The Estivant Pines area, nestled just south of Copper Harbor, is home to many trees both big and small. Today's photos from Aimee Rathbun, show us the two extremes. First we see this tiny little sprout and its shadow. Then 'bam', you're startled with a shot looking up the trunk of one of the giants of the forest. Some of those huge pines grow as tall as 130' to 150' and it can take three people, joining hands, to reach around one. Makes you kind of wonder if the little twig were able to talk, would he be saying, 'Someday that'll be me!' That's some hefty growing for that little seedling. 'I think I can, I think I can...'

Good Morning from Troll central

WOW! I could have been #1 today! Well, the important thing is that everyone gets a good morning from Georgia!

Leaving today for good ole Chassell. It's too early to be at work!

wow, you are early today Mary ! Estivant Pines is a great place... how many other virgin stands of White Pine can be found in the good old UP? I know there are some in the Porcuping Mtns ... anyone else know of some? Hard to believe that the entire UP used to be covered with this great tree...

JK

Getting antsy -- leaving for Calumet early tomorrow a.m. Looking forward to seeing everyone. Hope you all have a wonderful day.

Good morning everybody!
Not likely to happen, depending on wether the big one is pine - which would force the little one to change it's species to become that, and that would really be amazing!;) What are both, anyway?

By the way, does anybody have numbers as to how big the diameter of those pines is at breast height? I'd guess about three to four feet, maybe more?
Also, seem to recall that douglas fir can reach heights of approximately 400', but I don't remember the source. Can anybody confirm or falsify that?

Mornin' from West Texas. The only thing we have that comes close to that height is a telephone pole.

Good morning everyone

There are other stands of virgin white pine.
One is near Champion. You can figure out
where it is from the description in "True North"
by Michigan's most famous writer--Jim
Harrison. Most of the novel is centered in the
UP and is a wonderful "read".

I'll be up in the Copper Country on Saturday! Can't wait!

thanks to Aimee for her wonderful eye.

Good morning from Mishawaka IN. Have a good day everyone.

A second good morning from Mishawaka, IN. Looks like another beautiful day here. Looks foggy in Copper Country.

I can't believe it only 8 more long days until my beautiful wife and I get to spend 2 whole weeks in the Beautiful Upper Penninsula Look out Jampot here we come

Good morning from Grandma's Pasties at the Minnesota State Fair. The weather has been mostly good to us and today will be the first hot day. Some schools have started so the crowds were a bit light yesterday. 7 down and 5 to go. Have a great day!!! Sandy

Good Morning from Brighton

Last day of work for a week for me !!! Copper
Harbor or Bust !!!! Can't wait to spend a couple of days breathing fresh air and visiting God's
best creations, Nothing beats the big lake.

Joe Upper at heart !!! troll for now

I bought a Pasty at the fair on Monday; it was very good! We actually passed the booth when we first got there. I didn't know it; but my daughter said we did. Too many things to look at.

I hear that the Mt. Bohemia lift rides will be October 2. It's a neat ride - chair 31 still has my handprints embedded in the safety rail.

Good Morning all. There is a sign in Copper Harbor that says Miami FL ____miles. Does anyone know the miles? Thanks

Good morning, Loret! It's 1,857 miles from CH to Miami, but much, much closer to Florida location! Give a hug to your mom and dad for me!

AROUND 1935 THERE WERE STUMPS FROM THE LARGE PINES STILL BEHIND NEW ALLOUEZ, WHERE WE CHOPPED WOOD OFF KINDLING WOOD. THEY WERE ABOUT 8 FT. DIAMETER. ALSO WATCHED THE OLD BI-WING AIRPLANES DOING THERE STALL & TAIL SPINS.

Candy, great to hear from you. I will see mom and dad tonight. Hope you are enjoying sunny CA when we are looking at Fall in the face. Miss seeing you around these parts.

Morning all. Does anyone know if the gas station in Copper Harbor will be open by winter? I saw that it was closed when we were up there last week. Thanks. later, Skylar.

hey KOSK in Toronto ! Thanks ! I've got the book and just haven't read it. I'll have to find that stand of white pine in Champion AND read the book ...

