Keystone Bay... Once Forgotten

Oh, man.  Now I feel like a jerk.  You know what I did?  I totally forgot that I went to Keystone Bay last week and that I took pictures and video for you.  Then I teased you about not liking to read in my last post because I didn't have any pictures and videos to show you.  Well, another point for you.  At least I wrote a sweet poem.

So, uh, a couple weeks ago, I went to Keystone Bay with a couple crazy boys who still like to kiteboard in Lake Superior even though it's stinkin' cold in the lake AND the air.  Then, like the dutiful little blogger I am I took some pictures of the highlights.  So without further ado, here they are!

I always thought bikers looked goofy in their outfit, but this beats it!

Woo!  And this is on his way back down!

CLICK HERE TO WATCH THE KITEBOARDING TEASER

Then I took a walk along the beach.  You know, it certainly isn't boring out there!

A beaver dam at the mouth of Union Creek

A pan of the fire-ravaged Keweenaw Point

The wasteland at Keweenaw Point

At least the orange fungus is seeping!

That fire happened in August of 2006.  I did see evidence of thimbleberry bushes, grasses and some other things that had already withered from the fall.  Lots of burned tree trunks and roots, though.  Walking through there was like walking on a trunk trapeze! 

Since you deserve it, here is a picture from our first sticking snow.

November snow in the sunshine

It wasn't much, and it's already gone, but it was majestic while it lasted.

Today is the opener for gun hunting season for deer.  Right now it's way too beautiful out for this girl and her black dog to stay inside, but we're sort of trapped in town because the trails are closed.  Maybe we'll have to go to Wisconsin! 

Fantasy Beach

Imagine a sandy beach so remote, other travelers rarely find it. A beach with sand so fine it almost tickles your toes. Looking across the water you see nothing but sun glistening upon the waves and the baby blueness of its splendor. As you walk into the cool water, you gradually submerge, watching your toes pounce the sand. And as a special treat, the rainbow shaped shoreline provides a variety of edible berries when you are hungry.

Sound like a fantasy beach? Maybe somewhere tropical, right? To me it was only a place I'd heard of -- until today.

After five years of living in da Harbor, I finally made the journey to Keystone Bay. Click this link to check out an ariel photo of the fire on the point that burned four years ago this week. This picture shows the tip of the Keweenaw Peninsula. See where the smoke is coming from? That's Keweenaw Point. Now just to the left, can you see a tan curve? That's the sand of Keystone Bay... one of a handful of sandy beaches in the area.

While I was there today, I swam in the crystal waters of her majesty, Lake Superior. What a summer for swimming in the big lake! No hypothermia this year! I also picked and ate blueberries and bilberries. Bunchberries and rose hips were available for nourishment as well.

From the Northeast edge of the beach, I could see the Point, where the fire occurred during that overly dry summer. It was kind of erie to see death in such vastness on the Keweenaw -- especially during the summer. I would love to get over to that site sometime and see what foliage is emerging from the ashes. After four years, I could already see green peeking through the underbrush.

After a quick picnic on the beach, I headed back over the gravel roads on the back of an ATV -- hanging on for dear life. I am longing for the day when I can get out there again and spend the night under the stars, with the waves crashing at my feet.

Now don't tell your friends about this place. It's pretty hard to find, let alone get to. Plus, where else on earth can you go to a fantasy beach and be the only one there? Usually, only in your dreams.