I was talking to a friend on the phone and she said to hurry and look out my window and this is what I saw! What fun!! Within minutes there were lots of snowmobiles gathering around to see what was happening

The second shot is from Bridgefest a few years ago.

So Sue, just WHAT was happening?

I've been up in the Re/Max Balloon during the Howell Balloon Fest which goes on the last weekend of June.. Anyways.. If you haven't been up in a hot air balloon try it. IT IS WONDERFUL Someday I hope to pilot one of those puppies. Would love to fly over Copper Harbor during the Autumn color time.

I spotted the same thing flying over my house in the Range area a few days ago. I tried to explain it to my family and neighbors, who all looked at me like I lost a couple of marbles!! Now I have proof I saw what I saw. Which is??? Whatever it was, the person in it sure looked to be enjoying it!

Is that a canoe stuck in the ice?

puzzled in illinois: That is another one of those 'things'. My sister said she saw the multi-colored one in the air; I saw only the lime green one in the air.

It's a powered parachute and fall's into the ultralight aircraft class, there is a company in Three Rivers Michigan that manufactures them, and they look like they would be a blast to fly.

The first photo is of a "powered parachute" (PPC). It's quite a marvelous thing, darn near impossible to stall, and only fly at about 28mph--perfect cruising speed. They require a rather small bit of land for it's short take-offs and landings. Click here for more pix and information. My wife and I are planning test flights this spring, usually about $50 for 30-45 minutes in a two-seat trainer.

There's another similar device--a "powered paraglider" (PPG) that straps onto your back (not my cup of tea!).

I live near the EAA grounds (Experimental Aircraft Association) in Oshkosh WI. They had a mini "fly-in" of powered parachutes a year or two ago... lots of fun watching them fly around!

A quick word to all my friends at Pasty.net: I know I have not been active in the conference for quite a while. I just wanted everyone to know I still take a peak or two everyday, and all is OK with me, but I have been SO busy lately.

A few people wrote and asked where I've been and I was very touched by that! I will try to get real active again soon...

Love from the Peach State!

A friend once described a small passenger plane he had just been on as "a canoe with wings." These powered parachutes look like go-carts with umbrellas! Good to hear from you, Alex.

Those little power kites are quite popular in our area (south of Detroit, north of Toledo, along the shores of Lake Erie). They don't get very high off the ground and since we have open farmland, they have PLENTY of places to take off from and land on. Quite cool to see...although the first time I saw one I was hanging laundry out on the line and just couldn't help but think their chute wasn't much bigger than my sheets! He didn't stall but he was spitting and sputtering a bit. I bet they'd be a riot in the winds you get off the Big Lake!

The one one the ice is another glider - with a little motor - he had just landed

We live on the "Paradise Road" in Portage Township and across the road from us is a landing strip for these little ultra-lights. Imagine my surprise the first time they were flying over my garage preparing to land.

I saw this same thing in Laurium about 2 weeks ago.I was wondering what on earth it was. Who owns it anyway?

Oh, how I'd love to ride in a power parachute. Although I'm an older woman, I think it would be absolutely fantastic to try. I've gone up in a hot air balloon, but my wish has always been to fly in a glider. But even better might be the power parachute! A contact in the Detroit Metro area would be appreciated, as well as one in the Copper Country.

To a2 in royal oak, you can get a ride in one but it will cost a few dollars as they do make two seater models as you still have to be qualified to fly one, a qualified instructor and pilot training. Anything in aviation requires training, you can't just buy it and expect to fly it because if you could, it might be the first and last thing you ever do. You will have to do some research to find the company in three rivers that manufactures them, but they also do training and I am shure that if you contact the right person a ride could be arranged.

Hi Alex,you too Pegg!!
I guess the 3 of us have been busy lately!
There is a lot of hang gliding, ultralight activities on the mountains around here.Unfortunately there are some injuries and deaths. Nice pictures tho.

Charlie - - I finally got connected. Feels like I been in radio silence a few days, not able to see Pasty Cam. When I tried to log on with this used laptop in Fargo at Aunt Minnie's, low and behold if the modem didn't work. Lost a day gettin it replaced. I probly shoulda checked it out where I bought this in the Twin Cities. Guess I don't get out much. And wah! the traffic!

Actually this isn't Bismarck, but a city next door called Mandan. Wonder if it's connected any way to Mandan back in Keweenaw? At any rate, the Pasty.NET USA dial-in sure works slick, just a local call and boom - U.P. fix. Tomorrow I'm bound for Billings or Bozeman. I see pastynet has local dial numbers for both.

I'm sure I coulda made it to the Pacific by now if I had today's buzz glider. But at least my heater's workin.

