It's Officially Winter!!!

Happy Solstice!  Let the days grow longer!

It has still snowed everyday since I saw you last.  It's funny, I noticed that when it's not snowing, someone always makes the comment, "Oh, it isn't snowing right now."  That doesn't happen very often.

But that means the winter sports are amazing.  Here are some examples.

Cross Country Skiing

Did you know that I didn't even take my XC skis out once last year?  Not once!  But this year I've been out on groomed and ungroomed trails.  I don't care.  Just get me out!

The CH trails are pristine

Snowshoeing

Yup.  I've already scaled Brockway's Nose -- more than once.  I can't help it, really.  That ridge just whispers in my ear, "Come on, Amanda.  You know I'm an exotic challenge on the way up and down."  And I fall for it every time.  However, every time, I also find myself saying, Oh crap.  How did I end up here?  How are we going to get up/down this, Duce?

For instance, last time it was too steep for my dog to climb, so he whined like a pansy, and I had to slide all the way back down to make sure he was okay and rescue him from his feelings of inadequacy. I did find this interesting specimen on the way up, though.

Pinedrops - a parasitic species

I didn't know what it was at the time, but my wildflower guru friend Harvey did!  Good thing I took a picture.

To finish the journey, Duce and I trudged up the snowmobile trail.  Not at all as exciting as the ridge, but I did get this picture for you.

View from Brockway's Nose 12/16/13

On the way down we took the ridge.  And remembering the time I went down and took that life-threatening video, I stayed farther west of that spot.  Unfortunately, there is still a dropoff there.  

Okay, this next part would have been a good opportunity for a helmet cam.

I sort of hopped to a spot where I could wedge myself between a tree trunk and the side of the cliff, so I could hopefully catch my scardy cat of a dog.  Before I actually got him to take the plunge, I saw this nice little scene.

Mossicles on the side of Brockway

Then after five times of calling my big galoot, he finally lept off the overhang and into my arms.  Squealing the whole way.  What a goof.  But we made it down safely, and that's what mattered.

Snowkiting

I actually got to do this today on a trainer kite.  We were, once again, at Lake Medora.  But this time was different: I got to strap on a snowboard and get pulled by the kite in the wind!  I didn't go any significant distance or do any cool tricks, but I got to ride with the wind.  

I even got to try a big boy kite: 12 square meters of nylon blowing in the wind, tugging on my harness.  It wasn't too windy today, though, so I didn't fear for my life.

And soon I'll get to Mount Bohemia again.  I just got my own skis, and I am pumped to try them!  

Well, I hope life is good for you too.  Take care!

Snow Makeover

Did you already hear what happened in da Harbor on Thursday?  We got over a foot of snow!  It's still settling and compacting, but it sure was beautiful!  Aaron had to plow twice that day.

Aaron plowing the first time... in one day

Hikes area getting a little tougher in all this snow, but I've been too lazy to actually bust out the snowshoes.  If I wanted to venture into the woods, I would need them.

So where else can I go?  Up to Brockway's Nose!  However, I switched from walking the snowmobile path to riding the Cruiser Bike to the bottom of the hill.  Pedaling a slick road is way more efficient than tromping through 10 inches of snow in my boots.

The actual hike up the hill is increasingly more overtaken by gravity.  A couple boot slides up to half a boot slide back down.  Oh crap.  You know what wouldn't make my boots slide back down?  Snowshoes!  But then if I strap those babies on, I'll just want to rocket a short cut straight up the nose.  Then you'll worry about my safety and send me concerned messages.  Oh boy, what to do???

How about I just show you the cool comparison picture I got for now.  I think I might keep this shot up throughout the winter.  Then I'll definitely trek up there in snowshoes... straight up the ridge.

View of Copper Harbor November 22, 2013

View of Copper Harbor November 30, 2013

Lake Fanny Hooe is almost frozen over!  Shall we take a closer look?

Fanny and Clyde's Ponds in deep freeze mode

It's kind of an odd feeling to climb all the way up to the nose of Brockway, take a couple pictures and then slide back down.  So today I perched for a few moments.

Hardly a leaf twitched on a branch.  The only sound was Lake Superior waaaaay in the distance as she was so calm today.  Below me, a lone pickup cruised through town.  A fresh feeling of peace wrapped me in a warm blanket.  Yes.  This is why I live here.

And on my way down, my handsome black beast looked so sweet.

Duce waiting for me down the hill

The way down is heavily influenced by gravity as well.  Sometimes my feet just can't stop, and I have to angle my out-of-control legs off the road in case I biff it.  So far the landings have been soft enough.

