Have you ever been to "Paradise"?   Paradise Michigan that is.

(Courtesy of Michigan Department of Transportation (2007 Michigan State Map)

The name itself pretty much describes this small town on the shores of Lake Superior in the U.P. The small town of Paradise is a popular destination for tourist in all seasons. But have you ever been there in the summer months on a motorcycle? If the answer is no, then this is one of those trips you need to put in your Blackberries. (For all you gadget people)

Paradise is located 70 miles from the Big Mac, 60 miles from Sault Ste. Marie, and only 37 miles from the town of Newberry. Two of the U.P.’s greatest roads lead to Paradise. If you are coming from the west, make the turn at Newberry off M-28 and head north on Hwy. 123. This road is full of twist and turns that make the 37 mile ride a road you’ll do again and again.  Along Hwy 123, you drive by the Upper and Lower Tahquamenon Falls that are a must see. If you’re driving from the east, take the Lake Shore Drive out of Brimley, through Bay Mills, and along the shore of Lake Superior. This is a rural two lane road without the heavy traffic, some canopy cover and great glimpses of Lake Superior.

Once you make it to Paradise, make sure you take the short ride north to the Whitefish Point Lighthouse and the Great Lakes Ship Wreck Museum. The museum is located next to the lighthouse and here you can see the bell from the Edmund Fitzgerald plus many other interesting exhibits.

On August 16, 2008 some of the members from the Superior Chapter Harley Owners Group (HOG) took a ride from Marquette MI to Paradise, called the "Canned Blueberry Ride". Once a year in August, the small town of Paradise hosts a Wild Blueberry Festival. The Festivals are filled with art and craft vendors, music, good food, and some outstanding homemade blueberry pie. http://www.exploringthenorth.com/blue/berry.html

One of the other main stops for the chapter was to a residence in Paradise to a man known as "The Can Man". The Can Man (A.K.A. John Dreeves) is a retired postal worker from the Travers City area that now lives in Paradise. Mr. Dreeves has collected over 162,000 cans and bottles over the last 4 years and donated all the proceeds to the athletics department at the Paradise School.

As you can imagine, it’s a little hard to bring returnable over to Mr. Dreeves on their bikes, so the chapter members took up a collection and dropped it off before leaving town.

I hear a 2009 ride is already being planned with hopes of a bigger group and a bigger donation to the Can Man.

To learn more about "The Can Man" with the motto. "One Dime at a Time" go to http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=95787390.

Or watch the video on You Tube at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y4zV01H9DOo

Road Trip submitted by:

Brad Kolbus
(bikerbum@charter.net