By Mary Drew at Pasty Central (Mdrew) on Monday, February 2, 2015 - 01:22 am:
Over on the eastern end of the U.P., our roving photographer/reporter, Brenda Leigh has been busy exploring the Tahquamenon Falls area, near Paradise, MI. She spotted Smokey the Bear standing in the snow, letting folks know that the fire danger this time of year is low, so that's a good thing for anyone wanting to make a bonfire in the snow. I thought it very smart of Smokey, to have a shovel at the ready, in case he has to remove some snow to get back in the woods.
After her snapshot of Smokey, Brenda and friends hiked into the Tahquamenon Falls to see what they're doing this time of year. She said you don't even need snowshoes, as the trail is quite packed down, unless of course, you want to venture off the trail, then you better have them or you'll do lots of sinking in the snow. The falls look to be running quite well and only frozen along the sides. With the amount of water going over that cascade, I would venture to say that it never freezes over completely, but I could be wrong on that. Sure is pretty all surrounded in snow and ice.
After their trek to the falls, they decided to check out the Tahquamenon Falls Brewery and Pub, which was built there in the Tahquamenon Falls State Park in 1996. Brenda said there is a beautiful gift shop there, along with good food and beverages. She also said that this is the only State Park she knows of with an operational brewery. The history of the falls coming into being, the reason for it being labeled Camp 33 and how the brewery and pub came about is quite interesting. You can read about it here: Tahquamenon Falls History.
Happy Groundhog Day!
