Longing for Home

I snuck out on you again.  I was in Spokane, Washington for a week because my little brother got married.  So happy for him -- he found a keeper.  Wink.  And Braeden did great on his first plane rides.  Whew!

And now I am in Wisconsin en route to Cuyuna, Minnesota where Aaron is building trails for the month.  All I can give you is a guess at a color report.  I bet the leaves are lovely in da Harbor right now.  Good thing I have seen some glorious ones in past autumns, or I would be sad to miss this year.  The maples were electric on my way out of town.  Nice color in Northern Wisconsin right now, too.

My computer is mostly better.  Thanks for asking.

To be totally honest with you, I may only get to be in Copper Harbor for Halloween and November.  Then hopefully January and February, but even the winter is up in the air.  I think Aaron is booked pretty much all next year too.  Ah, the life of the wife of a traveling man.  Good thing I don't have a real job right now!  I told him, Well, at least we have a house to live in when we actually get to be there!  And he said, It will make it all that much better when we get to be there then.

Like I said in a previous post, I realized how much better my heart beats there after I've been away for so long.  But there are worse things in the world...

I really wish that I could provide you with substantial information and entertainment from da Harbor, but I guess that will be to come.  Heck, I wish I provide that for myself!  Don't have high expectations for me for the next few months.  Then hopefully I can surpass them!

Man, I don't even have a picture for you right now because they are on my camera at home.  Nice planning, Wais.  I can tell you that I got some cool pictures of the moon rise the night of the lunar eclipse.  That was the highlight of my fall.  That moon was sooooooo huge, and I caught it rising over East Bluff and Lake Superior.  Seriously made my day.

I would assume that things are starting to slow down in da Harbor during the week, but I bet leaves are pretty peak right now, so weekends are probably still a bit crazy.  Just a guess.  Correct me if I'm wrong.  I prefer to be corrected than to spew false information.  

If I keep typing to you, I would just be rambling and guessing at things, so I'll close.  Plus my little man is ready to get out in this nice fall air.  So am I.  Braeden is doing amazing, by the way.  He turns one year old on Thursday.  They say the first year is the hardest, and I hope they're right because we have been in lots of hospitals.  But his strength, joy, charm and love never ceases to amaze me.

A Brief Report

Oh no.  My computer pooped out on me, so I am scrapping to find you.  I guess I just have to stick with with basics for now.

Color Report

The Covered Stretch is around 20% turned.  The colors are quite bright and florescent because they're mostly maples, of course.  I haven't seen a whole lot on M-26 or Brockway yet, but it could go fast.  Looks like people are ready to see some bright, shiny leaves because town is filling up this weekend!

Sorry to be so brief, but technology is against me momentarily.  I really do think about you much more than I am able to communicate.  Thanks for still reading, though!  Be well!

Down Under the Bridge.

 Though I have travelled over 700 miles since I left Copper Harbor, I am still in Michigan.  Man this is a big state.  I did go the Wisconsin route, however.  I have to get my fresh cheese curd fix. 

So, I don't mean to get all sentimental on you again, but it was really hard to leave this last time. Probably because I knew how great I felt while I was here.  Even though the town was overrun with visitors, my spirit was overcome with peace and inspiration.

Plus, the choke cherries were amazing.  For a wino, ahem, winemaker, choke cherries are a prime fruit.  Imagine bunches of cherry red grapes hanging from the trees -- almost ready to pick.  Sooooo close to being ready to shuck off those branches.  And I had to leave.  Choke is some of the best wine I have ever made.  Well, next year, I hope.  Just look at these babies.

Whopping bunches of chokes... for the birds

As odd as it may sound, this picture was in my mind as I turned up the hill on Highway 41.  Then I looked back at Lake Superior in my rearview mirror, and said See you later beautiful lake.  Sniff a tear.  Oh, she is such a beauty.  My heart longs to be there still.  Probably much like yours if you are not there right now.

Do you want to know where I am 700 miles away still in Michigan?  Sitting in a hotel in Ann Arbor.  It's not so bad.  I'd be a bit more adventurous if I wasn't so afraid to drive in cities with actual lines of traffic and stop lights.  We're here for Braeden anyway, my mother and I.  Don't worry.  He's doing fine.  Just needs some check-ups and testing, and Mott's is worth the drive.

