Like they say…Happiness is in the journey….not at the end of the road. We did indeed have a wonderful journey, stopping many times to “smell the roses” and savor the surroundings. However, when the end of the road is Home, that is pretty special too!
GREAT LAKES FUN FACTS
They are the largest group of freshwater lakes in the world by area and have sea-like characteristics such as rolling waves, strong currents, miles of sandy and rocky beaches, and distant horizons.
. span a shoreline of over 10,000 miles
. contain 84% of North America’s surface fresh water
. house about 21% of the world’s supply of surface fresh water
. Cover a total surface area of 94,250 square miles
Fun fact about Lake Ontario: Lake Ontario is similar to Lake Erie when measured by length and breadth, but because it is deeper Lake Ontario holds almost four times the volume of Lake Erie.
Fun fact about Lake Erie: Lake Erie is the smallest Great Lake when measured by volume and it is also exposed to the greatest effects from urbanization and agriculture.
Fun fact about Lake Huron: Lake Huron is hydrologically inseparable from Lake Michigan. They are connected by the 5 mile-wide Straits of Mackinac. Because, hydrologically, the two lakes are the same body of water, they could technically be considered one lake—Lake Michigan-Huron (at 72,700 square miles) the largest freshwater lake in the world.
Fun fact about Lake Michigan: Lake Michigan is the only Great Lake contained entirely within the U.S.
Fun fact about Lake Superior: Lake Superior is the largest of the Great Lakes and has the largest surface area of any freshwater lake in the world. It is fed by more than 200 rivers, which give it enough volume to cover both North and South America to a depth of one foot and waves more than 40 feet high. Its surface area is equal to Massachusetts, Connecticut, Rhode Island, Vermont and New Hampshire combined.
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 a boat that called itself “Queen of the Lakes”. Superior loves irony…the first recorded wreck, in 1816, was called “the Invincible”.
