Sunshine and Big Bay

Today continues another streak of sunny days.  Just like the week before last.  And if you don't count the wind chill, the temperature is in the double digits.  Last I checked it was 12 degrees F.  We should see a couple days in the 20's this week.  It will surely feel like a heat wave.  Can't wait.

Yesterday I trekked out to ye old site of Fort Juniper.  Up on that ridge, I realized that if I still wanted to built a fort up there, I would just dig one out instead of building one up.  I didn't get to check the actual depth, but I didn't see any juniper bushes there.  Just the tip of a little spruce tree.

Though it was nostalgic to be back there in the winter, the wind was blowing through me, and the single digit temps would not let me linger.  Duce decided to head down the ridges toward the frozen harbor.  We walked back home from there.  

This last weekend I got to go somewhere new: Big Bay, Michigan.  Have you ever been there?

Big Bay is at the red "A"

While first glancing at this map, I thought, Great!  It's even before Marquette!  But I was wrong.  Turns out, a person has to drive to Marquette, then head back northwest on 550 to get to Big Bay.  Well, at least there was no city driving involved.

It's a very small town on Lake Superior.  While there, I resided at Bay Cliff Health Camp.  A really neat place for being so far out.  Big porches, hardwood floors, fireplaces and other cool amenities.  And guess why I got to go.  I was sent on an assignment from Traverse Magazine to report on the DNR's Becoming an Outdoors-Woman event!

73 woman from as far as Alabama came out for this chilly weekend.  They each got to take three classes of their choice ranging from indoor activities (power tools, fly tying, self confidence, wilderness first aid) to outdoor activities (snowmobiling, ice fishing, dog sledding, winter camping, backcountry skiing).  It was a great event all around.  Here are a few shots I got while I was there.  Remember, I take terrible pictures.

Inside the four-woman dorm room

Women hang out in the auditorium before introductions

The dining room set for our first dinner

A woman posing in a class-made quinzhee (winter shelter)

I could go into all the details, but I am currently writing the article about this, and I feel like that would create more work than I need to do.  When that article comes out next winter, I'll let you know.  Maybe you'll even want to take the class (if you are a woman, of course).  I would highly recommend it.  What a great opportunity.  I'm grateful I got to be a part of it because I didn't even know about it before!

The Copper Dog 150 was held this weekend, but I was gone, so I can't really tell you how it went.  I heard it was cold, but enjoyable.  That weekend always seems to fill up like the 4th of July -- just like that.  All the sudden there's cars everywhere, and motels and people's houses are bursting at the seams.

People are getting a bit ornery about winter, however.  These cold temps are quite out of the norm.  People are going through their wood piles and propane faster then ever.  We are darn lucky the sun is shining.  That keeps spirits up just enough....

Streams and Yellow Snow

I was working last Friday evening, so I couldn't take part in the block party, fireworks and start of the CopperDog 150 race in Calumet.  That's fine with me because the next day, they all came to da Harbor!

Looking out my kitchen window, I watched our driveway fill up.  People parked along the side roads.  Pedestrians shuffled, all bundled up, to the Gas Lite and the Brickside Brewery.  Wow, I thought.  This is like the Fourth of July!  Even most of Main Street was shut down so the mushers had a place to park their big vehicles full of dogs.

Sunday morning I volunteered to be a dog handler with some friends.  That means we each grabbed the ropes between each set of dogs and held on tight, so they wouldn't take off too soon.  Even after running 100 miles the previous two days, they were ready to run fifty more.  I mean really ready!  Some of them kept jumping in their spot like a fly who keeps buzzing into the window.

Then everybody left.  Gone.  The only thing to show was banks of yellow snow.  The contrast was stunning.  Ahh, I though.  My town is back.  If you want to see highlights, pictures, articles and winners of this event, visit their site at CopperDog150.com.

There hasn't been much action here since then.  No snow even (except today).  I mean, it didn't snow for almost two weeks!  But we already had so much, and the temps stayed cool enough that we were okay.  The xc ski trails are nice when groomed and the snowmobile trails are great.  Mt. Bohemia, though it has a deep base, is getting crusty, so this will help.  Looks like we'll get at least a couple fresh inches!

We need something to cover the ice on our roads.  Holy buckets!  I had conversations with multiple people yesterday about how it's almost impossible to walk anywhere in this town without wiping out or walking awkwardly.  Baby steps!

On Monday, Aaron was going out to see if he could catch some minnows for ice fishing.  We drove along M-26 to the Silver River, parked on Brockway Mountain Drive, and snowshoed along the river to Lake Upson.  Neither one of us had been through these parts before, so we had a great time.  Here's what we saw.

 The reddish structure in the mid-back
is the Silver River bridge you can see on M-26 

Pretty ice crystals lining the river

A fallen tree makes a nice bridge

Aaron setting a minnow trap

Watch this one in full screen

Something else has been here... often!

Looking east at the top of Brockway from Lake Upson

Even though Aaron didn't catch any minnows, we still had a fun adventure.

Oh, boy.  This weekend is Mardi Gras at Bohemia.  We'll see some crazy folks then!

Before you go, would you mind taking a moment to vote for the Copper Harbor Trails Club to win $35,000 to build a downhill trail?  Please?  Here's what you have to do.

1) Click this link to vote through facebook (you'll have to sign in to facebook).

2) Scroll to the Downhill Category

3) Click on the Overflow project for the CHTC

4) Click to place your vote

5) Click to "Allow the app"

It might sound like a lot, but keep voting!!!  This is going to be an awesome trail down the north face of Brockway Mountain!  Thank you, thank you!

Powder and Sunshine

Mount Bohemia has been awesome.  Judging by all the cars in the parking lot this week and all the "woo hoos" I heard while riding up the chair lift, I would say I'm not the only person who thought that.

The snow was crazy this week.  Most schools and Keweenaw businesses were not open on Tuesday or Wednesday.  I guess that was nice for the hundreds of people who were at the hill on Wednesday.  It was just as busy as Saturday!  

I think the official snow total to the moment is 195 inches.  We are catching up quickly!

But now things are warming up.  My roof has been dripping two days in a row.  Also, the sun lit up the sky for the first part of the day.  Yessss!

So I went for a stroll to the Harbor Haus dock.  This is really the only picture that turned out.  I think it's fitting.

The "purest air" sign

And honestly, my legs are still pretty tired from skiing.  I'm a snowboarder, and skiing, to me, take more muscles.  At least different ones than I'm used to.  My point is that I wussed out and didn't really go out for an adventure today.  Instead I stayed home and worked on my next book -- something I should be doing more of!

But before I went inside, I found a lovely spot to lay in my driveway and soak up some rays... through, um, my jacket and snow pants.  Here is what I saw.

Watching the clouds go by...

I think this video shows how to enjoy the simple things in life, but the yin and the yang of it.  The clouds slowly passing are the yin and the goofball dog thrashing a trash can is the yang.  So different, yet each soothing to my soul.  There's some chicken soup for your day!

This weekend is the CopperDog 15o.  That's always one howl of a good time!

My GoPro helmet mount is on its way to my house.  Then I can take hands free video for you (Thank you Daddio!)!  ARE YOU AS PUMPED AS I AM???  Soon I will be purposely looking for trouble to get into.  I think a butt slide down Brockway's nose is in the mix.  Let me know if you have any other requests!