August 9, 2014 – Bear Ranch – Tahquamenon Falls – Chain Saw Art

Today we struck out alone, initially headed for Oswald’s Bear Ranch … the largest (bear only) bear ranch in the United States. It began in 1984 when the owner, interestingly a former boxer, rescued a baby bear. As Michigan law prohibits breeding or buying black bears, the Ranch rescues cubs from all over the US. They will then live the remainder of their 25-30 year lifespan there.

Opening to the public in 1997, the complex now has 29 bears, 2 huge habitats (with ½ and ⅓mile perimeters) and 2 smaller habitats (with ¼ mile perimeters). Thus, the environment where these bears live is natural and anything but the typical cage most wild animals are forced to live in. It was also very apparent that the bears were well-cared for as their coats were clean and shiny.

Each of the four habitats allows visitors to explore the perimeters and view these magnificent animals, which in the past I’ve only seen both while hiking and during our motor home travels. Apparently there used to be only a single chain link fence around each habitat … now there are two (making photography a real challenge). We’re guessing that the second perimeter fence was added after some stupid individual(s) stuck their fingers through the single fence and possibly lost them.

Oswald's Bear Ranch (b), Newberry, MI - 2014-08-09 Oswald's Bear Ranch (c), Newberry, MI - 2014-08-09 Oswald's Bear Ranch (f), Newberry, MI - 2014-08-09 Oswald's Bear Ranch (h), Newberry, MI - 2014-08-09 Oswald's Bear Ranch (i), Newberry, MI - 2014-08-09 Oswald's Bear Ranch (k), Newberry, MI - 2014-08-09 Oswald's Bear Ranch (d), Newberry, MI - 2014-08-09We then drove north to the shores of a chilly (34 degrees) Lake Superior.  At
Muskallonge State Park, MI - 2014-08-09w,e discovered a trail leading to the beach

Trail to Lake Superior Beach, Muskallonge State Park, MI - 2014-08-09lined with flowering milkweed and inhabited by hundreds of grasshoppers.

Flowering Milkweed on the Trail to Lake Superior Beach, Muskallonge State Park, MI - 2014-08-09 Grasshopper (c) on the Trail to Lake Superior Beach, Muskallonge State Park, MI - 2014-08-09
There, we kicked back for the better part of an hour, enjoying the scenery and several brightly–colored, round rocks strewn about in the very soft sand

Beach (looking West) on Lake Superior, Muskallonge State Park, MI - 2014-08-09 Multi-colored Rock (b) on the Beach on Lake Superior, Muskallonge State Park, MI - 2014-08-09 Multi-colored Rock (a) on the Beach on Lake Superior, Muskallonge State Park, MI - 2014-08-09
And in the sand downed the picnic lunch we’d brought with us.

Lunch Spot on the Beach on Lake Superior, Muskallonge State Park, MI - 2014-08-09We next revisited Tahquamenon Falls, actually two different waterfalls on the Tahquamenon River. Both sets are located near Lake Superior in the eastern Upper Peninsula of Michigan.

The water is notably brown in color from the tannins leached from the cedar swamps which the river drains.

This photo taken on our 2011 trip through the Upper Peninsula … showing the vivid color of the tannin which was far less noticeable today

This photo taken on our 2011 trip through the Upper Peninsula … showing the vivid color of the tannin which was far less noticeable today

The Upper Falls are more than 200 feet across and with a drop of approximately 48 feet. During the late spring runoff, the river drains as much as 50,000 US gallons of water per second, making the upper falls the third most voluminous vertical waterfall east of the Mississippi River, after Niagara Falls and Cohoes Falls, both in New York State.

Tahquamenon Falls (Upper Falls - f), Paradise, MI - 2104-08-09 Tahquamenon Falls (Upper Falls - d), Paradise, MI - 2104-08-09 Tahquamenon Falls (Upper Falls - c), Paradise, MI - 2104-08-09 Tahquamenon Falls (Upper Falls - a1), Paradise, MI - 2104-08-09 Tahquamenon Falls (Upper Falls - a2), Paradise, MI - 2104-08-09The Lower Falls, located four miles downstream, are a series of five smaller falls cascading around an island which can be reached by rowboat. A hiking trail runs between the falls along the riverside, and visitors often play in the lower falls during the summer heat.

Tahquamenon Falls (Lower Falls - a), Paradise, MI - 2104-08-09 Tahquamenon Falls (Lower Falls - b), Paradise, MI - 2104-08-09 Tahquamenon Falls (Lower Falls - g), Paradise, MI - 2104-08-09The Tahquamenon is noted as being the land of Longfellow’s The Song of Hiawatha – “by the rushing Tahquamenaw” where Hiawatha built his canoe. “Tahquamenon Falls” is also a song from Sufjan Stevens’s album Michigan.
Leaving the falls, we drove east to

For the Jihadists, it’s only a three hour drive north of Detroit … and they can leave after their visit

For the Jihadists, it’s only a three hour drive north of Detroit … and they can leave after their visit

Just before the center of the small town … we spotted some chain saw art

Edwin LaFette Chain Saw Art (g), Paradise, MI - 2104-08-09 Edwin LaFette Chain Saw Art (h), Paradise, MI - 2104-08-09and Edwin LaFette hard at work … he was a true artist with a chain saw!

Edwin LaFette Chain Saw Art (a), Paradise, MI - 2104-08-09 Edwin LaFette Chain Saw Art (b), Paradise, MI - 2104-08-09 Edwin LaFette Chain Saw Art (c), Paradise, MI - 2104-08-09 Edwin LaFette Chain Saw Art (d), Paradise, MI - 2104-08-09Edwin LaFette Chain Saw Art (e), Paradise, MI - 2104-08-09

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