I've been longing to tell you about something that I've seen lately.  Maybe others have seen them more too, but I haven't really heard anything.  

Wolves.  

Okay, so two wolves on two separate occasions.  That's really more wolves than I've seen in my whole entire life.  And what they were doing is what gives me that goosebumpy feeling.  Both times were in the U.P.  Both were while I was driving with my little boy in the back seat.  And BOTH times the wolf came out of the woods and stayed there, staring.  

The first time I was driving south just south of South Range.  I thought it was a deer at first because, well, that's what usually jumps out of the woods.  Then I saw that it looked more like a dog.  A huge prancing dog with no collar.  Oh my gosh, that's a wolf, Braeden!  He was probably sleeping by that time.  But the wolf, in it's tall tan and gray glory frolicked across the road, made a U-turn back across the road, stopped on the yellow line and stared at me.  Not a glare or anything scary, but a gaze as if to say, "I am here for you."  Then it trapsed off back into the woods where it came out.  Has this ever happened to you?  I think it's pretty strange behavior for such a beast, and though I thought it a bit incredible, it instantly put my mind at ease, and I knew everything was going to be all right.  Kind of like a sign of good luck.

The second time was less than two months later.  I was cruising north just north of Mohawk.  I noticed brake lights on the car ahead of me.  Slightly annoyed because this is where we get to speed up, I saw why they slowed down.  A wolf stood on the driver's left side of the road just looking around calmly.  You know, it watched us as we went by.  That same calming feeling filled me as we passed, and I hoped the car behind me got to bask in its majesty as well.

Now, when I think of wolves in the wild, I would be a bit more scared.  Especially if I was walking on a trail somewhere and there it was -- looking at me.  Yeah, I know I was in a car, but this was really different.  I think Braeden's energy is behind it.  Call me a kook if you want, but I try to listen to my intuition, and that's what it said.  That sweet little boy has already led me on quite a journey.  We'll see where this one goes!

Happy September, by the way.  I know you're probably biting your fingernails because I'm way far away from the Keweenaw, and I can't give you a good color report.  Oh, I bet you have other resources, who am I kidding?  But, if you like my report, I should be back by September 13th or so.  I am excited to show Braeden the colors in the trees.  When he was born, they were already brown on the ground.

Well, I'll see you when I'm back up Nort, eh!

Autumn Rants

I am actually sitting inside on this lovely, sunny day, so I can type to you.  Aren't I a sweetheart?  He he.

What's going on these days in da Harbor?  Well, last weekend was crazy busy again.  All the motels rooms were booked.  Restaurants were slammin'.  Visitors were driving like (excuse this rant) total morons that don't look before they pull out into traffic.  They even (bless their across-the-globe hearts) parked all along the Covered Stretch and walked around as if they were about to watch a parade while they took pictures of the leaves in the rain.

This time of year is beautiful here.  Yes.  Refreshing and cool.  Uh huh.  And it also brings the worst drivers in the world to our narrow, winding, sidewalkless roads.  I feel safer in the winter behind a car with bald tires breaking at every curve because though they may slide into the ditch, they most likely won't just pull to the side of the road and open their car door in front of the vehicle behind them.

Whew.  Thanks for letting me say all that.  Fortunately for me, I don't have to drive any of those roads on a daily basis.  And this really only happens two weeks out of the year.

But autumn has brought me some new friends!  Well, they're not really my friends.  They just use me for the seed I keep out on the front porch, so I can watch them flit around and hear their lovely sparrow songs.  I almost think these could be some of the same little birdies that hung out in my back yard in the spring.  Welcome back, you sweet little sparrows!

So, you may or may not be into this, but MoveOn.org has an official petition to sign for those who oppose the cell tower going up on Brockway Mountain.  It encourages the FCC to look for a different, less obtrusive placement for a tower.  I did my part.  Feel free to do yours.

CLICK HERE TO SIGN THE BROCKWAY TOWER PETITION

Thanks.

