This shot sure gives us the feeling of being right there on the highway. Quick! Jump out of the way..... David Antikainen risks life and limb to bring us this thrilling view of Allouez, MI. For those who aren't quite sure where this is, it's on US 41 between Kearsarge and Mohawk. Now, I know exactly where this is, but the highway sign looks like it says more than Allouez. As a lifelong Yooper, I'm embarrassed to say, that I don't know what it says... help!! Maybe that's a sign that I've been on the road too long already?

I'm writing this in Weeki Wachee, FL, only about 15 miles from US 41, which of course heads all the way back up north to Copper Harbor, MI. My Pasty.NET Nationwide dial-in is working just like I'm there in Copper Harbor... not 1500 or so miles from home!

It's still raining here! Mary!

Good Morning...

Even though it is white, that snow has a tired look...could Spring be far away! Great picture - It's like you can feel the rumble approaching you!

Great photo! The Cliffs look excellent in the background, along with the snow on the pine trees.
The sign below New Allouez mentions a man (I can't think of his name - Brunette?) who was a major league pitcher at one time.
Have a great day, everyone...the photo has helped to jump start my day.

i woke up this morning to about 2 inches of snow on the ground down here in atlanta, ga. the first snow of the year. gotta love it!!!

John S.--That would be George Brunette. He played for the Los Angeles Angels, among others. He was a pitcher. My Mother went to school with him.

Mary...shame on you not knowing that the sign says 'NEW ALLOUEZ'. Hope you are enjoying your trip and not getting too much rain. Westher is fantastic up here this week. Have a safe trip back!

Wood is rolling!!! This is our industry in the U.P. Log trucks roll 24/7,365 days.Trees grow and forest management works towards sustainability.

OOPS!! I mean WEATHER is fantastic. Not enough coffee yet!

Love this picture! Without the truck you wouldn't see the full effect of the terrain. I'm making it my new screensaver so my students can see that you don't have to go to other states to see terrain that looks like this.

On the Flint-area news they showed pictures of a wolverine in the thumb area! They think it might have came over from Canada.

Da Yooper Creation Story

In da beginning there was nuttin'
Den on da first day God created the U.P.
On the second day He created da partridge, da deer, da bear, da fish, and da ducks.
On da third day He said "Let there be YOOPERS to roam the U.P."
On the fourth day He created da udder world down below.
On da fifth day He said "Let there be TROLLS to live in da world down below."
On da sixth day He created 'DA BRIDGE' so da TROLLS would have a way to get to Heaven.
God saw it was good and on da seventh day He went fishin' and watched da sunset from Brockway Mountain!!!
An' dese are Da Facts accordin' ta da way it wuz.

Good morning Tamarack Mills, Hubble, Lake Linden, L'anse and Gracie Reed.

Although George was a great major league pitcher the park was not named after him and the name was even spelled different. Here is some info from 2 years ago here on Pasty.com.

By EK - MI on Saturday, July 20, 2002 - 07:04 pm:

Brunette Park was named after Oliver Brunette,
who lived in the town of Gay. He was the township
supervisor and also owned the bar in town.
The park is also called Betsey Park by some of the
locals

Does anyone remember when the logging truck lost it's load on the Houghton Hancock bridge? It caused quite a tie up for a while.

Wow, here is the list of the teams George Brunet played for and all the stats.
{http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/baseball/mlb/players/42059/,/}

Also seem to remember sometime back- didnt a logging truck drop a chain fall or comealong or toggle that bounced through a windshield and killed someone? Could have been quite awhile ago? Near Trap Rock or Dollar Bay area?

Correct URL for George Brunet.
http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/baseball/mlb/players/42059/

I messured the distance from this spot to the information bldg at the curve there. It's exactly one mile, which tells how out of focus the lens is in this photo is. I hardly recognize the scene where Iwas born near.

DJB...Why can't you just appreciate it for what it is...a beautiful photograph, but I guess everyone must be a critic.

Out of focus, or not, it still makes a great picture! Even though we may hate creeping down Quincy Hill behind these logging trucks, they are an important part of our area! The flying part/windshield tragedy was more in the Ahmeek area if i remember it right. It was a flatbed truck, and not a logging truck as first reported.

