West Side

Four days ago I went on a bike ride in Copper Harbor. During that ride, I paid special attention to the berry status. It turns out they will not be as early as I projected. The thimbleberries will be a good two to three weeks yet, and they’ll probably be the earliest. The blueberries aren't far behind them, if not sooner. As for my precious bils, they might have a month before I can taste their heavenly juice.

The night before this bike ride day, I dreamt that I was scouting bilberry progress and found a berry the size of an overgrown Washington Apple! I showed it to everyone I could find and had them take a bite. I tried not to be disappointed when the berry scouting turned out to be behind my schedule.

Friday I mountain biked at Churning Rapids and the Maasto Hiihto Trails in Hancock. I’ve been there once before, and I’ll definitely go again. It was a relief to ride a trail system that doesn’t require a long climb after each decent. I also think I could improve some turning skills on these Southern trails since a missed corner there is much more forgiving. The maps at each intersection were helpful too, as we tried to find our way without much of a clue. Nice job on those trails, if you help with them!

Later that night I got to camp on the west side of the Keweenaw Peninsula. I haven’t really been that way except to travel through the canal on the way to Isle Royale. One of my friends has a family camp at Cedar Bay. What a cool place -- almost Isle Royalesque with the oceanic view. We watched the sun set into the lake directly in front of us. I’ve never had that view before. And to make it more exciting, we also watched the storm clouds of lightning and thunder cross over before us. The rain sent us to shelter before the sunken sun’s colors could spread across the sky.

And I got to sleep under the stars. Oh, what a way to sleep! The waves of Lake Superior crashed beyond my head and the wind brustled the leaves above me. It was a mini-vacation for a day, and I’m glad I took it.

But now, back to the grind! I’ll write again when I get a chance.