A Little Slice of da Harbor...: From what I Remember...

Wednesday, April 25, 2012

From what I Remember...

Oooooo, new signs of wildlife are around us in da Harbor!!!

So far I have sighted flowers of Trailing Arbutus, Hepatica, Marsh Marigold and Periwinkle. I have seen leaves of Harry Vetch, Common Tansy and Wood Anemone. As for fauna, the Sandhill Cranes have been heard gluttering around these parts. They make one of the wildest sounds. Well, maybe I think it's wild because it's one of the only birds I can't figure out how to imitate. I keep trying, though!

Then there's the drumming Grouse. Have you ever heard a grouse beating its wings in the woods? It's such a neat sound. One of my favorite times to hear them is while I'm on a climb during a mountain bike ride, and I stop. All I can hear is my pulse beating through my head (hey, it's some tough climbing up here!). Then all the sudden, my pulse starts beating so fast that before I think I'm about to explode, I realize that sound has switched to a Grouse's wings accelerating. That gets me every time. I love it.

I must say, this is my favorite time of year in da Harbor (besides early fall and a winter powder day and a summer day spent in the woods). I mean, nobody is around. It's just us locals, and people seem to be in high spirits. Today has been a little warmer as well, and the buds are nosing their way out a little farther. I am at such a nice peacefulness today, that I am grateful for this time of year. I have a whole month before I start working full time. Though I have lots of projects to do in that month, I really don't have any worries. Ahhhh. I do love the spring.

I apologize because I had so much to tell you, but now, as I sit and type, I believe I have forgotten much of it. Hopefully, if it was worth it, I'll weave it into a future post. Thanks for your patience!

One more thing, the Isle Royale Queen IV is on her way back from the Portage Canal right now! I can't wait to wave her in!!!

2 comments:

Dennis W. MontvilleApril 25, 2012 at 4:51 PM
Hey Amanda, when are we going to get the West cam back on the CH web site? I keep checking but it's never there. Of course it's only been gone, what, 2 years? Just say'n.....
Thanks for the nice post. It reminds me how much I love it there.
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MichaelApril 25, 2012 at 10:31 PM
Amanda, I agree that the drumming of ruffed grouse is an incredible, exhilarating sound... a sure sign of Spring! I'm surprised that I've yet to hear my first here in southern Minnesota during such an early season. Still waiting and listening...
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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, April 25, 2012

From what I Remember...

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Unofficial Overview from a Resident's Point of View

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