A Little Slice of da Harbor...: Winter Update

Wednesday, December 7, 2011

Winter Update

You're probably wondering what the snow is like up here. I'm kind of embarrassed. It's pretty pitiful. In the woods we have just over an inch. In the sunshine we have nothing. Ice on the roads. But we are supposed to get a big dump soon, so cross your fingers for da Harbor!

My tracks both ways and... cat tracks? Coyote? Little doggy?

Lake Medora is pretty much frozen over. At least when I drove by last. Lake Fanny Hooe is starting to ice up on the west end (and probably the east, but I haven't been there). Some ice lines the north shore as well. Lake Superior has been kicking up some waves, so she isn't freezing anytime soon...

Other than that, today had a bit of sunshine, and partly cloudy skies tonight. That should cool things off even more!

I am really looking forward to winter. I found an awesome hiking loop that will double as a great snowshoe loop. It parallels two lake shores. How can you beat that? Plus, I found my new favorite spot high on a rock that overlooks Superior. I think I'll make a snow fort up there. If you come up, come find me, and we'll start packing snow!

So life is good in da Harbor. I expect my book to hit the market in three weeks. I just okayed the final draft to send to the printer... then a hard copy to me for approval! Wow, to hold my Copper Harbor book in my hands will be surreal. I hope it is for you too!

Well, the winds and snowflakes are supposed to pick up, so I wanted to catch you in case the power and internet go out. Maybe next time I write, I'll tell you that I had to shovel through 10 feet of snow just to get out of my house! Wishful thinking... let it snow!

1 comment:

Denny From FLDecember 8, 2011 at 3:57 PM
If you are interested there is a freighter anchored in Bete Grise Bay I would presume waiting out the wind.

http://marinetraffic.com/ais/default.aspx?&zoom=7&centerx=-88.168&centery=47.375
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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!

Wednesday, December 7, 2011

Winter Update

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Unofficial Overview from a Resident's Point of View

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