Checking out Cut River Bridge

Going up on the shores of Lake Michigan I have spent plenty of time in and around Lake Michigan but I wanted to dip my toes in three Great Lakes on the same day. This lead us trying to find an easy spot for me to dip my toes in Lake Michigan. The hubby's spot didn't pan out. I knew we should have checked out the northern most point of Lake Michigan. However on this mission, he pulls into Roadside Park thinking we might be able to walk down to the lake. 

Roadside Park is where one parks if they want to see the Cut River Bridge and Gorge. It's a bridge the hubby has no issue driving over. The Cut River Bridge is a cantilevered deck truss bridge... one of two in Michigan. 

You can walk under the bridge to cross the road. From there you can take a set of stairs down to the gorge, hiking trails, and possibly Lake Michigan. We did not do this as the hubby claims he walked enough that day and who knows if we would have made it back up. Maybe one day we will explore the gorge.

I'll be honest I didn't know this was a roadside attraction. If I did it probably would have gone on the list of things to see in the U.P. 

It was kind of cool to see the cantilevered trussells supporting the bridge and seeing it (kinda) from underneath. 

There were some wild raspberries in the park. I has have tempted to pick some but I didn't feel like climbing through weeds to get to them. One day I will pick wild berries. 

If you like bridges and things, definitely check out the Cut River Bridge the next time you are in the U.P. It is right on Hwy 2 as you are heading towards St. Ignace.  

Dining Adventures -- Moofinfries

 One of the things that 101 Things You Should Do In the Upper Peninsula suggested was to have white fish. I am not a huge fish fan but having fresh white fish sounded appealing. We needed dinner for our second night in St. Ignace, so I figured fish was a good option. I don't remember if the book mentioned Moofinfries or if Google suggested it but based on the name alone, I was sold. 

Moofinfries is not quite a hole-in-the-wall restaurant just more like a roadside diner. Located on Hwy 2 in Naubinway, Moofinfries is opnen daily 11-7 during the summer months. 

It is not a large place but has enough empty tables when we were there. 

Moofinfries gets it's name because that's all they serve. Burgers (Moo), Fish (fin), and Fries. The burgers come grass fed beef cows on his brother's farm. If his brother doesn't have beef, there are no burgers. He gets his fish from one supplier and if he doesn't have fish that day, there is no fish. The fries are hand cut when you order them. It is a very simple operation. 

Obviously we came for the fish. We both ordered fish and fries. 

We each got 2 fillets of deep fried white fish and plenty of fries. The fish came with lemon and tartar sauce. I normally detest tartar sauce. However, the hubby was like try the tartar sauce. It was amazing. It is more of a creamy dill sauce than traditional tartar sauce. The owner said his wife makes it. I would pay money for that recipe. 

The fries were good too. They even have malt vinegar for the fries. 

We were too full from dinner to have the homemade ice cream they also sell. 

Next we said we wanted to try the burgers. 

If you are in the U.P., definitely try to make it to Moofinfries. It is worth every penny. 

3156. Go to Oswald Bear Ranch in Newberry

 I knew we had a couple hours in the afternoon after checked out Tahquamenon Falls before we had to start heading back to St. Ignace. The book 101 Things to do in the U.P. mentioned going to Oswald Bear Ranch or MI DOG to see the sled dogs, both in Newberry. Only Oswald Bear Ranch was going to be open. I gave the hubby several options for the afternoon and he decided that Oswald Bear Ranch was the best option.

Oswald Bear Ranch is located just north of Newberry in the Upper Peninsula. It is open Memorial Day Weekend through the first Sunday in October 9:30-5. It is $30/carload. Vans are $30 up to 6 people and $10 for each additional person. For solo travelers it is $15. There is plenty of parking on site. 

Oswald Bear Ranch is a black bear conservatory and is the largest black bear only ranch in North America.  They have several enclosures featuring natural habitats. The males and females are kept separate as it is illegal to breed black bears in Michigan.