What else is happening?  Well, my hubby and his trail crew just got back from Duluth, MN where they built trails all summer.  (You can imagine my relief for that moment when "I think it's time!!!)  And they are continuing progress on the Keweenaw Point Trail.  

This path, if I haven't mentioned it already, will allow hikers and bikers to travel legally, easily and safely around the tip of, you guessed it, the Keweenaw Peninsula.  If I am not mistaken, it will pass points of interest such at Montreal Falls, Schlatter Lake, High Rock Bay and others.  

This nearly 30-mile trail will be epic for the Keweenaw.  We might even have to get a Starbucks to accommodate the traffic.  Ha!  I am just kidding.  That's just crazy talk.  But anyway, I can keep you updated as this big project progresses.  Phase I is in the works.

Closings

So this is what we call the end of the season, you know.  The Harbor Haus closes Saturday the 11th.  Jamsen's Fish Market and Bakery closes Monday the 13th.  I would imagine the Keweenaw Mountain Lodge closes later this month.  Motels will drain pipes and board up windows soon, I'm sure.

And then, you know what happens.  6 months of cold and snow that will drag on like last year.  I am already starting to praise our occasional moments of sunshine.  I, I really don't know what else to say about this right now.  I think I scared myself a bit.

Color Report

The Covered Stretch was still a beauty two days ago.  Lovely, in fact (ask all the visitors parked on the side of the road in the rain!).  I bet Brockway is still nice.  Though many of the trees are wind-blown, the oaks, birch and popples are taking their turn now, spewing burgundy and yellow.

Maybe next time I'll have some pictures for you.  I felt a bit inadequate today when I sat down and looked for something visual to share and realized I had nothing.  So hopefully you have enjoyed my sarcastic rants and blunt opinions.  I'm not a sugar-coater, you know.  Especially with these hormone fluxes.  Yes.  I'll blame it on that.  Two weeks until my due date!

Be well.

Fall Festivities

Today I was even too lazy to take a nap.  And the thought of creating a post seemed like a lost cause.

Well, you lucked out because I finally got revved up to go on this Queen cruise to the Gull Rock Lighthouse as a fundraiser for the Christmas lights.  But when I got to the dock, a sign said it was cancelled due to high winds.  By the time I pedaled home and teased my dog (who was howling toward the front door like a big baby), I had some wind put back in my own sails.

Let me start with what you are probably most curious about: the colors.

Color Report

Last weekend (when I told you to get up here) some of Aaron's family and I went to Lac La Belle.  We paid our $8 a person to ride up the Mount Bohemia chair lift to see some spectacular colors in the trees.  Here are some pics from that trip.  It was a little hazy in the distance, and I only had a phone for pictures, but you'll get the idea.  The colors in these photos have not been modified, by the way.

From the top looking toward Gratiot Lake

Flora on "The Money Line" when it's not a ski run

Mount Houghton in the back

... And the dreaded line to get back down the hill

The place was packed.  The downward line was insane.  There were almost as many cars in the parking lot as there would be on a powder day.  People wore shorts and tank tops.  Really now, when will that ever happen again?

If you've never been on Bohemia, or even if you have, you may be wondering, "why didn't people just walk down the mountain?"  I tell you, if I wasn't 8 months pregnant, wasn't with an 82-year-old great grandma and was wearing long pants through all that tall, dry, buggy grass, I would have walked down.  Most people opted for the ride, but I think the former would have been way faster.

So Mount Bohemia is running their chairlift again this weekend.  Totally worth it, if you are debating going.

If you ask me, I would say last weekend was peak color, but the peak areas are just shifting.  It's Brockway Valley's turn.  That is a beauty right now.  I've only seen pictures, but I may have to make the drive myself.  So much for my annual bike ride over the mountain.  That will continue next fall, I hope!

What else do I have to say about the colors?  Not a whole lot.  They are still changing.  I even have a green maple in my back yard right now.  Do what you want, I suppose.

Moving on.

May as well "move on" with "Your Move," a Yes song that our band covers.  Here's a video of us performing that last Friday during the Art Crawl at North One Gallery.

