Editors note: Mary-Jo McLaughlin, Catholic Family Services Coordinator for the Diocese, and her husband, Pat are on a cross-country camping trip this summer. Here she shares some of the beauty and experiences the couple has encountered thus far.
Greetings from Michigan’s Upper Peninsula along Lake Superior, the largest of the Great Lakes. We are 12 days into our cross-country camping trip and have seen an incredible amount of beauty in just a brief time.
The first leg of our journey took us to the impressive and commanding Niagara Falls in New York. The rapids leading into the falls were captivating and reminded us of how transforming the force of water has been to the terrain of our beautiful country. After viewing the falls from every possible angle, including walking across The Rainbow Bridge and observing it from the Canadian side, we ventured out on a 5-mile hike along the Niagara River Gorge. We hiked down 372 steps to a trail along the gorge until we reached flat rocks made smooth over time by flowing water and where we sat watching more rapids flow into a whirlpool. It was a humbling experience to realize how small we are compared to the might of the river’s force.
Our next destination was Toronto, Canada, where we took in the sights and sounds of the city including a Blue Jays game. While we are die-hard Red Sox fans, when in Toronto you root for the Jays, especially when they are in last place. We got the chance to root for the Jays’ George Springer, a UCONN graduate, and former Red Sox player Justin Turner. Unfortunately, the Jays lost to Tampa Bay, but it was a beautiful night, and the dome of the stadium was open. It was ‘$1 hot dog’ night at the park and were astonished as the video board continuously posted the total numbers sold capping out at over 65,500.
Regretfully we left the States without any thought at updating our cellphones so we would have service in Canada. Luckily, we encountered helpful people throughout the day at opportune times who assisted us in finding a public library with Internet to research things to do in Toronto, a place to exchange currency, and a WalMart to purchase an international SIMS card for phone service. God is good all the time!
Our stay in Toronto included a peaceful 18-mile bike ride along the Humber River Trail full of interesting views. Then it was on to Ontario’s Grundy Lake Provincial Park where we discovered there was no potable water in the park. After filling up our water tank at a pump station we headed to our remote campsite where a parade of mosquitos quickly greeted us. Our stay at Grundy Lake afforded us a six-mile bike ride around the park, lovely views of the lake and an early morning hike along a nature path. Returning to our campsite, we were fortunate to see a mother and her family of baby pheasants walk unafraid right in front of us.
Here in the Upper Peninsula, we spent a day at the famed Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore where we beheld breathtaking views of waterfalls and the Pictured Rocks. The Lakeshore, which consists of 73,000 acres, is comprised of two zones, one managed by the National Park Service and an inland buffer zone owned by a mix of federal, state, and private owners. The Pictured Rocks are sandstone cliffs towering between 50-200 feet above Lake Superior. They get their names from the streaks of minerals staining the face of the cliffs in layers of tan, brown, white, green, and blue colors.
Pictures cannot capture the majestic beauty of the rocks, their coloring or formation. Truly the hand of God carved out this impressive scenery for all people to marvel at the grandeur of God’s love for us visible in His creation.
As beautiful as all the sights we have seen thus far have been, the best gift of this trip has been spending quality time with my husband. Whether it has been praying together daily in gratitude for God’s bounty in our lives and the things we have seen, the quiet times shared in each other’s presence around a campfire, or heart-revealing conversations, we marvel at how God’s love continues to embrace us and deepen our sacrament.
By Mary-Jo McLaughlin