Day 10 Waterfalls and Sunsets

Day 10

Excuse the couple of day lapse in posts. The signal for the internet was pretty weak so we waited to post. We have so much more to share so hopefully we haven't lost your attention.

Today we decided to explore the trails and waterfalls in the Ottawa National Forest starting with Bonanza Falls or Greenwood Falls; just a short hike from the main road.  These falls are in Silver City and on the Big Iron River.  They are unusual and compelling enough to be worth a special visit. Thin layers of brown rock are tilted up at an angle to the wide riverbed, so water winds around the scalloped layers. It's possible to walk across on the uplifted edges of rock.  The effect is dramatic, whether or not there's much water flowing over the falls.

The next waterfall was Cascade Falls, a little harder to get to but worth the trip. You had to hike in about a mile through the woods from one of two trails.  We chose the main trail to the falls; which is the easiest with only moderate changes in elevation and the Bluff route on the way back.   The Bluff Trail was a little more challenging especially since it started to rain a bit.  The view from the vista was beautiful especially since the leaves are starting to turn.  The waterfall is about a 20' drop over the rock formations.

Our next stop was the Presque Isle Falls, located at the far end of the Porcupine Mountain State Park off of South Boundary Road.  The Presque Isle is the largest river in the Porkies draining over 300 sq miles of forest land in Upper Michigan & Northern Wisconsin.  The amber-colored water of the river and the foam beneath the waterfalls is the result of tannins and other water-soluble plant compounds that wash into the river as it journeys to meet Lake Superior.

There are three main waterfalls in this area with trails along the river with platforms for viewing the waterfalls and rapids that populate the river.  The first of the three is the Nawadaha Falls,  directly in front of the ranger station down a short path.  The next is the Manido Falls just a short walk on the boardwalk, then the Manabezho Falls.  There is also a unique suspension bridge that leads you to the East side of the river and another spectacular view of the Falls.

The finely terraced rock over which the river flows is called the Nonesuch Shale.  It is composed of sand and clay particles that were deposited in a shallow lake that covered this area almost a billion years ago.   The round potholes in the riverbed form where an eddy current continually swirls pebbles and sand grains in a circular path.  Over time, the scoring action of these materials wear away the softer shale, forming the large smooth-sided potholes.

Spent quite a bit of time here exploring and taking pictures of all the angles of the falls. (Steve was very patient with me since I was practicing with my camera) It was a wonderful day followed by a beautiful evening, great sunset with a nice bottle of wine and some much earned chill time on the beach.