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On a U.P. anniversary, waterfalls and bridges, and a Centennial memory
Blue skies and sunshine were absent, but a quickie trip last weekend to Michigan’s Upper Peninsula still produced the usual sense of calm that always comes with views of its wooded hills and lakeshores – and its waterfalls and bridges.
The primary purpose of the "short" 910-mile, round-trip excursion was a 40th wedding anniversary party planned by daughter-in-law, Karrie Gaffney, and her two sisters for their parents, Joe and Doris Chaudier. The trio of siblings had been plotting the surprise party for nearly a year – all lips were securely zipped. Given the fact that everyone knows everyone in a town like L’anse, keeping the big event a secret – and the bevy of ‘out-of-towners’ under wraps all day Saturday – was no small feat. Somehow, they did it. The look of shocked surprise on Doris’ face when she surveyed a roomful of relatives and friends was, to steal a line from the credit card commercial, "priceless." Happy tears were shed and hugs were exchanged – lots of love in a room full of Yoopers, back-home-again Yoopers and ‘wanna-be’ Yoopers like Wayne and myself. Congratulations again, Joe and Doris, on 40 years together and best wishes for the next 40-plus. * * * Making good travel time was a priority enroute to the anniversary shindig, necessitating our use of the usual "fastest" route above the Mighty Mac: US-2 west to Engadine; north on 117 to 28, and west across the famous "Seney Stretch" to Munising; following 28 west near the shoreline of Lake Superior to Marquette; and finally west and north on 41 to L’anse and its view of the Keweenaw Bay. We opted for a more leisurely pace on the way home to St. Johns – giving us more time to enjoy the gray skies, snow-showers and cold temperatures, of course. Even those rather poor weather conditions could not dampen the allure that the UP seems to hold for so many of us "trolls" who live below the "big bridge." Heading south and east from Marquette on 41, we initially enjoyed views of some pretty open country – by U.P. standards, at least – that even includes an assortment of dairy farms. Water is always near by, though, whether in the form of a small pond or lake, swift stream or river.
A roadside sign for ‘Whitefish Falls’ between the little burghs of Kiva and Trenary drew our eye, resulting in a rather abrupt turn onto the gravel road that led down to a parking area. We were greeted by the noise of rushing water – such a lovely sound. The well-worn trail along the bank of the west branch of the Whitefish River provided ample opportunities for photos – multiple sets of small falls with crystal clear water cascading over the rock beds. This would be a lovely place to return to in summertime – pools of cool fresh water to take a quick dip in on a hot day. Back in the car, we headed east at the Rapid River junction, following US-2 with its views of Big Bay De Noc – looking very, very chilly – and subsequent vistas of Lake Michigan near Manistique. On warmer summer days, we have enjoyed "rest stops" on the sand dunes, basking in sunshine – not on this trip, however.
We did make a stop at the Cut River Bridge between Epoufette and Brevort, walking down – and back up – all 231 steps of the stairway that provides access to the Cut River as it flows into Lake Michigan. There’s something about bridges that is fascinating to me – structures of steel and concrete that look delicate and strong at the same time. All in all, it was a wonderful trip – a long drive, but well worth it. * * * The Indy mailbag often produces email messages from readers who comment on the stories we post here each week, many from former residents who enjoy keeping in touch with local people and events. Last week was no exception. A message from Sylvia Seibert Outlaw was greatly appreciated for several reasons. From her current home on the Outer Banks of North Carolina, Sylvia emailed document files of the St. Johns Lutheran Church bulletin that was printed on July 22, 1956 – the official ‘Centennial Sunday’ for the city of St. Johns nearly 49 years ago. We are reprinting the cover and pages in this issue of the Indy.
More important to me personally was the fact that Sylvia is a daughter of Margery Seibert – my favorite teacher at St. Peter Lutheran School. She was a wonderful instructor and role model for many, many reasons, but her most precious gift to me was the love of reading that she instilled. From those days in the early 1960s as a third and fourth-grade student of Mrs. Seibert up to this time and place in my life, books are always nearby – on the nightstand, lined up on office shelves and scattered on end tables. Books can take you anywhere, she taught me – backward and forward in time, to distant lands and nearby communities, all offering new ideas and concepts just waiting to be grasped. It came as no surprise to me that Sylvia’s message credited her mother as the author of the history portion of the bulletin. That is utterly appropriate. We hope you enjoy reading the centennial bulletin – I think Mrs. Seibert would like that.
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