A Little Slice of da Harbor...: S-U-M-M-E-R

Sunday, July 18, 2010

S-U-M-M-E-R

I'm beginning to get a bit of a soft spot for Summer in da Harbor. I know I have complained in the past about all the people and traffic and heat and work and events to volunteer for, but hey, that's life. That's why I'm able to live here the rest of the time.

So where did this soft spot grow from? Do I suddenly love following tourists down 41 at 20 mph? Do I love answering the same questions all the time? No and no. Here is the yes: nature is alive. For one, the berries are everywhere, and if I take the time to collect them, I can eat them all year round. For two, this area is full of wild edible plants. I have been foraging for the last few weeks.

I found medicinal plants -- Healall, St. John's Wort, rose hips and Yarrow. I've found peppermint and nettle for tea. I've found burdock, sumac, Evening Primrose, cattails and wild parsnip to eat. And there's plenty more which I have not yet found or identified. I have many of the above mentioned species drying for use over the winter. For free.

This is my new addiction (we all have our vices). If I go out for an adventure, I want to be able to identify all the flowers and trees I see. If I see a new blossoming one, I have to look it up when I get home. Also, many berries in the woods are edible -- not so much for a pie, but if the world suddenly ends -- they have nutrients and won't kill me either.

I wouldn't be able to see or find any of these wonderful plants any other time of the year. Summer is when they grow. So I must make a shout out to Summer for being one of my four favorite seasons here in da Harbor. S-U-M-M-E-R! What's that spell? Summer! Summer! Yaaaaaaaaaay Summer!

1 comment:

DakanJuly 21, 2010 at 4:09 PM
You're an awesome writer & teacher! Thanks so much.
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Unofficial Overview from a Resident's Point of View

“If you’ve never been there, you wouldn’t understand” is a quote printed above an outlined picture of Michigan’s Upper Peninsula on a t-shirt sold in gift shops in the area. Some people cock their heads in bewilderment of what this could mean. Well, if you’ve never been there (to da U.P.), then you wouldn’t understand.

It’s simple really. Where are you guaranteed to see more trees than people on any drive or walk? Where can you sit in a bar in April and know everybody’s name? Where can you wear flannel and Carharts anytime of the year without a flinch from a passerby? Where can you end most of your sentence with the colloquialism eh, eh? Where can you go to truly get away from the civilized world? If you answered “da U.P.” to all of these questions, why, you must have been there.

Michigan’s Upper Peninsula makes up one third of the state’s land mass, but only 3% of its entire population. It’s no wonder the average number of people per square mile is 19.3. Nineteen people per square mile! Its lack of inhabitants combined with a plethora of wilderness, unique geographical features and an abundance of water is a big part of what makes the U.P. so unique. In fact, it was included in the Sherman Travel worldwide “Top 10 Places to Go in 2005."

And unique in itself, at the most northern tip in the Keweenaw Peninsula sits the little village of Copper Harbor. “Tops in Michigan,” “the beginning of the road” and quite frankly, the hardest place to leave once your soul has found its peace. It’s the least visited and most revisited place in America. Returning visitors make an appearance at least once a year, no matter what gas prices are. And when they’re back at home, they dream of their next visit to the end of the world.

Why would people want to return to a place where their cell phones don’t work and they can’t get a Big Mac for at least 54 miles? Once you drive through the one and only blinking stop light in town, you are 99% guaranteed not to see any authorities. The town can take care of itself for the most part, and people respect each other and each other’s property.

To the local residents and the handfuls of returning tourists (of which some have been adopted), Copper Harbor is the only place where they can be themselves -- completely and shamelessly (at least until the next morning). Fashion does not exist, but comfort is a must. Possessions mean nothing, but attitude means the world. Loitering is encouraged, and talk is ceaseless. Fresh air is plentiful, and serenity is down the block on Lake Superior’s shore. Ahhh.

Only 90 people can bear to live there year-round (good thing because the post office only has 130 mailboxes), but the population peaks around 250 in the busy summer months when people reopen their business or their summer home.

Copper Harbor and the rest of the Keweenaw Peninsula average 270 inches of snow each season. Whether it falls consistently throughout the winter or all in one dump, it’s guaranteed to fall if it isn’t drilling sideways. Only four businesses stay open through these long months because sometimes, there’s just nobody there.

U.S. Highway 41, which runs all the way to Miami, Florida, begins in Copper Harbor, and yes, it gets plowed the whole way up. A half mile north, six miles east and five miles south of this landmark puts you in magical Lake Superior. I know it’s magical because I’ve caught myself and many other people staring, mesmerized by its pure vastness, undulations and crashing waves.

When you can enjoy every breath of Lake Superior air, wear clothing soley for funtion and not mind seeing the same people day after day after day after day, then, my friend, then, you’ll understand.

A Little Slice of da Harbor...

Copper Harbor, That is!

Sunday, July 18, 2010

S-U-M-M-E-R

1 comment:

Unofficial Overview from a Resident's Point of View

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