The hubby's question to me when we were deciding where to go was  "Is this a zoo?" Oswald Bear Ranch is most definitely not a zoo. It a space where rescued bears can roam in their natural habitats. You can walk around the pens to view all the bears. 

Our first stop was the males and they were some big bears. You can buy apples to feed them so they were ready to snatch up those pieces and enjoy a tasty treat. We walked around the entire enclosure which is about a 1/2 mile loop. 

One bear was even swimming.

We checked out the females as well. They liked to roam.

I even convinced the hubby to get our picture with a cub. It is $10 to get a picture with a cub and that is for up to 9 people. You can actual pet the bear while he feasts on marshmallow fluff. Bears have coarse fur. 

It was definitely one of our highlights of the trip. 

If you are in the U.P., definitely check out Oswald Bear Ranch. It is worth the trip. 

3171. Go to Tahquamenon Falls in McMillan Township

 Besides Great Lakes Shipwreck Museum and a glass bottom boat ride, the other thing that was a must do while we were in the U.P. was see Tahquamenon Falls. They used to be a boat/train ride to Tahquamenon Falls but it has since closed so I had to settle for just seeing the falls.

Tahquamenon Falls is located between Newberry and Paradise in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. It is about 90 minutes from either St. Ignace or Munising. Tahquamenon Falls is located in Tahquamenon Falls State Park. There is a $12/day fee to enter Michigan State Parks for out of state residents. It is good for the entire day and all the parks you can fit into one day. It is open year round.

Tahquamenon Falls has two separate waterfalls known as Upper Tahquamenon Falls and Lower Tahquamenon Falls. You can drive or hike between the two. It's a short drive or a 6 mile (one way) hike between the two falls. There is enough parking at each of the falls. Each falls has it's own visitor center/gift shop, restrooms, and food available. 

We went to Lower Tahquamenon Falls first since that is the one that we came to first. There is a short walk from the parking lot to the first overlook of the falls. You can get a decent look of the falls. 

To get a better look of the falls, we followed the trail (about 1/3 mile one way) to the scenic overlook. Here we could feel the spray of the falls. 

If we (okay, the hubby) were more adventurous, we could have continued down the trail to the bridge to get a better view of the falls. We could also enter the river here to play swim and play in the falls. You can also rent rowboats to get to the falls as well. 

After checking out the lower falls, we drove to the Upper falls. There are two options to view the Upper Falls. We followed the crowd to the overlook. which is to the right. If we went left we would have seen the falls from the Gorge. 

There used to be stairs leading down to the overlook. Now there is a ramp to get to the overlook with benches and other overlooks. We get down to the main overlook and discovered the hubby didn't have his phone. So we didn't spend much time at the overlook as we raced to retrace our steps to find his phone which was safely in the car. 

The overlook was crowded which made it difficult to get a good view of the falls. It also deterred us from lingering to enjoy the falls.

I wonder if the gorge view would have had better views.  

 Both views were spectacular but we liked the lower falls better than the upper falls. It might have been the view of the lower falls was better. Maybe there were less people. Maybe we didn't have to worry about a missing phone.

Tahquamenon Falls definitely needs to be on everyone's Upper Peninsula bucket list. Even if you don't like or have mobility issue, you can still see both falls easily. 

6539. Dip my toes in Lake Superior

 Everyone always says Lake Superior is the coldest of the Great Lakes and it really is. I wanted to find out how cold it really was. Initially the bucket list said "swim in Lake Superior" but that really wasn't feasible at least on this trip. I figured I could at least dip my toes in Lake Superior. 

While researching this trip, I saw there was a beach just past the Great Lakes Shipwreck Museum. I figured this was an easy spot to wade into Lake Superior. There is a path at the far of the museum complex that leads down to the beach. It is a nice sandy beach. 

I waded into Lake Superior up to my ankles. It was not as cold as I expected it to be. It was like Lake Michigan in the summer. I don't think I would want to spend a lot of time in the water but it wasn't freezing. The hubby just thought I was nuts. 

