Up North in the UP
Since I was just at Tahquamenon Falls in July, I thought I'd jump ahead on my journey journal and share my first trip there in 1975.
Journal of our Journeys
Chapter 16 - Michigan's UP
Manyweekend mornings throughout my childhood, we woke up early, and Mom packed usand a picnic lunch into the car. With Dad at the wheel, we'd drive to CopperFalls, Potato Falls, Saxon Harbor, and Ashland in Wisconsin. Just over theborder in Michigan, we'd go to Ironwood with its statue of the world's tallestIndian, Black River Harbor, the Porcupine Mountains, and the Lake of theClouds. I am indeed blessed to have been raised within a three-hour drive ofall of these wonderful places.
We had camped at some of these places onweekends before, but in 1975, we took a little more time and went a littlefurther north. All the way north, as a matter of fact, to the tip of thepeninsula.
The first night, however, was spent atMcLain State Park just outside of Hancock, Michigan. I don't know what it isabout this state park, but it has always held a fascination for me. I thinkit's the amazing sunrises and breathtaking sunsets that you can view from thebeach or from your campsite if you're lucky enough to get a spot on the lake.Even campsites that are not on Lake Superior (the sites Mom always picked) havea view of the lake through the trees. And late in the evening, when all isstill, you can hear the water lapping at the shore.
A couple who Mom and Dad knew from churchset up their trailer at McLain for the entire summer, so it was nice to stop inand visit them when we camped there. Mrs. Kleinfeldt even took her organcamping with her – a real, though small organ, not one of the keyboards of thelate twentieth century. She would play hymns on it on Sunday mornings for therest of the campers.
From McLain State Park, it is just a hop,skip, and jump to another State Park, Fort Wilkins. Fort Wilkins is a restored19th-century military fort. Settlers in the area were afraid that trouble withthe local Indians might arise, so they wanted a military presence nearby. As itturned out, there was no trouble with any Native Americans, and the base wasonly in operation for a few years. The buildings, having been allowed to decayover the years, have been painstakingly restored and tell a fascinating storyof a pioneer life where winters were frigid and the snow could reach the topsof roofs.
Somewhere along the highway, along LakeSuperior, there was a small gift shop on a bluff above the water. Theproprietor sold pieces of driftwood with paintings of birds on them, rocks withpaintings of birds on them, and framed paintings of birds, along with lots ofpolished stones from along the shore.
The building had a small tower. Up twoflights of stairs, there was a little windowed room with fantastic views of thelake. Occasionally, an iron ore freighter could be seen slowly moving along thehorizon. Only five months later, one of those freighters, the EdmondFitzgerald, along with its 29-man crew, would succumb to the will of the GreatLake during a November storm.
Further inland and to the east is anotherstate park, which hosts one of the largest waterfalls in the eastern UnitedStates. The campground at Tahquamenon Falls is as nice as any of the stateparks in the UP; they all have modern amenities, such as flush toilets, hotshowers, and electrical hookups. However, instead, we stayed at a small,private campground that we rated an "ugh" in the camping log.
We had a reason, though, for not stayingat the state park. We left the camper at Soo Junction, just north of the burgof Newberry, and rode the Toonerville Trolley through the tranquil woods andswamps to the Tahquamenon River. The small train rocked and rattled along itsnarrow track for an hour or so.
Then, we boarded a riverboat, which tookus within walking distance of the waterfalls. It was an interesting trip,unconventional in some ways. Still, we got to see a lot of the countryside, andthe scenery was fantastic. But then, it always is in the UP of Michigan.
Over the years, I would return to all ofthose places, and the magic never got old. But, unfortunately, the ToonervilleTrolley and Riverboat Tour closed in the fall of 2024, after 96 seasons inoperation. It's a shame I never got to take my husband and our kids on thisexcursion.
(The pictures are of on the river boat that trip. You would think I would have pictures of the waterfalls, but I couldn't find any.)
