Thomas "Biz" Bisard gives us a glimpse of someone who seems to be just enjoying the moment, with the water of the Black River flowing right by his feet. Located in Gogebic County, this river gets it's name from the dark color of the water. That dark color comes from a naturally formed dye, called 'tannin', which leaches into the water from the bark of the Hemlock trees along the tributary banks. If you were to follow this watercourse along it's route, you'd be treated to a number of waterfalls before it finally makes its way to the shores of Lake Superior. Maybe this gentleman is contemplating whether he'd be better off taking that trip by waterway or by the National Scenic Byway. Gogebic is a perfect name for this county of lakes, waterfalls and rivers. Anybody know what the Chippewa word means?

Good Morning!!!!

Hello, From LILY KY> Hello Gracie Reed in L'anse.

Good Morning...from Escanaba....After watching all the misery in Florida.....I am up early and counting my blessing and number one... is to live in such a beautiful area as the mid-west......and Michigan...and the Upper Peninsula.....thank you God!!!

Mornin'

Good Morning All

Good morning everyone

I don't know what Gogebic means, but would sure like to. I'd also like to know what Keweenaw means. And Ahmeek. And Munising. And Negaunee. And Ishpeming. And Kewadin, etc. Anyone know a good reference for UP Native American history?

A totally off-the-subject question, but there is so much knowledge residing among pasty cammers: does anyone know how to get super glue off of a formica counter top?

I got this from the following web site:

http://www.infomi.com/county/gogebic/

The county was named after the Chippewa word "agogebic," which means 'a body of water hanging on high'. This is an apt name for this area, which includes part of the southern Lake Superior coastline, 315 named lakes, (including the largest lake in the Upper Peninsula, Lake Gogebic), many inland rivers with 32 waterfalls!

marja use nail polish remover to get super glue of counter top.

By Ron, Michigan on Monday, August 16, 2004 - 06:51 am:

Interesting. There's a float plane on the airport cam!!

Oh, and good afternoon from Germany!

jbm: Thanks! Knew there had to be something!

Good morning from Mishawaka IN. Thats a great picture. Looks like someplace my Dad would have gone to go fishing. Have a good day everyone.

My relative fished on Lake Superior out of Black River Harbor - Al Durham, the boat - The Fisherman anybody out there remember him in the 60's - 80's???

marija MI

More specifically acetone. Nail polish removers can be various solvents like ethyl acetate, acetone, etc. Look for an acetone base, not a blend.

As a back up, your druggest will sell you 4 ounces, and most hardware stores have it in their paint department.

good morning. the sun is shining. great day

Maija,I'd test it on the Formica in an out of the way place first.

If you ever et a chance, take that road from Bessemer to Black
River Harbor. Its chock full o' waterfalls!

To all my supporters,
I'm going to the bank today asking them to help me rebuild.
Wish me luck.
Will keep you informed.

Just returned to MN after two glorious weeks in the UP. Had a ball! Making thimbleberry jam, picking agates, swimming, visiting with friends and family, eating pasties, Trenary toast, Loading Zone pizza, and Finnish cheese. Picked up some Vernors to take back, it costs $4 a six pack here. Can't wait to go home again.

Good Luck Jim, hope everything goes well and that you rebuild!

Hello Everyone! I'm back from my wonderful week in the Kewenaw... I don't have my pictures up in my Gallery yet, but I will be working in it today. We had a wonderful week, we were able to catch the Civil War Renactors at Fort Wilkins, had Pastys at Toni's, visited the Jam Pot and the Jam lady, gazzed from Brockway Mountain, were wowed by the 'Devils Washbowl' with 3-5 foot waves coming in (I got some good pics) limited out on Lake Trout one day thanks to Captain Bob of Fish Camp Charters (He's a pasty.net supporter) saw some wildlife and just generally had a great time. I'll keep you posted on the pics!

Have a great day everyone!

Jim,good luck and wishing you well for a very sucessfull future

A beautiful scene from my end of the UP! I lived in Ramsay where the Black River flows through. We used to swim in the Black River at the city park in Ramsay. I fished for trout many times below one of the many waterfalls north of Ramsay. Best of all, I will be in the UP this week! We are traveling to Houghton on Thursday, meeting with EE professors at MTU on Friday to present a check, and then traveling to Wakefield for the weekend for my Uncle's 90th birthday.

final word from family in Port Charlotte area..All are well and 1 out of the 6 homes was ruined in the hurricane.

