Winter Lull

Well, I just left you hanging like an icicle on a roof gutter.  I guess time flies when you feed and change and kiss a baby all day.

It's still winter here.  We don't really have a lot of snow on the ground.  Today I went for a walk in my hiking boots and jeans around the Ft. Wilkins trail, and that was all I really needed to ward off the snow.

The snowmobilers are up, though.  Especially on the weekends.  I think I saw almost 30 sledders walk into the Mariner on Saturday.  That's a lot of testosterone!  So the snowmobile trails started getting groomed December 1st, I believe.  The cross country ski trails are not groomed in da Harbor yet, but I bet they are at Swedetown and Michigan Tech trails.  They are so on top of things in the big city.

I really don't get out a lot for exciting excursions.  When Wee Man is able to enjoy the winter outside of my down jacket, I will take more liberties.  For now, we stick mostly around town.

But there are still interesting things in that close proximity.  Just a couple days ago I went down to the shore of Her Majesty.  I noticed the bell buoy was gone.  Well, I sure missed that brigade.  And I realized that I really missed staring out at that enchanting lake.

So I took a few moments and stared.  Just stared.  That feeling of peace came over me again.  Oh, that lake, she gets me every time.  I just need to get her in my sites!

I brought Braeden down to the lake several times, but he is always asleep by the time we get there, so I don't even think he's really gotten to see it yet.  When he's older, he'll be able to appreciate it more anyway.

Enough chit chat, I suppose.  I have taken a few photos of the world around me lately.  Here they are in no particular order.

Brockway's nose full of snow

Frozen waterfalls line the Harbor Haus dock

Duce and I ventured onto frozen Fanny Hooe

Reminiscence of big Superior waves

Tracks from the "civilized world"

This is definitely the time of year when a person needs friends or a partner up here.  Sometimes by 8 pm there's not an open sign facing the road.  If you want to be social, you have to call up your buddy and hang out.  Otherwise you're left with your dog or cat or Candy Crush game if the internet is working.  My point is that this is quite a realization if you get a wild hair.  You have no where to go besides out into the cold.  This, my friend, is one of the reasons we go crazy.

And just another reason I make my own wine.

But life is good here in da Harbor.  I'm participating in the town-wide Secret Santa game.  Though I really don't give much of a hoot about Christmas, I like this activity and how the locals get to interact.

Speaking of Christmas, the Winter Wonderfest is Saturday December 13th from 10-6 pm.  Lighting of the park, local crafts and artists, decoration station for the kiddies and a bake sale!  It's all right here in the township park.  Maybe we'll see you there!

Okay, the baby is waking up again, so I'll see you... um... maybe next year!

Ice Fishing and Snowmobiling

Wait a minute.  Ice fishing and snowmobiling?  Those are not my usual activities!  Maybe this is someone else's blog!

Nope.  It's mine.

Tuesday was gorgeous.  Aaron and I got up early to celebrate his birthday with some ice fishing.  I have never gone ice fishing to ice fish before, so I thought it would be Aaron's gift.  (What?  We are cheap!)  Here are the pictures from the day.

Sunshine!!!

Aaron checking the ice... how does it look to you???

Setting up the whip-ups

A Coho Salmon: first catch of the morning

Shadows of love

We caught one more salmon before the day was through.  I tell you, if the weather wasn't 30 degrees, sunny and calm, I don't think I could do that very often.  I mean, I know I can go in the shanty, but it's warm in there, and I fall asleep!  Bartending and ice fishing are not on the same schedule.  But we had lovely time!

Aaron is in charge of panking a part of the trail for the CopperDog this weekend, so yesterday I went with him for an adventure.  Here is a video of the highlights in less than two minutes.

Today the winds have really picked up.  Now it's cold again.  Today I finally psyched myself up for a run (you know how I love to run), but when I opened the door, the wind nearly blew it back in my face!  Heck no!  I'll stay home and write a blog!  There's so much going on this week that I figured I'd better stay ahead of the game.

Here are a few notes about optimizing your time on this blog:

- You can click anywhere on the pictures to see them bigger

- You can click on the videos to see them bigger (bottom right corner)

- You can click on the youtube icon on the videos to watch them on Youtube

- You can click on any words that are brown and underlined  -- it's a link.  

