Geek Speak – Upper Peninsula Odyssey pt. 7: Waterfalls, Beers, and Bears, Oh My
by Daniel
During the last week of July 2011, I went on a road trip with my girlfriend from the middle of Michigan’s Lower Peninsula, to the tip of the Keweenaw Peninsula in the Upper Peninsula. 1,300+ miles were driven, hundreds of photos were taken, and dozens of Michigan beers were drank. Hilarity and misadventures ensued.
Amusingly, the Face in the Rock resembles what Snooki will look like in about in about three years.
Day 7 – July 30th, 2011
This was our last day in the Upper Peninsula, and we had a long drive from Marquette to Gaylord. Thankfully, we planned to break the drive up with stops along the way. I missed the Keweenaw Peninsula already, but I did not miss Steph spending hours with her head out the car window, yelling “MOO-sees!” in hopes of luring a bull moose out of hiding.
Our first stop was just what appeared to be a regular roadside park (there are many in the Upper Peninsula), but while walking around I noticed a sign for the Face in the Rock. I could make a proto-Facebook and/or Wall joke, but–aw crap, I just did.
The Face in the Rock was a totally random find on our part, but it showcased all the history around us in the Upper Peninsula. But enough history–we wanted to see some bears.
My neck tasted like Froot Loops, I guess.
Oswald’s Bear Ranch is a gem. It is a family run tourist stop, with a bunch of black bears on display. Upon paying for admission, the lady attendant informed me thus: “You and yer woman can get yer picture taken with a cub.” Hot dog. I (sadly) handed my camera over to one of the bear wranglers, and he (sadly) switched from the full auto mode (where I set it for him) to a different setting, resulting in a slow-shutter speed and blurry photos. Oh well. The other wrangler had us sit on either side of a black bear cub in a chair. Yes. In. A. Chair. We held our hands out, and the wrangler filled them with a bear’s favorite food: Froot Loops.
He must be very popular.
The cub happily munched on the Loops de Froot, while the camera guy went to work. Then, much to my surprise, the cub turned toward me and started to LICK my NECK. If you have never had a bear cub lick your flesh, it is a rather unique experience. Joking aside, I never once felt in danger, except maybe in danger of too much cute.
"Hmm. Yes, this is quite good, but I would have rather enjoyed a bit of honey. *AHEM* I mean hunny."
There are many, many bears to view at the Bear Ranch, and it is easy to tell the place is a labor of love for the Oswald clan (OK, well they do charge to get in). Enough with the bears though–waterfalls and beers awaited!
"It comes in pints?"
Not far from the Bear Ranch is the Upper Tahquamenon Falls State Park (which I entered without any additional charge with my Recreation Passport), which is home to the Tahquamenon Falls Brewery and Pub. It was a hot day, so the place was jumping, but fortunately we were not forced to wait too long for table. I was ready for a beer, post-haste however.
Steph and I shared a flight of samples. I was heart-broken to find out they no longer had their cherry wheat on tap, which was a favorite during my visit in 2008 (I still share the tale of it to this day, whenever I am gathered around a roaring fire with the young ones, and the moon is full).
So pretty. Except for the stupid stake thing in the bottom of the frame.
I, at long last, was able to eat some fresh Lake Superior trout (Steph had a pastie). A senior couple from south Texas worked their way through the crowd (ignoring the line of folks waiting for a table) and took a seat on the unused half of the table next to us, much to the confusion of the couple using the other half of the table (I’m a fan of run-on sentences). More interesting was how they enjoyed their lager: they sprinkled salt into the beer. They told us it was What Was Done when it came to enjoying a lager back home. We had never heard of such a thing, but Steph equated it to salt with a margarita. Regardless of how they drank their beer, it was great to see tourists from out of state visiting the Upper Peninsula.
The Upper Tahquamenon Falls are quite the sight. Good job, Nature.
Obligatory Slow Shutter Speed Photo of a Waterfall Photo
You can walk between the Upper and Lower Falls, which we did not do because it took awhile. But, the Upper Falls State Park is very pretty, and was perhaps the busiest of all the State Parks we visited.
Where is Mario when I need him?
I spotted this interesting growth on a tree.
"And here is our State bird, the Whatsit."
Sadly, the Falls were our last stop on our Upper Peninsula Odyssey. We did drive through Paradise, but we did not have time to go to the Shipwreck Museum, and that is a place worth spending a few hours enjoying.
We headed South, back to the Land Beneath the Bridge, and back to our daily lives, but with plenty of memories and photos to make us thankful for the beautiful state we call Home.
Bless you, Michigan. Stay beautiful–because if your looks start to go, I’m on the first plane out to Northern California.
You did hear about the woman who was recently attacked by a bear in the U.P. right? … the bear was also held in a pen.
No, I didn’t D:
That’s a bummer. The bears are cute, but they are still wild animals.