Waterfalls and Pictured Rocks

Wednesday June 18, 2014
Munising Tourist Park Campground
Munising, Michigan

 

 

Let the challenge continue.

 

 

 

We’re out pretty early this morning.  We have to get a jump on all these falls.  As we are driving to the first one we see one of the Munising Bay Range Lights so we stop for some pictures.  We read the information which describes where the second light is but when we go there, not too far away, we can’t find it.  How can we not see something as big as a range light?  Especially since our information says they are still in use.

Oh well, our waterfalls are waiting. 

 

 

 

 

The first one, Alger Falls,  is another located right on the main road.  Actually at the intersection of two main roads, M-28 and M-94 to the west of town.  I’m sure it is often missed as people zoom by in their cars since it is slightly hidden in the trees.  Still I feel sorry for it not having a lovely canyon or even a secluded spot to call its own.  The sun is shining in just the wrong place for good pictures of it.

 

 

 

Our second falls of the day is just a short distance from Alger Falls.

 

This one is not so easy to miss given the sign.  We go down M-94 and take a short path to the viewing platform where Wagner Creek flows over numerous rock ledges to form beautiful Wagner Falls.

Our information tells us that in 1895 Clotilda (Tilly) Wagner took out a homestead on 40 acres that included the small stream and waterfalls then known as Silver Falls.  There is no indication that the homestead was actually ever farmed.  It seems to have been a vacation retreat for her, her friends and her father who was an early settler of Marquette arriving in 1853 at age 19.  He went on to become a state senator.

 

On the way we pass a stand of these lovely yellow wildflowers shining out in the dappled sunlight.  When we got back I looked on line through the Michigan wildflowers and cannot find it.  Can anyone identify them for me?

 

 

 

Wagner Creek’s numerous little cascades  babble alongside the trail.

 

 

The falls itself is a 20’ cascade, just the largest of a series that flow down the creek on its way to Lake Superior.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We are on a roll here!

 

 

On we drive down M-94 to bag our third waterfall of the day before  noon.  We’re on a roll.

Sandwiched between a dam and a powerhouse the water flow of Au Train stair step falls varies.  You already know how I feel about damming the rivers so I won’t repeat my rant here.   I’ve excluded all the powerhouse and dam pictures from my memory.  The falls are beautiful and deserve to be left in their natural setting and unregulated.

 

 

 

The sandstone walls along side the road leading up to the falls and all its apparatus are really gorgeous especially with the water dripping off of them.

 

 

 

 

 

There are actually two falls at Au Train.  We went to the end of the road and walked beyond the gate to the powerhouse and the lower falls seen above.   On our way out we stop at the upper parking lot where we were told we could see the upper falls.  We imagined there would be a trail but if there was we sure couldn’t find it so we walked down through the woods until we could see the even more stair stepped upper falls through the trees.   Love the zoom lens on this camera.

 

 

 

 

 

And now for our biggest falls challenge for today.

 

We head off in search of the Rock River Falls located within Rock River Canyon Wilderness Area.  The 20 foot cascading waterfall is located within a secluded area of Alger County. This quote from the waterfall brochure just adds to the quest.  “The falls is located 3/4 mile from the parking area and this waterfall is truly for the adventurous”.

 

 

It’s quite a distance away.  We travel 21 miles down M-94 to the town of Chatham, one bar and one farmer’s co-op.  From there we take Rock River Road which shortly turns to dirt.

We travel 3 or 4 miles down that road, Turn left for 3.5 miles on a smaller dirt road, turn left again and travel a mile on an even smaller  two track dirt road to the parking area.

Poor little low to the ground Ruby  is being a champ about this.

 

 

 

 

 

When we get to the “parking area”, there are no signs for a trail or waterfall.. Nothing but “this is a wilderness signs”. There are two trails. Which one?

Well one is actually an extension of the road but hardly looks drivable. The other looks more like a trail so we head out down it.

I check my pedometer so I’ll know when we’ve gone 3/4 of a mile. Bug gear is in order here in the wilderness.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We walk and we walk and the path gets smaller and smaller. 

When it starts getting muddy I think we must be close but I don’t hear any water at all.

 

 

 

 

 

I check my pedometer. We’ve gone more than a mile.  No sign of any waterfall.  Not even the noise of any stream.  This must be the wrong trail.  SIGH………….    We head back.  

 

We walk down the road into the no can drive area.

Here’s what we find very shortly at the end of the road.   It’s beautiful but there is no trail through it.

 

 

We back track.  David sees orange tags hanging from trees that seem to indicate a trail.  We follow the first 4 but it is clear that it goes deeper into somewhere that is not a waterfall. 

 

 

 

 

But isn’t it wonderful to have hours to search for a waterfall even if you don’t find it?

Well either we were on the wrong trail or more likely the directions were wrong and the distance to the falls from the parking area was not 3/4 of a mile but something more than a mile and 2/10.   If I had even heard water I’d have kept going.   When we get back to a black topped road and I have a phone signal I call the VC and ask if anyone knows about the trail to this waterfall.  The woman who answers the phone says yes she’s hiked it.  I explain what we’ve done and after repeatedly describing our following of their directions she says well she doesn’t know if we were on the right trail and it might be more than 3/4 of a mile or more than a mile or, well she’s not sure.  I admit defeat and hang up.

So after coming this far and hiking about 2.5 miles we come up empty handed. We will not get 100% on this challenge. We have failed to find the Rock River Falls.

 

 

Miner’s Castle has a waterfall AND a beach.

 

We back track all the way down the dirt roads and the miles back to Winnona.  Time to take care of a few things and have an early, ie 4:00, dinner.  It doesn’t get dark around here until about 10:30 at night now which is tough on those of us who like to get up early.   But after dinner we figure we have at least a few more hours to check out the Miner’s Castle area from a spot closer than sand beach was yesterday.

 

Ruby takes us the two miles into town and then the 4 miles out Highway H58 and then 6 miles up Miner’s Castle Road down to the lake shore.

At this point we are standing on top of the dramatic cliffs that are the actual “Pictured Rocks”.  They say the best views of the rocks and Miner’s Castle are from the water but we think these taken from above and behind are pretty good too.

 

Boy do I love the zoom on this Canon SX50!  Check out these close ups of this scene.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 It isn't often that my attention gets distracted from a beach.

From here we go down to Miner’s Beach to see what we can see.

 

 

 

 

Here’s more of what we can see.  Just look at the painted pictured rocks.  This is exactly what they looked like on this blue sky day.

 

 

 

Have I said how much I like the zoom on this camera?

 

Back at the beach, there is a little inland lake which must be very nice for swimming since I assume it would be much warmer than Lake superior.  Although I am also sure that it is temporary depending on the wave action keeping or eliminating its dam against the lake.

 

We had intended to check Miner’s Falls off of our list but we spend too long ogling the pictured rocks. at the Beach and enjoying the castle. So we save it for another day.

 

 

Back on the home front…..

 

 

 

We are back home by sunset in time to see two young boys skim boarding on the shore and in the water. It is 46 degrees outside.   I’m dressed in winter clothing, they are in swimming suits in that freezing lake water.   Ah youth.  I think their Michigan blood must be way different from mine.

 

 

 

The sun is a beautiful blaze of orange as it sets over Lake Superior.    
I have loved this view from my tent in any of those many many years we were tent campers.

 

 

 

 

I love having scenes like these in my backyard every night.