• Tuesday-What'sUP October 3 - 11:11 am

One of the prime spots in the Keweenaw for viewing the changing in color of the leaves, is atop Brockway Mountain in Copper Harbor. Justin Klenk made the drive recently and reminds us with the first shot that there are some pretty steep hills in the adventure, no matter if you're descending or ascending the mountain. Kind of like the stories you hear from older folks, when they say the trip was uphill both ways. :->

Since we're up on Brockway today, I thought I'd also share this picture from the same vicinity - Lake Fanny Hooe, taken by Shawn Malone. She was able to capture quite the array of colors including the orange in the trees across the lake, in addition to the colorful kayaks on the opposite shore. Throw in the beautiful blue of the water reflecting the clouds, and it's truly an autumn beauty.

So beautiful!

Brockway Mountain Drive is my favorite scenic tour of color.

Autumn coloring at it's finest!

Ahhh, what a captivating view from atop Brockway, especially this time of year. Travelling that road one is smart to have a stick-shift to hold your car back on the hills rather than ride your brakes to failure in an automatic. If you think it's a nail-biter in todays vehicles, try driving Brockway in a car with non-power assisted 4 wheel drum brakes!!! Oh, but the tired leg is worth it for the views.... ;-)

All three are gorgeous autumn pictures! Thank you, Justin, Shawn, and Mary! Autumn in the Keweenaw is spectacular! I also love water that is as smooth as glass and a mirror, completely unmarred.

I'm always amazed when I see people bicycling up Brockway Mountain, but last summer I saw a girl rollerblading up the mountain! We kept watching her, and she was having no problem and was near the top.

Love the kayak picture!

We took some great pictures up there in August. I need to see it in the fall.

I love Brockway Mountain it is a must see when we are in the UP. Would love to see it now in the fall. Marsha can you imagine the ride the girl on roller blades on the way down.

Many years ago when I was at "the top of the mountain" we hit the peak colors and I remember there was just a wooden sign with a map of the Keew. Kind of a You are Here sign. No bldgs just that sign. Is it still there ?? Maybe someone has a current pic ??

F.F., go to Justin Klenk's album (click on his name above) and see his second photo. Is this the sign you speak of?

Apparently the photo was moved or removed. Here's the thumbnail which was there earlier:

I've seen that top sign from a different angle!

Snomobiling a few years ago we were trying to figure out what the little yellow triangle about 2 inches high was sticking out of the snow ;-)

Gives you an idea on how deep the snow gets on a good year! ;-)

Bobg..I know exactly what you mean!

Thats the one.
Thanks.

I have lots of Brockaway Mt. pics but none in the fall. My favorite "sign" is the one leading North into Gay that says " slow Gay ahead" I took that pic and hung it in my computer cubicle here at home. I still get a laugh every time one of my friends point it out.

Beautiful pictures. I can't believe we missed the road up to Brockway Mountain last summer. I probably did it on purpose, no guts, no glory, sigh.

Once, standing at the top, I heard a guy exclaim, Man! This is more impressive than the Rockies." His license plate read "Colorado." I've driven, skied, and biked Brockway. Biking from the Silver River to the Copper Harbor hill I walked up 3 hills but down 5! When you consider that water stretches from Duluth to the Soo it IS impressive.
The latest "Minnesota Monthly" magazine has an article on the low water of the Big Lake. You can get it on-line.

Snowman: it don't really take no guts in the summer! And I agree with Chad: to get the perspective of the huge lake all around the peninsula is an experience not to be missed.

Capt. Paul: Been there done that many times in the past with the 4 wheel drum brakes (usually with a stick shift) But then that's all they had back in the 40s, 50s, and most of the 60s! Most of those old flat head 6 cylinders really strained going up!
I agree a stick shift for best control, however most automatics like our Crown Vic. AOD (3speed + overdrive) do well in "1" (low). Ours will stay in 2nd or first in "1" Very good downhill braking that way.
I remember going thru the Smoky Mtns. in Tenn. & NC years ago in a 49 Chev. We would have to pull over to let the brakes cool occasionally! They had pulloffs here and there just for that! Do they still have a few on Brockway?

das ist goote

Brockway is not only eye candy, but it also helps transform your cell phone from a useless paper weight into an actual communication device. Half of the pay phones in Copper Harbor don't work, so if I need to make a call, I drive to the top of Brockway and I get a decent signal.