In case you can't access facebook or twitter, here is my snow angel from earlier this week -- before we got all that snow!

Snow Angel at the Fort Wilkins Boat Launch lot

We actually had a spot of sunshine that day, as you can tell in the shadows.  Man, what a difference a burst of sunshine makes!  It makes me feel all exotic!

December starts tomorrow.  I have a feeling it will be an exciting one!

Yarg, Me Dinger is Gone!

Back from Wisconi.  I mean, really.  If you were a female (maybe you are), would you want to spend  eight days at home while your husband hosts Deer Camp?  Come on!  I can only hear the same buck story so many times!  But bless their hearts.  We got our meat for the year.  I will spare you any images of our nine hour butchering session yesterday... in the kitchen.

And the CH trails are still closed for hunting, so guess where I went today.  Up to Brockway's Nose!  It takes some ambition (or caffeine) to want to climb that steeply graded  hill.  Today I had both, so Duce and I went.

A pan of the town with a fresh dusting of snow

What a great walk.  I actually want to do that again soon!  And Duce posed nicely on our way back home.  Can you tell where we are?

My good boy sits so nice

Now let's rewind.  Wednesday, as I pedaled around town looking for my dog, I saw an interesting boat past the gap on Superior.  The drop in my gut told me what was going on.  I pedaled down to the Queen's dock, and looked for my bell buoy.

It was gone.

Sunofagun, I just went out the day before to make sure it was still there!  You took my buoy!  I screamed at the ship, nearly in tears.  In my eight years of living here, I have never seen the buoy drop in or get yanked out of its spot.  But the ship was heading west, and I knew what to do.

I flew home and checked the Marine Traffic site to make sure what I saw was real.  Yup, she was a Coast Guard boat labeled as a tender... going 6.6 knots.  I had time to spare, but I packed up for a trip to Eagle Harbor.  I was going to see what those buoy tenders do.

At the Eagle Harbor Lighthouse, I found a nice front row seat on a cold, wet, unyieldingly hard rock.  Anticipation rose as I watched the ship close in on the buoy.  I had my camera ready for you.

So I sat and waited and watched.  Oh, my.  I sat and shivered for an hour waiting for that tender to whisk that melodic three-toned buoy out of the Big Lake.  

And then it happened.

The buoy, lifted by ropes from a large crane, rose out of the water and timbered into the ship.  I tell you what.  I watched that crane the whole time, waiting for any movement.  The only thing that actually moved (from where I could see) was the cable connected to it.

I seriously sat there and recorded most of this process with my numb fingers holding the shaking camera as I shivered on an off-camber bolder of shore rock.  I didn't mind any of that.  But the lifting of the buoy was so anticlimactic from the camera's point of view that I rather not even waste the bandwidth uploading it.  You get my description and a picture instead.

The C.G. Alder full of local buoys

But hey, now I have officially witnessed the removal of a bell buoy.  One more item to cross off my bucket list!

Here is a picture of one of the older buoys displayed at the museum by the lighthouse.  Those things are way bigger than they look in the water.

Historic buoy at the Eagle Harbor Lighthouse Museum

Okay, now the sun came out.  After hearing about tomorrow's potential storm, I better get some vitamin D before it disappears for the winter.  I'm not joking, you know.

One Day, Two Adventures

Yesterday I went for a couple fun little adventures, so I may as well share them with you before I forget all the good parts.

Early on, I took my medium-sized red dog friend, Tiki, out toward the Nose of Brockway.  Don't worry, now, I know my way around.  I walked along the cross country ski trail behind the park the whole way without putting my snowshoes on.  Even the untouched snow was treadable.  The sun and sprinkle of rain just iced it right up.  The word "crust-shoeing" stuck in my head.

I didn't need snowshoes on the snowmobile trail either.  Just a leisurely walk through da Harbor.  I planned to hike up the snowmobile trail to the nose, but, along the way, I saw a nice rolling section to take me up -- nothing too steep.  Then I strapped those babies on and powered up the hill.

On such a sunny day, the view was gorgeous.  Now I know you have seen this view a million times from a hundred different photographers (probably even yourself!), but here it is again.  It's always slightly different, you know.

View from Brockway's Nose 3/2/13

Whether I pant or drive up there, the view always stops me in my tracks.  

The way down was a hoot.  I pretty much slid on my keester the whole way!  That would have made an exciting video, but you can't have it all, I guess.  We trounced back to town, feeling quite dandy.

Later, Aaron asked me if I wanted to rescue a canoe from Porter's Island.  Heck yeah, I did!

