Bob Gallun seems to have a way with Keweenaw's critters, suggesting perhaps he's really Dr. Dolittle! I've heard that raccoons have quite the dexterity with their hands, much like our own human paws, with five fingers and all. So what do you think? Did this little masked bandit open that window on his own and grab those yummy looking grapes? Or did Bob bait him in for a clever photo-op? ;-)

What a barn-burner last night on Pasty.NET! I mean the game between Gwinn and Calumet, part of the new line-up of live high school sports from Keweenaw's Internet provider. Gwinn kicked a field goal late in the fourth quarter to edge out the Copper Kings 11-8. This afternoon the action turns to Lake Linden, where I think it's their homecoming. Tune in Pasty.NET around 1:15pm, or if you live in the Keweenaw, catch it on K-Bear 102.3 FM.

good morning

Good morning, I'm first post.

Well I thought I was.

First early bird I ever got...wooo hoo! I remember camping with the kids at Mclains when all of a sudden one of these little fellows decided to make a run for our marshmallows that were sitting by the camper....he grabbed em and ran up a tree and ate the whole bag....bet he wasn't feelin to good after that.

Does anyone know the name of the ship that moored last evening in Bete Gris? "Boatnerd.com" dosen't show any ships here, but it's still on anchor at this time. Weather Service is still calling for gale force winds on open waters, so it might remain here for a while.

Quick, somebody get a picture!

Good Morning!

I can always count on Pastycam to post something during the week that makes me giggle out loud! Feels so good to laugh first thing in the morning.
Thanks Toivo for today's choice of photo.

Its anchored riding running dead east, to west, and we're viewing for the dead east. The rising sun precludes viewing the stern with the telescope and reading her name.

Good morning from Mishawaka IN.

Mr Bill, I will try to decipher your message.

I think Mr bill is saying shes anchored faceing east so the riseing sun is on the bow and he can not read her name

Mr. Bill -- Go back to boatnerd.com and click on
Photo Gallery in the top left hand corner of the screen. The photo gallery is broken down by sub-catagories. You might want to look at the great lakes fleet pictures first. There are about a bazillion pictures in the galleries, so good luck!
;>)

To Bob Gallun --- GRRREAT PICTURE!! Looks like Wiley, the rascally raccoon is really on a raiding
rampage at Robert's ranch. ;>)

On anchor, the bow is into the wind, that is facing directly west right now. The sun was so bright at sunrise, that we couldn't tell which end was which, sorry. The sun's still too bright to read her name, but we'll keep trying.

Well we went to Tyler's (my grandson)game last night in Kingsford. Guess it started raining there about 4:30 & the game started at 7:00.It rained the entire night. We wore our plastic capes and winter coats. My mittens got wet, my feet got wet,my pants got wet,the rain was coming down sideways & going into my granddaughter's face from off of my cape. We looked like 5 drowned cats or rats.By halftime we gave up & sat in the car. We watched the rest of the game from there. Windshield wipers and heat going full blast. Kids really got whooped but never gave up. And it was all worth it for this proud grandmother--Tyler scored the only touchdown of the night for his team.YES!!!!A typical UP football game for this time of year. Oh yes we did get rain mixed with SNOW.

Here I'm so proud of my grandson, I almost forgot to wish the other love of my life, my husband Rick a "Happy 58th Birthday". Love you hon.

50 years ago today I was co-captain of the Lake Linden Whiz-Kids football team..Hope they have another successful season. Hard to imagine that this amount of time has passed by already and grateful for the internet,BOATNERD.COM and PASTY.COM for keeping me updated on life in the U.P.

What a great photo! I think Bob did bait the critter so he could get the photo. When I was growing up in the UP we had relatives visit every summer from Chicago and they would rent a cabin on the lake. I would always spend a night with them so I could see the racoons try to get in the garabage. What good memories.

Cute critter. Say, how are the fall colors coming along in the U.P.? Would LOVE to see some photos. Isn't this the week they are at their best?

To Kate, CA

Here's a link to a page that breaks down the color change. A neat site that's kept up to date.
http://foliagenetwork.com/reports/midwest_us/

I love the foliage reports in which the shades of red, orange, yellow, etc. are so close that you can't differentiate them on the maps! Also love hearing the national news telling us about our colors. According to Good Morning, America the UP is past peak! According to the Flint Journal any color tours planned should be in the Lower Peninsula because we're too late for the UP color! I just tell my friends here downstate that I am in the know, because I have connections via Pastycam!!!

