Rifle River     8/31/18

Loranger Pines RV Park, West Branch, Michigan

You will go out in joy and be led forth in peace; the mountains and hills will burst into song before you, and all the trees of the field will clap their hands.  Isaiah 55:12

 

I was finally able to get a morning view picture!  Various reasons for the delay include, but no limited to, Blaine had the awning pulled out, anticipating the first neighbors leaving, and us being gone all day.

 

Today was a bit easier than yesterday, though not quite so exciting.  That’s a good thing, since I’d been awake since 2:30am.  Ugh!  I hate insomnia!  I never had any trouble sleeping before I hit 50 or so.  And then you add to that the all-consuming hot flashes I’ve been blessed with lately, and the warm temperatures . . . . anyway, let’s just say it wasn’t a particularly easy day for me, but a short nap in the car on the way, and some deep relaxation on the way home, and I was fit as a fiddle.

 

Michigan’s Rifle River Recreation Area.  Today’s destination is 30 minutes away, but there simply isn’t anything closer.  It covers 4,000 acres (6.25 square miles) and includes 10 lakes.

When we arrived, we asked the Ranger at the gate for a trail map.  Let’s just say, they need a lot of work on their map and some of their trail markers.  But we could find the Observation tower easy enough, so we started there.

 

A little Rifle River history…
In the early 1920’s Harry M Jewett, an auto pioneer, purchased 7,360 acres for fish and game restoration. The Lodge he had built was one of the finest examples of log architecture in the country. It was steam-heated, had electric lights, a beautiful stone fireplace, a private bath for each room and a two-story living/dining room. It was built atop the hill overlooking Grebe, Devoe, Lodge and Grousehaven Lakes. What a view! Each September he would host a barbecue, lecture, moving picture and a harvest dance with more than 400 guests attending. Jewett died at the age of 62 in 1933. In 1945 Mrs. Jewett sold 4,318 acres to the Michigan Department of Conservation, Fisheries Division.  ~ taken from the MDC website

Man!  I sure wish they’d saved it!  Here’s a picture of Harry as well as some information about him I picked up on-line from “Lost In Michigan”, by Mike Sonnenberg:

Harry Mulford “Hal” Jewett was born in Elmira, NY in 1870 and was a world class athlete for the University of Notre Dame.  He was a two-time US National champion and he set the American record for the 220 yard dash in 1891 and in the triple jump in 1890.  He also equaled the World Record for the 220-yard dash in 1892.  He scored the very first touchdown for Notre Dame Football in a game against the University of Michigan on April 20, 1888, Michigan did win the game 26-2.

After graduating from college and serving in the Navy during the Spanish-American war, he eventually became the president of the Paige Motor Car Company in Detroit.  Paige even built a low-priced model named the Jewett.

In the 20’s, Jewett was looking for a place to take his dogs and their trainers to hunt.  He fell in love with the area near Lupton and purchased 7,000 acres of land.  He eventually built an enormous lodge bringing in Finnish “axemen” from the Upper Peninsula to fell and trim the logs for the construction of the lodge.  Workers were brought in from the Detroit area, and overcoming difficulties in the rural area, the large two-story log lodge was built with all the modern conveniences, including steam heat, electric lights, a private bath and a large living room featuring a huge fireplace.  There was also an observation room on the roof with a spectacular view of the area.

Jewett protected and restored the area for hunting ruffed grouse, partridge, and pheasant and made the area a world-class preserve.  He also worked with the U.S. Bureau of Fisheries in stocking the headwaters of the Rifle River with trout, making it one of the best fishing areas in the state.  It was reported the Jewett had spent over a quarter of a million dollars on Grousehaven’s Lodge and preserve.

When Harry Jewett died of a heart attack suddenly in 1933, his heirs lost interest in Grousehaven and in 1945 it was sold to the State of Michigan for $75,000, and was used by the Department of Conservation for fish and game research.  In 1963 the lands were deeded over to the parks division and the lodge was torn down in 1967.

 

There’s so much history to be had!  I’m grateful for the internet and a sense of curiosity!

 

We also weren’t anticipating Jeeping today, but that’s the condition of the road.  Fun and soft (if you can call a road soft) because it’s packed sand, but we agreed we wouldn’t want to try to drive a car on it.

 

Another perfect lunch spot by a lake today  . . .

. . . . and then a visit to the swinging bridge where we encountered two Park guys in kayaks.  We believe they were working – checking the river for obstacles – because one had a chainsaw strapped to his boat.  What a fun element to their job!  While it would be great fun for us to paddle this river, it moves way too fast for our inflatable, plus we’re not sure how deep it all is and it’s so narrow, at least what we saw, there are most likely lots of sticks in the water – or poking out from the sides.  We remember all too well what happens when you run an inflatable into a stick!  Whoosh!  Like deflating a balloon!

We walked a few miles on the trail that crosses over the bridge – about 45 minutes in, then turned around.  According to the map, it was supposed to be along the river, but other than a couple of views (most of them through brush and trees), there wasn’t much river to be found.  And it was all flat.  And it all looked the same.

 

At the other end of the Park, near the entrance, there was another trail that sounded more promising – at least according to the Alltrails app.  Alltrails gives you a map, a description, a rating and reviews.  As long as there’s cell service, it’s a terrific asset for us when we’re hiking.  Especially the map because it can pinpoint our location if we need it.

However.  There was a great deal of frustration, especially on Blaine’s part, when we couldn’t locate the beginning of the trail.  Grrrr . . .

 

We managed to find “Point #2”, and started there.  It soon became apparent that this trail was more often used for cross-country skiers.  I can’t really explain it, but there’s a difference.  And when we thought about the reviews (‘make a run for it’, nice views, etc.), we realized they were most likely skiers. There were lots of small hills and turns, and not much scenery because all the leaves are still on the trees – and it’s not Fall yet, so there’s only green.  When you’re snow skiing, there’s no leaves (or possibly colored ones), hence better views.  😊

Anyway, at least we got in some exercise!  And the things we saw were nice. And we learned something new. And I stayed awake until bedtime.