I saw the green powered parachute above the mall one day last week. I couldn't explain to my husband what I had seen. I was thankful when in Houghton near MTU one evening this week we spotted the green and the brightly colored one. I yelled, "That is what I had seen." I'm glad others had seen it also so that I didn't think I had been seeing things. You know it's been a long winter, but not that loooooong that you start halucinating. By the way is that Toivo's car with the yooper bumper sticker? Sounds like he didn't get to WA yet...Seems like he left a week ago! I was wondering where Alex, Pegg and Fran were keeping themselves. Missed their funny antics especially with the snowball fights. Hi Guys!

Toivo, you old night owl, does that new (used) laptop have any mapping software? Maybe you could keep us up-to-date on the progress of your trip. One week and you're only half way there... Does Eino's sister Tina even know you're on the way for your duct tape?

Proud Yooper, that's not actually Toivo's car, but the clothes hanger holding on the bumper gives you a good idea of what it's like. The Pasty Cam once featured another fine vehicle which looks a lot like Toivo's wheels.

You are a sick human Charlie pickin' on Toivo's ride like that! :o)

This past summer while I was at my Grandma's camp on Lakeshore Drive, a multi colored ultralight buzzed overhead. We had a friend who flew one of those and he said they are a blast.

Charlie - Loved your morning humor. I checked the car that resembles Toivo's. ha ha ha!
It's going to be a beautiful day today...If I heard correct the temp should be in the low 50's. Should see alot of smiles today.

You mean Toivo's gonna take the duct tape back? Or is that just an excuse for when he shows up at her door...I mean he's gotta say something.
He better hurry tho, it might be used up by the time he gets there.

Toivo, you're going to need brakes too when you get to the mountains. And to think Jonathan only had to travel to Marquette. No justice at all.

Does anyone know what is going on with the phone lines in the Copper Country today (3/14)? My mother and I (located in Tallahassee, FL) have been trying to get through to our former doctor's office today. I get a busy signal and then a message saying something is wrong with the phone lines. I called the local telephone company and they don't show anything as wrong, but I can't through to many friends, any of the hospitals, and I even tried a couple people I know who work at Tech. Nothing. It's so strange. I thought this may be a good forum to try to get in touch with that area. If anyone knows what's up, please let me know.

A fiber optic cable has been cut in Marquette County, therefore it affects all the phone lines.

I think powered parachutes have been used to locate parts of the Columbia - a family that owns a Michigan company spent a week or more assisting with the search. They found several pieces because they could get down close to the ground.

Special note about Keweenaw communications:

Today Ameritech/SBC had a major cable cut in the Nestoria area. All calls in and out of the Copper Country are blocked, as well as many locals calls across exchange line. (337- can't call 482- and vice versa).

I was just about to upload the Pasty Cam this morning when the lines went down. Our local Pasty.NET server is working, with email for all who can call into it. I happen to be entering this message from the Cyberia Cafe in downtown Houghton while I'm sipping a cup of Earl Grey tea.

Our actual Pasty.com server is located in a huge network center nearer to the backbone of the Internet, so the sites we host are not subject to outages in the U.P. Our thanks to the folks at Sequoianet (Analysts International) for the world class resources they provide for us. Also thanks to the Cyberia Cafe and our friends at Charter who obviously are routing their bandwidth around the problem area.

If you are trying to reach anyone in the Copper Country, I just heard on WMPL that they expect to have the lines fixed by midnight. For over 5 years we have featured a daily picture here at Pasty Central, never missing a day. Hopefully we will make today's update before midnight.

Toivo wrote:

"..At any rate, the Pasty.NET USA dial-in sure works slick, just a local call and boom - U.P. fix. Tomorrow I'm bound for Billings or Bozeman. I see pastynet has local dial numbers for both".

Where'd you find the list for nation-wide dial-up numbers? I was looking at the pasty.net pages to see if it would be something I might use on the road, but the list of dial-up phone numbers was never available, only the U.P. prefixes. Kind'a hard to elaluate if the service covers the areas you might need, and costly to if you have to first subscribe and pay the $$$.

No purchase is necessary to obtain a current list of access numbers, email support@pasty.net

Hey Copper Country Yoopers-How about a picture of frozen Lake Superior from Brockway?

that is so sweet! can anyone submit pictures? if i can get my scaner working, i've got some nice vacation pic.s of mighty mac and st. ignace. love to visit wish i could live there and not so far south (Ferndale mi.). this site rules!!

phone lines are working now i think......911 is back in service anyways....hope you see this Charlie....don't want you to miss the picture of the day....

sorry phone lines have failed again....911 says they still are having trouble.....2 hours and counting......

Yooper: we got the picture of the day uploaded around 10:30pm. Long day.

i just love that second picture. the bridge is so pretty in that picture. i just can't stop staring at it...hold on..need to look again. tell me why it's so beautiful. the colors are just .amazing. i can't get over it. bye:)

Is that another ReMax balloon way in the right hand background of the second picture?

Looks to be the Houghton water tower up on the hill there Paul. But once you mentioned it, I did have to do a double take! :->