May 6, 2021
This morning we decided to drive north to the Upper Peninsula again. So today's plan is to check out Tahquamenon Falls State Park. Then see what else we can see on the Northeastern side of the U.P.
Our first stop was a roadside park on Route 123 near the small town of Paradise on Whitefish Bay.
Yeti & Nola enjoying a cold drink from Lake Superior.
It was mostly cloudy for the drive up here. This is the view looking south.
Without moving my feet, this is the view looking north.
This is the view looking east into Whitefish Bay.
It looks like Mother Nature will take care of us again today.
Glorious sunshine for our hike at Tahquamenon Falls State Park.
The only way to get down to the Tahquamenon River was on the canoe dock.
There are five waterfalls here but due to boardwalk construction, we could not do the hike all the way around the river bend to see them.
The root beer color of the river water is from tannins near its headwaters. This makes the Tahquamenon a blackwater river.
The constant roar of the falls and the mist floating over us makes standing here very enjoyable and strangely relaxing.
Chrissy avoiding people on one of the boardwalk decks we had access to. Nola & Yeti enjoying our hike on a sunny cool day.
Another viewpoint for the Lower Falls.
Looking upriver from the falls. It looks so peaceful compared to downriver.
The wonderful view from the observation deck above the lower falls.
Walking back toward the car along the boardwalk.
This is a long shot of the lower falls on the opposite side of the island in the middle of the river. This was as close as we could get.
It was a short drive to the Upper Falls.
The dogs were happy to be on another hike so quickly.
The trail along the river is high above the water. There are several lookouts over the river on this trail...
...which give you different views of the Upper Falls.
The Brink View has a staircase down to the river.
Then the viewing decks take you right to the Upper Falls...
...with some incredible views and the wonderful sound of water crashing down on more water.
After seeing this up close, we hiked back along the trail above the river. This took us to the Gorge Boardwalk stairs. Christy stayed with Yeti & Nola as I ran down 116 stairs to the boardwalk.
The boardwalk took me back to the waterfall through the woods along the river.
With so many different views of the falls.
Of course, I had to get pictures along the way and on the way back.
I love the swirling white water on the river in this photo.
The dogs having a drink back at the car. On our drive back on Route 123 I spotted a turtle sunning itself in the middle of the road. I pulled over to rescue the turtle. It was alive and when I tried to pick it up I thought it would hide in its shell. I was wrong the little motherfucker tried to bite. It turns out it was a snapping turtle. I finally picked it up on its backside and got it off the road. That ungrateful turtle tried to bite me the whole time. When I got back to the car, Christy was laughing because it took me so long to get a turtle off the road.
I saw something about a historical lumber town in this area, so we drove to the small parking lot at this roadside marker.
It started out as a wonderful hike on a beautiful day. That quickly changed as we approached Lake Superior. The trail was started getting a bit muddy, then turned into a swamp. We should have turned around but we didn't, probably because I'm a history dork.
When we got to the shoreline, there was no beach. There also wasn't anything left of the old lumber town. I must have missed that part of the description I read online.
We tried to clean ourselves and the dogs in the lake.
It really was a beautiful day.
These views made me happy but Chrissy was pissed. We bushwacked our way through the swampy forest instead of the muddy trail in an attempt to keep the dogs clean. It took twice as long to hike back and all of us were really muddy. Since there was a boat launch just up the road. I walked the dogs there while Chrissy drove the car. We ended bathing the dogs and ourselves on the boat ramp into Lake Superior. I might have caused the problem but I also solved the problem. Which made the long drive back to the cabin way more pleasant.
Since I drove past this sign on the way up, I stopped on the way back to take this picture.
We saw this sign on the way up and didn't know it existed. But it had us at Scenic Byway, so here we go.
It turns out this has nothing to do with dogs.
This stop made our decision to take the scenic byway worth it.
This is the Point Iroquois Lighthouse and it is beautiful.
We walked along the grounds on a lovely spring evening.
The first lighthouse was built here in 1855. This brick building replaced the wooden one in 1870. I love the fact that standing next to a 151-year-old building is exciting to me.
We hiked along Lake Superior on this boardwalk. At one point on the hike, we could see Canada. My cell phone got a signal again and Sprint texted me about international rates. I guess we were closer to a Canadian tower than an American tower.
As usual, the boys fell behind the girls on our hike.
This was a great way to end our day. Beautiful places and fantastic weather.
Another fun-filled day in Michigan. We got back to the cabin very late but picked up dinner at Moose Jaw Junction in Pellston. Highly recommend this place if you are in the area.