We parked at the Brockway Mountain Drive entrance.  Following Aaron, I power-walked the south beach of Hunter's Point.  It was so beautiful looking at my little town in the evening sunlight.  At the gap crossing, everything was covered in a layer of glare ice!

Looking toward Lake Superior from the gap

A view of Porter's Island and East Bluff from the gap

"Are you coming?  What are you doing?"  Aaron naively asked.  "Taking pictures, for my readers!"  Duh, it's not every day I get come here!

At Porter's Island we found the canoe right away.  Here is proof that we really found a canoe.

Aaron dragging the canoe across the ice

Then for the best part.  We got to paddle across the Harbor!  The water was slightly choppy, but we powered straight across to Jamsen's Fish Market.  I wanted to paddle all night!  Well, at least a little longer, but we were on a mission, not a joy ride.

We pulled the canoe up, walked to the truck, drove back and loaded the canoe.  Do you know what I saw while we were loading the canoe?  A freighter!  Fisherman Aaron said he's been seeing them for two weeks, but that was my first.

Guess that means spring is coming???

Up Brockway's Nose

THIS IS POST NUMBER 300!  300 posts since the winter of 2009.  Thanks for making it this far with me.  Here's to 300 more!

And here I sit in the middle of winter.  We have sooooo much snow.  Mount Bohemia is still good if you watch the sun and shadows.  The xc ski trails are fab, though I haven't used those once this year.  Probably because my boots are too big and I need new skis.  The snowmobile trails are awesome; when I serve snowmobilers at the Bear Belly, they just rave about the trails.

But here's the thing: I don't see that many snowmobilers anymore.  It's the middle of March.  Happy St. Patricks Day to all my Irish readers!  Skiers aren't coming up so much either.  IT'S THE MIDDLE OF MARCH!  People are starting to plan their summer vacations.  But the snow is good, so if you need one last hoorah in that magical white stuff, come on up!

I think we are supposed to get a storm early this week as well.  Oofda.  It is still winter.

So I will do wintery things.  Yesterday Steve and I snowshoed out at the west end of Fanny Hooe by Mud Lake.  The trees out there are spectacular.  The way they grow had us marveling.

But your treat is my adventure down the Nose of Brockway Mountain.  I wanted to take a buddy, but ended up going solo.  Here is a view of the nose from the bottom.

The nose dives on the left side

I hiked up on the snowmobile trail.  Check out this video to see how I got down. It's rather long, but you should stay amused and "on edge."

Down Brockway's Nose

I made it.  I did.  But that really would be a better adventure with a buddy... and some ropes.  Lesson learned!

Today sported blue skies all day.  At least we get some sunshine to make the snow sparkle!

Brockway Nose Job: Complete!

Since May, the nose of Brockway has been under reconstructive surgery.  Now it is finally finished!  I went up to check her out the other day.  The doctors did a nice job.  I was expecting her to look a little more glamorous, but they kept her simple, just like the rest of the Keweenaw.

If you want, you can see her when this all started at this link.  Just a little reminiscing.

Here she is in all her glory.  The picture below is the view I can see from my front porch.  I kept the nose in the middle.

The great wall of Brockway as seen from town

Here are some pictures from the site itself.

The reconstructed nose in full view

My parents are modeling for me, but the way.  Just fabulous, dahling.

A closeup of the railings

The two stair cases

Not bad, eh?  You could have a little picnic up there, and watch the town go by.  But pick up your trash because I didn't see any garbage cans yet.  Oh, and keep off the grass!  Ha ha ha.

Now come on up and see it for yourself.  I'll keep up with a color report for the leaves, so you can plan your next trip.  So far, not much has changed since I last reported except the temperature, the wind and the clouds.  Ooh, it feels so fally!  I am looking forward to it.

Picking the Nose

I am so grateful that all the berries don't come out at once.  Bils and blues are declining.  Thimbles are peaking (but I have enough of them...).  Chokecherries are huge this year, and I got a couple gallons for making wine this fall.  Whew.  All in due time.  I think the berry rush is pretty much over for me.  I can spend time doing dishes and sweeping up dog fur.  Oh wait, that's in October.

So here is a big Thank You to the great weather and Mother Earth for a wonderful berry season.  I am still picking some around my house for cereal and such.  It's not over, but it's been waaaaay better than last year.  Yee haw.

As for Brockway's nose, I found out that a Federal Highway Grant (I think that's what it's called) was obtained for this project.  The construction project involves a two tiered structure that allows for access to those in wheelchairs on the top level.  It's making this lookout more of a landmark and saving it from crumbling down the side of the cliff.  They are still working up there, and I can see more and more stone from town.