With my cell phone provider (rhymes with "horizon"), the next stop for cell phone service in the Copper Country is parking right in front of Fitzgerald's in Eagle River. Otherwise, in Copper Harbor and Eagle Harbor, it's nothing but endless litanies of "Can you hear me now?"

We were just up on Brockway on Monday. The color is really beautiful.

Tim, I tried your cell phone trick on top of Brockway this summer but had no luck. No signal at the top for me !! dang. pay phone in the restaurant worked well tho.

The top of Brockway is gorgeous anytime of the year. We have lots of pictures in late spring and late summer. I would really love to see it now, in its full autumn splendor! I hope to see more pictures of it in its full autumn splendor if some of you want to share yours in the Gallery, or through Mary! Thank you!

We get a decent cell signal on top of Brockway, like Tim H. It might depend on one or both of two things: do you have an external extendable antenna on your cell phone? And who is your cell phone carrier? Our carrier is Alltel. It is my understanding that Verizon rents Alltel's towers, for their customers UP there, and vice versa south of Saginaw. Anyway, others may not have a deal. The reason for no coverage between peaks is that the signal is blocked by those hills. You pretty much have to have line-of-sight to get a signal. Until there is a need for cell service in between the peaks, and there is a way to pay for it, it will likely stay as it is. It might also have to do with whether or not your phone can handle both digital & analog. Sometimes, older phones are not worse than newer ones. Ok, I did not say that well, but I think you know what I mean. (We discovered this summer that Lake Linden does not have cell service.)

Marianne,
Whether you have cell phone service or not, depends on where in Lake Linden you are. I cannot use my cellphone very well in my house, unless I stand right next to the window, but if I walk a block away, near the post office, I've been able to get reception and again, closer to Torch Lake I've had luck. It is spotty though and that's because Lake Linden is pretty much down in a gulley (does anybody use that word anymore? :->).

I'm also able to get coverage if I drive up on top Brockway and it doesn't have to be all the way to the top either. I usually drive up until I'm just about parallel with the Keweenaw Mtn. Lodge and I can get a signal then. I don't really want to name names, as I wouldn't want to be accused of advertising for one or the other provider. If you care to know which one, you can email me and I'll let you know.

You know, it's entirely possibly that certain phones have better reception than others too and mine is nothing fancy, no camera, no frills, just the free one you get when you open a cellular account.

I had cell service in Lake Linden, Marianne. And all of my boys and hubby do too. What server do you have? We have t-mobile and had no problems at all. Granted, it's not the greatest, but we could send and receive calls. We had service almost all the way to Eagle Harbor.

One thing I just discovered on my last trip up there a couple of days ago is very good coverage on part of the covered road on the way to the Mountain Lodge. It must be a new or newer tower and it scared the bajebers out of me, I was driving along in the dark when my phone let me know there was a text message. I have never had coverage there before but when I looked at the phone I had full bars and one message waiting to be read. A good way to test the nerves in the darkness looking for deer when your not expecting your phone to start making noises.

When we were up there, my cell worked pretty well. We had decent service across the UP except for a couple spots with no reception. Oddly enough, the best reception we had in the Keweenaw was at the roadside park at Copper Falls. Could it be because the towers are basically across the road?? :P The one thing I didn't like was I couldn't listen to my messages (as I'm sure Mary and Derek T. found out??) I had service in Calumet, LL, Houghton/Hancock, even Copper Harbour although it was weak; I could still call out.

Capt. Paul, that was our problem too. My phone would receive calls, but if I wasn't there to answer it, I couldn't get the message or even see who the call was from because I don't have a password for that. So really, I didn't get most of my calls while I was up there, but the ones I did get I had decent reception for. And I could make calls out to my boys out here in MN.