Luckily I Took Pictures...

Power went out a couple times today.  Then it was on a couple times, and who knows what will happen anytime soon?

Come on, Brain.  Come on.  The people want a post here.

So, yeah.  Today is one of those days they write songs about.  I even hope to write a poem about it (once my brain is capable of going beyond everyday tasks).  

In an effort to celebrate the high winds, big waves, bone-chilling rain and lack of electricity, my little bun and I went out to Hunter's Point.  

It was definitely windy and cold and wet.  The video I took proved my timing to be a bit anti-climactic.  Not even worth the bandwidth to upload.  But I thoroughly enjoyed the lush hike to the tip of the Point.  Here is the best wave picture I got.

Waves at Hunter's Point 9/10/14

The lake was (and still is) really agitated.  She can be such a beast at times.  It's a good thing the Queen IV wasn't scheduled for Isle Royale today.

On the way back, I found some little friends.  I've been seeing mushrooms everywhere lately because it's been so wet and cool.  If I had my normal level of curiosity, I would start learning mushrooms this fall.  They have been quite spectacular.

Fungi in the woods

On Monday, I sought out to capture the full moonrise because I knew it would come up near the lighthouse if I sat on the Harbor Haus dock.  While the sun sank and I got chilly, the geese came around.

Geese and The Gap

I also got swarmed by a flock of seagulls.  It was really something as they came around from all directions.  I didn't have any food, and I'm not really sure what stirred them up.  Neat experience, though.

Then I got chillier and chillier as I waited for the moon.  I didn't think the clouds would hide it because the horizon was somewhat clear.  Just at the moment when I thought, I bet it's gonna be really cool, I saw a glow ascend from a low strip of clouds.  The moon!  I watched in awe as it crowned.

And then it hid behind a cloud in the layer just above.

So here's a picture of the middle of the full moon.

Moonrise 9/8/14

That's East Bluff in the far background on the right side of the shot.  It was a beautiful night.  And the clouds looked all purdy too, so here's one more of the evening.

Facing north during the sunset

Earlier in the week, I took some other pictures from around town.  Boy, am I glad I took pictures.  I don't know if my words can create them as well right now!

Gladiolas in front of the Gas Lite

Though they don't have a scent, I LOVE gladiolas.  I remember, growing up, that my parents always had a rainbow of these beauties around their garden.  This is one of the few domestic flowers I would actually go through the effort of planting.  It could be a nice project for the little one and I in the spring!  Remind me I said that, will you?

And at the Brickside Brewery, Project 49918 is exhibiting the Beginning of the Road collection.  It gets some cool comments when visitors realize that they have met some of those people on the wall.  I am just glad that snow is gone now....

"Beginning of the Road" Exhibit

Yes, I know it's a bit blurry, but that's how things usually look in the Brickside.  Ha!  Unless you can't drink beer!

I also wanted to show you this because I am proud.  This is my first professional book review done by Charlie Eshbach.  He is a long-time Keweenaw resident, naturalist and author himself, so his opinion holds some weight around here!  Thank you, Charlie and the Keweenaw Traveler!

Book review by the Keweenaw Traveler

Having trouble reading it?  Try clicking on the image.  Still having trouble?  Pick up your printed copy of the publication around the UP for free!  It's great for visitors and locals alike.

Wait.  I have to put a different hat on.

Our band, Powers of Air, is scheduled to play the outdoor gig at the Chili Cookoff September 20th!  We are sharing the stage with Frank an' da Beans -- one of my favorite funky dance bands in the area.  Music starts around 4pm, and I think we're on around 5:30pm.  Please view the poster below for more details.  

And for heaven's sake, make some chili to bring!

Chili Cook-off time again, baby!

Color Report

Well, I haven't been down the Covered Stretch lately, but I'll go on Friday.  Whatever leaves are still hanging on the branches that haven't blown off the trees are mostly green, I would imagine.  But this cold snap could change things.  Stay tuned!

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!

24 Hour Turnover on Hunter's Point

Winter is in full swing today!

However, we did have a lovely day or two earlier this week.  Here is one for you.  Enjoy the color and sunshine... it doesn't last long, as you'll see.

Sunny day from the Harbor Haus dock

The two most memorable outdoor events of the week happened yesterday and today.  Boy can the weather change in 24 hours!

