The Great Lakes

We have left the Allegheny Mountains and made it to the Empire State. We are camping on the shores of Lake Erie at a state park that bears the lake’s name. The Great Lakes are, from west to east, Superior, Michigan, Erie, Huron and Ontario. Before this trip ends we will have camped on the shores of all five. These five lakes hold 84% of America’s fresh surface water and 21% of the worlds. They are really big! When you walk along the shoreline, it feels like you are at the ocean. There are even lighthouses along the shore to guide vessels on the lake.

Lake Erie is a part of Mark’s childhood memories. He lived in this area until he was 12 years old. The lake was terribly polluted when his family moved, in the late 60’s. Thankfully, a lot has been done, since then, to clean up the lake and surrounding rivers. Lots of places seem a bit worse for wear when revisited after time spent away. It’s encouraging to see that an older Lake Erie is a better one.