Wednesday For messages about today's picture, see Cam Notes. This area is for other friendly conversation. Please read our Acceptable Use Policy.

Some other links of recent interest to Pasty Cam watchers:
• Ancestors 2007   • New Arrivals 2007
• The Hut Inn Re-opens Eight years ago on the Pasty Cam: 04/25/99 ^{Printed on Recycled Internet}

Over the years the Pasty Cam has visited a number of roadside parks across the U.P. This one from eight years ago is on the drive from L'Anse to Marquette.

Good morning Charlie, Mary and all yoopers and wannabe yoopers!

CANADA parks;
http://www.pc.gc.ca/index_e.asp

A favorite spot for sure. Our family has stopped there many a time.

Good Morning, Everyone!That is a great roadside park!

Good Morning from stormy Houston!!

Looks like Tioga Creek Park to me. Just beyond that picnic table in the background I remember a bull moose standing there one morning. Wouldn't ya know it though, before I could get the camera out, he was gone......

I love that spot.

Good morning everybody and "Happy Hump Day".

Good Morning from San Jose. Hope everyone has a nice, warm, calm, bug free, sunny day today. If not ... pretend. :)

I wanna see a moose at Tioga Falls! Or in Aura. Or anyplace.

Happy Administrative Assistant Day (aka Secretary's Day in the olden days)!

At our school, they just announced that it's Administrative Professional's Day. When is it National Parapro Day?

Probably on the same day as Women Who Are Appreciated Day.

Marsha: every day! Everyone working in a school knows that paras are the best, work the hardest, and are paid the least--a gross injustice!

ALL HONOR AND GRATITUDE TO ALL PARAPROS ALWAYS!

At the risk of sounding stupid, what the heck is a parapro? Sorry, I just never heard of it.

I know the park well, just east of Covington Junction on US-41. We passed it many times on your trips to Houghton and Copper Harbor. As a kid we called it Root Beer falls, because of the color of the water and the foam.

ps Mary or Charlie, when might we be able to upload picture to your photo page??

thanks and 73 John

Loralei: Parapro is short for paraprofessional, of course, formerly a teacher's aide. However, teachers didn't want to have aides (aids). Actually, I do not aide a teacher. I teach reading to early elementary students who are behind. When I get the 1st graders, they don't even know their letters and sounds! They are the rewarding students; they get so excited when I teach them to read! Thanks, Maija, for your kind words!

Capt.Paul,thank you for your prompt response to my question regarding salt water in the UP. What a wonderful place it is!

Happy to see the Bridge Cam is back!!

Thanks Marsha. Makes sense to me.
Shall we celebrate National Parapro on the last day of school?

The Bridge Cam is back, that is wonderful! It is a closer up & a different view angle from Mich Tech's live motion bridge web cam. The live motion web cam shows that the bridge must have gone up for boat traffic, because it came back down to the winter position, for some reason, since the recent Bridge Cam shot:
http://www.admin.mtu.edu/urel/cams/fund/motion.html

Hello all, have a good wednesday.

Capt Paul, it does sound like a stormy Wednesday down your way, with tornado watches & warnings all around!

I'll never forget one day in my high school chemistry class, it was "raining cats & dogs", the sky turned green, the wind was howling, and there was lightning & thunder everywhere. I don't think they issued tornado watches or warnings back then, but that was pretty scary.

I would love to see a moose anywhere, too, but especially at a little park like that.

No problem Erica. As you and most of the PastyCammers have probably figured out by now, we love our Lake Superior geology ;-)

Marieanne I too remember a day when I was a kid and realized that sky and the air all around was green! And yes we didn't have storm/tornado warnings. Of course this was shortly past the covered wagon era but before air conditioning (hee-hee)

I've wondered why the color of the water in thst creek is that dark color. Anyone know?

This might show my age a little bit, Mskatie, but I graduated with the very last class in Houston before they started to put air conditioning in ANY of the schools. We all had air conditioned homes, cars, churches, grocery stores, dept stores, et al, but not the schools. And, we started school in mid-August, Houston's hottest & most humid month. I know, my son who goes to Mich Tech would get out the violins because MTU's dorms aren't air conditioned, but he doesn't understand the heat & humidity of Houston, especially during daytime heating. Maybe Capt Paul or Dr Nat might have a word about Houston's summer weather?

The water is probably root beerish from the tanins (sp?) in it, just like at Tahquamenon Falls. Capt Paul??? Or I suppose it could actually be root beer...anyone have any vanilla ice cream to throw in it for a delicious root beer float?

Why is the creek water so dark?

The amber color of the water is caused by tannins leached from the Cedar, Spruce and Hemlock in the swamps drained by the river.

You have it right Cindy; it's the tannins.

The rootbeer coloring is natural for many waters throughout the upper Great Lakes. However, it tends to occur more frequently in Upper Michigan, Minnesota, and Canada. The coloration results from incompletely dissolved organic materials, referred to as tannins, which come from the decomposition of wetland plants in the watershed of the lake or river. Oftentimes the greater the amount of wetlands in the watersheds, the darker the color of the water. Since the predominant land type in the watersheds of the UP lakes is often a mixture of forests and wetlands this can result in many lakes and rivers having a dark coloration. At very high levels, this coloration can limit water transparency, sometimes to just a few inches......

Marsha, I am also a parapro. My job is media clerk in our high school library. I am also considered the admisitrative assistant---but don't get their pay. I do receive a gift from the staff on admisitrative assistants day. Today it was a basket of goodies, tea, coffee, body lotion, candy, and coffee mug. A nice thought. Did you have to take the parapro test to keep your job? After 18 years on the job I had to take the test to keep my job for two years. I will be retiring in June of 2007. Every media clerk and aide in our corp had to take it.

Marsha and Charlotte,

In Ontario you would be called Educational Assistants, and sadly,
you would be underpaid and sometimes underappreciated here as
well. I know three very dedicated educational assistants who make
a positive difference in the lives of the students they serve. My
hat's off to them and to you!

I'm usually in Rockport Texas in the winter as a "winter Texan" and even then the moisture from being on the shore of the gulf coast is humid enough for me. But there's no way I'd live down there in the summer even with all the air conditioning possible. I like being outdoors too much. I have to say here in Illinois I feel more humidity than I ever remember growing up in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. But it sure makes the corn grow!

Yes, I did have to take "the test" to keep my job after 15+ years.

Women had to work until yesterday,16 months to make what men earned in 12 months for 2006.

...AND we cleaned the house, did the laundry, cooked the meals and took care of the kids AND helped the guys find the TV remote.....

Ducktape the remote to the arm of his chair like they do around here.

That's funny David. You just might be a redneck...

I yoosta be a yooper, northern hillbilly, now living here i've learned some things, when in Rome do as the Romans do.