They are also working to rebuild some of the stone walls along the side of the road as part of the project.  Oh, it all makes sense now.  However, I apologize that I forgot some of the details.

Garden Brook Studio is opening up today.   You can find it up Manganese Road at the Garden Brook crossing.  Local artists are featured for their unique crafts and designs.  The grand opening is today from 4-8pm.  I'll be working, but I wish my friends the best!

It is August.  We just had a full moon.  I did sunrise yoga on the porch this morning.  Aaron comes home from a trail project in Duluth tomorrow.  Life is good.  No, life is wonderful.

Wow, I think I need a nap, but I will go to work instead.  I hope you can make some sense of my words.  Toodaloo!

Brockway's Nose Job -- A Makeover!

I owe you some pictures.  Not of anything particular, but of anything at all!

Mr. Butters and I walked up to the first lookout on Brockway -- the nose.  Remember the County was doing some work up there?  Well, I was wondering why they weren't done yet.  It's because they are rebuilding the Colosseum!  Okay, not really, but there is a lot more concrete up there than I expected to see.  

My first sighting.  Hi Lake Fanny Hooe!

From another view.  Hi Lake Superior!

A view of the front.

Off to the side.  It looks like a little stairway in the background.

I thought the cement-covered wheel barrow was cute.

A view from the scaffolding (shot at my own risk, of course).

I guess that project is coming along.  It will be interesting to see it when it's done.  I wonder if they will hold events up there.  Tee hee.

On my way back I saw some ripe bilberry bushes.  Just so you believe me,

Bilberries July 1st, 2012

I hope that will tide you over until I get out for a real adventure.  Though today I went for my first jog in three weeks along Lake Fanny Hooe.  I jumped in to swim a couple times, and, man, was that water perfect!  I think I'll go in again today!

Brockway Gets a Nose Job

For the past few mornings, I've been seeing this when I look up at the Nose of Brockway from town.

Notice the yellow at the top of Brockway Nose

Soon after, someone mentioned that the county is doing work up there.  Well, I had to know what was going on.  Is Brockway getting a nose job?  I took a ride up to the first lookout.  Sure enough.  Cosmetic surgery.

Barrels block any entrance to the work site

Some of the equipment on the nose

Looks like pillars are being erected

Molding and drying the pillars

The view of the new wall from the edge of the nose

How they locked the tires, so the tank doesn't roll away

Honestly, I still don't know exactly what is going on up there, but there is a wall being built.  It may be for safety.  It may be to enhance the view of the town below.  I'll let you know when I find out for sure, and I'll show you some pictures.

With her new facelift, I wonder if Brockway will go to Hollywood.  Nah, she's too down to earth to sell out.

Over the Nose of Brockway

Okay, I lied.  When I woke up on Saturday, it was no longer snowing.  I was too late to get to Mount Bohemia for first chair, so I decided to skip it.  I figured it would get skied up pretty quick; there were lots of tourists around.

Instead Mr. Butters and I snowshoed up the Nose of Brockway Mountain.  We crossed Hwy. 41 at the Garden Brook Trail then headed straight up the ridge.  I have never done it from the south side before.

The thing that surprised me the most about this ascent was the number of valleys I crossed on the way up.  Valleys!  It was nice to have a break during the climb, but it was even more awesome to discover the unique terrain.  Here is a picture of rocks at the top of one of these valleys.  Yes, I climbed up it.

Large boulders on the south side of Brockway.

Finally, with the help of tree trunks and juniper bushes, we made it to the top.  One section close to the top was really steep.  Duce even whined as he looked around for a possibility up.  I let him climb over me for traction.

At the top, we had this view.

Overlooking the Harbor and Lake Fanny Hooe.

Lots of snowmobilers were up there too.  I could hear them coming around the corner of the Nose and in the distance on the opposite ridge by Clark Mine Road.

Cautiously, we crossed the snowmobile trail and began our descent.  It was pretty flat and open at first.  A little too flat and open.  But that all made sense when we got to the cliff.  Yup, the cliff.

It was pretty much straight down.  Luckily, there were lots of trees for me to grab onto as gravity took over.  I literally had to hang on to a tree trunk or two, then let myself slide down to where I could either grab another tree with my hand or stop myself with my snowshoe.  I desperately wanted to take a video of this for you, but I realized I would probably hurt myself really bad if I tried to do it one-handed.

At only one point did I think I was in really deep doodoo.  I slid too far and ended up sliding headfirst out of control.  Hoo!  Was I glad when I stopped and regained control!  I looked up and Duce was whining again, “Mom!  I’m too scared to go down like that too!”  So I braced myself, and held out my arms to him.  “Come on down, Bud!  I’ll catch you!”  And I did.  