Jim Harrison is my favorite author and I've got several signed books and my picture taken with him in the Dunes Saloon in Grand Marais and a son named Harrison !

Anyone else have a JIM HARRISON in the UP story?

GAS STATION???? The only place I know of to puschase gas in C H is at The Superior Dive Shop...Tell Jake the Troll sent ya.

Good Morning from Houston!

Can't wait for the 3 day weekend!

Mornin' from Tulsa!

Good Morning from Vancouver.

Checking the bridge cam I see the overcast skies reflect those here in the NW today. I have visited the Estivant Pines near Copper Harbor and amazed at their height, beauty, and what the history they could transmitt if able to talk!

Nakiiman.

danbury, Germany: How about the White pine, or the Western Hemlock, or the Red Cedar, or of course thee California Redwood.

I think I remember some virgin White Pine on the Huron Mountain Club property. Huge trees. Was 30 years ago when I was there!

Finished Ice Run by Steve Hamilton last night. A good book, and I was at the exciting part when my almost 3 year old granddaughter was sudsing the bathroom and her body!

Hey Shelly from Houston - I've been sent down to hot humid Houston a number of times in the last two months. Have two more trips planned - any favorite places in downtown Houston for dinner?

Good morning!!

Well, maybe it is the dive shop. The place I am talking about is located up the road a bit from The Pines. I guess since it had gas pumps there I thought it was a gas staion. Later, Skylar.

How do others feel about the new design of the Daily Mining Gazette web site?

I think it takes too many "mouse clicks" to navigate and read the pages. Seems like some menu items don't come up on my pc.

If you have comments, there is a feedback form you can use to send them to the webmaster, that is if the page will come up.

Good morning from sunny, slightly cooler (103 today) Las Vegas, Nevada.

Jeff K: Your looking for a stand of pines near you? Drive about 25 miles south of you towards Grayling and go to Hartwick Pines State Park. Some of the trees there are towering, and they have a nice museum and on some weekends they have demonstrations of how timbering was done in the early days. Really neat place to visit.

I think Dr. Nat and I are going for a drive this weekend up to some of the old gold mining camps in central Nevada, specifically, Goldfield and Tonopah; a perfect place for two geologists to visit! Won't be like driving on the Peninsula, but still a nice trip.....

KR 50's,

I really don't go down town, ever. I am a small town girl living in the big city, and fine dining to me is roast on Sundays, but I did ask the "fancy to do" people I work with and they recommend: Pesce, Vic & Anthony's Steakhouse, Miyako, Artista, Elvia's and The Americas. :) I have been to the America's because its in the Galleria area where I work. YUMM YUMM!!!

Actually, I think the highway sign in Copper Harbor says it's 1990 miles to Miami - I remember it being 199x anyhow. I know I always wanted to take a picture of that sign. Guess I should have.

From my dad (103 yrs. plus 7 mos.):
Troll to a Yooper: What's the population up there?
Yooper: We ain't got population--it's all hemlock.

I would give the DMG folks a little time to sort out the new site before making too many judgements. The new site does look a little more 'modern' to me.

Good Morning! My parents have one lonely white pine on their property. I remember how tall it looked as a kid, I use to think I could reach the clouds if I climbed it! LOL

The CH Marathon is kaputt, we've heard closed by creditors. I doubt that the dive shop with be open over winter to serve the snow mobilers.

That makes the nearest gas over the winter at Seasons in Lac La Belle. Might be one whole lot less "sleds" coming all the way out this year.

KR 50's:
My folks live near Houston and the restaurants I'm partial to are the Taste of Texas (Around Beltway 8 and Gessner) The Red Onion (I've always gone to the one on 290 northwest of town, but there's a couple of other locations around Houston), Europa Cafe (on a little side street near the junction of Bissonet and Kirby, not far from Rice University and the Texas Medical Center), and The Black Labrador (on Montrose near the University of St. Thomas). Taste of Texas is a great steakhouse, The Red Onion serves incredible Central American/Carribean cuisine, Europa Cafe has nice sandwiches and sweet treats, and the Black Lab is a British Pub.
Unfortunately, I'm not that familiar with the downtown area, I stay more on the northwest side of Houston and only go into town to see a ball game or hang out at the Natural History Museum.

