• Saturday-What'sUP September 2 - 04:11 pm

Paul Roberts loves fall and winter, so he recently sent me these photos, saying that those two seasons were just around the corner and he thought these might be useful shots. All three were taken in beautiful downtown Eagle Harbor, actually near the Lighthouse, is what Paul told me. The signage for the Snow Roller says it was once used on the Keweenaw roads to "pank" the snow in the late 1800's to early 1900's when mechanized snow removal equipment appeared on the scene. Sure looks heavy enough to pack the snow down to make a good base for traveling over. I bet the roads had a good mat of snow built up for the spring meltdown in those days!

I'm not sure of the name of the street were looking down in the third shot, with the Carriage House to the left, but it seems to be a view towards M-26 and the houses that line that highway. Now that's a shot we don't often see here, it's usually snapped from that distant vantage point across the harbor, over to the lighthouse side.

At 4:50 A.M. Sept. 1st the Mackinaw Bridge Authority has a "blowing snow warning" up for the bridge.

http://mackinacbridge.org/conditions/index.phtml

From the Mackinaw Bridge Authority website:

Currently we are experiencing blowing snow in the Straits area. Due to limited visibility it is necessary to issue a warning to all motorists preparing to cross the Mackinac Bridge. In addition to limited visibility, the road surface may be slippery.

Motorists are instructed to reduce their speed to a maximum of 20 miles per hour, turn on your low-beam headlights, and exercise appropriate caution.

Either somebody got an early start on the holiday or snowshoes will be required for the bridge walk.

Beautiful day forecast. Breakfast at the Okemos Cracker Barrel at 7:00, Mow lots of grass, cookout for a grandson's B'Day, first weekend of college football and a Lugnuts baseball game tonight. Everyone enjoy!

John. I have the bridge conditions on my favorites list. 2 0r 3 months ago I encountered the same report! I removed it from my list and then reinstalled it. It has worked OK since! This morning it is working OK. Gremlins at work someplace!

LOL at "pank" the snow.

I always wondered what these looked like. My Dad wrote about the result of the process in his memoirs: "During the winter months, Houghton County would roll the roads with a large roller pulled by four teams of horses. As the snow piled up, so did the center of the road, where the sleighs and cutters would run. All automobiles were store away until spring. With an average snowfall of 250 inches and some winters over 350 inches, the middle of the road would become a high mound of solid ice resembling the start of a glacier. During the middle of March or shortly there after, the sun would start its process of settling the snow down. Melting would take place everywhere, but on the mound of ice in the middle of the road. For over a month, sleighs or wagons drawn by horses would travel in the ditch in the mud. One March, an early thaw had settled down the snow, then a severe snowstorm with cold weather followed, making it impossible to travel for days not knowing where any part of the road was located."

Very interesting Keith!

Deb, even more interesting are his stories about the the "horse bus". "Winter months prior to WPA, going to school involved riding the horse bus. This required early rising to catch the bus about 6:00 a.m. to get to school for 8:30 a.m. We did not have to leave the house until the bus came over the Mustonen's hill. The team of horses plodded slowly along and by the time it took to get to the gate we were there to get on. The lantern would swing at the front of the bus and the bells on the horses' harness would be ringing. On clear cold mornings the bells could be heard for miles. The younger kids would sit up next to the bus driver, Otto Schultz, where the wood stove was located. The older kids sat toward the rear on two long benches facing one another. By the time we reached school, two and a half hours later, the feet of the kds at the rear of the bus were about frozen stiff."

You're right, Keith. That was even more interesting. How lucky you are to have been told all of these facts from one who lived it. I wish my dad would do something like that, but he just doesn't have the strength anymore. So, we'll just go on hearing about it from you I guess. Does your dad have any kind of book out or is it just for personal use?

Aw, I ran to weather.com and I'm disappointed the blowing snow warning is bogus. :o(

Deb, I chuckled when I saw "used to "pank" the snow". It has been SO long since I've used that expression. I guess only someone who lived where the snowbanks grow from the bottom up could understand the word. I remember the winters in Lake Linden and playing in the snow for hours. Ah... such wonderful childhood memories!

Yeah Laure, You could dig so deep you could cover yourself and friends to boot. There really are some great memories. Funny how as an adult you can't wait for them to put the mixture of salt and sand down on the road. As kids you'd cry because your sliding hill wasn't good anymore.

Which Laure are you??? Are you the same one I've been e-mailing back and forth with? For some reason, I don't remember you being O2bindaup.

Yeppers Deb.... it's ME !!!

The first sign of fall: people talking about winter driving. At work too we have been recalling big storms and thinking of an extra load of firewood.

Thanks to all who offered their condolences for the passing of my dear dog Grady yesterday. Her friend Tucker Rabbit, a friendly shepherd-beagle mix, is very quiet today, not eating and just wanting to stay close. We are both in mourning. I will find a companion for him soon, when I can look at another dog without crying.

The Carriage House is just before the entrance to the lighthouse complex. The picture was taken coming out of the complex and looking across to M=26. In the days I wandered around, all those cottages were part of Raley's Hotel complex.

Holy cow Deb, I thought you had to work today.......:p

Johnofmich--that's too funny! You'd think it was April 1, not Sept 1 ! Ouch, Sept 1 means the effective end of summer and beginning of fall. While I love fall, I am not fond of what it signals, the beginning of winter.

Keithinks - my dad was responsible for caring for the school's team of horses and driving the horse bus when he was in high school in Iowa, way back when. That really brings back memories of his stories. If your dad does not write them down, maybe you should?

Therese, again, I am really sorry to hear about Grady's passing. That is fairly normal for her friend, Tucker Rabbit to be sad, not eat, and stick by you. Dogs sometimes have a special sense of what is going on. When we lost my first dog (after I was an adult), he was at the vet. It was totally unexpected, and my other dog woke me up, shivering. I was worried about something being wrong with her. She knew that something was wrong with her buddy, Little Bear, across town. A new friend for Tucker Rabbit would be a good thing.

Keith I sat and listened over and over again to the same stories my grandpa told me and loved each and every one of them I wish everybody had a grandpa to tell them things about when they was young. I am 66 years old and can remember them almost word for word. Thank you for sharing. Have a good weekend.

FJL, my last post said 8:28 but it was only 7:28 here cuz we're on Central time. Went to work for 8:00 and now I'm home. Awfully busy day at the bank today what with the holiday approaching. The time went by fast.

Regarding start of college football, I had an installer today who lives in Ann Arbor. He left home at 6:00 and was totally stalled in football traffic for the game which was to be at 12:00! No one would let him in as they were all racing for their 'spot'. What's wrong with this picture?

regarding dogs: Beta rather ignored my daughter when she first moved to their household. Now that daughter is pregnant it is amazing to see how Beta will barely leave her side. Don't anyone mess with daughter! Beta obviously knows a baby is on the way. It is something to see.

Our dog Lady mourned our sons loss by howling.

It was probably very dangerous for someone staggering home late at night from one of the local watering holes during a snowstorm in those days, especially if they fell asleep on the road.

I'm surprised more of the tombstones up there don't refer to someone getting panked. When I was in Eagle Harbor last fall, the group of people I was with looked at this contraption and had good hard laugh, trying to use the word pank in many other ways.

the word punk or punky was used to, describe soft ice when i was a kid i remain walter p.

hanky panky ?

thanks frnash message sent to appropriate person

I believe the name of the street(road) is Lighthouse Road. I have trod that road many times and hope for many more.