Around Christmas time, you could buy a CD of the fictional Copper Country Folk Hero, Heikki Lunta's Snow Dance Song, along with your order of U.P. Pasties. It's believed when Heikki does his dance, the snow would fall from the skies! With all the white stuff we've been getting, I'm thinking it's time to start selling the "flip side" version... Heikki Lunta Go Away. Otherwise, all of us here in the Keweenaw, are going to be looking like this Stop sign that Olivia Bartlett just barely spotted!

STOP the madness Heikki

About how deep is the snow by that sign??
Best wishes,
Renee in very rainy, but snowless NE Alabama

Thanks for the laugh this morning! Although I agree with the sentiment of the sign, it won't do any good. I've tried shouting to the clouds but the snow keeps falling. A more pragmatic picture would be a Yield sign sticking out of the snow. Yield to winter, love it, enjoy it. The trilliums and morels will be here some day. And all the snow will turn into lake water for the summer. In the meantime, "This is the day the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad!"

And to quote Robert Frost (imperfectly from memory),
"...I know that winter death
Has never tried the earth
But it has failed. The snows may heap
In long storms an undrifted four feet deep
As measured 'gainst maple, birch and oak.
It cannot check the peeper's silver croak."

Haha! Thanks for the chuckle. I'm going to show the kids and tell 'em 'we won't be headed up there anytime soon'

The sun appears to be shining for a change.

Jurmu, are you from Fulton?

Wow! I'll have to show folks at work. Here in Chicago we've probably had about 25 inches to date and only 5 inches on the ground. It's a far cry from 191 inches on the Snow report site (http://www.pasty.com/snow/).

Hang in there, and remember you're only 4 inches behind last year ;).

Where's the snow plow? Those guys have done a good job this winter. Even with all this snow we haven't missed getting out. Keep up the good work guys!

This sign is about as good as the one I saw in Trimountain last weekend during a quick trip home. The snow banks are so high all you can see is SPEED. Explain that one to the local law enforcement officials!

How do I post a picture?

I've seen the Snow Thermometer in the summer but never in the winter, with snow climbing up the sign. Anybody have a current shot of that?

Heikki Lunta may be visiting West Texas this weekend!!!! Snow is in the forecast and we are putting on our dancing shoes! Today is bitter cold with a temp of 28 and windchill of 15. Ok, maybe not bitter to you seasoned yoopers but cold to a transplanted Texan...Mom and Dad....Maybe D.C. and maybe San Antonio for the next move.

Sorry to all those who are tired of the snow but think all this snow is great and I really hope it doesn't stop...til May. I'm sure most would say I have serious issues that I should deal with but I'd love to see us break the all time record for snowfall. I know it probably can't happen but who knows? Time will tell.

How tall is that stop sign?
I recall the fire hydrants in Houhgton being about 6 ft. tall, with flags on top.

Due to the wooded location, I would guess that Stop sign is on a snowmobile trail.

The sign must be a prop. There are no bullet holes in it...

We are currently up to 220" with 46" on the ground. I believe these Houghton measurements are now being taken in Painesdale. That seems just right as I look in my yard, there is a good 4 feet on the ground, using various lawn decorations as a reference.

I remember when I, as a youngish guy ,one wonderful morning at 3 AM or so, back in 1979, when I was stationed at Calumet Air Force Station, was driving home from da Board of Trade Bar in Laurium.

It seems that either I had foolishly drank too much, or just fallen asleep at the wheel (or both)
but I remember a wondrous winder wonderland of snow swirling everywhere. I also noticed that my car was buried in a HUGE snowbank. Panicing NOT, I opened the only thing from which I could see any light or road, the rear right passenger window, and extricated myself foolishly and sheepishly from my car, which was only slightly visible.

I then began the 8 mile walk back to the Base. I arrived about daybreak, just in time to go to work.

Moral of the story...Although the snowbanks may save you from going off the road, don't overextend and DONT DRINK and DRIVE. I havent had even a beer since THAT night!

They also measure snow in tamarack location,calumet at the old tamarack school site,mabe they use the highest measurment????