I checked out the new DMG site. I agree with GreenSheetReader, it takes time to work out the bugs with any new program. If you have trouble with some of the pages, let them know. They may not be aware there's a problem. I like the new site.

Good morning from a hot and sunny Grand Forks North Dakota

Leaving tomorrow a.m. for Lake Gogebic and hopefully a swim or two. Got some tall trees on our property there, but nothing like the Estivant Pines. When my son was about 8-9 we camped near Copper Harber and Fort Wilkins, but due to a deluge, ended up staying one night at the Estivant Pines Motel.

Wonder if that would make enough firewood for the sauna for one winter? I heard it is going to be a cold one.

COPPER HARBOR GAS SITUATION UPDATE

I just spoke with Jake at Superior Divers Scuba, and he indicated that they'll be open all winter selling gas. Diving however, is another issue ..

Hey just cut a hole in the ice, tie on your harness and off you go......no wave action
;o)

Thanks Captain Paul... I've been to Hartwick Pines in Grayling at least 100 times !! they have some great ski trails that I ski all winter...

I don't understand the poplation & hemlock joke. Poor troll me.

SKYLAR, WI
What part of WI are you from? Yes the old gas station is closed because of credit problems. Too bad because they had a nifty bar build last year and were going to serve ethnic foods.

Suzanne, I live in Oxford, about 45 minutes north of Madison. I guess we will get our gas at the Vansville bar then. Thanks everyone. Later, Skylar.

Danbury
Here is a little information of Douglas Fir... I just did a quick web search and found all kinds of information...

http://www.na.fs.fed.us/spfo/pubs/silvics_manual/Volume_1/pseudotsuga/menziesii.htm

The interior variety of Douglas-fir does not attain the growth rates, dimensions, or age of the coastal variety. Site class for Rocky Mountain Douglas-fir is usually IV or V (site index 24 to 37 m or 80 to 120 ft at age 100) when compared with the growth of this species in the Pacific Northwest (1,43). On low sites, growth is sometimes so slow that trees do not reach saw-log size before old age and decadence overtake them. Interior Douglas-fir reaches an average height of 30 to 37 m (100 to 120 ft) with a d.b.h. between 38 and 102 cm (15 and 40 in) in 200 to 300 years. On the best sites, dominant trees may attain a height of 49 m (160 ft) and a d.b.h. of 152 cm (60 in) (23). Diameter growth becomes extremely slow and height growth practically ceases after age 200. Interior Douglas-fir, however, appears capable of response to release by accelerated diameter growth at any size or age (35). The interior variety is not as long lived as the coastal variety and rarely lives more than 400 years, although more than 700 annual rings have been counted on stumps (23).

to marsha, Genesee/aura Just read Steve Hamiltons Blood In The Sky... Love his books but I can not find Ice Run... Did you buy it at a Book Store or other , .like Walmart ???/

Ref the new Mining Gazette web site..

I can't even get the entire home page to load. Also tried some of the pages on the left side menu and they wouldn't load either. Seems to me that someone would have tested all this before switching the format. Yea, it probably looks nicer but......

Hey, Skylar, Jerry and Judy will be happy to serve you at the Vans -- and they serve a mean Sloppy Joe, too!

Check out the 12:02pm pic on Sharon's cam. Looks like it caught a hummingbird headed for the feeder.

Book readers...try eBay too. I have gotten some there for really good prices.

Kathy,Lansing: You had to be there.

In Reference to the DMG. All the Ogden papers in the U.P. Have switched to the same simular Format. Mineing Journal has the fanciest one and the Escanaba and Iron Mountian are simular. Give then a few days to work the bugs out. the others work fine. Or you could go to the Ogden Web Site and try it from there.

JIM HARRISON STORY...
Jim is actually selling his secret cabin outside of Grand Marais....I emailed back & forth and there is a bartender in G Marais that has the info.

I wanted it badly...off the grid, outdoor privy,
lots of bear in area...BUT son is entering college
(LSSU) so never pursued it further. What a great GET it would be!