Good morning all and to you Paul the Webber-Troll..It was rather cool Fri and Sat morning.43 degrees...Made for an extended wood run to all the cabins at the mountain lodge.I have seen a few early red leaves too!Ya get some of those every year though.

Steve Big Rapids - was your relative the same Al Durham that lived in Chassell? The one that I knew passed away sometime around 1980.

Hey Jim,

We're rooting for you!

ps : Is everyone aware of the upcoming tailgate party in Mohawk on his behalf?

Word from Port Charlotte, Fl. Our home sustained damage. Lost our lanai and two sheds and a broken window. Lots of tree branches in our yard, Thank God that our family is all safe

So when is the tailgate party? Will it be at the place where the old White House was?

To Steve in Big Rapids - I remember Al Durham; fished the big lake for years. I seem to remember him supplying Hi Randall at the Sail Inn with lake herring for his famous fish frys. Then again he might have stuck to the Coho and lake trout, but for some reason I have a picture in my memory banks of Al Durham with a load of lake herring bound for the Sail Inn which was on the Black River Rd right by Sandstone Falls (my favorite on the mighty Black River). There is a little island in the falls complex that we used to cross over to and pick rose hips in the fall. Also a good place to swim at the northeast end of the island before the river makes its final drop into the next portion of the gorge. Lots of good memories from hiking up and down the Black.

Maija MI and Son of a Yooper:

I've read that Gogebic means "where trout rising make small rings upon the surface." (source: http://www.uptravel.com/Counties/Gogebic/Gogebic.htm)

keweenawgal,

Tailgate starts Tuesday (tomorrow) at 3:00 at the at the White House site, and according to the notice I saw at the Superette, and goes to ........ whenever.

Hope to see "you-all" there!

Beautiful picture...blue jello. Serene, quiet, & peaceful.

Negaunee means "The Lower Place". So I guess I grew up in .... Could have fooled me.

Jim: Am sending lots of positive thoughts on financing for new White House.
Ron: While in Alaska in July, I was amazed that float planes have landing wheels now! Thought I was dreaming when one took off after we landed!
Take care all and enjoy your day. Our summer is over because Fee payment for Fall semester starts on Wednesday with classes on Monday...here we go again!

What's up with the White House? I must have missed some news while traveling this summer. Was just visiting the Keweenaw last weekend for a wedding but didn't get north of Ahmeek.

The only thing missing from this fine picture is the guy equipped with a nice ultra light rod with about 4 pound test line to pull in some nice fresh brookies from that dark corner hole...

Good Morning, All.

I can always count on the folks who log on here at Pasty.com to teach me something new and interesting... Thanks for the links. Cool!
Beautiful picture, too.

Greetings from southern Nevada! I spent a few years living in the Keweenaw but now I'm back home in the desert.
We had some nice early snow yesterday. I woke up and looked over to the mountains, and sure enough a bit of snow had fallen overnight. Just a few sprinkles of rain down here in the valley, though.
For maija, who is wondering about what names mean, I've been told that Ahmmek means "beaver" and Keweenaw means "portage" (a place you have to carry your canoe).

Mary Milw - The White House Restaurant in Mohawk was destroyed by fire back in June!

I'm a former resident of Bessemer and Gogebic County...born and grew up there...still have a county map with the Name "Gogebic" on it..and the translation.."where trout rising make rings on the water" also had a picture of a local fisherman ( Joe Blake of WJMS Radio ) on it in the same Black River...tho I once looked it up on the official Michigan State guide to Indian names and it suggested the name meant "slippery rock". I prefer the first definition.
Thanks for the detour from the normal 'tip' of the UP to the Western end for a great picture of a great river. All the other comments are correct...the road to Black River Harbor from Bessemer is great..scenic with lots of spots to stop and walk in to see the falls along the way. You also drive by the site of the 'sky flying' hill which opened in the late 60s and once held events with ski 'fliers' from around the world..a group of local solks are trying to get it going again. At the end of the road following the Black River, you will find a beautiful harbor and park and lots of rock filled shores of Lake Superior. I have to stop, I'm beginning to sound like a travelogue.
Oh, and the swimming hole at Ramsay is no more...the dam broke..and hasn't been repaired..but the famed 'keystore' bridge is still there..another great sight for folks wanting to see some history of Gogebic County.

