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!

Making Sticks

Oh, you are really going to get me into trouble one of these days.  Last night, because I promised you some footage, I ended up full of blackfly bites, soaked up to my ankles and with my face in the gravel.  However, the clips and stories I got for you made it all worth it.

Right now the logging company is actively logging up by Clark Mine Road.  Three of the CHTC singletrack trails have been demolished.  And as I watched empty double bed trucks go up, and logfull double beds leave town, I wanted to see for myself what it looks like up there.  Only I had to do it when the workers weren’t cutting, so I didn’t die.  Well, I didn’t die.  There’s another bright side to this adventure!

These are some of the first things I saw as I pedaled up East Vein Road.  The blackflies  swarmed me maliciously, so some of these were taken as I was on the move.

Something big has been here

East Vein Road as it veers off from Clark Mine Road 

Blue paint markings on the soil

Pink ribbon markings on the trees

Huge piles of moved earth

Another pile further up the road

Now let me interject.  Right around here is where I took a video of what it looks like to travel down these roads.  They are quite bumpy... I should have been hanging on with both hands.

You can laugh.  After I watched this, tears streamed down my face for way longer than the video itself.  I even laughed after I wiped some of the dirt off me on the road.  Oh, boy.  I need a hands free camera indeed!  Yes, I flipped right over the handle bars because I only had my hand on the front tire brake.  Stupid, stupid.

Shortly after that, I had to traverse a loooong puddle.  I geared my bike, so that I could pedal through without tipping over.  But this puddle was deep, so even on my bike, I got soaked up the pant legs.  Oh, boy, I thought.  What's next?

A marked stump

The site of Old Clark Mine -- Closed

 At this point, I was heading back west toward Manganese Road.  There were so many new side roads, that, if I didn't trust my gut, I might have gotten lost!

A tree marked in red

Decimation

Then I came upon the equipment.  Now I am not necessarily against logging.  I write in notebooks and wipe with toilet paper.  As long as trees are replanted, they are a renewable resource.  But when I saw these machines, my heart ached for the loss of life in my back yard.

Huge pieces of logging equipment

A close up of the red one's tool (it was as tall as me!)

Another view of the red one

The other side of the green one.  Those claws were scarily huge

Then I came to another site with stacks of logs.  I must say, I wasn't quite prepared for this one.

The blade on that saw was bigger than me!

The claws on the other side of this orange beast

Trees that were in the way

A close up of the freshly cut

Gravel in front of another "Closed" sign

At this point, I was next to the beaver pond.  It was alive!  ALIVE!!!  So here is a video of the sounds.  Crank it up, and you will be able to hear them all.

Oh, the pond made it all worth while for me.  I even saw a swimming turtle!  I thought that would be the end of my logging journey, but further down the Clark Mine Road, I saw another pile of sticks.

I did not obey this sign

The panoramic view of more logs

And that was pretty much it for my adventure of how one clears the forest.  As I coasted down farther, I stopped when I heard a strange sound.  Coyotes!  Ooh, they were howling like mad!  They weren't audible on the video I took, however, so this will have to do.  Owoooooo!!!  Ow ow ow owoooooooo!!  Yip yip yip.  Owoooooo!!!  

The sun was about to set, and I was up on the hill, so I decided to ride down to Lake Manganese.  Oh, it was so beautiful and still.  Ahh.  

On the way back home, I found some little friends!

Turtle digging to lay eggs

Turtle crossing Manganese Road

On my way down the hill, I saw a little mouse run across the road as well.  It was a good thing I was wearing my glasses because I got pelted with bugs as I coasted to Lake Fanny Hooe Resort.  

Thanks for coming with me.  Promise me you'll think of the old Clark Mine site next time you blow your nose!