If you are referring to the out of focus areas around the top corners of the cab of the truck, that is simply the heat rising from the exhausts of the truck, blurring the background a little, other than that, it is an accurate picture of the area.

If you want to see out of focus pictures, you should see the pictures I take! I think all of the pictures that are posted on this website are beautiful....makes me want to take a trip to the U.P. which I will do some day.

Awesome picture! I can almost hear the truck driver shifting gears to get up the hill. My dad was a truck driver for years and years, and the picture brings back memories. I have a tremendous amount of respect for the truck drivers. Their job is not an easy one.
Oh yea, the view behind the truck is absolutely gorgeous!

Thanks, for the Yooper Creation story. I've heard it before but it's always good for a grin.

Looks to me like the photo was taken with a tele-photo lens, thus the perspective is foreshortened, not out of focus. I'm not a camera buff, but maybe an artist might log in and describe the difference. I nominate the photo for the 2005 calendar--it is very typical of the Keweenaw! Thanks to the photographer.
I also appreciate the explained identities between George & Oliver!

Dave H. Yoosta-be from Dollar Bay with a Snow report from here in the sticks of Corryton TN. in Union Co.N/E of Knoxvile on the Plateau, near the Valley,not to far of a ride to the Great Smoky Mountain National Park.Starting snowing around 8 a.m. from out of the East. 4 to 6 inches expected in the Plateau, 6 to 8 in the Valley, 10 or more in the Mountain's.Holly Wah! we have about 4 inchs on the ground now.Tune in again later, if we don't lose the juice,i'll report back with the damage.Hope the banks don't get like in today's pic.Is that one of the Matfolk's truck?

SNOW IN GEORGIA... AMAZING! Still wish I was in the U.P. though.

George (beo) Brunet and Carl(scuppy) Backstrom signed with Boston red socks in 1952---beo got $500.00 scuppy got $2,000--they were born to early--new them both--scuppys still in calumet

JAD, Oskar...You are right, it was taken with a telephoto set at 380mm. I had to use the telephoto so the trucker wouldn't take me home on his grille like a slow deer crossing the road...

I think this is such a wonderful shot. To me, it represents the Keweenaw beautifully. David, if I saw this picture when I was living downstate, I would have returned to the Keweenaw sooner than the six months it took me to come to my senses. Thank you so much for sharing this photo. I would love to see it in next year's calandar!!

Often before Mary prepares the Wallpaper of the Week, I take a look at the original files to see if the resolution is high enough. Here's a small window over the 1600 x 1200 WOW, showing some of the detail up close.

Which mountain is in the background?

Not sure if that peak has a name, but it is part of the range known as the Cliff Drive. Used to be many mines along that road many years ago.

Ahh, the beauty of the Keweenaw. A truly symbolic merging of our beautiful forests and the timber industry which sustains their life through wise management.

Yes, indeed...many great times were had by my kids and I checking out those mines (there even NOW are some ways to get underground along the Cliffs, but I'll never tell where they are...lol)

Cliff drive, because of the lack of lights, is also an exquisite place to view the Northern Lights....one of the best places to camp used to be at the Upper Cliff overlook, but last summer when I visited, that road was closed so it would take a long hike to get there....

Say, by the way, the last year I LIVED up there (I believe it was 1994) they used to plow Cliff Drive...I notice it doesn't look like it is plowed much anymore....anyone have any info on that?

Until I saw Charlie's close up, I thought it was my sons logging truck. His says "panhead" on the bug deflector, but he's having it changed to "treehugger", with the letters shaped like logs. Ought to bring a few smiles or frowns to peoples faces, depending on which side of the fence one's on.

Yes, they keep it very well plowed, it is such a nice ride in the winter or summer...

Great to see the support for our local industry!! Remember to give these trucks room on turns, and don't pull out in front of them. They're mighty heavy- that's a lot of weight to expect to stop when someone cuts them off. Beautiful picture!

Caught many a fish out at Seneca Lake and Trout along the Gratiot River there too

Good to see that there still IS local industry...when I lived there that was a MAJOR bone of contention between the wilderness folks and the local businesses...