Ishpeming means "high place," or "Heaven."

When I first saw this morning's picture I thought OH BOY, one of my favorite spots, a shot of the Silver River from M26 just east of Lake Bailey between Eagle Harbor and Eagle River. To my surprise it is identified as the Black River (a favorite of mine as well). So I looked up a picture I took of the Silver River in May 1999 and compared. All I can is if this is the Black River, then it has an identical stretch of rock and current as my shot of the Silver River.
Let the viewers compare and contrast:

AAAAh Black River Harbor. Is the Sail Inn still there? I remeber all you could eat herring for $2.50 topped off by strawberry rhubarb pie. And that was just lunch.

The Loading Zone burnt down a few years ago

That would have been the original Loading Zone in Hubbell, but the Loading Zone II is alive and well in beautiful downtown Lake Linden! Thanks to www.johndee.com, for the Northwoods directory link to the Zone!

Correction: the Silver River is between Eagle Harbor and Copper Harbor of course.

A thorough history of the word GOGEBIC and the Lake Gogebic area can be found in the book by former Bergland residen Marko Lulich - entitled "AKOGIBING." Interpretations include "deep dividing lake" root under which the porcupine hides, porcuppine lake, where trout rising makes rings onthe water, a body of water hangin on high, the nest of the porcuping, the place of falling leaves, the lake of the falling leaves, a thick snake, bear in the water, lake lying still or hidden, the bathing place, green lake, smooth rock little fish, rocky shore. - Marko (an old family friend) suggests you take your pick. He's convinced there will never be a correct interpretatin to Akogib. Bishop Baraga, in his dictionary of Ojibwa and Chippewa languages,s has it as A-ko-gib ... and A-ko-gibing as going to the lake. For more information on the book - a complete western UP historical guide from native american times to today contact me !!

Jim, Good Luck and all the support I can give-- I will be sure to do a drive by to that Tail Gate thing tomorrow-- I will only be able to stop by after work, but I will definately do just that. Godspeed on the financing and rebuild!!

The Sail Inn burned down sometime during the 70's - I think around -77-78 or so. We always used to joke about Hi's name and being able to say "Hi, Hi" and "Goodby, Hi". Quite confusing for small kids. I think someone built a little canteen or cafe on the same spot, but it's been a while since I've driven by.

Hello all,
I was just scrolling through the online Gazette and saw that Dan Urbanski had passed away on Friday after a long illness. This was a truly a sad thing to see. His pictures had always been on this site and were some of the most beuatiful I had seen.
He will surely be missed, thoughts and prayers to his family.

That is sad news about Dan. His talent will certainly be missed on this site. He was one of my favorites in the gallery.

I also just read Dan's obituary. What a loss to the community, and what a loss to the Pasty site.

My deepest heart-felt condolences to his family, friends, and fans.

F and N Curtis, Stay in the U.P. for they are having problems getting food and gas for the cars/ still no elec.. I guess Ralph is going to get out of FL. for a while as soon as he gets things boarded up.

Jim....Good Luck to you ....we are big supporters of a New White House!

I am a former resident of Wakefield, and remember the wonderful family picnics at Black River Harbor. BRH has not changed, except a lot fewer pleasure and Charter boats. And no commercial fishing boats. The ski flying hill plans an event in 2009. ESPN will provide TV coverage.

Thank you Charlie or Mary for adding that pic ...was fitting I think.

pasty.com had a neat retro shot of Dan "in action" from the DMG:

http://pasty.com/discuss/messages/313/987.html

RIP. Very nicely done obit, BTW.

For some reason, I found myself wondering on Saturday why I hadn't seen any of Dan Urbanski's photos lately. Now I know. He had a remarkable eye, whether capturing yet another face of Lake of the Clouds or doing something as unusual as the algae shot from 6/7/01. I was already missing him.

