Berries, Bohemia and a Beetle

If you like to pick service berries, bilberries or blueberries, you better come on up.  I eat handfuls of each of them as I walk the trails.

Thimbleberries are spotty, but they are going to be bountiful.  Raspberries and blackberries have a ways to go yet in Copper Harbor.

Whew, there is my berry report.

Know what report I never though I would give you this time of year?  A waterfall report!  That's right, we've had so much rain lately that they are still rushing like they were in late spring.  So if you love waterfalls, get your butt up here!

And if you like cool weather, this is your spot.  Man, oh man, we have had some chilly days.  People are saying, "boy, this is the first year I had to start a fire in July!" or "I had to turn my furnace on last week to get the chill out."  It's true, and I did that too.

It doesn't make for happy campers, but the berries seem to love it!

Yesterday I went to Mount Bohemia Resort for an assignment.  I decided to hike up the face of the mountain to get a couple shots for it.  Oh.  My.  Gosh.  I have been pedaling up that steep part of Brockway Mountain Drive, but hiking straight up those ski runs is ridiculous.  I can hardly go down stairs today!

CLICK HERE TO WATCH THE VIDEO OF ME PANTING TO THE TOP.

What?  No one is perfect!

Lac La Belle and Deer Lake from the top

And here are a couple shots I got while photographing kayakers and paddle boarders at Bete Gris beach.

A beautiful beetle carcass in the sand

The clouds above the beach

And this Saturday I get to bike in my first Copperman Triathlon!  I'll let you know how it goes!

Almost Berries!

I am still alive!!!

Yikes.  I run around like a mad hen sometimes.  But I am happy.  

The berries are starting to pop.  Here are some shots I took of them yesterday in town.

Thimbleberries

Bilberries before I ate the ripish ones

Serviceberries are ready when they're purple

Yesterday, on my bike ride to train for the Copperman triathlon (My first one ever!  I'm doing the bike portion -- 24 miles.)  I found one ripe thimbleberry.  The only somewhat grotesque part about it was that it was under a spider web.  Once I got the berry off the bush, picked off a dead fly and one of its legs that stuck, I ate it.  It was wonderful.

I hear that higher up in elevation the blueberries and bilberries are kicking a bit more than they are closer to the lake.  That's cool.  All in due time.  

Friday morning, after it rained throughout the whole night before, some lovely ladies and I went out to pick up trash on Highway 41 for the Copper Harbor Trails Club's Adopt-a-Highway stretch.  Since the ground has been turned over so many times from washouts, we didn't find too much junk.  But I do have a crazy story about that event.

I was walking on the right side, down the mountain past the Mountain Lodge.  You know, where those small cliffs drop to the road and are often dripping wet?  Okay, well the gravel was really washed out there -- all across the road.  All the sudden, I heard a thunderous vroom coming from behind.  It was the county with its plow blade down to scrape the gravel off the road.  BUT I WAS STANDING IN THAT GRAVEL!  I jumped to the cliff wall, grabbed a tree trunk and pulled myself up as high as I could.  Vwooooosh!  That big ol' truck swept all that gravel to where I was walking.  I totally wish I had a video of that!

Instead, a picture of how busy the main street was yesterday during the Keweenaw Cruiser show will have to do.

Open the hoods, see all the people!

And how about the cake I make yesterday for my buddy Hannah's birthday.  It has wildflower sprinkles!

A chocolate and wildflower birthday cake

That's all my melting brain can remember right now.  Oh yeah, thank you to my readers who introduce themselves to me when you see me in the Harbor Haus or around town.  I love to hear that you enjoy following my adventures and news!  You are the reason I keep this up!

Back to the Fourth of July

So my "really cool post" now lacks due to technical difficulties.  Don't worry.  I'm figuring things out to get you a higher quality visual product.  I know you appreciate it.

It had to do with the Fourth of July celebration in Copper Harbor.  I started the day actually watching the parade up close for my first time.  I've been in the parade before, throwing candy, but this time I stood along the road and watched it.  It lasted nine minutes.  Ha!

The energy I felt from the spectators, the drivers, the wavers and the candy-throwers was intense.  High spirits, smiling faces and good times were in the mix.  I'm glad I went to experience that.  It made "The 4th" a little more tolerable from a server's perspective.

And from a server's perspective, that was the least busy I have felt on the 4th of July.  One shift at Zik's was slow too, about 6 years ago.  Maybe they were both Thursdays???  I don't know, but the 5th sure was crazy!  And the 6th, well, the power was out from 1 pm to 7 pm, so the Harbor Haus didn't get to open.

Hold up.  I skipped the fireworks.  Now, I shot the display with a 5-second time lapse, and took a video of the best grand finale I have ever seen.  I was tickled that I decided to straight up record that grand finale.  However, the latter is nowhere to be found.  Sorry!  So here is a last-chance attempt at capturing that spectacular site.

WATCH THE FIREWORKS TIME LAPSE HERE

A perfectly sunny, nearly bugless weekend turned on us quickly.  We spent the last couple days in a fog.  Not just a mental fog, but a man-you-can't-even-see-Porter's-Island-from-the-shore fog.  Drive up the hill past Mohawk, and they had sunshine and 80-something degrees!  We shivered in the 50 degree fog.  Good thing I realize that you can't have it all.

More and more flowers are popping up, though!  They are little fireworks in the grass, and they smell marvelous.  I've already started collecting some for tinctures.  A little wild rose tincture does wonders in the middle of winter!

