A Little Slice of da Harbor...: Escaping the Flies

Tuesday, May 22, 2012

Escaping the Flies

It’s blackfly season. And it’s in full swing.

But I know how to escape them. So do you, if you have one of my black market F.A.Q. pamphlets about Copper Harbor.

The key is to keep moving. I went on my first roller blade of the season today, and I forgot they existed until I got home and took my blades off at the bottom of the steps. Oh, they were swarming me! In my hair, on my neck, in my mouth. Patooey! They must love my sweaty goodness. I grabbed my gear, though some if it was still on me, and ran up into the house. There. I escaped.

Today I also needed to burn some cardboard. At first, while standing at my fire ring, they began to swarm. So I lit my lighter and sent that cardboard up in flames. Bye bye, blackfiles!

A couple days ago a friend and I were searching for morels in the woods. Morels I did not find, but the bugs found me! Here’s where the mind game starts. When forced to be among them, you repeat over and over what your main objective in the woods is.

I am looking for morels. I am looking for morels. Oh, the blueberry bushes are blossoming! I am looking for morels. I am looking for morels. Ooh, a fiddlehead. Yum! I am looking for morels.

Then the blackflies don’t seem so bad. Soon enough (and especially because I found zero morels) the bug bites were becoming more apparent. I bet you are wondering how I escaped that scene. I ran out of the woods, hopped on my bike and pedaled away. Whew!

But as a whole, the swarms have been on and off. The wind really takes care of them, so thank you, Lake Superior! Too much sun and hot makes them hide under cover, and too chilly of weather (like today) seems to keep them under cover.

I have no expectations. I know some tricks. But most of all, I know when to stay inside until it gets dark!

2 comments:

MichaelMay 24, 2012 at 10:34 PM
Thanks for the tutorial Amanda. I'm heading up to the Keweenaw with my wife early Friday morning for a long weekend camping trip and can use the advice. We won't have bikes with us but I've found that our kayak can be a nice way to escape the biting pests while also getting a fresh perspective on the shoreline. Hope you have a great holiday despite all of the tourists. I always try to disguise myself. Take care
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RichMay 25, 2012 at 9:31 AM
I have found the same thing works for black flies when they're not real thick. My theory is that present moment awareness strengthens our energy field around us, which keeps them away. Pretty flaky idea eh? Another idea, when possible, is bring someone who is from out of town and the flies will go for the fresh blood.
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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, May 22, 2012

Escaping the Flies

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Unofficial Overview from a Resident's Point of View

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