Cruising about in the Copper Country this time of year can be quite tricky. An unavoidable rite of passage in the spring are the "frost heaves" and potholes.
Michael and Patricia Forgrave remind us what to look for, signaling a bump in the road! Seems this isn't the only type of warning sign posted... some of them simply say BUMP. No matter what the shape, color or phrase contained, if you don't heed the warning and proceed with caution, you're in for quite a jolt. Not only on your car, but your noggin too!

Bottomed out a few times on dem dare frost bumps.

Driving from Copper Harbor (where I live!) to Mohawk, we have the "bump" flags named! i.e. "Gary's bump", "Mandan bump", etc. If you don't slow down before you hit those bumps, you may as well take your truck in for a front-end alignment when you get to Houghton! A sure sign of spring, though!

Ah, the spring "frost heaves" - nature's way of getting us to slow down and appreciate the coming of a new season in the UP!

I thought those were Heikki Luntta's surrender flags...:)

If they put those warnings up in SE lower Michigan, it would be nothing but red flags for miles!

Hi to all

Just thought I'd share some of the beauty of our area with
a photo I took this morning as the moon was setting (it was
only 28 degrees out). These are taken from White City (a
suburb of Jacobsville) looking southwest.

Beautiful pic Barb....hope you had a cup of coffeee warming you up on this frosty morn...

Oh, how I WISH they would mark the bumps out here like that! Usually the only warning you have of an upcoming new road "feature" is the car in front of you jumping on the road.

If there was a contest for "bumpy" roads, the East Coast, NYC and NJ in particular would tie for 1st place! AND not just in the Spring either! All year round.

Ahhh... I remember now, how big those frost heaves would get in the UP. Since I've been away so long from the UP, I had to go back a few decades into my brain, to access that info! LOL!

please-----more full moon scenes.

I have a nice full moon scene except that I only send it to my sisters when they are behaving more "owly" than usual.

Please forgive my naivete, but what exactly is a frost heave? (Scientifically speaking!!)

Simple explaination: Ground water under the road freezes, and expands and the surface of the road gets pushed up. Made the trips on the C.C. roads a mile or two longer in the spring cause of all the UP's and down's.

Kate, CA

Simply put, when water freezes, it expands, therefore, if there is water trapped beneath the road surface, and it freezes, it will expand and push the road surface up, resulting in a frost heave.

Oh NO!

When I first saw the red flag, I shuddered at the thought of the long lines of cars awaiting their turns for 'go go-juice' during the 70s. There was an OPEC oil imbargo in place. Never mind the cost, (You could only get $3.00 worth at a time.) just give me some gas!

And missing in NJ is right, pot holes and bumps are rife here in the Garden State.

from George in Milw Love the pic Barb and I see water. I live in Bootjack and is there open water on big Portage? To all concerned. I am doing great andcan't wait to come home

To db-LL,

OK, here's another one...

Down at the bottom of Mt.Bohemia where the bus turned around and sat awaiting returning skiers, we've had triple reds,to match Bohemia's double black diamonds, for weeks now.

Barb,you pictures are beautiful. I miss White City and Jac. I'll be up in the fall. Nanc or Sandstone #1

the red flag looks like maggies drawers on the rifle range in the army. I was not a very good shot so I saw quite a few.

I forgot the R in your. Nancy

In memory of Susan Rippa.

MICHAEL AND PATRICIA WHAT BEAUTIFUL PICTURES. I CHANGED MY BACKGROUND SO MANY TIMES I GOT DIZZY. THE PASTEL COLORS ARE TRULY INCREDIBLE.

George Pini--- BTW (I graduated with your granddaughter Carrie) I live in downtown Houghton and the bridge is a vision outside my window. There is LOTS of open water on the portage up this way! Not sure about Bootjack way, but it may be time for a nice joy ride to look at deer.

Thanks so much for the explanation about frost heaves....makes perfect sense!

