Keeping It Curious

I've been hanging out with my parents in Wisconsin for a week, so I really don't know what's going on in da Harbor right now.  Sorry.

But I have been out for a cross country ski since I talked to you last.  A ski around Ft. Wilkins with a new friend, Annele.  The conditions were wonderful, the scenery was spectacular and the company was pleasant.

A couple areas of interest along the way were Fanny Hooe Creek with her sleek water sliding over the rocks and bubbling under icy banks.  The white buildings at the fairgrounds were another cool spot.  The uniqueness here was that the roofs were all covered in a fresh layer of snow -- white buildings with white roofs on the white ground against a white sky.  That would have made for an interesting picture with the lack of contrast.

But here's the part that made my heart swell.

While we were out, we passed two people out waking their dogs, one skier with her dogs and two snowshoers.  Usually when I'm out, I don't see anyone except my buddy for the day.  That day I saw five!  And three of them were locals!  Yes!  I love it that people are getting out to enjoy the magic we have out our back door.  I was still giddy about this when I got home.

For another sweet adventure, I took Annele on a snowshoe.  We crunched up to the original spot of Fort Juniper, then followed the Lake Superior shoreline to the mouth of Fanny Hooe Creek.  Here are some shots from the shoreline part of the journey.

Surfboards of harbor ice

Annele above a monster ice hole

An icy shore

I want you to pay particular attention to that last picture.  See that chunk of ice in the middle?  It's blue.  Really, truly blue.  I didn't edit that picture at all.  Pretty snazzy, hey?

On our trip through the Fort area, we were going to take the south trail next to the lake.  It would have been pretty chilly with that bully south wind.  Luckily, Annele spotted a meandering snowshoe trail past the bridge.  We followed that through some trees and camp grounds.  Really a neat perspective that I hadn't experienced before.

Then we saw this spectacle.

A snow-curl slide off a picnic table

So this display was sighted all throughout the west campground on south-facing tables.  A few days before this picture was taken, we had a couple days of sunshine.  That sun heated the tables just enough to make the snow slide slowly but surely off the tables.  As the edge of the snow hung over the edge of the table, it started to bend down.  By the time that bend hit the ground, it continued to curve slowly but surely back under the table.  Pretty cool, huh?

It was another wonderful adventure.

Now I don't usually do this personal stuff, but little Braeden sure looked cute in this mohawk hat.  So here he is... 

Braed-man rockin' the mohawk hat

You don't have to tell me.  That's a cute little boy right there.  He steals my heart daily.

I'll be back to the yoop soon.  See you then!

Is It Still August?

Please pardon the absence of pictures in this post, but it feels like August all over again – with the weather and the rush-around-with-your-head-chopped-off feeling.  October 13^th (the day after the Harbor Haus closes) is my light at the end of the tunnel.

But here’s what doesn’t feel like August:

- Mushrooms are popping up all over and oozing their brilliant colors through the ground and old logs.

- The ponds and falls are finally starting to dry up.  Okay, well I guess that usually happens in August.

- The Isle Royale Queen IV is done with her ferry service for the year.  The last boat came back Monday... we danced out last cancan at the Harbor Haus.

- Mount Bohemia is offering chair lift rides this weekend!  Come on up, and look at the colors from up above!

Color report

Yesterday when one of the waitresses arrived at work, she said, “It was a gorgeous ride up today!”  What does that mean for you?  You might want to check the trees out!  I wish I could get out and take some pictures for you, but don't even think about asking right now.  Copper Harbor is still lacking in the color department, but you’ll miss the whole way up if you wait much longer.  I can’t say 41 is peaking right now, but it’s getting there, and after the gusts we had yesterday, the leaves won’t be able to hang on forever!

I am ashamed to say that I did this for the first time since I lived here.  “I don’t care about history,” was my excuse.  But I toured the grounds and buildings at Fort Wilkins in depth on Sunday, and I was blown away.  Their displays are well thought out.  I learned so much my head was swelling.  And the artifacts they display really take you back in time.  A couple of my favorites were the mine diagrams and the census from 1870.  If you haven’t been there, I highly recommend it.

On a history kick after the tour, a couple friends and I stopped at the Fort Store, and I found four out-of-print local history books bundled for $5!  What a steal!  The first one I’m reading is Mac Frimodig’s The Copper Harbor Stare … and Other Strange Things.  There’s even a story about the Brockway Hermit in there.  This book is a must-have treasure for any Harbor lover.  Get your soon because they are out of print!

I still hear the logging trucks cutting, slicing and hauling away the trees up by the Burma Road.  I think they started this last extraction two years ago.  Must be lots of trees left to cut down.  Careful if you drive around up there.  With the new logging roads, it’s easy to get lost, and those new roads are not on any maps.

Guess what.  It's October.  When I can feel October in my veins, I will truly celebrate.  For now I have to keep up with the grind.  The leaf peeper grind.  Hey, that could be a new dance!