Do they still measure snow at Delaware?

"Out of the bosom of the air;
"Out of the cloud-folds of her garments shaken,
Over the woodlands brown and bare,
Over the harvest fields forsaken,
Silent, and soft and slow...
Descends the snow!"
--Longfellow
...and I love it compared to 32+ and melt, then
10 and freeze and ice, and then 40 and melt, no
snowbanks to give security and mark the edge of the road, and dirty banks all winter. As another poet said, "Send me a blizzard...."

Haha, I've been tempted to take many pictures like that lately...but I never seem to have my camera handy. I personally am loving the snow and don't want winter to end any time soon. I agree with Paul up above, let it keep snowing till May! Heikki Lunta make it snow!

How about a shot of one of those "winter mailboxes" along that wonderful scenic drive between Copper Harbor and Eagle Harbor... or is it Eagle River? Always thought they were great.

What a cute picture! I'm loving winter this year but I do look forward to the spring wildflowers.

Living in Florida and wishing I was up there on the Cross Country trails rather then playing golf in the Sunshine every day.

JAD, Oskar, MI,

I agree wholeheartedly! It's easy for me to agree as we have only about 15 inches on the ground right now. I'm not equating our foot plus with your nearly four feet. But I think that regardless of how much or how little, once the snow comes, it's better to stay below freezing. One year, when we had a lot of melt and re-freeze, I was running around Lake Harriet in Minneapolis. I came to a small hill in the path; really only a short bump. But on the ice, I was just about out of control. There was an elderly couple coming the other way. They clutched each other and looked at me with their faces expressing the thought "well, at least we'll go together". We missed each other and all stayed vertical to everyone's great relief. That's one of the reasons that I like it to be below 32 until the great meltdown arrives. But I do realize that without some winter thaws, you would be closer to the 220" than the 46". Still, it is really beautiful UP there.

Hey Finlander,
Do you happen to know where in Painesdale they measure the snowfall? I just moved there this Fall.

This picture brings back a very clear memory of my childhood in the 1950's U.P. On such a clear and windless winter day in the woods, the most noticeable thing is the 'quiet'. I remember it being so quiet that I could hear my heartbeat. A single car could be heard coming or going miles away. And you could speak to a friend 200 feet away without yelling. A unique experience looking back from this noisy 21st century of the cities.

ts, I've heard of the old Tamarack school; where exactly was it?

JP Florida. I sure hear you. Whenever my family calls and asks what the weather is like here in Florida all I can say is "Sunny and warm. Just like yesterday, and tomorrow." They just don't get it that I'd much rather be up there in the snow.

Do they still pile up the snow from the plows & snow equipment out along Portage Lake (Houghton side) all winter long? If so, it would be fun to see a picture of it. Some years the snow was still there in May or June. Everyone's snow statue pics were very enjoyable and also the many wonderful winter pics. It's the next best thing to being there!!

One year we all went down to the Haven Falls park in Lac La Belle and had a picnic....in February!
WE sat ON TOP of the tables as the snow came up to the table tops!

But it was a GREAT picnic!

Have any of you read Conrad Aiken's short story "Silent Snow, Secret Snow" ?

I believe I read in the paper that a young Pindral man is measuring at his residence but am not sure exactly where it is.

WOW!! That is a whole lot of snow! Better get the shovels out! :)

Here's a trivia question for the true Yoopers,
What does 'holy wah' mean? A few of you use it in
your postings. My parents grew up in the UP, yet I've
never heard them use this expression.

Holy Wah!

I just don't know what it means!

All, I can say is I wish I could see that in MN. But we do have enough to ride on finnaly. I wish I could live there, it sure is a beautiful place, I could live in winter all year long, my wife thinks differently about that.

ric, WI

I also was wondering about that last year. Go to the separate discussion "Comments about language" on June 12, 2003. There was a lot of discussion of "Holy Wah" and other Yooper expressions.