CLICK HERE TO WATCH "POWERS OF AIR" PERFORMANCE

Kinda fun, hey?  Definitely some background noise, but that's what you get during those!  And I believe that will be our last performance with this baby in my belly.  Then the poor thing won't have to keep bonking into my drum!

It looks like the Keweenaw Mountain Lodge is resurrecting Oktoberfest!  Festivities are October 11th starting at 3:00 pm.  Here are the details I could find:

• Buffet is served from 4-8 pm (reservations required)
• 10 German beers
• German food
• Music by Jeff & A.J. Walker Polka Band
• Best dressed couple contest
• Family with the most generations contest

Sounds fun to me, ja!  But maybe that's because I'm German (mostly) and I like parties.  Especially parties the revolve around food and beer.  Good thing I have a good nose to sniff, so I won't have to drink any of the bubbly.  Unless my baby is born by then...

I know I had something else cool for you, but I can't remember at all.  Maybe someday I will.  If not, I know it was a good thought.  So ta ta til next time!

Bean, Beans

Happy Fall!

However, this week is supposed to bring some pleasant weather.  Like 60's and sunny until Monday.  We'll take it.  Perhaps I should say Happy Summer!

I thought the weekdays would be quieter than they are.  I thought Duce and I could just roam around town without a leash or a care crossing the road.  Nope.  Not quite yet.  People are here chasing colors, mountain biking, living in RVs and doing whatever else they came to do.

And the past weekend was well attended.  I told you about the Chili Cook-off, and some of you actually came!  Thanks for introducing yourself.  How cool.

The event itself had a record number of people show up for the festivities and a record number of chili entrants.  Gosh, I think there were 26 chilies.  I'm glad I was not a judge because there's no way I could fit all those samples plus cornbread and pie in my compromised stomach space.   Judging looks like tough business anyway.  See?

The judges: sniffing, tasting and scoring chili

One of my favorite bands, Frank an da Beans are in the back there jamming out.  The event also pressed fresh cider, and offered Brickside beer.  There were two amazing cheese trays fresh from Wisconsin and 9 gallons of chili from the Gay Bar, so no one would hunger.  And just look at all those entrants ready to scoop samples of their concoction!

Most of the chili entrants

See that in the background?  That's sunshine.  It was a beautiful day.  And see that guy stirring in the red sweatshirt?  That's Jay.  He won first place in the traditional competition.  Way to go, Jay!  He also brought the cheese from Wisconsin.  Now that's good karma.

After the winners were announced, Powers of Air took the stage.  Here's a photo of I-don't-know-what-song, but our bassist's wife took it.

Our band -- Powers of Air

Gosh, it was almost 9pm before we were done performing.  It was a good experience for us... we learned a lot from our mistakes!  And if anyone ever fesses up to shooting some video, I'll post it for you.  They say we sounded good.

This was really an awesome event.  Make plans to come next year.  Third Saturday in September.

Moving on.

So there's this fall trail running fest at Mount Bohemia in early October.  I think it's the first year they are doing it.  Info is below.  I bet the leaves will be beautiful for that!

Mount Bohemia's Trail Runs

Color Report

So let me get a couple fall pics up for you.  Pipe down.  I know you've been waiting.  Yes, I'm psychic.  Please be careful what else you think around me.

Looking southwest from partway up Brockway Mountain

That one was taken the 19th.  I can't say it's too exciting there yet, but check out this one from Lake Manganese, compliments of my friend Bruce L.

Fall at Lake Manganese

Now that's getting pretty stunning.  I'll have to get up there myself!  

Here's a handy dandy chart I found from Lake Superior Magazine.  I would put stock in this.  Now you can plan your vacation.  Happy now?

Lake Superior Fall Color Chart

So, 4 more weeks until my baby is predicted to arrive.  After the people and before the snow, I like to say (fingers crossed).  I know sometimes I post late, but if I post really late, you can assume I am on suckling, diaper and no-sleep duty.  Give me some time, and I'll be with you as soon as I can.  Trust me.  If I am crabby, you really don't want me to write a blog anyway.  Then I'll tell you what I really think.  Ha!

So wish me luck with that!  Even though I tease myself about it sometimes, just know that I am really looking forward to becoming a mother and learning about life all over again.

