Thursday 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
• Visit The Hut Inn Eight years ago on the Pasty Cam: 07/12/99 ^{Printed on Recycled Internet}

How ironic... Today on the Pasty Cam a web is on the Web. Eight years ago the Net was on the 'Net (Net River, that is.)

Mornin'

Good morning! A "groaner" Charlie! Neat picture though.

Good morning! Leaving for the CC tomorrow morning for a few days. Can't wait! Of course the gas prices went up this week. Sigh.....

Deb S. HAVE A GREAT TIME U.P. THERE!

HAPPY 88TH BIRTHDAY TO AUNT ILENE OF BRIGHTON/LAKE MEDORA. HOPE YOUR DAY IS VERY SPECIAL, YOU DESERVE IT!

Mornin' All!

Love the cooler temps!

Belated happy birthday, sur5er. Glad to see you posting again. Wondered where you'd been.

Deb,
Can't wait to see you on the 28th :)

Maija, I just saw your birthday greeting. That is so sweet, thank you :) I was thinking about you a couple of weeks ago, when I was UP. Did you ever find a cell phone carrier? AllTel (you can get them at Walmart) has coverage in the UP. Sprint and Nextel however, bounce off the Charlevoix towers, and you only get coverage as far as St. Ignace...they do not have contracts with other cell phone companies/cell towers.

She's back.............:?

Anyone coming UP for the Aura Jamboree be sure to introduce yourself to me at the bean soup pot! Can't wait to meet you, Lorelei, & maybe Kosk! Saturday, July 21, for a day of old-tyme music! Aura is north of L'anse, find it on your map that I bet you keep right next to your computer like I do.

Big Si-i-g-h! I'm envious of those of you who are going UP. We can't make it this year. I'm still doing PT from a bad arm break near shoulder and hubby is going to have unexpected knee surgery. But will still enjoy all of the pictures here on the web site!

Stuck here in the south--hot, hot and more hot!

Have a fun and safe trip, Deb.

We have Alltel and it worked pretty well for us up there. I've heard that Cellular One has good coverage up there.

FJL, Yep. Been busy fighting for the right of victims of police officer domestic violence to remain in/return home to Michigan. So how have you been?

Verizon also has great coverage UP here! As well as the trusty Trac Phone!

Hi Lahelo,
Who provides the best cell service in Ontonagon? I have CellularOne and it's basically useless anywhere along the lakeshore or in downtown Ontos. You have to get out a ways on the Rockland or Greenland Roads before picking up a signal.

Re: Cellular service in da Yoop:

1. I seem to remember reading somewhere recently (Ironwood Daily Globe? — Marquette Mining Journal? — Ontonagon Herald?) about a new cellular tower to be installed somewhere in the Ontonagon/Rockland/Greenland area, to be leased to which cellular supplier, I don't recall, and can't seem to find the article right now.

2. It was recently announced that [The "New"] AT&T (a.k.a. Cingular) will soon acquire Dobson Communications, the parent company of local cellular phone service provider Cellular One. See the Sunday, July 08, 2007 Mining Journal article: AT&T wireless service coming to region.

Note the mention in the article of added AT&T broadband capability in rural parts of da UP. (I wonder what impact that may have on PastyNet's Wireless DSL offering?)

Re: Improved cellular service in Ontonagon:

Ahaa, I found the article, in the June 26, 2007 edition of the Daily Mining Gazette: Onto. council OKs lease for cell tower

I believe that verizon phones use the alltel towers in the UP. I have alltel and where I live it also uses the verizon towers or thumb cellular towers, since I live just outside the alltel area. But you would want to be on a national plan, so you don't have roaming charges.
Here is a link that might be helpful. I don't know how often it is updated.
http://www.cellreception.com/

Regarding cellular broadband in the U.P. (see FRNash): Pasty.NET's broadband delivery (non-cell phone) covers much of the area served by both Alltel and Cellular One in our region, and we serve several neighborhoods which have NO cell service (like Copper Harbor). We welcome any expansion for improved cell service across the U.P. If you have no other means of connecting to the Internet, it is a good alternative. Sometimes when I am in a remote area, I connect with my Alltel phone. While it has a much higher latency than our Pasty.NET wireless (and not as much speed than Pasty.NET in most areas), it is a non-line-of-sight connection which gets you on the 'Net at a speed faster than land-line dial, in places where there are no phones or access points.

The biggest area of growth these days for Pasty.NET (besides an ever-growing number of Wi-Fi access points) is in wired DSL. Pasty.NET has DSL members all across the 906 area code. In many cases, where a user of other DSL services comes to the end of their "introductory period", the rate goes up. Pasty.NET is often able to lower the rate, and provide the same fast service. And members who use Pasty.NET DSL are also authorized to connect to ALL OTHER ACCESS POINTS in the Pasty.NET network. (That's why we call our users 'members' instead of 'customers'... each user becomes a part of the network, with the potential of expanding broadband beyond its current bounds).

So we welcome any advances in cell coverage, as well as the continued growth of fiber and WiFi across the U.P.

Hi guys! We have T-Mobile, and we get coverage UP there as far as about Eagle River. After that there's nothing. We also lose coverage in places through WI and between Ironwood and Houghton. You get it pretty much near any town with a tower, though.

Jim Alltel doesn't work UP here but Nextel does. A girl I work with really likes it she gets great reception.

I don't remember seeing this on pasty so I'm not sure if you guys all know, but Marianne hasn't been on because she broke her back while she was in Michigan. It was a freak accident involving her Suburban and she's pretty much incapacitated. I hope everybody will pray for a speedy recovery for her.

Thinking about you Marianne. Hope you feel better soon.

Marianne, I am so sorry to hear about your accident. My thoughts and prayers go out for a quick recovery. Hopefully you will be back on Pasty Cam soon.

Ouch. Broke her BACK? Good luck, and a lot of "Gute Besserung".

Deb--Thanks for passing that info. about Marianne on to her Pasty
Cam "family." Have an excellent trip UP, Deb and Mr. Deb! How
long does it take to drive to the Copper Country?

I am having an enjoyable time in the storyteller's course I am taking
here in Toronto. We were asked to tell storeies about our special
places. Well, you guessed it...everyone in the course now knows
how to make hands look like Michigan and can tell you where trolls
live. I think I am going to "tell" a story from the Kalevala at the end
of the course and maybe some Yooper jokes and tall tales for the
warm up. Any suggestions?

Kosk, You're welcome! It takes us about 8 hours. I'm getting ready to leave now. Ron's getting impatient! I hear it's going to be cold so a wedding on the beach and golf at the Keweenaw Mtn. Lodge doesn't sound too inviting to me. Geez, it's July for crying out loud!!!