I feel like I should apologize.  This past winter and spring I got you used to my videos and pictures and somewhat timely posts.  Well, guess what?  I am working at least 50 hours a week -- running around and "Yes, Ma'am," and "Thank you, Sir," and "Have a wonderful vacation; I'd be happy to answer your questions about the area."  And I am.  But it takes a LOT of energy to keep that up.  Please be patient with me throughout the summer.  I want to keep you entertained and updated.  Only three more months to go.  Then I am all yours.

Technical Difficulties

Hey!  I have a really cool post to share with you, but I'm having some technical difficulties.  Please be patient while I figure this out.

Thank you!

Keweenaw Lakeshore Loop Cruise

This past Sunday's adventure was planned for a thunderstormy day.  But someone up there loves me, and made my 116 mile trip around the Keweenaw hot and sunny.

I loaded my car with a black lab, a golden retriever and a friend named Mallory.  We embarked down Highway 41 toward Lac La Belle, and took the Gay/Lac La Belle Road along the lakeshore.  The glistening waves on that route always soften my heart. 

Feeling a little thirsty, we stopped in at The Gay Bar.  If you have never been there, you should try it sometime.  It's a trip.

"The Gay Bar" in Gay, Michigan

Then we drove through Traprock Valley and to Lake Linden.  It was stinkin' HOT in town.  The poor dogs panted the whole time.

We passed through downtown Hancock and finally got to head back north on M-203.  From there, we took Lakeshore Drive, which I have never been on before. 

"You've never been down here?" Mallory was surprised.

"Nope.  That's why I have to drive it now.  I have to make sure I am sending people on the right path."

Luckily Mal grew up round them parts, and she zagged me through an even cooler route than I had originally planned.  She kept me out of the Calumet bustle (this route is for a road bike ride), and lead me past the Centennial Heights shone ship.  

Shone ship in Centennial Heights

And right after that, when we turned onto Highway 41, we saw the Kearsarge stone ship, so that is a nice historic part of the loop.  I was pleased.  Thank you, Mallory!

From there we cruised on Five Mile Point Road to Eagle River.  Not a moment too soon, we arrived at Fitzgerald's.  Our tummies were rumbling.  The Fitz has the most amazing beer selection I have seen for hundreds of miles.  Their on-site smoked meat selections are wonderful as well.  And lucky for the pups, Fitzgerald's is located right on Lake Superior, so they got to take a little dip and cool off.  

Thanks to them dragging me through the sand, I went in the Big Lake for my first time as well.  Luckily, only up to my calves.  That water is frigid, but I still had a great time running through the sand in the sunshine.  The thunder in the distance was surreal.  Where was is coming from?

We only made it to the Eagle Harbor Inn before we had to stop again.  Something about a sunny Sunday invokes the "Keweenaw Cruise" instinct in us all.  And The Inn is always a lovely place to stop.

But by the time we walked out, the clouds loomed.  The temperature dropped.

"I bet it will be raining by the time we get to Fake Lake!" I announced, feeling psychic.  Mal nodded.  Instead, the rain held off until we got to Copper Harbor.

And now I can check that adventure off my list.  I have all the turns and sites of interest laid out for a 116 mile road bike ride through the most safe and scenic paved areas of the Keweenaw.  Another great Adventure Sunday!

Sunset Over the Harbor

After that last post lacking in visuals, I figured I'd give you a quick sunset time lapse.  This one is from a couple weeks ago, but I just figured out how to edit it correctly.

Enjoy this rainy day!

By the way, I saw Canada anemone, twin flowers and birdsfoot trefoil starting to bloom during my hike today!

Eagle Harbor Trails

Since I don’t have to work them, Sundays are my adventure day.  Last Sunday I went to bike the Eagle Harbor trails with Hannah and her red healer, Tiki.  

In the winter these trails are groomed for cross-country skiing.  In the grassy months these two-tracks traverse gently rolling terrain past inland lakes and out to Great Sand Bay.

When I speak of an “adventure day,” it's the day I take to get out to the rest of the spots in this beautiful country that I need to explore in more detail before I can confidently send people out with a personal pocket guide.  I can't have people getting lost; my reputation and credibility are at stake!

So these are research-based adventures.  What a rough life I have created for myself.

In Copper Harbor, I am used to riding my bike up and up over an elevation of 600 feet, then down and down 600 feet.  600 feet may not sound like a lot (especially if you live in the real mountains), but I always pant profusely on the way up.

The Eagle Harbor trails were a walk in the park comparatively.  They’re great for beginners or a joy ride.  The only element we had to fight (besides the mosquitoes and blackflies) was the sand.  We had to push our bikes through a few sandy spots.  We laughed, though.  We didn’t care.  It was part of the adventure!

Exiting the woods to Great Sand Bay was a real treat.  That Big Lake, she gets me every time.  Apologetically, I did not bring a means of visually capturing the moment.  But I can tell you that the brightness of the blue sky was mirrored in the sparkling waves.  The air was crisp and refreshing.  Ah, it’s always important to savor those moments.

Would I ride the Eagle Harbor trails again?  Yes, but probably later in the season when the sand settles a bit.  My chain ring wasn’t too happy with me.  But riding nine miles without feeling like my heart was going to pop out of my neck was a welcome feeling.

You know what else is welcome?  All the beautiful flowers that are blooming!  Compare these to what is blooming by you.

In their prime we have lilacs, gaywings, starflowers, wild strawberry blossoms, apple blossoms, rockcress, chokecherry blossoms, blueberry blossoms, pussytoes and heartleaf arnica.

Just starting, we have wild roses, buttercups, wild lily-of-the-valley (get down and sniff that one), thimbleberry blossoms, vetch of all kinds, wild peas of all kinds and Canada hawkweed.

These are just the ones I’ve seen along my travels.  I think I come across a freshly blossomed species nearly every day!  Oh, the joys of summer!