Yesterday Steve, Tiki and I went to Hunter's Point because the temperature was so lovely -- about 30 degrees.  A breeze blew from the southeast making the journey surreal.  The drifts were opposite of what they usually are!  Here is what we saw on the way.

The sign drifted in from the south

A beauty of a drift!

Crossing "The Gap" to Porter's Island

Steve and Tiki on Porter's

I haven't been on Porter's Island since May of 2011.  It's a liberating feeling there, even though it's so close to the rest of da Harbor.  

We laid on huge ice formations and watched the ebb and flow of Lake Superior.  We ducked under icicle caves.  We saw icicle prisons made of huge ice bergs surrounded by icicles.  We watched the ice break up on the Harbor side.  It was magical, I tell you.  So why don't I have pictures of all that stuff?  Because Steve's and my cameras both ran out of battery power!

I remember the moment Steve told me his camera died.  I thought, "Whew, good thing mine is all charged up."  But next time I checked, I had one blinking bar.  Yikes!  The irony of a photographer and a blogger on such a gorgeous day and such a seldom journey running out of camera juice.  Hopefully we still have the memories in our brains!

Today I woke up to the sound of pounding wind.  Thirty mile an hour winds with gusts up to 50 from the NNW sure changed things in a hurry!  All the towns south of us got pummeled with snow... a foot and falling was the last report I heard.  Here it just blew our bootprints over within half an hour.

Even Mount Bohemia was closed today due to the high winds.  So I had to find something else to do on a gusty day off.  

Aaron, Steve and I drove down M-26 because we knew the waves would be rockin'.  After busting through drifts on the road, we parked and hiked to Devil's Washtub.  As you watch the video below, be grateful you weren't there getting pelted with the ice pellets from the waves.

Waves at Devil's Washtub

Good Lord.  Youtube turned it yellow on me.  The sky was certainly gray instead, but you get the idea.

Then we went to Hunter's Point to see how much the shore changed.  Here are a few shots.

Trees turned icy from the waves

Waves rolling in

Walking back to the truck

(note Steve's jacket covered in ice... he got splashed!)

Our goggles thawing on the defrost vents

It's hard to say how much snow we actually got here because it blew all over the place.  I mean, we have a four foot drift on the back porch!

With all this snow, and Bohemia closed today, it's going to be wicked tomorrow.  Oooh, I can't wait.  Good thing my snowboard is freshly waxed!

Missed Colorful Opportunities

HAPPY OCTOBER!!!

Ahh, the month I look forward to the most every year.  It's here!  I love you, October!

My last trip to town was a flop for you.  Before the rain started, I got some great videos as I drove south on 41.  The colors were just amazing!  Oranges, reds, purples, yellows, pinks and everything in between.  I was so excited.  I knew you would be proud of me for my wonderful footage.

Then I got home and looked at my videos.  I accidentally pushed the stop button when I meant to push start, and visa versa, so I only got videos of me setting the camera on my lap and exclaiming how beautiful the leaves were.  Sorry.  I really am.  I hung my head for you.

I did get this picture, though.  Ehh, it's okay, but not what I was hoping for.  It was raining, however, so it's better than nothing at all.

Remember how I told you that the winds were going to get crazy?  They did.  Not quite as bad as they were predicting, but the power did go out around 4 pm.  Up here, we are used to the power being out for hours when the wind is blasting like that.

So Aaron and I shared a bottle of wine that I picked up that morning.  Nothing else we could really do, and, for some reason, I just never feel like being productive when the power is knocked out.  It's kind of like school being cancelled early, you know?  You just want to shout "woo hoo!" and be lazy or mischievous.

At 6:14 pm, the power came on.  What a buzz kill.  

Then it went out 4 minutes later.  Yes!  Back to the chardonnay!  The power went back on and off a couple more times before finally resuming at 9:15 pm.  I was surprised it stayed on all night.

Color Update:

I kick myself in the head because I went to the top of Aetna Ridge today and gazed south without my camera.  Oh, lordy lordy.  The colors were in FULL bloom.  It was even better than the Covered Stretch the other day!  I mean, oh, I don't even know how to explain it, but the southern Keweenaw is certainly peaking.  Copper Harbor, on the other hand, is still pretty green.  That lake, she keeps those leaves hanging on to their youth.

Other than that, the town is abuzz again with lots of color-seeking tourists.  People are everywhere on the weekends, at least.  So now that October is here, I am anticipating the 15th.  Two more weeks!

