Autumn Rants

I am actually sitting inside on this lovely, sunny day, so I can type to you.  Aren't I a sweetheart?  He he.

What's going on these days in da Harbor?  Well, last weekend was crazy busy again.  All the motels rooms were booked.  Restaurants were slammin'.  Visitors were driving like (excuse this rant) total morons that don't look before they pull out into traffic.  They even (bless their across-the-globe hearts) parked all along the Covered Stretch and walked around as if they were about to watch a parade while they took pictures of the leaves in the rain.

This time of year is beautiful here.  Yes.  Refreshing and cool.  Uh huh.  And it also brings the worst drivers in the world to our narrow, winding, sidewalkless roads.  I feel safer in the winter behind a car with bald tires breaking at every curve because though they may slide into the ditch, they most likely won't just pull to the side of the road and open their car door in front of the vehicle behind them.

Whew.  Thanks for letting me say all that.  Fortunately for me, I don't have to drive any of those roads on a daily basis.  And this really only happens two weeks out of the year.

But autumn has brought me some new friends!  Well, they're not really my friends.  They just use me for the seed I keep out on the front porch, so I can watch them flit around and hear their lovely sparrow songs.  I almost think these could be some of the same little birdies that hung out in my back yard in the spring.  Welcome back, you sweet little sparrows!

So, you may or may not be into this, but MoveOn.org has an official petition to sign for those who oppose the cell tower going up on Brockway Mountain.  It encourages the FCC to look for a different, less obtrusive placement for a tower.  I did my part.  Feel free to do yours.

CLICK HERE TO SIGN THE BROCKWAY TOWER PETITION

Thanks.

What else is happening?  Well, my hubby and his trail crew just got back from Duluth, MN where they built trails all summer.  (You can imagine my relief for that moment when "I think it's time!!!)  And they are continuing progress on the Keweenaw Point Trail.  

This path, if I haven't mentioned it already, will allow hikers and bikers to travel legally, easily and safely around the tip of, you guessed it, the Keweenaw Peninsula.  If I am not mistaken, it will pass points of interest such at Montreal Falls, Schlatter Lake, High Rock Bay and others.  

This nearly 30-mile trail will be epic for the Keweenaw.  We might even have to get a Starbucks to accommodate the traffic.  Ha!  I am just kidding.  That's just crazy talk.  But anyway, I can keep you updated as this big project progresses.  Phase I is in the works.

Closings

So this is what we call the end of the season, you know.  The Harbor Haus closes Saturday the 11th.  Jamsen's Fish Market and Bakery closes Monday the 13th.  I would imagine the Keweenaw Mountain Lodge closes later this month.  Motels will drain pipes and board up windows soon, I'm sure.

And then, you know what happens.  6 months of cold and snow that will drag on like last year.  I am already starting to praise our occasional moments of sunshine.  I, I really don't know what else to say about this right now.  I think I scared myself a bit.

Color Report

The Covered Stretch was still a beauty two days ago.  Lovely, in fact (ask all the visitors parked on the side of the road in the rain!).  I bet Brockway is still nice.  Though many of the trees are wind-blown, the oaks, birch and popples are taking their turn now, spewing burgundy and yellow.

Maybe next time I'll have some pictures for you.  I felt a bit inadequate today when I sat down and looked for something visual to share and realized I had nothing.  So hopefully you have enjoyed my sarcastic rants and blunt opinions.  I'm not a sugar-coater, you know.  Especially with these hormone fluxes.  Yes.  I'll blame it on that.  Two weeks until my due date!

Be well.

Fall Festivities

Today I was even too lazy to take a nap.  And the thought of creating a post seemed like a lost cause.

Well, you lucked out because I finally got revved up to go on this Queen cruise to the Gull Rock Lighthouse as a fundraiser for the Christmas lights.  But when I got to the dock, a sign said it was cancelled due to high winds.  By the time I pedaled home and teased my dog (who was howling toward the front door like a big baby), I had some wind put back in my own sails.

Let me start with what you are probably most curious about: the colors.

Color Report

Last weekend (when I told you to get up here) some of Aaron's family and I went to Lac La Belle.  We paid our $8 a person to ride up the Mount Bohemia chair lift to see some spectacular colors in the trees.  Here are some pics from that trip.  It was a little hazy in the distance, and I only had a phone for pictures, but you'll get the idea.  The colors in these photos have not been modified, by the way.

From the top looking toward Gratiot Lake

Flora on "The Money Line" when it's not a ski run

Mount Houghton in the back

... And the dreaded line to get back down the hill

The place was packed.  The downward line was insane.  There were almost as many cars in the parking lot as there would be on a powder day.  People wore shorts and tank tops.  Really now, when will that ever happen again?

If you've never been on Bohemia, or even if you have, you may be wondering, "why didn't people just walk down the mountain?"  I tell you, if I wasn't 8 months pregnant, wasn't with an 82-year-old great grandma and was wearing long pants through all that tall, dry, buggy grass, I would have walked down.  Most people opted for the ride, but I think the former would have been way faster.

So Mount Bohemia is running their chairlift again this weekend.  Totally worth it, if you are debating going.

If you ask me, I would say last weekend was peak color, but the peak areas are just shifting.  It's Brockway Valley's turn.  That is a beauty right now.  I've only seen pictures, but I may have to make the drive myself.  So much for my annual bike ride over the mountain.  That will continue next fall, I hope!

What else do I have to say about the colors?  Not a whole lot.  They are still changing.  I even have a green maple in my back yard right now.  Do what you want, I suppose.

Moving on.

May as well "move on" with "Your Move," a Yes song that our band covers.  Here's a video of us performing that last Friday during the Art Crawl at North One Gallery.

CLICK HERE TO WATCH "POWERS OF AIR" PERFORMANCE

Kinda fun, hey?  Definitely some background noise, but that's what you get during those!  And I believe that will be our last performance with this baby in my belly.  Then the poor thing won't have to keep bonking into my drum!

It looks like the Keweenaw Mountain Lodge is resurrecting Oktoberfest!  Festivities are October 11th starting at 3:00 pm.  Here are the details I could find:

• Buffet is served from 4-8 pm (reservations required)
• 10 German beers
• German food
• Music by Jeff & A.J. Walker Polka Band
• Best dressed couple contest
• Family with the most generations contest

Sounds fun to me, ja!  But maybe that's because I'm German (mostly) and I like parties.  Especially parties the revolve around food and beer.  Good thing I have a good nose to sniff, so I won't have to drink any of the bubbly.  Unless my baby is born by then...

I know I had something else cool for you, but I can't remember at all.  Maybe someday I will.  If not, I know it was a good thought.  So ta ta til next time!