Pop..ulation...pop..lar.. hem oh forget it!

Too: anyone that may be interested the web address for the Papers Is: www.oweb.com

I also could not get the DMG to load...I tried the tip and got right through to it by keying in Ogden Newspapers. It loaded fast! So, until glitches are fixed, this might be the way to go!

On another note, have we heard anything from Jim B. about the bank loan?

I wonder if the sign saying 1990 miles to Miami, FL is for a particular route? US Hwy 41 runs from a turnaround in the woods just past Copper Harbor and goes south to become 8th street (Calle Ocho) in Miami. I'm proud to have spent time in both spots. Fortunately, there are quicker and easier routes to the Copper Country!
I just hope the southern end of US 41 doesn't blow away this weekend. Hurricane Frances is a MONSTER!

downstate don, Yes, I picked thimbleberries, blueberries and raspberries. They were wonderful. There was a lake (Medora) up there. We stopped to stretch the legs and the area was filled with thimbleberries, wild red raspberries and we had a field day. We stopped at the Jampot and bought our jams for the winter and they had just taken lovely carrot muffins out of the oven. We bought them and ate them warm without the icing. I ate one in the parking lot and had to go back inside to purchase another. LOL. We saw bear, deer (little bambies), and a couple doe. The pasties were excellent at Toni's in Larium. I used ketchup on mine. We hit a couple casinos and went to the light house in Eagle Harbor. I couldn't believe they were sun bathing in the inlet. BRRRRR!!!
Don't look now, but another storm is coming our way. Folks are paying closer attention this time. I know we've done all we can to protect the property. The rest is up to the BIG Guy.

Fran, GA
How do you like a "Herricane" being named after you!!!!

Any fall tree colors yet? I never liked them as a kid because it meant school was starting again.

The pic of the tree could very well be the son of a beech.

From the looks of the weather maps and the temps. in the various papers it looks like a nice day in the U.P. Your weather is about like ours here in Missouri. We have partly cloudy and 78.

That poor little tree does not even have any lower leaves. Looks like it is not getting enough light with those big trees shading it. It must have sisu to grow at all !
DMG site is working well for me. Looks great.

That little tree could also be a "Quakeing Aspen" Afraid of the larger trees.

Dan: The puppies are adorable. What kind are they? They look like they rather tear around instead of having that fencing there!

SKYLAR,
I live in a small burg south of Milwaukee called Franksville. Been going to Copper Harbor for 18 years now and loving it every year. We did get gas at the dive shop. No problem.

Hello all!

After spending 3 wonderful days in Copper Harbor (after 2 wonderful days in Laurium/Calumet/Hancock/Houghton area) we're taking the very long way to Big Bay. Drove through Lac La Belle, Gay, Jacobsville (saw the lighthouse up close!!) and White City, back up to Lake Linden, we're now in L'Anse, talking to Tracey at the Visitors Center, and funny, thing, she knew who I was because of my post from last week asking about the waterfalls here! How funny is that?! Adds so much to this experience. And Mary Hunt, who writes the Hunt's Guide to the UP (the best UP guide around) is here too! Unbelievable day!! Off to Big Bay, then Marquette, then Paradise, Manistique and Ontonagon before heading back to the Keweenaw. This has been an amazing trip, and the people we're meeting and talking too, make it that much more special. This site has been so wonderful for so many reasons, and I miss it while on the road! But, the road is the place to be right now.

Hi Rose. They're German Shorthaired Pointers. When the weather cooperates, we get them outside as much as possible to tear around the yard! The mom also gets involved (see the picture). It should be fun to get them to the lake this weekend!

By shelly/Yankee in Texas on Thursday, September 2, 2004 - 04:12 pm:

Audrey-

If you get this before you're in Manistique, look for the Moose at the Big Boy, and the Hotel next door. They are worthy of snapshot! My Dad lives in Manistique, and so not too long ago my kids and I were there tromping around the beach, and enjoying the view of the Lake from his house not to far from the big cemetary! Have fun!

Shelly,

Thanks for the lead.

AND, I'm wearing shorts and sandals!!

