A Little Slice of da Harbor...: The Snowbank Song

Monday, April 7, 2014

The Snowbank Song

This is the song I sing to the snowbanks everyday:

Drip. Drip. Drip.

Drain. Drain. Drain.

Go back to the lake

from where you came!

Like it? You can sing it too. Any tune you see fitting will work just fine, I promise.

People don't seem to believe how much snow we really still have here. Sometimes I don't believe it myself. Here are some pictures for proof.

Good thing the Berry Patch opens in June!

Would you want to go to those places?

"Dude. Where's my truck?"

So that was on a sunny day. The next day was rainy, so I got out between raindrops. Back to gray skies!

This town cleared out fast!

"Excuse me. I'm looking for Fort Wilkins..."

If you recognize that last sign, you know that it's a huge sign that says "Fort Wilkins State Park." If you didn't know that sign, you'd be lost.

Which day was it? Thursday night through Friday we had another blizzard. I figured we got 13 inches here in the Harbor by the amount I shoveled. It was pretty comical seeing all us harborites out shoveling in April -- twice that day. Cursing or trying to make light of it all.

Luckily we also have a few good men who travel around in their snowblower, tractor, plow, etc. helping out the folks who are majorly snowed in. Bless your heart. You know who you are.

So the waterfalls should be amazing in a few weeks. Or a couple. I just checked out Jacob's Falls on M-26 by Eagle River the other day. It's quite snow covered, but it's starting to run underneath!

That day I also got to watch the sun sink into frozen Lake Superior near Great Sand Bay. That was magic in itself. I realized that I haven't seen the sun set over the lake in months! It truly is a treat.

If you live in a warm(ish) area with actual grass and maybe some daffodils, keep us in your thoughts. Send us some sunshine. And even sing the snowbank song!

1 comment:

AnonymousApril 8, 2014 at 3:13 PM
I can really sense that urgency to get rid of Winter and then welcome Spring. Mother Nature can't be held back forever . . hang in there . . :) Great pictures, and stories . . thanks again for keeping us up to date on the happenings. Manganese Falls will be boiling for your next post!! Can't send warmth to you either as daffodils haven't emerged, but singin' the song . . John
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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!

Monday, April 7, 2014

The Snowbank Song

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Unofficial Overview from a Resident's Point of View

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