To Barb Nelson: Has Bucko been seen this year? Usually you have a picture to share with us.

I posted this WAY too late for anyone to see yesterday. It was like 1:00 A.M., so I'm posting it again. Alex.

Fran from GA lost her Brother In-Law Monday. Please Pray for her and her family. She is one of the sweetest people I have ever met in my life, and I feel so bad for her. Please remember her in your Prayers.

Fran in GA

I'm so sorry to hear of the loss of your brother-in-law. I hope our prayers here can give you strength to make it through this trial and acceptance to make it through life.

Barb- Thank you for the beautiful picture sure is reminder of how peaceful the U. P. can be. Thank you again.

To Carole,

Yes, Bucko came back again this year. This shot was taken on
January 20, 2004. He didn't come in with his antlers though.
But he stayed around for about a month and then he must have
headed back into the deep woods.



God's blessings,
Barb

HMMM...Seems to me the roads are smoothing out especially in MOHAWK and up by Philipsville (sp?).Spring can't be too far away even though I do remember the foot and a half of snow we had in May around 1996...Anyone else remember that "spring"?

Yup, I remember that May. Had to attend a meeting in Marquette, heavy snow all the way over, and then the power went out when we got there.

ole yoop, is that you my old friend who recently escaped SBC and troll land?

I certainly remember that May, because our family went snowmobiling on Mother's Day. At one point Becky and I were riding the trail between Crestview and Phoenix. I was riding behind her about twenty yards, when suddenly she disappeared! The packed surface along the old train bed had washed out, causing a hidden gulley, and she crashed down about four feet in a pool of water. Amazing she wasn't hurt, but it took us half an hour to work her snowmobile out of the hole.

About a week later I ended up in the hospital with pnuemonia and food poisoning (this is a true story), and I remember the snow was still on the ground in the woods until Memorial Day.

Thanks Alex,I appreciate you and your family.Your prayers mean alot.
Thank you also m,wa.Your prayers and expression of sympathy mean so much.

Some of you Dollar Bay folks probably knew my bro-in-law. He was Ken Anderson and lived on the hill by RCW. He married my sister Margaret and was one of the best people there was. WE all will miss our Ken so much but his suffering is over and he is in a better place.

I just found this sight and have enjoyed looking at the picks and reading the comments. I stumbled on your sight when I did a search under the name Keckonen and found out my cousin has been looking to contact family members. I am both a Keckonen and a Tiensivu. Making pasties with my grandmother is one very found memory of my growing up. Could someone please do me a favor and tell me the Finnish say for "Alway be prepared".

Alex, are you and Tammy from Howell related? Interesting!!!!!

tammy howell
ina ole valamis? sp?

Yes Carole, Alex in Georgia and I are related. I am the first grandchild of Sylvia Tiensivu and Oscar Keckonen. Alex Tiensivu is my cousin.

Thanks for the Finnish - was the only thing my grandmother said in Finnish infront of us kids.

PASTY CENTRAL DOES IT AGAIN! Reunited with a Cousin I spent so much time with each Summer. I love this place. Yes, she is my cousin! :) :) :)

Question that has absolutely nothing to do with today's pic. Does anyone know what type of facility the "Gay Smokestack" was a part of?

I think it was connected to a HUGE Sauna, for when you came out of swimming in Superior.

To Ron, Michigan. The Gay smokestack was part of the Mohawk and Wolverine Mining Company's stamp mill complex that was located at Gay way back in the early 1900's.

I'm 99.9% sure my Grandma Tiensivu worked there for quite some time. That smokestack is actually about a quarter of a mile or less from their house in Gay.

Hi Barb, Nice shots of the moon over the bay.

Ned, Thanks for the info. I grew up in Mohawk and never did know the history behind that smokestack.

For another full moon photo check out the Guest Gallery (pg. 7). Josh Soumis has a beautiful shot of the moon over a freighter.