WOW! Shorts and sandals!! Wait till you get to Manistique, then tell me if it was warm enough for that attire. I have never gone to my Dads and been warm! :) I wore flannel PJ's with socks when we were there in July! There are a couple cute stores downtown, and if you go into the "People's Store" say Hi to Annette from Shelly. :)

By the way, why are you heading to Manistique? Are you planning on going to Fayette State Park?

Dissapointed Gazette Site Reader:

I agree with you. I don't understand why things have to be changed when they are working just fine.
They no longer have a "month" section for the obituaries.

Grandma's Pasties, MN: Thanks for the delicious pasty I got at the fair. Haven't made them in a long time so it was a special treat. Hope your stay in MN was good... Thanks for bringing a little bit of home here for us to enjoy !

Karen; Sounds like you had a excellent experience
on your trip up North. Many good memories to hold
in thought. Heard about the storm heading your way. Will this one hit close to home? Hopefully
not. Weathering all those hurricanes could be ex-
hausting. Take care.

Shelly,

Liked where it was on the map! More another time, gotta hit the road now! Nice chatting

I have just read the book Totem by Mike Genrich. It is a UP thriller and it is a thriller!!! He will be in Ontonagon this Saturday Sept.4th for signing of his books. This weekend if the big Labor Day Festivities in Ontonagon. Starting tomorrow Friday Sept. 3 thru Monday Sept. 6, 2004. There is going to be fun for one and all!!

A few other great Michigan authors: Stewart Edward White (my favorite), historian Bruce Catton, and Robert Traver (Anatomy of A Murder,
Trout Magic, Danny and the Boys)aka Judge John Voelker around these parts. A couple of my favorites by White are The Riverman, and The Blazed Trail--- both set in Michigan. The fictional river in The Blazed Trail is quite likely the Dead or the Yellow Dog.

I should also probably include James Oliver Curwood as a famous (if possibly less-than-great)
Michigan author. An interesting note about Curwood: he had planned on living to be 100 by
eating little meat, and refraining from alcohol,
tobacco, and caffeine. He died at the age of 49. Let that be a lesson to all of us...

Even though this site tries to steer clear of controversy, I should prolly segue from James Oliver Curwood into MOUNT Curwood, Michigan's 2nd highest point (1978.24 ft), and the Great Curwood/Arvon Debate. Despite the fact that heretics claim Mt. Arvon (at 1979.238 ft) is Michigan's highest peak, the well-informed know beyond a reasonable doubt that Mt. Curwood is taller. Even if it would take a pickup full of strategically-placed topsoil to prove it.

The "Miami, Fla 1990 miles" sign used to be right at the END (or beginning?) of US 41, the turn-around loop out past Fort Wilkins. Later, it was relocated on US 41 just as you exit Copper Harbor and head south.....ostensibly the DOT had too many problems maintaining the sign in its first, more isolated spot....when relocating the sign 2 miles closer to Florida, the "mileage" did not change! A website giving info on all the US numbered hwys notes the current mileage from Copper Harbor to Miami is exactly 2,000. We drove the entire route of US 41 from Cpr Hbr to Miami earlier this summer EXACTLY....Marquette, Powers, Green Bay, Milwaukee, Chicago, Evansville,
Nashville, Atlanta, Tampa, etc.....quite the trip!

what is the weather going to be like in copper harbor and houghton this weekend.

joe

Guess it is a matter of personal preference as I thoroughly LOVE the new look of the Daily Mining Gazette.

Hi everyone, another hoooooot....day in Arizona, I sure miss those beautiful woods and I would love to be picking Thimbleberries and Blueberries about right now! have a great evening everyone!

SDC,they had better look out for "Frances" down there. As I was telling Alex,Ga. us Frances's are something to be reckoned with! :)

I really hate it when I respond to something and forget to click post!

Anyway, Theresa, I get most of my books at my local downstate library, although I did get The Sweater Letter at the Houghton Walmart. I don't think it would be available at the Flint Walmarts. My other favorite U.P. author is Joseph Heywood with his woodscop series.

Audrey: Sounds like you enjoyed your time with my good friend, Tracey.

