Page 76 - USA ROAD TRIP SUMMER of 2000
P. 76

TAHQUAMENON FALLS STATE PARK and CRANBERRY FARM



                   Friday  -  It  was  a  bit  grim  this  morning.  Cold  and  raining  at  the
                   outset. Besides that, we got slightly lost out of Paradise and had to

                   travel several unnecessary miles to get to the park. We bundled
                   up against the persistent wind with a short-sleeved shirt, a denim

                   shirt, long pants, and a polar Tec sweater and joined the Michigan
                   natives in their shorts and tee shirts for the stroll to the falls.


                   The Park is in two parts: one for the smaller lower falls and one for

                   the  upper.  The  parks  around  both  attractions  are  well  kept  and

                   inviting.  They  were  well  visited  by  families  and  their  dogs.  Up
                   here, dogs are welcomed in most parks as long as they are on a 6-

                   foot  leash.  Cricket  would  have  loved  the  male  180-pound
                   Rottweiller. What a beast! Almost as big as the Berry’s Monte.


                   The upper falls are 200 feet across and 50 feet high making them

                   second  only  to  Niagara  Falls  in  volume  in  the  eastern  USA.  The
                   water was rather low today – they haven’t had their usual rainfall

                   this  summer.  Actually,  the  dryness  has  put  a  damper  on  the

                   Annual Wild Blueberry Festival that is going on this weekend. They
                   have had to (horrors) import blueberries for their cooking. We’ve

                   had  some  great  pies  and  cobbler  –  who  cares  where  the  wild
                   berries were picked.


                   We  wandered  the  paths  of  both  park  sections  and  the  weather

                   improved as the day wore on. By mid-day, the sun was shining and
                   the blue sky had returned. Our spirits rose again.


                   To cap off the afternoon, we drove out to see a cranberry farm.

                   The  lady  that  showed  us  around  is  the  great-great  niece  of  the

                   fellow  that  started  the  farm  in  1876.  It’s  called  the  Centennial
                   Farm for obvious reasons.



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