Bliss

"By the shores of Gitche Gumee,

By the shining Big-Sea Water..."

(Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, "The Song of Hiawatha", 1855)

 

Longfellow is one of America's most famous poets. Many phrases today are used in common conversation, without knowing that they originated in his poetry. Two famous examples: "... ships that pass in the night...", and "like footprints in the sands of time...".

 

Gitche Gumee is Lake Superior, the largest fresh-water lake in the world. Like many location names in Michigan, Gitche Gumee is believed to be derived from the Ojibwe (Native American tribe) word that some translate to mean "Great Water". An alternative name is "Kitchi Gami".

 

The location of this picture is on the Southern shore of Lake Superior, an 8-hour drive from my home in Southeast Michigan. It's the general area that Longfellow described in his famous poem.

 

I stood on the empty, natural sand beach/shore and looked into the massive, empty sea, feeling alone and very at peace. Bliss.

 

Some facts:

Length: 350 miles (560 km)

Width: 160 miles (260 km)

Surface area: 31.700 sq.mi (82,100 sq.km)

Max. depth: 1333 ft (406m)

Shoreline (not including islands): 1729 mi. (2783 km)

 

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lake_Superior

 

 

Done