Thanks, Shelley and Dr Nat for the restaurant info. Personally, I'm not crazy about the fancy fancy restaurants either. I like going somewhere I can wear shorts and a tee shirt. (it's awfully warm in Houston for a northern girl!!) Guess I'll have to leave the downtown area for that!! Unfortunately my hotel is smack downtown, but I guess that's what cabs are for. And you don't get much more small town than Ahmeek!!! But have to travel at times for my job. But wanted to try more local type places. The Taste of Texas sounds great - thanks for the info!

Too all that answered my Copper Harbor to Miami question...Thanks. My niece is moving to Florida on Saturday and I wanted to let her know how many miles she would be from "home". I too remember the signs first placement...I noticed the new placement in downtown Copper Harbor when I was visiting there two weeks ago but didn't bank the miles to memeory. It is always a treat to visit Copper Harbor even when we live just miles away in Houghton. Keep safe you Floridians (sp?).

Joe; For the weather click on daily mining gazette and hit the weather section. Should tell
you the weather for the next week.

Or check johndee.com our local area's meteorologist and Pasty.com sponsor too!

danbury - Germany: I don't know about the Douglas Fir, but have you checked out the Sequoiadendron gigantenum (giant Sequoia) in King's Canyon National Park. Gen. Sherman is 272 feet tall, 35' in diameter, 109' in circumference. The trunk alone weighs 1400 tons. Then there is the "Big Tree" that is 304 feet tall, with a diameter of 21 feet , I believe it is a Sequoia sempervirens. The coast redwood forest is the world's most prolific escosystems. It produces 7.9 times the biomass of the Amazon rainforest. Our trees here in California are so tall, they have there own names. Then there are the tropical trees of the Rain Forest, not as tall (maybe 100 feet) The South American Phytolacca dioica (ombu) - Indian banyon (Ficus bengalensis with trunks of 100 feet or more with the world's largest tree crown with massive limbs that cover 4 acres.

One month from today, Lord willing, we'll be hopping in the Jeep and heading UP north. Save some fall colors for us!!!

Hello from warm and humid Houghton. We just returned from a walk around the MTU campus--it is not a comfortable night for a walk. Shorts and sandals would be appropriate attire. As for the Gazette site, I think is is a great new look and had no problems navigating. Change is good!!!

Sarah stuck in Buckeye land, have a great time up north, uncle Chuck

KR 50's,

Like Shelley, I avoid downtown Houston as much as possible. Looking forward to the day when I can avoid the entire city (move back north).

Do you like Mexican food? If so, you might like to try Merida, which is at 2509 Navigation, a couple of blocks east of Jensen. This is a mile or so east of downtown, just a short cab ride or drive.

The food at Merida is a bit different from most other Mexican restaurants, as they cook in the style of the Yucatan. The house specialty is Cochinita Pibil, which is a marinated roast pork. It's really delicious, and comes with refried black beans & red radishes on the side.

Cheers, Bill

KR 50's,

P.S. -- The cochinita also comes with pickled onions -- yum, yum!

Are those puppies for sale?

Hi sarahk. Yes, the pups are for sale. We have to sell them before they eat us out of house and home! Actually, they'll be ready on 9-21-2004. Before that, they need mom and littermates. I'll email you.

For those of you that asked about the White House..... I talked to Jim Berryman a few days ago and the financing deal fell apart. I will let my good friend fill in the details if he would like to. I really don't feel its my place to do so. I know that this issue has really torn him apart.

Jim...the White House has to be rebuilt!! Its just too much of a loss for the area that I truly call home!!!.

PFD, MI wrote in part on Thursday, September 2, 2004 - 10:04 pm:


"As for the Gazette site, I think is is a great new look and had no problems navigating. Change is good!!!"

Trying to access the "new" site has been sporadic. I can't get any of the pages to load right now. I have tried two different browsers (clearing the cache in each), and two different internet connections. They probably have changed servers, since this new "format" is similar to their other newspapers.

There really is no excuse in this day and age of the internet that it takes days to get the "bugs" out of the coding for a simple web site like this. They should have left the old site up until they tested the new one.

Also, when I was able to get the pages to work, it appeared to me that the "archives" are no longer available.

'Hope that they get their act together soon.