Maybe one day I'll swim in Lake Superior or at least splash around in it. For now dipping my toes in was good enough. Now the goal is to dip my toes in all the Great Lakes.

3162. Go to the Great Lakes Shipwreck Museum in Paradise

 When we headed to the UP in 2022, we wanted to see the bell of the Edmund Fitzgerald but it was not feasible. I saved it for a future trip. This year when the hubby picked the UP for our summer trip, the Great Lakes Shipwreck Museum was the one of the things we considered a must do. 

The Great Lakes Shipwreck Museum is located about as far north you can go on the eastern side of the Upper Peninsula of Michigan (UP). The closest town is Paradise and it's about 10 miles north of that, right on the shores of Lake Superior. It is open May 1st to October 31st 9-5 daily, weather permitting. You never know when they will be an early (or late) season snowstorm. Tickets are $15/adult and it includes entrance all the buildings on the property. 

Our visit stop, after purchasing our tickets, was to watch a video of the Edmund Fitzgerald which runs about every 30 minutes in USCG Motor Lifeboat House. At the end of the video, you can hear the bell of the Edmund Fitzgerald being rung. If you don't know the tragic story of the Edmund Fitzgerald, this short video will tell the story and how the museum became home to the ship's bell. 

Then we headed to the Lighthouse Keeper's Quarters. This is one of the things I wanted to see. It told the story of what a lighthouse keeper's life was like for the keeper and his family through stories on the walls and displays. It is a typical lighthouse keeper house. The hubby and I found it fascinating that the assistant lighthouse keeper during WWI was a German spy. Who would have thought. 

After walking down to the beach, we checked out the Surfboat House. The volunteer in this building was very knowledgeable.  We learned what a surfboat was, how the coast guard rescued people using the surfboard, and the difficulties they faced in the harsh waters of Lake Superior.

We finally made it way to the main galley where the bell was located. The galley was the busiest of the buildings we went it. It was difficult to read the displays without having to wait. We did get to see the Edmund Fitzgerald Bell. 

The Great Lakes Shipwreck Museum is definitely worth the money and drive. If you are in the eastern part of the UP, definitely check out the Great Lakes Shipwreck Museum. There is a beach and a wildlife sanctuary there was well. I would just get there early to get decent parking and avoid the crowds especially in summer. 

3193. Go to the Wawatam Lighthouse in St. Ignace

 Last year when Stacy and I explored Two Rivers, I got a Lighthouse Passport and was hoping to add a few more stamps to my book on this trip. There are plenty of lighthouses in the Upper Peninsula and I made a list of the ones we might be able to see. One of them was in St. Ignace.

The Wawatam Lighthouse is in St. Ignace near the ferry docks. It is open year round 24 hours a day. It was a short walk from our hotel but there is plenty of parking around the ferry docks and Veterans Park.

The Wawatam Lighthouse is named for Chief Wawatam, railroad ferry that carried trains across the straits of Mackinac from 1911 to the 1980s. They literally loaded the train cars on a ferry and crossed the straits of Mackinac to Mackinaw City where freight and passengers would continue their journey south. The train ferry also ran 24 hours a day. Too bad that no longer exists. It would be something unique to add to the bucket list and beats crossing that dreaded bridge. Remnants of the dock are still there. 

You can ring the train bell.

There is a nice boardwalk that you can walk out to the lighthouse and see the old train tracks too. The lighthouse is still in use today. It is also part of the North Country trail. Not sure if the whole boardwalk is or the portion that leads towards Veterans Park but at least I was on part of it. 

From the end of the pier, you can see Mackinac Island. 

Unfortunately I did not get my stamp for Wawatam Lighthouse. It is at the visitor center which was closed when we were in St. Ignace. Maybe I'll write to them and try to get it. 

If you are in St. Ignace, definitely walk out to the lighthouse. It's free and a nice walk.