Tuesday on our UP sojourn we took advantage of some sights in our immediate area. There are two Tahquamenon Falls: the Lower Falls located a reasonable walking distance from our campground, and the Upper Falls four miles up the road. There is a beautiful trail through the woods to the boardwalk which leads to the Lower Falls viewing platform. The trail is hilly but hard packed and the worst slopes have almost natural steps formed by tree roots. Fall color is emerging nicely and it was a perfect day for a hike.
The falls are really beautiful, especially this time of year. After our viewing, I suggested we visit the visitor area where I thought there was a restaurant, several shops and an ice cream store. Turns out that is at the Upper Falls. At the Lower Falls, there is a souvenir shop but not very well stocked, and a lunch counter that was closed. The concessions at both locations are owned and maintained by the Barrett family, who donated the rest of the land for a state park. They required that any roads into the park would end 3/4 of a mile from the falls so that visitors would approach on foot and the forest would be preserved as much as possible.
In the afternoon, we drove about thirty minutes north to Whitefish Point and the Great Lakes Shipwreck Museum. The 80 mile coast from Whitefish west to Munising is called the graveyard of the Great Lakes since over 300 shipwrecks occurred in this area, including the Edmund Fitzgerald. It is impossible to spend time in the museum without having that song run through your head about 50 times. The information about the Lifesaving Service is also pretty incredible.
Today, Ken and Harriet are off to view some of the waterfalls between here and Munising. I opted to forego that much riding and do some hiking, writing, and perhaps napping. When they return, we plan to have supper at the restaurant, now that we know where it is.
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