Liz Siivola is one of the lucky ones, she was able to retire at the end of December, so now she has plenty of time for skiing and her trails of choice are usually the Swedetown trails in Calumet. We get to join her on a recent ski there, in today's photos.

Starting out on the Greenstone trail, we head off into the trees on this nice sunny morning. The trails look recently groomed with just a few skate skiers having zipped off before her. Looking up to the blue sky, you can see a bit of frost on the tree tops and even more on the branches in the third photo. At first glance I thought that was tinsel someone had hung in the tree there to decorate the trail.

Continuing on, we zip along on the Powderhouse trail, where Liz pauses a moment to look back at her lone tracks in the snow and the old Calumet water tower in the background. Another scene while skiing along this trail, is the distant view of the Osceola Shaft. With the frosty haze in the morning air that old mining shaft looks a little ghostly off on the horizon.

So there you have it, a great morning ski, with a few historic sites along the way. For those of us that aren't yet retired, it's a glimpse of what we have to look forward to when our day comes.

Greetings from the Soo this morning. Beautiful photos Liz, those trails look amazing!!

Congrats, Liz on retiring...can't wait myself!
Those are some nicely groomed trails.

Congrats, Liz!! These are amazing photos. It's
what winter is all about. Thanks for sharing your
journey!

The trails look amazing! I have to get out there
one day instead of making my own trails.

Also, these trails are wonderful in the good old
Summertime; just great for a walk in the woods.

Hi
Oh, I am envious. The trails look wonderful.

Jaby, when you are out there making your own trails, I hope you have a buddy or two with you so you can take turns breaking trail.

I don't understand what those bright blue patches
are in the tops of the photos?

Over here in the EUP, our photos have been very grey
for weeks now.

Hooray, Uncle Chuck! I'm so glad you made it back to the U.P.

Liz, you are so blest! To be able to retire and still be able to get around and enjoy places like these! Never take it for granted!

Wow. Lovely. And Happy Birthday, Michigan.