A Little Slice of da Harbor...: Thawing Out

Monday, February 14, 2011

Thawing Out

The groundhog was right. Spring is in da Keweenaw. Of course, at any moment it could dump 10 inches a day for five days in a row. That will most likely happen when all the snow melts and we feel in our hearts that Spring is actually here. Psych!

That's what happened in April, 2007. Don't believe me? Check out more "Historical Weather" facts at John Dee's website. He's got the stats for everyday for many winters back. Now that's dedication!

But here the sun is shining. I even got to hang out with my shadow today! The main roads are dry and asphalty, and slush fills the edges. The ever-melting snow is heavy and dense. We could have a killer snowball fight, or build a fort.

Want to see what those college kids at Michigan Tech have done with the snow? Check out their statues from the Winter Carnival this weekend. The whole Keweenaw area and South was just a rockin. Where did all these people come from? I wondered as I ran my butt off at work.

But good news for the ice fishermen! The ice is thick and the fish are biting. I couldn't even buy minnows at the minnow shop today because they were cleaned right out! The fishermen have been all over the Harbor drilling holes and looking down them intently.

By the way, let me take this moment to point out a distinction that may have been taken as an inconsistency. When I say "da Harbor" I am referring to da town of Copper Harbor and da surrounding area. When I say "the Harbor" I mean the actual body of water -- the bay of Copper Harbor, where boats sail and fish swim.

So how about you check out the Harbor, if you haven't already today. It's frozen from one end to the other with the exception of the middle where Fanny Hooe Creek enters. View the solidity for yourself from my neighbor's camera!

I will have to traverse that frozen tundra as soon as I have time. I've been working and driving to town too much lately to have an adventure. I know, it's winter! But soon, my friend, soon my time will come.

Now get back to work. Chances are, if you clicked on all these links, you spent more time at your computer than you planned. That's okay though, it's da Harbor.

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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!

Monday, February 14, 2011

Thawing Out

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Unofficial Overview from a Resident's Point of View

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