We made it down safely, but I had to pick some branches out of my snowshoes, and one of my boots came untied.  Could have been worse, I suppose.  When we hit the snowmobile trail at the bottom of the Nose, I looked up to see what we just came down.

Did we really just come down that?

Ah, yes.  Another somewhat dangerous adventure under our belts.

As for today, I shoveled four inches of the heaviest, wettest snow I've seen all winter.  Nice.

Brockway's Nose and Beyond!

I know, I know. You're probably thinking, "Woah, Amanda posted again already?!" Yes. Yes, I did. With the snow melted, I am no longer employed at the Bear Belly Bar and Grill, which frees up a lot of my time... more time for you!

And more time for my adventures. Today, since Duce has a bum paw, I marched the blacktop up Brockway Mountain. My intent was to take a picture for you at the nose, and then see how far I would keep going.

During this time of year, many people wonder, "Can I get up Brockway Drive in my car?" If you have 4-wheel drive and snow tires. Yes. Otherwise, you might slide backwards down that first steep ascent. That's the messiest spot. The couple who owns the Tamarack Inn, Bill and Bonnie, drive their snowmobiles down in the winter and keep their cars parked at the Tamarack, so they can drive elsewhere. Imagine the planning that would take to know you can't drive to your driveway 4 months out of the year!

With feet, however, it's a lovely stroll no matter where you roam. Now let me see how my instructional skills were in my last post. Below is a picture of pretty darn near what I saw when I tried to explain the different colors/qualities of water on each pool. You can see how the Harbor attaches to Lake Superior in this picture. And the other bodies are (clockwise) Lake Fanny Hooe and Clyde's Pond.

Can you see what I was talking about? Nice and methodical, just how Mother Nature intended.

Notice how bare the trees are right now. In the middle left of the picture, you can see da town itself. Not too hustly bustly this time of year! And at the very top in the middle is East Bluff. That's an adventure I want to tackle some day soon.

Satisfied with the reference points on this picture, I continued to walk up. Up, up and away! I was ill-prepared, and didn't bring any water, so I figured I wasn't going to make it the whole four miles to the top. Someday I will. Anyone want to go with?

I did climb up to the third lookout. I could see Hwy. 41 from there. That spot had a long stone ledge that I skipped across the whole way to and fro. That was quite invigorating; I'd never done that before. As for Duce. I think he forgot about his paw because he pounced in the woods after birds and (Heaven forbid) deer. See how much more sympathy he gets!

Brockway's Nose

W-O-W. Wow. Today is just immaculately gorgeous here in da Harbor. I saw many people out and about (only locals, no one else is here!) in the sunshine. It feels like 60 degrees in town! During my favorite activity for the week, laundry, I was fortunate to take a walk up to Brockway Nose with a friend.

This is the same walk that stretches at a continual angle upward for so long, that even healthy people feel out of shape as they ascend. The cool part about that instant ascent, though, is that before you know it, you have this view. Please study the view carefully, as I have a couple things to report about it from today. If you have this view memorized from many trips to the nose, simply follow along and reminisce.

Look at the Harbor. It's the left hand body of water that is connected to Lake Superior on the horizon. Today, the Harbor looked quite similar as it does in the picture (I am such a loser. I didn't even take my own picture.): blue waves.

The lake immediately to the right is Lake Fanny Hooe. Quite a looker, hey? Imagine standing in the middle when it's frozen! From the view I saw of it today, I don't know if I would walk to the middle. I could see ice on the surface, but it looked rather melted and transparent. I could see snowmobile track lines from weeks and days before. The color, in general, was a bit whiter than the blue of the Harbor.

I now draw your attention to the little pond on the bottom right. That is Clyde's Pond in Clyde's Field. Just to the right (South) of that, a ridge line ascends to the Mountain Lodge. But Clyde's Pond was the whitest of them all. It looked like it still had a substantial amount of ice. This pond is quite shallow, so the ice layer is not too surprising.

But looking at all three bodies of water in sequence of their flow to the big lake was borderline fascinating. It was one, two, three how much agitation its molecules get, and the thickness of the ice, which I could see in color, was proof of that.

And lucky me. I stood on the nose of Brockway watching the water be the water for the first time since October. You see, the road up Brockway Mountain is a snowmobile trail in the winter. But spring has taken over (for the moment), and summer is not yet upon us. Therefore, that road is now a path for residents to huff and puff up to watch the serenity of their little town and the changing of the water.