May 14 - 20 Paradise, Michigan
Tahquamenon Falls State Park (rhymes with Phenomenon)
The legend lives on from the Chippewa on down
Of the big lake they called gitche gumee
The lake, it is said, never gives up her dead
When the skies of November turn gloomy
With a load of iron ore twenty-six thousand tons more
Than the Edmund Fitzgerald weighed empty
That good ship and crew was a bone to be chewed
When the gales of November came early
The ship was the pride of the American side
Coming back from some mill in Wisconsin
As the big freighters go, it was bigger than most
With a crew and good captain well seasoned
Concluding some terms with a couple of steel firms
When they left fully loaded for Cleveland
And later that night when the ship bell rang
Could it be the north wind they been feelin
The wind in the wires made a tattle-tale sound
And a wave broke over the railin’
And every man knew, as the captain did too,
Twas’ the witch of November come stealin’
The dawn came late and the breakfast had to wait
When the gales of November came slashin’
When afternoon came it was freezing rain
In the face of a hurricane west wind
When suppertime came, the old cook came on deck sayin’,
“Fellas, it’s too rough to feed ya”
At seven pm a main hatchway caved in, he said,
“Fellas, it’s been good to know ya”
The captain wired in he had water comin’ in
And the good ship and crew was in peril
And later that night when his lights went out of sight
Came the wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald
Does anyone know where the love of God goes
When the waves turn the minutes to hours?
The searches all say they’d have made Whitefish Bay
If they’d put fifteen more miles behind her
They might have split up or they might have capsized
They may have broke deep and took water
And all that remains is the faces and the names
Of the wives and the sons and the daughters
Lake Huron rolls, Superior sings
In the rooms of her ice-water mansion
Old Michigan steams like a young man’s dreams
The islands and bays are for sportsmen
And farther below Lake Ontario
Takes in what Lake Erie can send her
And the iron boats go as the mariners all know
With the gales of November remembered
In a musty old hall in Detroit they prayed,
In the maritime sailors’ cathedral
The church bell chimed ‘till it rang twenty-nine times
For each man on the Edmund Fitzgerald
The legend lives on from the Chippewa on down
Of the big lake they call ‘Gitche Gumee’
Superior, they said, never gives up her dead
When the gales of November come early…
Gordon Lightfoot
Welcome to Paradise where waterfalls, shipwrecks, and blueberry festivals are big…bigger than life. We pulled into our campground with the excitement of two little kids – knowing we would be seeing/hiking the Lower and Upper Tahquamenon Falls – also known as The Root Beer Falls. The color of the water is created by the leaching of tannins from the cedar swamps which feed the river.
We couldn’t check in to the campground until mid-afternoon – we arrived a bit early. Being as it was lunchtime, we decided to make our first stop to the Tahquamenon Falls Pub and Brewery. With The Sandman in tow, off we went 20 miles up the road to get our first experience of the area. Yum………..their own Blueberry Ale was outstanding!!! This state park is HUGE and covers 50 thousand acres.
Yooper Perfume?? What you say??? Oh….bug deterrent!!! We are stocked – LOL!!
The Falls – both Lower and Upper – breathtaking – there are no words for how mother nature has provided us with such awesomeness!!! We hiked all over and just couldn’t get enough!! The North Country Scenic Trail also runs through this area. Oh the glory of it all…….
On the several hikes we did in the area, beautiful wildflowers were just starting to pop….
The Great Lakes Shipwreck Museum was a bucket list item for us. The beautiful Lighthouse was standing tall, watching over the waters that took so many lives, many years ago. On a clear day, Canada was just across the lake from Whitefish Bay. We watched a ship proudly make her way thru the small strait. The sunsets were spectacular from the beach. Beautiful driftwood laying half buried from many of the strong storms that occur in this area.
There is no lack of wildlife in the U.P. We kept our eyes peeled for Moose, but sadly – we saw none. There were plenty of other critters to enjoy!!!
We get a kick out of road signs up this way as many are unique to this region. Many were just funny.
If you live in the area during the winter, and you want your mail delivered to the mailbox, what do you do??? You put it on top of a 10’ pole – LOL!!!!
This was probably the 2nd most remote area we’ve ever been to while on our adventures.
We were happy we came well prepared as there were no grocery stores – just glorified convenience stores and one small gas station that did have diesel. There were a few local restaurants and shops that were a combination of a post office, building supplies, and hardware items. Closest area for shopping is about an hour away. “You’ll have to go to the Soo if you want anything else.” said everyone we asked.
We've found most locals to be friendly. They seem to think all is "faaaantastic"!
This is what “Pure Michigan” (their state slogan) is all about…….