Rivera: Couldn't agree more with what you wrote.

Trouble is... the silent majority is usually busy with their lives, while the preservationists are the "squeaky wheels getting the grease". Luckily here, we have enough sense to know what's good. May common sense prevail! Notice that with all these trucks running 24/7, we still have trees galore, raw beauty, jobs, and WOOD!!

Agreed...BALANCE is the key.

The Lansing State Journal printed a picture of a long lost Michigan animal today, a wolverine. http://www.lsj.com/news/local/040226_wolverine_1a.html

Can recognition of the existance of cougars be far behind.

I went to Kevin's listing for lsj re: the wolverine. Incredible! But, does anyone know what the 'red and yellow' in the photo is? It looks like the wolverine is wearing a bandana!

i know that wood is such a vital part of living in da u.p. it heats our homes , not to mention da sauna,and its used in the smoke house to cure those wonderful lake trout,hams and well.... you get the idea. i can remember going to da woods the dnr would mark the trees with a x that you could cut down and all summer, what a bummer, i would chop wood when i went to school back home how i miss that (sometimes)....lol

Wonderful photo for next year's calendar! Thanks di for info about Oliver Brunette. He was my grandma's brother, mom's uncle Oliver. That roadside park is jusy outside of Gay as I remember. And thanks to yooper4sure as I'd never heard that version of the creation. Sounds good to me!:)

Happy Birthday to Twin A...been a long time since we hiked up Sunrise Rock, hey?! Shall I tell everyone how old you are??? Na, can't do that.
Maybe we should make the Copper Country one of our sister weekends one of these years. Hope you are having a good one....Love,Twin B [the younger, taller one :>)] Oh, by the way, I found my Peace Pipe Yearbook from '68...go CHS. Fun looking at all our fellow seniors knowing they are all older as well and some are even bald...snicker. You know, kinda like daddy was. Hey, Bill P. (my favorite CC historian)...remember when you predicted my mom was having twins instead of a BIG boy the night before we were born...ta,da then I showed up unannounced....big snicker!!

David,

This is a terrific photo!!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TWIN A AND TWIN B!!!!
I still remember when we would visit 'up home' and go to your house and what 'adorable' twins you were. Hope you are both having a great day.

To twins A&B. Are you from 1ST. B in Calumet? I'm June B's oldest daughter. I read Pasty Cam all the time, I get HOME every now and then. Still miss home. Nanc

Dear Twin B, Oh my, another birthday!! Hope you are having a great birthday too. The Copper Country for a Sister' Reunion would be great. Betty in Sun City AZ - I am trying to figure out who you are!! I have a couple of ideas but don't think I am right. Yeah, we were kind of cute back then, huh?! Now we get to enjoy the grandkids - what a joy they are! Love ya, Twin A (by only 12 mins)

Thanks for the wonderful picture. Who cares if it is slightly out of focus? We trolls and UP wannabes cannot tell you how much we appreciate your cite. I monopolize many conversations at work about Keeweenaw, the snow sculptures, etc, and have shown many a pasty cam picture. Someone asked me a ?? that I can't answer. Can someone tell me the approximate population of Keeweenaw County?

"Hug a logger-you'll never go back to tree's" ;<)
One of my favorite bumper stickers.

Keweenaw county population as of 1999, quickest figure I could find, was 2,142. Doubt that it is far from that figure now.

Made that picture my wallpaper as soon as I seen it in David A. Guest Gallery. Also noted it was a little distorted, but still enjoy looking at this winter scene. Visit in spring and fall, certainly does not look like this.

Yooper4sure,
That was good, made me laugh.
Nothing but heavy rains here in the Central Valley of CA. Strong winds yesterday that did a lot of damage, including blowing my fence over.
But the almond and cherry tree's are in full bloom.

The photo of the wolverine in the Lansing State Journal is a bad color print! There were several photos shown on ABC 12 from Flint last night. The area that shows up as brilliant in the photo, is actually a lighter tan shade. There were several photos taken. Amazing!