A memorable man who gave us beauty and enhanced our memories of the Pennisula's uniqueness....

I'm truly sad to hear of Dan's death. He will live on through his photographs, and we have been blessed to have so many of them on this site. My two favorite desktops are photos of Dan's; my work desktop is the algae photo mentioned above, and my home desktop is the frog on glass from 8/1/02. That date also includes another picture of Dan at work, on a rainy U.P. day. My prayers too to Dan's family and friends.

Could someone add the link to the "online Gazeette" mentioned by Lisa in TN so I can see Dan's obit?

A true artist is gone from this earth.

Thank you.

Nevermind. I guess I found it myself.

http://www.mininggazette.com/deaths.html

Rest in Peace, Dan.

Here's the link to the Mining Gazette web site. Click on 'Obituaries' in the left-hand column; Dan's is listed there.

Greta - Milwaukee, Yes Al supplied herring for Hi Randall. He had cabins at the top of the hill on the east side, but north of Bear Track Inn. No Al was not from Chassell. Thanks for the info --

THE IRONWOOD GLOBE HAS A NICE WRITE UP ON DAN CHECK IT OUT

Dan Urbanski is going to be missed in the Ontonagon area and the surrounding communities.
My sympathies go out to his family

Jim B.

How'd it go with the Bank today?

Will we see you tomorrow at the tailgate?

We're bringing pictures of you and B, out here.

Got your address wrong, oops...........

Cheers,

B+E

Julie Beck just called me and told me about Dan's passing. I want to acknowledge a great photographer and person. He was one of my mentors. At age 50, he had many more great photographs to take...
Sincerely,
Donn de Yampert

a very fitting picture for mr urbanski fading into the sunset old photographers never die they just fade away. as with old soldiers. also what does chippewa mean in assinabe

For those who would like to know:
Dan's Obituary is also in the Mineing Journal
Always enjoyed all of his pictures. He will be missed.

There was an Al Durham in Chassell, however...I remember the name for sure...but can't remember what he looked like...

The Black River....we did a hike along rthere couple of years ago...it is just awesome, especially those falls...

And the harbor really surprised us...a very quite place, but it is just a great place to spend some time....

i did my own research chippewa and ojibwe are for the most part anglo corrptions of the word anishbinaabemowin which means original people they are alogonquian speaking peoples which is related to cree objibwe means pucking related to the shape of their moccasins. and they belonged to the council of the three tribes more to come

So sorry to hear about Dan...have enjoyed all of his wonderful photos and many became my "wallpaper". Thanks for sharing the obit information. Hopefully you will continue to run or rerun many of his fantastic shots....I would never tire of them....my sincere sympathy to his family and friends.

May God be with Dans family and all who loved him. His photos were top notch.

The Black River is beautiful, but like previously posted today's pic is of the Silver River, the pic being taken from on the bridge.

glue chemist: Thanks! The nail polish remover didn't work. I knew there was a hardward product I could try. Will go get that tomorrow.

Cousin Jack and Yooper are correct. That`s the Silver River.

roudy: Yeah, I will. But I'm not that concerned since my counter is old and kinda porous due to scrubbing by the people I bought this house from. I'm suspecting that's why the glue's so hard to remove. Can't afford new counters right now and would like the globs of super glue that have turned grey removed from the off-white formica!

Apologies to others who aren't interested in household hints, but geez, I knew I'd get answers!

Just read Dan's orbit online in the DMG. I also wondered why we haven't heard from him. He will truly be missed. So sad, so young, so much talent.

Wish I had read thru before responding to the super glue hints. Sincere apologies for being so trivial in light of what followed.

Good luck Jim: was wrenching driving by the fire site.

Rest in beautiful peace, Dan, as you shared with us. Deepest sympathy to family and friends.

maijaMi

Do you know that it's Super Glue, verses Elmer's, on your counter? Please advise, as Elmer's is a differnet removal issue -

I just took a somewhat sad yet moving tour of Dan Urbanskis website at quietlywild.com Beautiful pictures and words in his wilderness diary. What a wonderful talent that man had! My deepest sympathy to his loved ones.

