A Little Slice of da Harbor...: Playing Catch Up

Tuesday, October 25, 2011

Playing Catch Up

Patience is a virtue. Since you waited so long for me to post, I’m going to make it up to you by adding some lovely pictures. Go ahead, scroll down. Hopefully I won’t forget everything I have to tell you.

Let me start by saying that “The Walk” went well. We had two runners and three walkers covering our 37 mile stretch. Jo and I walked the last 12 miles together. Here we are at our starting post.

A couple notable events: We saw a turkey cross the road. That might be the first turkey I have ever seen up here. During our stretch of pavement, we wondered how the heck we walked that whole way the last few years. Jo kept saying that it was nice not to be walking on “stumps.” Yes, we could actually feel our feet by the end of it!

Next year’s adventure is scheduled for May 9, 2012. That one will be a doozy. Stay tuned for details!

If you have experienced any kind of media today, you probably already know that the Northern Lights made an appearance last night. A crew of us walked outside at around 10:30 pm to watch them fill up the whole north half of the sky. I have never seen that phenomenon where they all meet at the halfway point and turn the rest of the sky green. From here, they were only green, but a spectacle as always.

Today I went for a hike up Keweenaw Mountain. Oh, did I need that. I thought I might find some Harboresque pictures for you, so I took my camera.

Below is the “bear” made out of a fallen over tree stump. It gets me every time -- even when I know it’s the stump, I think, “oh, but there could really be a bear there this time!” Come on, use your imagination... he even has a face! He looks like he's coming at me with a stick. Run!

I also saw this little birdie eating something white. Do you know what kind of bird this is? It made a beautiful sound.

As I looked back at the nose of Brockway Mountain, I thought you might like to see its yellow colors reflecting in the little pond.

Here is another shot with the Garden Brook Valley as the dip in the middle.

Other than that, I AM FREE!!! and it feels wonderful.

9 comments:

Bayfieldwis.comOctober 25, 2011 at 8:28 PM
Where is the start of the trail up the Mountain so next time we can hike it? I'm not aware of this at all! We have done the Hunter's Point and the 600 year old pines hikes. I want to hike around horseshoe bay as well. Didn't make it to Copper Harbor this fall so your posts had
to do for us this year! Which is great. I miss the Harbor Haus! Thanks!
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MichaelOctober 25, 2011 at 10:46 PM
Hey there Amanda, could the bird possibly be a Bohemian Waxwing, maybe immature. It's within it's migration range. Glad you saw the big lights display which I unfortunately missed. I'm heading out now to see if it's a repeat performance tonight! Take care
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AmandaOctober 27, 2011 at 7:37 PM
Hey Bayfield! Next time you're up, grab a bike trail map at the general store and start at the trail head for a great adventure. We have many miles of scenic trails through valleys and over ridges. You won't believe what you'll find!
~Amanda
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AmandaOctober 27, 2011 at 7:40 PM
Hey MIchael! I don't know what bird that is... I was hoping one of my readers would tell me! Come on, Aunt Mary, you're my ornithologist! Thanks for your thoughts, Michael. Take care.
~Amanda
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Bayfieldwis.comOctober 27, 2011 at 8:56 PM
Thanks much! AWESOME! I love hiking adventures.
You get real hungry hiking and then visit the Harbor Haus and Mariner restaurants! What could be better on a vacation week? Support the local
economy! Copper Harbor is a real gem as you
well know and promote.
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RichOctober 28, 2011 at 1:59 AM
Hey Amanda
Check out this site to see if the call matches.
http://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Cedar_waxwing/sounds
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AmandaOctober 28, 2011 at 11:05 AM
Thanks for trying, guys, but that's not the bird. I searched through all relative pages of my Birds of North America book twice, which leads me to believe this one was on its way to a warmer place. What a mystery!
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AmandaOctober 31, 2011 at 11:40 AM
I got it! It is a pine grosbeak, either an immature male or a female with a rose crown. That's the one... thanks, Aunt Mary! I knew you'd know.
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MichaelOctober 31, 2011 at 8:41 PM
Yes, yes... I would agree. It does look like an immature Pine Grosbeak. Your Aunt Mary is one sharp birder!
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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, October 25, 2011

Playing Catch Up

9 comments:

Unofficial Overview from a Resident's Point of View

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