A Little Slice of da Harbor...: Para-Sledding

Saturday, January 12, 2013

Para-Sledding

We got creative indeed.

THE SCENE: Lake Fanny Hooe, frozen over. Gusts up to 40 mph from the west.

THE PROPS: Two plastic sleds tied together at the front. A parachute.

THE TESTERS: Photographer Steve Brimm. Writer Amanda Wais.

This is what ensued...

Otherwise, it looks like spring outside. The temps are supposed to cool right down, but if they don't, I'm going to look for trailing arbutus and hepatica flowers!

10 comments:

AnonymousJanuary 12, 2013 at 9:05 PM
LOL that is a hoot!

you are crazy babe!!!lol some more

can you still have kids! lol some more

denny n carol

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MichaelJanuary 12, 2013 at 10:23 PM
This video was absolutely awesome Amanda!!... you must have had a blast. It sure looks like big fun. And you also picked the perfect soundtrack. This definately qualifies for your greatest hits collection! Thanks
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JaneJanuary 13, 2013 at 6:00 AM
Oh my Amanda,,,, what a ride you had and Steve had, that looked like so much fun, and you were getting a really strong wind for sure. But the best part when the wind took off with you without you under your sled, I laughed so hard !!! Glad you held on for dear life. Thank you for all the postings you do, I enjoy your site so much. I will be in Copper Harbor at the end of July, I plan on going to the Harbor Haus for dinner for sure, hope to see you then. can't wait for that vacation for sure. take care, Jane Newell
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Michael CJanuary 13, 2013 at 11:01 AM
This is so cool - i just swam in this lake for the copperman triathlon in august and now you are sledding on it!! what a great idea.
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AnonymousJanuary 16, 2013 at 8:04 AM
What a hoot. I e-mailed your site to my kids who received your book as a Xmas gift. We all have vacationed at Copper Harbor for close to 40 years knowing Fanny Hoe in the summer. This reminded me of your sail across the harbor last winter. The video made my wake up call at 3 am this morning all the more worth while providing some good laughs. So exciting to hear how much you love the harbor in the winter time. You rock girl! LRussell
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AnonymousJanuary 16, 2013 at 10:21 AM
Still a closely guarded secret . . Yoopers have the most fun . .
See y'all during blackfly season, John
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anonJanuary 17, 2013 at 12:30 PM
Love it!!!! Plus great music! Keep up the fun, Amanda!
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AnonymousJanuary 17, 2013 at 10:47 PM
Amanda, thanks for sharing your wild ride. I'm not much of an outdoors person, especially in the cold but I think this is something I could learn to LOVE. I've seen the lake many times in the summer but don't think we ever went up there from Houghton in winter. Have fun when you go again.
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Rich F.January 19, 2013 at 9:07 PM
You just know how to have fun no matter what. Glad to hear you're getting real snow now. Here too.
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MichaelFebruary 10, 2013 at 10:15 PM
Sliding on the ice without a sled ... what happens if a stump or branch is sticking out of the ice especially near the shore? Ouch.
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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!

Saturday, January 12, 2013

Para-Sledding

10 comments:

Unofficial Overview from a Resident's Point of View

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