JoAnne, if you look at yesterday's (Oct.1) pic from the Z-Man that picture was taken just last weekend and it shows the leaves changing colors already. We had high winds and rain last nite, so now the leaves are on the ground that already changed. But there are still alot more to come yet!!

fall color watcher

We agree, minimal color changes as yet out here in Lac La Belle area. Who knows how the cold front will hasten the peak?

Ok fello Yooper Uppers, I need the prayers today. At 1:30 P.M. Central time (most of Texas) I am taking a critical test to help with my already teaching certificates. I have to become certified as a English as a Second Language teacher and I have so much "crap" jammed in my head I can only hope I can sort it out to pass the danged thing. ESL=everybody should learn!!!!

As cute as these guys can look, they can put up a ferocious front! We caught 26 of them in a live trap over the course of a year after they broke into our attic through a vent. There were quite a range of personalities, not to mention color ranging from brownish to blackish. Great shot!

Mr. Bill - Is the ship still anchored in Bete Gris? Can you see the name of her yet?

NKR

Yes, the ship's still here. Friends with younger eyes at the telescope, just identified her as the MIDDLETOWN. I know she was also here this January, when a total of five dropped anchor during a real blow.

Mr. Bill: why don't we see the Middleton on this map? click here: http://coastwatch.glerl.noaa.gov/cwdata/lmd/web/sta3.html
Is this an accurate map? says it's updated often.

Maybe those are only coast guard boats.

The Middletown was at the Soo for a couple of days having damage checked out. Apparently hit rock in the St. Mary's River. Check boatnerd.com under M'town postings. The ships voluntarily list their positions in the lakes so don't always show up on the coastwatch site. High wind warnings are up on the Mackinac Bridge. All vehicles 20 mph, outside lane with caution lights on. Sounds like a wild day on the lakes.

SarahK

From what I read on the Information Search section of the boatnerd web page, the map only lists those ships which give weather observations. Can anyone enlighten more on this?

Sarah, those ships listed on the site are all commercial vessels. Had to chuckle since the Canadian Prospector is currently shown as sailing somewhere in Northern Ontario!!! The Country...not the Lake!

Mr. Bill...you are correct. There are many days when there are few boats on the chart and others like today when it is full. The weather conditions make a big difference. It is bad today so that is no doubt the reason they are reporting.

Coastwatch map seems to be the same as the one at boatnerd.com ..I was just going to ask the same question as Judy as about the
Prospector..??

The coastwatch map shows the Charles M Beeghly close to Bete Gris ..Or am I off the mark eh.

I believe the ships on the boatnerd.com map are positioned there when they call in weather and water temps to the coastguard. I know the pilot house crew called it in at least a couple of times a day when we crossed various waters as they called down to the engine room for water temperature in the sea chest to add to their wind and wave data. I worked mostly the 12 to 4 watches so I don't know how often they called down on other watches.

It used to take us about 24 hours from the locks to the docks in Duluth aboard the Cason J. Callaway. The sight below has the arrival and departure times for ships coming into the Duluth/Superior area. If you figure about 12 hours out of Duluth(ballpark guesstimate) you can come close to naming most ships going along the coast between Eagle and Copper Harbors. Of course this only works with moving shipping, when they take the Portage Canal or lay on the hook due to weather it doesn't work.
http://www.duluthshippingnews.com/
There is a button in the upper left of that page that gives a list of times and the column on the left has some good pictures and data on given shipping visiting the area.
Have fun

downstate don, just a note to say hello. We're heading to Maine/NH shortly. This certainly has been an eventful summer! Will try to get back to the UP one day soon. Whatever happened to H from Oklahoma? Is that red truck, still truckin'?

Peak will mot happem this year. Wierd weather.
Half leafs om the groumd, the other half just start to kolor.

Dick Troll, Thanks for providing the site for the Great Lakes freighters. Very interesting site for my husband to look at. Nice to know how long they all take to go from port to port.

Enjoying another great picture but do know racoons can be pests. One year when the Red Wings were in the play-offs(late night), I walked into the kitchen and had the scare of my life. I thought a man was on our back deck and it was only a racoon wrapped around our bird feeder eating seeds.