You might be computer savvy and know all this, but I just figured some of it out myself!  Happy clicking!

Never a Dull Moment

I've been doing so much in a week that I don't remember it all.  Sorry!  I guess I'll just have to stick to the highlights.

Saturday's story is kinda X-Rated, and I don't know if I should share...

I've strapped on my snowshoes quite a few times this week.  One time was up Manganese Falls where the water is still rushing, but ice has formed on top.  Quite surreal, but my picture did not turn out.  From there it was up to Lake Manganese and up the ridges behind it.  That's a cool spot to hike if you've never been there.

Sunday I was going to go out to Porter's Island to check out the ice volcanoes.  I was crossing the large chunks of wobbly ice carefully, and I looked back to beckon my three canine friends.  They all looked at me like, "Heck no, crazy woman.  We are NOT going out there!"  And they didn't.  So I walked back.  I bet we would have been fine because I saw a couple ice fishermen out there.  However, by yesterday morning, all that ice had blown out.  Smart dogs.

Cwyfan, Duce and Tiki on our alternate adventure

Yesterday I was all ready to go skiing on a glorious, cement snow powder day, when ring, ring!  "Amanda, it's for you."  "Hello?  Oh, sure, I'll come into work today."  I'm a sucker, but I prefer to think of it as good karma.  I did get two glorious runs in before I hustled down to work.  At least it was busy at the Bear Belly, so I didn't have to look longingly across the road at Mount Bohemia.

Today I meandered over to the snow fort.  Everything looked great.  Walls were still up.  Snow was all around.  View was priceless.  

A view of Lake Superior over the new fort wall

Then I headed back along the frozen shore.

Open water in the Harbor

Well, okay.  You've made it this far, so I'll tell you about Saturday.  Now I work in the tourist industry where I see many snowmobilers during my shift.  I had never driven a snowmobile before Saturday, so I really didn't know about snowmobiling people besides in the bar.

That particular day I had to find a couple sledders (snowmobilers) to help me start this snowmobile that I was going to drive up to Clark Mine with my friend Donica.  She is very artsy and creative.  We were going to do a photo shoot.

Of course a couple guys are going to help a chick in the parking lot asking to start her sled.  "I've never driven one before."  I told them.  "And I don't know how to start it."  After finding the correct key, they helped me start it.  Vroom!  Then they made sure I could start it myself.  Vroom!  Off I went to get Donica.

We got everything ready for the shoot, and about 40 minutes later, I went to start the sled. Nothing.  Crap.  Try again.  Nothing.  We went to find her man, and with one turn of the key, Vroom! he had it going.  How come I couldn't do that?

Up the hill we drove at a nice, easy pace.  It was a fun ride, really.  I would love to ride around the Keweenaw on one of those things... if I could start it.

We made it.  Clark Mine.  The ride went smooth, and we got right down to business.  Here's where it gets risque.  I was sitting in my pose, well off the trail, behind the stack, like this:

Posing with a haiku on my back

When all the sudden, reen, reen!  I looked through that little gap in the trees, and there was a snowmobiler.  He took one look and said. "Whoa!" then waved for his buddies.  Another one came around with a GoPro on his helmet, but I was already curled up and yelled, "See ya!"  They yelled, "Sorry!" and drove away.

Donica and I laughed so hard.  Can you imagine their surprise?  I mean, they're out in the wilderness in the middle of nowhere, and there's this woman sitting in the snow... I don't need to explain this, I'm sure.  Oh, gosh did we laugh! 

Once the shoot was done, and most of my extremities were numb, we were ready to go back.  "Let's see if this thing starts!"  Nope, nope and nope.  So we started walking.  "Someone will pass us," we thought.

Soon enough, a group of four sledders came past.  "You break down?" one asked.  He tried to start our sled, but it was totally seized up.  We hopped on with them and got back home safely.  Then I just had to ask Aaron to rescue the sled for me.  He did.  What a man.

Right now he is trying to get his portable ice shanty out of the 18" of slush on Lake Fanny Hooe.  I tell you, never a dull moment in da Harbor!