Blow Me Down

I'm making a trek to da big town today: all the way to Houghton.  I heard the colors are beautiful, and I even saw some pictures for proof.  I'll do my best to grab a couple shots for you, but I can't say I'm good at driving and shooting!  Wish me luck.

I don't know what will be left on the trees or in our homes after tonight.  The forecast says that we will have high winds picking up during the afternoon, reaching 40 mph sustained winds with gusts up to 70 mph.  Hunter's Point, I'll see you tonight!

We may not have internet for the next couple days, so I just wanted to send you a brief message.  Hopefully I'll be able to capture the rapture for you!

Riding on the Wind

Holy buckets! When warm air turns to cold air in da Keweenaw, it really spins!

We lost power twice yesterday. Branches and trees were down everywhere. Drivers on the road said that those were some of the worst conditions they've faced -- and those were the locals!

My house, being at the southeast end of the Harbor, got the brunt of the wind. The walls and windows were just shaking. The foundation sounded like it wanted to uproot and move somewhere a little tamer.

But the fact that school got cancelled gave me the opportunity for an adventure. Since the winds were topping out at 60 mph, I decided to go to the closest windy place: the Lighthouse.

Somewhat disappointed when I got there, I noticed that the pack ice still lined the shore for quite a ways out. Therefore, the busting whitecaps I saw in the distance were stifled by the heavy floats before it reached the shore. It was neat enough for me to watch, but not worth a video.

So my next exciting part of the trek was going to be crossing the frozen harbor (for my first time this year!) to my house. The treacherous winds caused much of Wednesday's ice to break up. I thought of how you are concerned for my safety and didn't cross as close to the dock as I wanted -- too much open water. Yes, your concern may have saved my life!

The most dangerous part, however, was how the wind was pushing me like the school bully the whole time -- trying to knock me over just when I thought I had my footing. I literally had to run over huge ice boulders and gaps because stopping was impossible unless I dove onto my belly where the wind couldn't get such a grip. What an adrenaline rush!

My favorite part of this trip is in this video. I was on my way crossing the Harbor, but was having so much fun that I had to show you why.

Once you hit play, you may not be able to hear me talk over the wind. I'm saying, "I'm on the ground right now because, if I stand up, I won't stop until I reach the other end of the Harbor . I'm wearing my snowshoes and am on my way to cross to my house. Here I go!" or something similar. Then you will hear my hooting and hollering. It was intense!

I hope you enjoy! I've never experience anything like that before.

Wind Switch

I figure I should write to you while we still have internet... and power.

Day five in a row of chilly, wet and windy weather is upon us here in da Harbor. Snowflakes/crystals fell from the sky yesterday, so that should give you an idea of the temperature here. Not enough for snowboarding (okay, so no accumulation at all), but snow nonetheless. The power went out twice on Tuesday.

Tuesday we had strong winds from the East, which is why we lost power. The winds usually blow from the West and North, leaving the Easterly gusts to blow over everything that was leaning the opposite way. This switching of winds often leads to a power outage.

And Wednesday brought winds from the Southwest, which is slightly less rare. Knowing that the winds were just going to blow and blow, a good friend and I each clicked on our light bulbs about what to do when the gales are ripping: watch the waves.

Since Copper Harbor faces North, we had to be on the Southern shores to really get the rollers. Hwy. 203 through Calumet and Hancock, along the West coast was the first adventure. We touched down at Tamarack Waterworks Rd., Calumet Waterworks Rd. and McLain State Park. At each shore, on sandy beaches, we would have to keep an eye out at our feet so the stretching tide didn't soak us.

At McLain, however, we had to stop and have an adult beverage, for the entertainment was quite unique to the Keweenaw. At the breakwalls, where Portage Canal exits into the Great Lake, we found five hearty (and quite ballsy) surfers. Cowabunga, Dudes!

And to prove these are not just stock photos, here they are walking along the pier to the break wall, where they would jump off into her Majesty's waves. Brave? Crazy? After talking a bit to them, I would say both. And definitely admirable.

After that excitement left us shivering in the wind, we shuttled to the East Coast. Along the way, we noticed a freighter resting in the canal. I sure wouldn't want to be sea-bound on a day like that either!

Our next stop was the East entrance to the Portage Canal -- how fitting! Since the wind was more from the West, we didn't have quite the whitecaps here, but we did have some flitting wind that made us watch our steps carefully while walking almost a quarter mile along this pier.

