Page 76 - USA ROAD TRIP SUMMER of 2000

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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