Great Lake ships, and such.

I had the privilege to sail the last voyage of the Q.S.M.V Abbey from Pictou, Nova Scotia to Chicago, opening the St. Lawrence Seaway in '82. A distance of 2200+ miles; It was shorter to go to London, per her original skipper, Captain Pike. A quadra-shafted ice breaker with twin 18 foot propellers, fore and aft, we saw 58 mph winds and 18 foot waves off Milwaukee. 360+ feet of length wasn't enough for those puppies ...

My dad, Fred Marsy, sailed on the Middletown for many years. He is retired now and is 91-years-old. I just called him and told him about the Middletown being at Bete Gris. He is on his way to my house right now so he can see it on the computer. Tomorrow he will take a ride to see it for himself. Thanks for this post today, you made a 91-year-old former sailor very happy.

Isn't that what it's all about...the best part of computers and networking. Tell Fred we said Hi Anita.

Hello From Karlsruhe,
Glad to see that my Dad will get a look at his old boat. Thanks for putting the pic in.
Hey Get off the line so I can give you a call!

My dad is here now and he informs me that the Middletown was a C4 Navy Tanker in WWII and it survived many submarine attacks. It also survived an explosion in the engine room that killed about 12 men. The Navy built about 14 of these ships and the Middletown is the only surviving ship today. She sailed in the Navy under the name of the Neshanik. When Columbia purchased this ship it was renamed the Middletown after a city in Ohio. It was rebuilt in Holland from a Navy tanker into an ore ship and she has a Navy stern and a Navy bow.

MR. Marsy I wanna go see it too...Dang

Launched in '43 MR M.?

My dad got on the Middletown in the 1960's so he is not sure exactly when it was lauched

I looked up the Middletown in my 2001 edition of “Know your
Ships” and it said that it was built in 1942. 730’ long, 75’ wide.
Laid down as the Marquette, USS Neshanic 1942-1947. Guilfoil
1947-1961, Pioneer Challenger 1962-62. The Middletown
earned 9 Battle Stars and was damaged by bombs off Saipan
during World War II as the USS Neshanic. Now a self unloader
for Oglebay Norton Marine Service, Cleveland.

Anita from the U.P.

Spoke with the "Sparky" on the MIDDLETOWN - CH 16, down to CH 8.

They're waiting on the weather to ease, may or may not be here tomorrow morn. They haven't re-checked the earlier hull damage.

Mentioned the joy the picture of it in Bete Gris Bay brought to a "youngster of 91" who had served on it while a tanker - they appreciated the feedback and said "THANKS".

More pictures and info on the MIDDLETOWN on http://www.duluthshippingnews.com/, then scroll down left-hand side to Middletown - she was even credited with shooting down enemy aircraft during WWII.

LINDA IN CALIFORNIA:

JUST READ YOUR MESSAGE ABOUT YOUR MOM. I WAS JUST GOING TO PUT HER NAME ON THE PASTY.COM WHEN I READ YOUR MEMORIAL. GOD BLESS HER AND ALL OF YOUR FAMILY. LINDA YOUR MOM IS AT PEACE WITH YOUR DAD, WHERE SHE WANTED TO BE. HOPE DONNA IS DOING ALRIGHT. STILL PRAYING FOR HER TO HAVE SUCCESSFUL SURGERY. TAKE CARE AND LOVE
MARY G

darned things killed lots of my chickens

MIDDLETOWN in Bete Grise Bay at sunset

Thank you Mrs. Bill :) That was so nice of you, my dad really appreciated that.

Happy Birthday to my Mom - "Misplaced Michagander"!

We just looked at the Time Compressed Views of the Portage Lift Bridge and for those of you who are interested in the color change, you can see when it happened in Oct. of '03. And when the leaves turn green again, changing traffic in the Ramada parking lot AND the 'monster fly'. (Forgot which month and day.) The slideshow goes through 70 pix, doesn't take too long, but longer than the 4 min. it claims. :o)

Mich I gander

Walter, Tampa, I doubt if it is the same culprit that killed your chickens. This is a Yooper not one from Fl. Please state your fact before you convict the little critter.

Oh yeah I forgot to add LOL. So no one takes offense. At least I hope no one will.

yooper i am from michigan they did and that is a fact