Leaving Birch Lodge in the morning, we were momentarily delayed by the passing of a long train loaded with logs. It was interesting to see how much logging is being done on the U.P. and how many loaded trucks and trains we saw on our ride. Once the train had passed, we headed out on the same tedious highway that we had experienced the day before-- I tried to focus on the pleasures of being on the bike, feeling strong, being with John and looking for the lady slippers. This tactic worked reasonably well and got us to a lovely scenic rest stop where the Tahquemenon River meets Lake Superior.
Refreshed by our stop, it was an easy ride to Paradise, Michigan and let me simply say that one can name a town anything at all but it need not necessarily be an accurate description. Our hotel, however, was just perfect-- all the rooms were on the water side, each with a lovely balcony looking over the lake. Steps led down to a pretty sand beach and even better, we were to stay two nights and there was a grocery story where we could buy a bottle of wine.
After our arrival I was persuaded to ride the additional miles from Paradise to Whitefish Point, the home of the Shipwreck Museum. The ride was humdrum but the museum was fascinating and again there was a place to walk out to the lake's edge to look at the area called "The Graveyard of the Great Lakes". For many years the Great Lakes were a beehive of shipping, accidents were numerous and thousands of lives were lost, including those of immigrants from Europe as well as sailors on commercial vessels.
This sign, not at the museum but at Detour Village, I find almost incredible. Six thousand wrecks in 20 years? In any case, sailing in those days was a risky business and the loss of the Edmund Fitzgerald in November 1975 illustrates that the "great lake they call Gitche Gumee" remains a mighty force. All 29 crew members perished and in the heartbreaking words of Gordon Lightfoot, "all that remains is the faces and names of the wives and the sons and daughters".
Our day of "rest" involved riding up to see probably the best known site in the U.P., Tahquemenon Falls. We rode first to the Upper Falls, 14 miles from the hotel. The Upper Falls is 200 feet across with a drop of 48 feet, making it the third largest in volume in the U.S. The site is nicely developed and maintained with paths, boardwalks and viewing areas designed to protect the beauty of the spot and provide good access.
The Upper Falls is also enhanced by the proximity of the Tahquemenon Falls Brewery and Pub where we had a great lunch and didn't for one moment consider purchasing this fabulous moose (and his accessory stool) for $850.00
The Lower Falls, four miles back toward Paradise, are actually a series of five smaller falls cascading around an island. Despite having probably the steepest descent of our whole ride-- a hole we had to climb out of after our walk around the several falls, they were well worth viewing.
Paradise doesn't live up to its name, as I mentioned, but one heavenly feature is an excellent fabric shop.
John was glad that we were on bicycles and I had to limit my purchase to one yard of Thomas the Tank Engine fabric to make a pillowcase for young William Merritt.
To be continued (Part 3).
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