I too read the story about more trees
now then a 100 years ago. I tend to believe it.
Balance is good. The U.P sure has the charactor.
That picture is great. I like the cliff in
the background and will have to find
cliff drive someday. Logging is a huge industry
in the northland. How else do you expect
people to earn a living in the northern areas?
It would be great if we all could own a motel
right?

yupper4sure:
Yup. dat be why I be back der but soon. yup

and dem trees look as purty on da back of da truck as in dem der woods.

Does anyone have an opinion on the theory that the wolverine is being secretly replanted, and that their supposed need for uncut uninhabited forestland to survive (prevent logging and development) is the ulterior motive?

Having driven that stretch too many times to count, I had a time trying to figure out how Allouez Hill had moved. I could make out the Information Booth, Commission Barn corner, but New Allouez had disappeared! Glad to have learned that a telephoto lens could do that.

Forgot - beautiful shot!!

Looks like New Allouez got lost in dem der trees. They've grown alot in 40 years..

Re: Wolverine replanting ...

I don't think wolverines every inhabited the state and if they couldn't thrive a 1000 years ago, they probably can't today.

My *understanding* is that the 'Wolverine State' is so named because of the pelts of animals trapped in Canada were traded in the Detroit area.

Dave.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY twins A&B. Yes, I remember telling your mother that she was going to have twins the night before it all happened. I also remember your dad making me take care of one of the the twins when ever he was baby sitting. He thought I should learn to change diapers in case I ever became a father. He knew I would need the experience but our six children came one at a time. HAPPY BIRTHDAY

Hi there...just got back to work after a couple of days off and had to get caught up on your site. Not to add fuel to the fire, because I have no facts, just wondering about what I've heard ref logging....is it true that when clear cutting occurs the trees that are harvested are frequently hard woods and what is replaced is the faster growing pine / fir. Any one have more to add to this....corrections, arguments etc?

Fantastic picture!
Heard on the news about the wolverine being spotted all the way out here in California.

Good night, from the west coast.

Sure is funny how the DNR has no problem admitting that we have a wolverine in the state, but when it comes to the subject of cougars they will do anything they can to deny their existance.


I have read in several places that Michigan has the highest surplus of trees per acre in the U.S. This tells me that the logging industry in our state is going about it right. Most of the forests are owned by timber companies that have learned from past mistakes and know that it is not in their best intrest to clear cut maple, oak and white pine just as much as it is to selective cut jack pine and aspen. I spent almost two months this summer camping and hiking in the wilderness surounding the Mandan loop, there was a lot of loggig going on, but it was done in the right way and didn't really affect my wilderness experince. Better to have sustainable logging than have permanant development.

i think I've read that the 2000 census had Keweenaw county
around 2500, up 700 or so from 1990.

well i have the lastest post of the day

I'm way with Fred, hug a Logger. They too,give lives so you have homes, nice homes to live in

Dave from Laurium should remember that Mary is trying to see the sign all the way from Florida. You know, the sun is a little brighter there and it makes it hard to see the screen.

Today is also Frank Agin's birthday. He graduated Houghton High in 1980.

Hope you are all having a nice day--looks like a lot of melting in Houghton today (from the Bridge Cam view).

Happy Birthday Frankie.

In regards to the forest around KI Sawyer from the Gwinn area. That forest was devatsated by a fire and was clear cut to promote new growth. I can't remember when exactly the fire took place. I was in middle school then and am now in my mid 30's. My parent's good friend was involved in fighting that fire.

Great picture! I was trying to see if I recognized the driver. I know the Stubenrauch's and was trying to see if it was one of them.

born & raised in WV spent some summers in da U.P.cutting pulp wood around the mcfarland area,now i am transplanted to the FL swamplands,,sorry to say i had forgotten just how beautyfull the U.P. is,,after hairycane charley and frances i sure wish i was back in the porkiepines''

Does anyone know George Brunet's jersey number with the
Athletic's? My son was surfing and would love to have a jersey
made up. George was my cousin, my father was Steve Brunet from
Houghton.

Thanks for our help.

Hey that is a beautifull picture and I think the sign may say "New Alluez" but not sure, cannot remember for sure. Gotta love da U.P!!!