A Little Slice of da Harbor...: Buzz in Town

Tuesday, August 9, 2011

Buzz in Town

I haven't lived right in Copper Harbor itself for four years. I was two miles outside the hulabaloo -- unable to hear a thing. Now I live across from the general store, which gets more in-and-out traffic than any other place in town. Car doors are constantly slamming.

For the last few years, I wouldn't even know it was the Fourth of July until I pedaled into town for work. This year the parade went by my house, and people parked in my parking lot. I used to be in the dark about the fact that all the Harley riders were up for Thunder in the Harbor until my Bud Light sales were up at the Harbor Haus. This year their engines scared my puppy into the closet. I wouldn't even know the Copperman Triathlon was going on unless I volunteered at it. This year the bike event went right past my house.

Do you see what I'm getting at? I'm in all the action! I live at Grand Central Station! Thank goodness my front porch is elevated and back from the road. I can sit up there and watch it all without everyone watching me! It's really a cool spot. And if I want to try to forget about it all, I can sit on the back porch with the thimbleberries, maples and ferns. Truly a peaceful retreat.

So that's a nutshell of my new perspective for you. I actually really love it, and I am relieved with the fact that I don't ever have to drive a vehicle unless I'm leaving da Harbor all together. And since I don't live half a mile down a gravel road, I've retaken up roller blading -- a favorite past time of mine.

But that's not all that's going on in da town. On my roller blade today, I was reminded of all the construction projects happening. Construction projects in Copper Harbor, oh yay! That means things are happening! Here is a list of the few that I can remember:

An addition to the Shepard of the Sea Chapel

A new residence for a local couple

An 18 hole mini golf course called "Into the Woods"

A six foot wide trail from the Marina to town

And a microbrewery

Pretty cool, hey? Let's keep this town alive, so I can live here forever!

2 comments:

MichaelAugust 9, 2011 at 1:57 PM
That's very cool Amanda! I especially look forward to the mini golf and microbrewery. What better way to spend a couple of hours in da harbor after exploring the Keweenaw north woods.
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AnonymousAugust 12, 2011 at 11:06 AM
Keep the great post coming Amanda. Nice to keep up on the happenings in da harbor when I'm not there. Soon I'll be having my venison tenderloin, followed by a zanzabar thimbleberry sundae, and then wash it all down with a rhubarb amber. (the TROLL fall guy, Christopher)
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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!

Tuesday, August 9, 2011

Buzz in Town

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Unofficial Overview from a Resident's Point of View

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