TAHQUAMENON FALLS

Friday, July 17 – We are a bit behind in our posting. We have been in Belleville, right outside Dearborn, since Saturday, to do some more sightseeing. We leave here on tomorrow, Tuesday, and head for Ohio.

After collecting the Petoskey stones, we headed to Tahquamenon Falls. There are two falls in this state park and yes, Michigan was sure to collect a $9 entry fee to walk out and see the falls. They even wanted an additional $19 if you wanted to ride the shuttle bus the 4 miles between the falls – we drove our truck!

You can get a very good view of the two smaller lower falls by doing a short walk.  After parking you can choose to walk a mile nature trail (the option we chose) to the viewing trail or stay on the paved sidewalk to the falls.

Nature trail.

Paved sidewalk.

More than a half million people visit the Tahquamenon Falls every summer, making it the number one state park in the Upper Peninsula. We were amazed at the number of people visiting the Falls on the misty, rainy day. We wondered what the crowds would be like on a sunny day.

Due to the rainy conditions, we didn’t get a clear look at the lower falls.

The Upper Falls is the one of the largest waterfalls east of the Mississippi River next to the Niagara Falls.

It drops approximately 50 feet and are about 200 feet across, with a flow of more than 50,000 gallons per second.

Visitors can enjoy the Falls from several different overlooks. Points along the paved viewing trail descend several different sets of stairs. One is 94 steps and the other 119 steps.

I have to go where?

1, 2, 3, 4…

This path is what visitors would have taken before the stairs.

From these viewing spots, you get a close-up look of the water as it plunges over the edge of the cliff. These are great areas to take that perfect picture too!

The water before it hits the waterfalls.

After the waterfalls.

Do not wear flip flops. The path is wet and the stairs are metal grates for better gripping. We had no problem with the stairs.

Take this as a warning.....bring mosquito spray! The mosquitoes were swarming and would have eaten us alive if it wasn't for Deep Woods Off. Even at the Kritter's NorthCountry CG, where we are staying, we were warned that no refunds would be given because of weather or mosquitoes......LOL We now know why the mosquito is Michigan’s state bird.

Even though it was an “Oregon type day” we didn't let the misting rain interfere with our day. We both agreed it was a fantastic day. We are very happy with our mid-summer venture to the Michigan U.P. And are sure glad we decided to visit this area. We've both added several attractions to our “highlights” for the year.

Thanks for stopping by. Hope to see y’all back real soon. Have a great day!

GREAT LAKES GRAVEYARD…SHIPWRECK MUSEUM

Friday, July 17 – Today is a very dreary and cold day but we needed to continue our sightseeing. We have all the right clothes for the day’s adventure.

We ventured out this morning from our campground in Newberry , Michigan, to the Great Lakes Shipwreck Museum. The Museum is not just one building but the entire little village that surrounded the lighthouse. Lake Superior has earned the reputation of being the most treacherous of the Great Lakes.

The museum is located at historic Whitefish Point, the “graveyard” of the Great Lakes, and the site of Lake Superior's first lighthouse. It is the oldest active on Lake Superior. This important structure is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Also at the Point, is the Whitefish Point Bird Observatory where one can learn about bird species that migrate through the region.

 

The Light Station at Whitefish Point was constructed in 1861 at the order of President Lincoln. The exhibits show the life of a lightkeeper and his family at the turn of the century, circa 1890-1920.

The lighthouse is furnished with artifacts back in the late 1800’s and early 1900’s.

Located here is the USCG Lifeboat Station. Established in 1923, the U.S. Coast Guard dedicated surfmen often risked their lives to assistant those in peril along Lake Superior's shipwreck coast. You can even spend the night at the crews quarters located next to the lighthouse.

The first life jackets had corks attached to the vest for flotation.

At the Shipwreck Museum visitors can see maritime artifacts and exhibits telling the stories of sailors and ships that braved the waters of Superior and those lost to its menacing waves. The stories are fascinating.

The Invicible

The Fatal Ending of the Comet

The Edmund Fitzgerald, the largest freighter on the Great Lakes, lies twisted and broken just 17-miles from Whitefish Point, at a depth of 535 feet. In 1995, the bell of the Fitzgerald, weighing 195 pounds, was removed to honor the 29 men lost on November 10, 1975. It can be seen at the museum and serves not only as a tribute to the Fitzgerald's crew, but as a reminder of the 30,000 men, women and children lost to shipwrecks on the Great Lakes. A new bell inscribed with the 29 men, whose bodies still lie in the Fitzgerald, was attached to the wreckage as a memorial to the lost souls. There is a short film on the history of the Edmund Fitzgerald, the most famous of the over 6000 ships lost on the Great Lakes, and the raising of the bell.

