• Monday-What'sUP January 23 - 06:10 am

The ice along the Keweenaw shoreline takes on many shapes throughout the winter months, sometimes choppy, like the top photo from Susan Hooker, and sometimes grandiose like her second shot, with the icy arch that has formed. In both these wintry photos, you can see the blue shades in the ice, like the hue of Lake Superior is trapped within.

A good spot for checking out the icy formations that Superior has to offer, is along the 2 mile shoreline of McLain State Park, which Susan snapped in the third photo, where you can see the humps and bumps way off in the distance, too. But I think the perfect place to take in the icy spectacle is in Susan's last photo. Grab yourself a front row seat and enjoy the scenery. That is, if the winds aren't howling and the temps aren't plummeting, otherwise you might get frozen there until spring! :->

Great pic's Susan!

Nice!

"Shoreling" arch?

Mary says: After looking up the meaning of "Shoreling", I'd have to say that my mis-spelling wasn't really all that far off. Come on, you have to admit that the arch does kind of resemble the skin on a sheep that's just been shorn. :->

Shoreling \Shore"ling, n.
See Shorling.
Shorling \Shor"ling, n.
1. The skin of a sheen after the fleece is shorn off, as
distinct from the morling, or skin taken from the dead
sheep; also, a sheep of the first year's shearing. [Prov. Eng.]

Charlie will fix my "goof" as soon as he gets a chance.

Photo #2 is why I am always terrified of walking out on those big drifts this time of the year. But they are definitely pretty -- good work. :)

Beautiful, blue snow! Those benches at McLain are great when you are camping. What you need to do is sneak out of the tent when the kids are still sleeping, heat up some cocoa and go over there while it is nice and quiet and you are not hearing "mom" 600 times. A perfect morning watching the waves.

Great pictures as usual, Sue. Brooke, that is exactly what I did when my sons and I were out west in 1985. Watching the fog lift off a mountain lake or the sun coming through the needles of tall pines with your first cuppa (alone and quiet) is the greatest and gets us ready for the day. I saw some memorable sights at those quiet times.

Waking up before the rest of the world does has it's rewards! I'm a true believer in it and I do it!

I was wondering if McLean and Fort Wilkins are plowed in the winter...or do you have to snowshoe in?

Oops, spelled McLain wrong!

Bob -- McLain isn't plowed, you definitely have to snowshoe in! I don't know about Fort Wilkins for sure, but I'd bet it's not plowed either.

I love snowshoeing into those "closed" places -- it feels so isolated and distant from the rest of the world!

Taylor and I are heading up to Copper Harbor this weekend to do some snowshoeing, will have to check out Fort Wilkins and see while we are there. Right now the plan is Hunters Point but we will have to hike over from the bottom of Brockway Mountain. If he wants to do the fort instead that will be fine with me.

Mary says: Stay tuned for Wednesday's Pasty Cam photos...Neil's giving us a "bird's eye view" of the Hunter's Point/Copper Harbor area. You can get a good idea of the hike you'll be undertaking! :->

A good hike builds character, Brooke!! ;-)

More nice Winter pics. I'm sure they'll b more, especially since Northern Lower Michigan is under a Winter storm watch from Tuesday evening to Thursday evening. Get those snow shovels and snow blowers going again!

When I was growing up, my Grandparents had a cottage on a lake in lower Michigan. We spent alot of time there during the summer months. I would always find my dad early in the morning outside watching the calm of the lake.Everything all still and peaceful.I would soon join him and being a talkative teenager I'm sure he had wished I stayed in bed.
Now that I'm older and Dad has long since passed,I too enjoy the mornings near the lake all to myself. I'm not fortunate to live on a lake,we now have to rent a cabin but the mornings are spent all by myself,with a cup of coffee and my memories of my Dad. Soon the kids and husband wake and the moment is gone but for them few moments I am a little girl again having coffee with my Dad.