Wind Switch

I figure I should write to you while we still have internet... and power.

Day five in a row of chilly, wet and windy weather is upon us here in da Harbor. Snowflakes/crystals fell from the sky yesterday, so that should give you an idea of the temperature here. Not enough for snowboarding (okay, so no accumulation at all), but snow nonetheless. The power went out twice on Tuesday.

Tuesday we had strong winds from the East, which is why we lost power. The winds usually blow from the West and North, leaving the Easterly gusts to blow over everything that was leaning the opposite way. This switching of winds often leads to a power outage.

And Wednesday brought winds from the Southwest, which is slightly less rare. Knowing that the winds were just going to blow and blow, a good friend and I each clicked on our light bulbs about what to do when the gales are ripping: watch the waves.

Since Copper Harbor faces North, we had to be on the Southern shores to really get the rollers. Hwy. 203 through Calumet and Hancock, along the West coast was the first adventure. We touched down at Tamarack Waterworks Rd., Calumet Waterworks Rd. and McLain State Park. At each shore, on sandy beaches, we would have to keep an eye out at our feet so the stretching tide didn't soak us.

At McLain, however, we had to stop and have an adult beverage, for the entertainment was quite unique to the Keweenaw. At the breakwalls, where Portage Canal exits into the Great Lake, we found five hearty (and quite ballsy) surfers. Cowabunga, Dudes!

And to prove these are not just stock photos, here they are walking along the pier to the break wall, where they would jump off into her Majesty's waves. Brave? Crazy? After talking a bit to them, I would say both. And definitely admirable.

After that excitement left us shivering in the wind, we shuttled to the East Coast. Along the way, we noticed a freighter resting in the canal. I sure wouldn't want to be sea-bound on a day like that either!

Our next stop was the East entrance to the Portage Canal -- how fitting! Since the wind was more from the West, we didn't have quite the whitecaps here, but we did have some flitting wind that made us watch our steps carefully while walking almost a quarter mile along this pier.

From there we saw the Lake from many other angles I have never seen before (like the previous ones have all been). Up north on Bootjack Rd. and the Gay-Lac La Belle Rd. with a stop in beautiful Rabbit Bay.

And as I sit in my cozy cabin today, I can watch the waves smack in through the gaps into Copper Harbor from the Northwest. The wind has switched again....