David S. - CA: The quiet of winter is one of the things I love about it. Snow not only looks beautiful, it sounds beautiful. I'm looking forward to the sled dog race in Marquette next weekend. I'll never forget the first time I heard a dog team mushing down the trail, this was far from the downtown hoopla, how quiet it was, but how distinctly you could hear the small sounds of the sled runners on the snow, the dogs' breathing, and the light swoosh of air as they passed.

cool pic ther must be at least 5 feet were is it at ?

WOW! where is the snow PLow?
Car: $25,000
SnowPLow:$50,000
Stop Sign:$250
Snowblower:$500
being snowed in with family on snowday: Priceless!
i havent seen this much snow since the cold hard winter of 55. we had over 120 inches in January once snowing 34 days straight.

that is a real funny joke

how do you post pictures on here?

u srcoll to bottom and were it says post a messsage then type something put ur name stae email is optional then post message than agian

HI

I shot this at the end of the bumpy dirt road that goes between MTU's Student Development Complex and Daniel Heights apartments. I LOVE that road in the winter... the nsow fills in the bumps. But watch out when you get to the end... you might miss the stop sign on a heavy-snow day!

That picture is TOO funny. Send it to Georgia! I've seen Mohawk and Gay like that!

Old tamarack school site is west on oak to 2nd street then right on spruce 1 block

This stop sign is obviously no longer needed for directing traffic,therefore,it must be a message to all of the snow gods to start the journey toward spring. Perhap those of you buried in snow should start chanting "Heikki,I'll shovel no more!" 3 times a day and you'll receive your wish.

say ya to da UP, eh?

Holy Wah! I guess we could just say "Oh, my goodness!"

Growing up in Marquete in the 60's, I guess "HOLY WAH" meant...HOLY COW or the equivalent...with maybe "WAH" said on it's own as a sort of "WOW " substitute....Such as.."HOLY WAH, did ya see the size a that buck?" This is for ric...somewhere in cheese farmer land...

Olivia, the photgrapher........nice picture... but........isn't there more snow in Keweenaw??...Could someone show us the depth on the snow meter....or how about Calumet Ave in Calumet??...I remember the wooden snow-walks they would install in the fall.... I also remember the year they closed the Mackinac bridge because of a huge snowstorm the first week in May, 1960...lets see that means about two and a half more months of snow...Holy Wah!!!...it could add up.....to a whole lot more.

It's beautiful to look at - and experience - and if it wasn't such a long journey over sometimes treacherous roads, I would love to be there and enjoy the experience of "true" winter! I did spend my early childhood in Fulton about 70 years ago!

Look at things positively: At least all that snow keeps the mosquitoes and blackflies away.

Like John Dee (the weather dude) said on the weather report on KBear, (with Mr. Norm)....

"It's only ankle deep....if you go in head first".

To understand the "Holy Wah" expression and others, you have to be born and raised there to fully understand the meaning. In the meantime,
I'm going out to pank the snow in my drive way.
Wah!!

Hi! The young man that measures snow in Painesdale is my son, Adam. The weather station is in our backyard in Seeberville. Can't see it from the road now cause of all the snow. He has been measuring snow since 6th grade (he is 20 now). As of 7:00AM today we have 41" on the ground with a YTD total of 222". He is now taking measurements for the national weather service for water content of the snow. The NWS is monitoring for flood conditions in the spring. But those of us in Painesdale know we are so high on the hill, not a problem for us!!!!!
Heikki Lunta can go away now.

Very cool, Deb. I just moved in right down the street on Ogima. Where are his results posted?

Marc: His daily measurements are in the Daily Mining Gazette listed as Houghton County. The water content results are on the NWS map here: {http://www.crh.noaa.gov/mqt/ahps/images/SWEMap.jpg}
He calls the water content to them weekly and mails the snow totals in monthly. They would like them entered into their system daily but due to a very old computer system at home, not feasible right now.

Has anyone mentioned the UP expression:

"Oh, the pretty..."
"Oh, the nice..."

It is an openended sentence that I've heard on numerous occasions... I've never heard any one close the sentence with a noun!

Based on the location of that sign, the snow isn't actually too deep there. It's a pretty short sign (unless they've replaced it in the last 6 months), and is easily lost in the snow.