time I was at the Log Slide Nat and I did not go down, but in previous trips I have been down to the shoreline and Brenda is correct in that it is a heck of climb back up. One of the times I was there, it was smooth sailing down until we got to the bottom and discovered an 8 ft. drop to the shoreline; erosion had cut a small cliff into the dunes. Another time we walked along the shoreline to the east a ways and found a small stream so we hiked up that and found that it disappeared into the dunes. What made it interesting is that where it was exposed, there were plenty of neat rocks along the way. Another tidbit: not too far away from the Log Slide is an area of the Sable Dunes called the "ghost forest" where the remnants of trees dating back to the glaciers are exposed. Some of them are still vertical as well, adding to the spookyness of the area.

Very neat pictures. Thanks for sharing the adventure.
That is what I call a set of wheels. I visited that place a couple years ago and I must confess that the thought of going to the bottom never crossed my mind, even fleetingly.

Despite warning signs, the Rangers at Sleeping
Bear Sand Dunes say they have to arrange three or
four helicopter rescues per season, and it is not
cheap.

Thank you for the pics and the adventure....NO WAY
would that be an option....WOWOW...Alex..put up an
apartment building for starters....there's gonna be a
pack of us down there with you! Brenda and friends
will have to be our "gofers!"

FABULOUS pictures!

I agree with Alex. You'd just have to toss down some supplies
ever once in a while, because I'd never get back up. :)

Altho it's been quite a few years now, this area is one of my favorites!!!! I hate to tell people about Grand Mariea it's sorta my secret want-to-live there. Such a unique little town and it has a marvelous township campgrounds! Tried to get my hubby to set me up and then leave me there til winter :>) This is my mental retreat when I meditate.I still would love to do so! Saw the Log Slide from a distance. Just walking the beach near the campground in that wonderful sand could get my old legs cramping. Sigh...if only I could have sayed there. I even know how to find some great blueberry fields to pick for the freezer.

One of the best wild blueberry patches I have ever found is not too far from this spot... YUM!