A Little Slice of da Harbor...: Up in the Sky

Thursday, August 5, 2010

Up in the Sky

Hello! Sorry I missed you for so long... it must be summer. And August at that! Yay! Welcome August... one month closer to October.

I think I've got all the berries my freezer can handle this year. Thimbles, bils, blues, sugar plums and even buffaloberries. Most of them are on their way out, so I'm glad I got out when I could. Blueberry picking for me was slim today. But I have enough Sugar Plums to make 5 gallons of wine! Come see me this winter for a Harbor shine!

The last two nights have rocked the Northern Lights. Last night I went out to the lighthouse, on the north-facing rocks, and watched them light up the sky. I have never seen a show like that before. The lights themselves were white. They shot up like poles in the sky all along the horizon. They faded in and out, back and forth. I couldn't help but oooh and ahhh. A kid at the fireworks. They should be out tonight too, around 11 pm. If you have a view, I suggest you keep your eyes peeled.

And right on the Superior shore, the crashing waves were the loudest sound. The wind blew through me, carrying any worries with it. Quite a few times this summer I have sat with friends or myself after a busy night at work and watched the sky. The shooting stars have been abundant, and the northern lights were a spectacular treat. Watching the bright orange moon rise never ceases to amaze me. Oh the joys of the summer nights.

With all this magic in the air, I feel so fortunate. One thing I realized, and this is the first time I have ever felt this way in my life, was a message from the shooting stars. Often we think they are there for us to make a wish. But lately, I realized I have nothing to wish for. My dreams are coming true on my own accord. That's even better than October.

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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!

Thursday, August 5, 2010

Up in the Sky

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Unofficial Overview from a Resident's Point of View

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