Spooks and a Moose!

Saturday was... wow.  As I walked around to do my normal Harbor life business, I marveled at all the cars and people and bikes and such.  Is there an event going on in town?  I wondered as vehicles lined the main street and all possible parking areas.

What was odd was that it wasn't even a very nice day.  It was gray and chilly.  But it wasn't raining.  What else is odd is that I'm telling you about this and I still have no idea if there really was an event.  Perhaps a small one, but I just chalk it up to a Saturday in September.  I forgot how busy they can be.  That's a good thing for now.

Speaking of Saturdays in September, I may as well add on to the Chili Cook-off event with the Fort Wilkins Spoo-tacular.  They are decking out the Fort in a haunting fashion, and their annual geocaching event is going on as well.  Schedule follows below.

Spoo-tacular events

Ah yes, another one of my pictures with reflections off someone's glass door.  This one happens to be the general store.  They always have the most posters.

And as we approach this cooling weather and fall-like atmosphere, the wild edibles are changing.  

When I wander through Clyde's field, I try all the different apples that have dropped to the ground.  I try to memorize which ones are my favorite, and which ones the deer can have.  I'm not harvesting, just grabbing a snack as I meander.

The choke cherries are out too.  Man it's a great year for them.  If I wasn't so darn lazy right now, I would pick and pick those suckers.  But nope.  Sure seems like a lot of work.  I don't feel too guilty though.  I have lots of choke cherry wine aging in my cellar.  I think it will be ready to sample sometime after this little one comes out of my belly.

Plums too.  The plums are ripening.

We are lucky to have escaped the chances of frost so far.  The community garden is still producing, though some plants are a bit shocked, I'm sure.  It's interesting to hear that Houghton may get a frost overnight, but "along the shore" we are still 5-10 degrees warmer.  Oh, that lake.  She certainly has her perks.

So get this.  There is a moose in Copper Harbor.

A what???

A moose!  Yes!  It's been sighted at the Keweenaw Mountain Lodge trying to play golf without a cart.  Here is a picture I found on the KML's facebook page.

The KML moose

That is definitely a moose, and definitely the lodge's golf course.  What a beauty.  If I get ambitious, maybe I'll sit up there and wait for it to come.  I'm kind of a jinx for moose though.  I would probably just end up getting eaten by squirrels.

But, it looks like a good fall tourist attraction!

Color Report

On my drive to town Friday, I would say that the Covered Stretch is less than 10% changed. The maples that have transitioned sure are beautiful, but it's still mostly green.  The lakeshore M-26 is green too.  Even closer to Houghton, I would say there is no significant change.  And just a handful of trees are actually brown.

Okay, okay.  Enough for now.  I'll see you next week on whichever day I have the energy!  Thanks for your patience with me.

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!

Switching to September Mode

Yesterday, around 6 pm, I walked down the main drag to tend to my garden.  Suddenly, I was stopped in my tracks.  I couldn't believe what I saw.

Or perhaps it was what I didn't see.

Cars and people.  Bikes and dogs.  Gone, gone, gone.  I could have stood on the yellow lines of U.S. Highway 41 without a passing car for quite sometime.  Even the parking lots were empty and sparse.  What a contrast from the weekend.

Labor Day Weekend.  The big shebang.  The final final for this little town.  And it's over.

Sunday, for the Bell's Beer Copper Harbor Trails Fest, I was in charge of (among many other things) hauling coolers, cups and tables to the aid station up at the Keweenaw Mountain Lodge.  To accomplish such a task, I had to drive my car -- something no local wants to do on such a day.

Putting through town in second gear, I felt like I was in a parade.  Speed was slow, cars were bumper to bumper and kids were running across the road.  I just took deep breaths and enjoyed the chaos for what it was.

On the way back down, the cruisin' was pretty smooth until the last 1/4 mile before the blinking light.  Keweenaw County's sheriff's officers were orchestrating traffic as the racers crossed the highway there.  I was in no big hurry, so, once again, I just enjoyed the hubbub and watched the racers pedal vigorously.  

Once I parked my car in my driveway, I wiped my brow, grateful not to drive for the rest of the weekend.  My traveling from then on would be by foot... and my feet were sore by the end of it all.