"Float planes with wheels" are called Amphibians, because they can land (wheels up) on the water or "wheels down" on the tarmac. If you get a seaplane rating, it works for both.......
We will miss Dan.............

I want to give a tribute to Dan for all he has done for the pasty cammers of this website. I truly believe that you have influenced a lot of us to try to capture with a camera, what you have done. Your photographic acheievements are priceless. Dan, Rest In Peace and may your family forever be Blessed because of your being!

It is so sad to learn that Dan passed away. His photos are exceptional. I love looking thru his Quietly Wild Gallery. It is so beautiful. My sympathy to his family and all of us Pasty Cammers.He will be missed.

I am deeply saddened to hear of the passing of Dan Urbanski. I always enjoyed seeing the world through his eyes.

I had heard Dan was very ill but it was still a shock to see his obituary today in the Mining Gazette. I had the pleasure of working with Dan on some commerical photography for our company and can say he was a delight to work with. I'll miss not only his company but the quality of work he produced for us in his Silver City studio. We were fortunate to have such a talent in the western UP.

Regarding Yooper's posting at 6:46 PM: today's pic IS from the Black River.It was taken in July of either 98 or 99 as best I remember. We'd intended to paddle from the Blackjack ski lodge parking lot down to just north of Bessemer at Bessemer Rd, but as it was summer the water level was too low. We drove up 513, stomped around four or five falls and ended up at the harbor and paddled a bit upstream to the first falls (Rainbow.) I wish I could remember the exact spot where I took the shot, but I just didn't keep my records together as I should've....sorry!

The second pic from Cousin Jack at 11:59 AM is of the Silver River. Another gorgeous spot to put on my visiting list.

On a somber note, I too am saddened by Mr. Urbanski's passing. I've collected many of his shots and feel his work will live on in our hearts and in our minds' eyes. My thoughts and prayers go out to his family and friends.

T M is Thomas "Biz" Bisard near Kalkaska MI......I'll get the hang of posting messages yet!

Sorry to hear about Dan's passing, but know he was needed for other nature pics. Thanks for the link to the Gazette. Dan's pictures are those I remember most about the pastycam.

Kate from CA, I feel the same way.

I hope good things happened for Jim today.

Man oh man. What a shock to hear about Dan! Interesting side note that until today I was unsure of. We graduated from the same high school. I thought the name sounded familiar but in that area it is a common name. May he rest in peace. I will miss him & his photos.

Thank you Dan, for the many great images.
RIP, my friend.

Dan was not only a terrific photographer, but was a kind and caring person. We will miss his encouragement when taking pictures and his friendship in always emailing news of White Pine or nature observations. We were very saddened and shocked to hear of his passing. He took our senior pictures so many decades ago and we each have several of his masterpieces on our walls and bought them for friends. We felt quite honored to have known such a gifted artist and we are so lucky he discovered the U.P. so many years ago!
- Chris, Susan, Jennifer and JoAnn Chabot
(while travelling together to see Oregon)

Hey Biz: I left a note at your photo album site which explains why my pic and yours are of the same site. Check out the horizontal cleft or crevice just below the top of the conglomerate rock formation on the upper right of your pic and mine. That's the same rock formation. We've also got the same rock formation in the lower right corner of our pictures. The flat rock your subject is standing on in the lower left of your July pic is under water in my mid-May pic.
There is no doubt in my mind that your picture is also the Silver River where it crosses under M26 between Eagle Harbor and Copper Harbor.
One thing I think we might both concur on though. If Dan Urbanski had taken a picture from the same spot we took ours, with his eye he would have found some way of turning it into something really special.

My sincere sympathies to Dan's family and friends. He and his photography work will be greatly missed.

T M.. I hate to dispute your memory, but I have NO doubts what-so-ever that the pic above is of Silver River. There are too many 'exact'geological and ecological similarities, and I have fished and played in this spot on the stream often. I also looked in the gallery to check other pics and I see that Rick is wearing exactly the same clothes in a pic on the Copper Harbor lookout as he is wearing while standing in the middle of the river in the above pic. Anyway, nuff said, have a great day, and no matter waht, it is a nice pic.

I am deeply saddened of the passing of Dan Urbanski. He brought beauty to us, through his camera, and shall be missed.