The suit they wear to exam shipwrecks and in the raising of the bell.

In one building is a Lego replica of the Edmund Fitzgerald.

Here is a link to the famous song that Gordon Lightfoot wrote and sang about the Edmund Fitzgerald. The page explains why he calls Lake Superior….Gitche Gumee 'never gives up her dead.'" In 2010, Lightfoot changed one line in the lyrics of the song as a result of recent findings that it was waves and not crew error that lead to the shipwreck. He always felt bad that the line might have implied that the crew was at fault, and he was very happy that new evidence absolved them.Excellent read.

It was neat this morning in the misting rain and fog that the Coast Guard Station was sounding the fog horn every 30 seconds to warn ships. The sound was very haunting with the fog.

We again thought this was a fantastic museum and highly recommend it. There is so much to see. Allow a couple of hours to enjoy the entire area.

Our next stop was the beach of Whitefish Point where we collected a bag of Petoskey Stones from the shoreline. Not sure that is what the locals call these stones, but it was the name Paul's fishing gang always referred to them do mostly to the fact that they first saw these smooth stones on the beach in Petoskey.

Paul recalls skipping these smooth flat stones on the water with his fishing buddies seeing who could make them skip over the water the most times.

Look at that form!

The End.

Thanks for stopping by. Hope to see y’all back real soon. Have a great day!

SUPERIOR CRUZIN'

Thursday, July 16 –  We pulled out of Kewadin Casino Thursday morning on our way to Newberry, MI. We are staying at Kritter's NorthCountry RV Campground. This is a wonderful campground.....it has the “IT” factor. The campsites are arranged in two large circles, one inside the other. Very unique. The roads are gravel and the sites are on grass. All sites are pull-thru and plenty of space on both sides. We have 30 amp electric and water. There is a dump station available. Each site has a picnic table and a fire ring. There are plenty of trees and since they aren't very busy, there is plenty of privacy. The couple that own the campground are very friendly.

Looking right.

Looking left.

There are other campgrounds in the area which may be closer to some of the places we are going to visit, but this one is centrally located to each. Picture Rock is about 45 minutes away and the Shipwreck Museum is about 30 minutes away.

After setting up, we headed to Munising, Michigan, home of Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore along the coast of Lake Superior. We intended to hike out to see the beautiful cliffs but after talking to people we realized we would not be able to really enjoy the cliffs from shore. Also, the hike was MUCH longer then we thought. Over 30 miles which most hikers do as over night hikes.

The alternative to the hiking is the boat cruise. A little more expensive than we would have like at $37 each, but it is a two and a half hour cruise and the only practical way to see the cliffs. They also receive rave reviews from friends and online. We both truly enjoyed the trip and recommend the cruise to readers. The trip was sold out. As a matter of fact, they took two boat loads for the 1:00 tour and both boats were filled. You can choose an upper deck seat in the open air or the lower enclosed deck. We chose the open air option to enjoy the beautiful day. We were free to walk to the lower deck any time we wanted.

 

The Pictured Rocks extend almost 20 miles east from Munising, MI. The colorful expanse of forest-topped cliffs can only be truly enjoyed by boat..Miner's Castle, Indian Head, Lover's Leap, Rainbow Cave and Chapel Rock are only a few of the breathtaking sights. This is truly a picture-takers paradise. Marsha took tons and tons of photos. We will just wet your whistle with the following:

Castle Rock

Lover’s Leap

Rainbow Cave

Tons and tons of kayaks. Gorgeous colors.

There isn’t enough soil on the rock to support this tree. Look at the left and see
the root that goes over to land. Amazing.

Battleship rocks.

So many gorgeous colors.

Chapel Cave

It was an amazing ride. Don’t miss it.

There are also over 10 waterfalls in the Munising, MI area. We spotted at one right along the road called the Alger Falls.  It can be found on the east side of the highway about a mile south of Munising. A neat stop on your way to Lake Superior.

We have more sights to share here in Newberry, MI, which we’ll tell you about in our next blog. We are now in Belleville, MI, a town outside Dearborn.

Thanks for stopping by. Hope to see y’all back real soon. Have a great day!