From there we saw the Lake from many other angles I have never seen before (like the previous ones have all been). Up north on Bootjack Rd. and the Gay-Lac La Belle Rd. with a stop in beautiful Rabbit Bay.

And as I sit in my cozy cabin today, I can watch the waves smack in through the gaps into Copper Harbor from the Northwest. The wind has switched again....

Blackout

You may or may not have heard (or seen) the 60+ mph winds that whipped through the Keweenaw last weekend. Up here in da Harbor, we were out of electric power for 32 hours -- From Friday morning to Saturday afternooon. In retrospect, 32 hours doesn't really seem like a very long time to not have electricity. But to all the business owners who had their coolers and motel rooms packed to the max (on the busiest weekend of the year, mind you), I'm sure it seemed like an eternity.

I personally love when the power goes out. Granted, it has never gone out for that amount of time while I've been here. But when all the whirring of compressors and cooling elements stops, I feel more peaceful. I guess, except for the fact that some of my berries (oh, my precious berries!) started to dribble purple and pink puddles in the freezer. That was my biggest concern. What a rough life I have.

Otherwise, I didn't mind hauling in buckets of water to flush the toilet or heat on the wood stove so I could wash dishes or my pits. I even got to wash my hair in the lake with the wind whipping around me. That'll wake a person up! And luckily, our cooking stove is propane, so we could eat warm meals. But that is just my little slice of da disaster.

One of the exhilarating parts of this whole thing was the waves. Oh, those Lake Superior waves, crashing up on the shore like nothing could stop them. And nothing did. I got splashed a couple times while traversing the shore of Hunter's Point. The tide crashed all the way up to the tree line! And, the waves splashed above the tops of the trees on Porter's Island. They also drifted rocks right on M-26, the road along the lakeshore. I bet anyone watching could not help but be somewhat in awe -- even if $4,000 of food was slowly thawing in their freezer and tourists were complaining that their motel room was cold.

But we all pulled out okay. The Gas Lite general store offered flashlights while tourists shopped for "survival" supplies. Zik's Bar was filled with people who figured, "I'm just going to get wet and cold, so I may as well get drunk." And any restaurant that could stay open was just packed with the hundreds of cold and hungry people in town who could not watch TV or take a hot shower.

I often thought about what it would be like to be one of those people up here on vacation, expecting to relax, but instead having nothing they were used to. I told myself throughout the ordeal, that I was the luckiest person I knew (well, I tell myself that everyday anyway).

And on Saturday, as we looked around in the gloom which had spewed hundreds of trees in various directions, we wondered how we were supposed to have a mountain bike race the next day. But a couple crews with chainsaws and strong backs helped clear two hundred trees from the trail system -- and that was just the trails!

The Fat Tire Festival commenced, and was the best one yet. Yay! It all worked out.

I wonder how many people reconsidered the priorities in their life while the power-outage lingered. I am one who plans to be detached from such sources, and I still did some reconsidering. But I won't write any doomsday notes to you now. But I hope you learned a lesson... and we didn't even get a hurricane!

Wind Break

Yeeeeeehaaaaaaw! Now this is Keweenaw weather! The wind is gusting up to 45 mph, with sustained winds around 20-35 mph. The air is finally cool enough to say "ahhh, I won't melt today."

I know I have ranted about the summer heat before, but this summer has been in the 80's for weeks straight. By Lake Superior! How does that work? So the humidity and scalding heat have finally broken, and those who live in da Keweenaw can feel a little fixed. I'd like to thank the air up there for making this possible.

On my run to the lighthouse today, I had goosebumps on my arms instead of sweat dripping from the get go. What a refreshing feeling to have to "warm up" on a run! On the way down, I found a few thimbleberries and ate every edible one I saw. It would be a shame not to, as they are almost gone. The blueberries (some bushes already without leaves) had a fermented taste to them -- very rich and delightful. And my bilberries have turned into old ladies hanging from their stems. Luckily they are just as sweet.

So I'm sorry for all the boats that can't go out today. I know the Isle Royale Queen IV didn't make it to the Isle yesterday, but I'm not sure if they would even attempt today. And I haven't seen the lighthouse boat at the tip yet. I'm sure all the kayak tours are called off as well. So if you were supposed to operate a water craft today, I hope you get to go out and enjoy the fresh air instead! It's hard not to when it almost knocks you off your feet!