A Little Slice of da Harbor...: A Wintery Collage

Sunday, January 1, 2012

A Wintery Collage

Happy 2012! Make it a good one!

Today I saw an ermine running along the snow bank. Duce saw it too, and he chased it through its tunnel in the snow and right up a cedar tree. I took a couple pictures, but he was so snowy white that he just looked like a snowball in the branches. Cute and quick little guy.

I did some more work on Fort Juniper today. My goal is to build up the north wall first since that is where the coldest winds blow from. It's coming along, all right. It was so nice to lay in there on such a windy day and not get pelted by what's blowing!

Other than that, I took a few wintery pictures yesterday that I thought you might enjoy.

Five inches of snow on Fanny Hooe. Looking toward East Bluff.

Compare this to the picture in "Skating Rink.")

A panoramic view of the snowy trees on Fanny Hooe.

Superior's shoreline looking west from inside the Harbor.

I particularly like the bank of clouds behind this freighter.

Ice on the west end of the Harbor.

Let it snow!!!

4 comments:

Carla from The RiverJanuary 1, 2012 at 10:33 PM
Love the photo of the freighter.
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DeeJanuary 2, 2012 at 12:27 AM
That freighter is still out there now???
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PatJanuary 2, 2012 at 1:25 PM
We saw an Ermine or Weasel down here in Whitelaw WI. A few weeks ago. Looked out of place with his white coat and green grass.
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Denny from Flagler BeachJanuary 2, 2012 at 4:45 PM
Amanda thanks for the pics. We like to see the life up there in the winter. Maybe sometime we'll get brave and come in the winter too. We are going to get some cold days here in Fl then warm again. But I bet I could still drive in the snow like we used to. Keep the pics coming.
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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!

Sunday, January 1, 2012

A Wintery Collage

4 comments:

Unofficial Overview from a Resident's Point of View

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