Sunday's weather was surprisingly spectacular.  The sun dried some slick spots on the trails and kept people's spirits up throughout the day.  The event went well.  Again, a HUGE thank you goes out to our dozens of volunteers, donors, racers and everyone who helped make this event successful.  It's a big undertaking, but it seems to be worth it.

So now what do I do with myself?  Take a nap.

But first, I'll share a couple pics my hubby took of the downhill event.

Racer launching over The Flow

Crowds cheering on the riders

Did I take any pictures?  Nope.  I was too stressed out running here and there to make sure this and that were ready to go.  And I couldn't even reward myself with a Bell's Black Note Bourbon Barrel Stout.  I suppose the smell of it was rewarding enough.

Before I exit this topic, I should inform you that if you are interested in seeing more pictures and stats from this weekend, go to CopperHarborTrails.org or visit them on facebook.

So I'm not working full-time right now.  I have plenty of little jobs to keep me busy and lots of volunteer work to do, but I'm not "tied down" six days a week for 10 hours a day like usual.  You would think that I have plenty of time to pick berries.

Sadly, that is a farce.

Picking berries with a lead-filled basket ball on my tummy is no easy task.  I pretty much gave up at the end of July.  But here is the kicker: people look at me and say, "I can't believe the bilberries this year.  They are like nickels, and there's so many of them!"

Yeah, yeah rub it in.  My picking days are done for the summer.  I got what I could already.  And besides, the berries give me instant acid reflux.  But I eat them anyway.  Ah yes, life it is a-changin'.  But it's a good change, and I am excited for it.

Well, Happy September.  This month brings different clientele to the area: older couples, couples without kids and the like.  Table occupancy in the restaurants goes from a "party of 12, no wait, 11 and a booster seat" to "just the two of us... can we sit on the main floor?"  But nonetheless, the weekends will be busy.  Especially when the leaves turn more.

Color Report

I would say the Covered Drive is still only 1% color.  It's beautiful color too.  I'll let you know more as the weeks go by!

Why People Drive so Slow

I did it.  I went south of the Keweenaw Mountain Lodge for my first time in about three weeks.  Man, am I glad I don't have to make that drive often.  I wouldn't have any hair left, my teeth would be ground to nubs, my fingers would be stuck in a white-knuckle curled position and I would excessively use the words my father told me never to say EVER.  

Why?  This story, excerpted from my book Little Slices of da Harbor, illustrates why I had to slam on the breaks multiple times while driving back home on the Covered Stretch the other day.

Leaf Peepers on “The Covered Stretch” -- By Yours Truly

(Reproduced with my permission)

Wife: Oh, Honey, look at those leaves! Have you ever seen a red color like that before?

Husband: Well, no, I --

Wife: Slow down! Let me get the camera ready.

Husband: But there’s a car right behind us.

Wife: Well, pull over then.

Husband: Look at this road. Where am I supposed to pull over?

Wife: I don’t know, just -- ugh. We missed it. Oh, my word! Look at that orange! Is that a maple?: I think so.

Wife: Well, slow down! I’m missing it!

Husband: But that car is right on my tail!

Wife: So find a spot to pull over.

Husband: Honey, look at this road! There is not place to --

Wife: There! On the left!

Husband: That’s the other side of the --

Wife: Pull! Pull! Stop!

Husband: Ahhh! Okay!

Wife: Whew. There. Nice job.

Husband: You mean nice job not getting us killed.

Wife: I suppose. Yeah, cuz this really isn’t the best spot to take pictures. Besides, that road sign is in the way. Let’s see what’s up ahead. Just go slow.

However, in their defense, this is what the drive looked like on Wednesday.

CLICK HERE TO WATCH THE FALL ON 41 VIDEO

Color Report

Let that be all for the color report.  Brockway is rainbowing up nicely.  We had a gorgeous week for weather too.  If you weren't up here, then you'll just have to live vicariously (which is what I'm here for).  However, Mt. Bohemia is still offering their Fall Chair Lift rides this weekend.  There's still time to savor it!

Back to work for me... two nights until I'm freeeeeeeeeeeee!