With the puffy clouds, the peaceful water and the beautiful scenery, is it any wonder Isle Royale is considered the perfect place to get away from it all? Actually, this is right about where I am at the moment. If Melissa Hornyak's camera had been a live cam, rather than a still photo camera, you might be able to spot me kayaking along! The two small islands you see in the center are part of Middle Island Passage, where a large number of private boats enter the shelter of the outer islands, heading to Rock Harbor. Daisy Farm, where this shot is taken from, has an interpretive program with which you can learn about the Island's natural and cultural history. It runs on Wednesdays and Saturdays, at 7:30 p.m., from June 19th through August 18th. If you happen to be near on those dates just assemble at the dock to partake of the program. Perhaps I'll paddle over there this evening!

Good morning to all.

Good Morning from Michigan's lower half!

We all have our favorite roads for traveling around the Copper Island. What are your top 5 back roads for travel through out the peninsula?

Now this is more like it. No Political OverTones!

jen , there's a really good spot out by the old airport, it's called BlueBerry Hill. The place I go is just off of the Old Colony Rd. The way I go to get to this spot is you leave Laurim going toward the valley, just out of town turn left on the first railroad bed you cross. Then up the road for about 300 yards to the small road. Anywhere in that area is loaded with berries. out by Rice Lake is always good pickin' Have fun.

Let's see now......my 5 favorite roads in the Copper Country eh. Sorry I can come up with at least 25 or 30 that all have so much appeal I couldn't begin to rate them. Great pic today by the way. My wife is headed for W. Texas today. Our daughter picks her up in Dallas where it will be 100. She's gonna love that. For 14 years in the CC she never once complained about the cold and we were there from '73 to '87 so she saw plenty of it.

Very nice picture!

Beautiful picture! Would love to hike Isle Royale, but with 'mal de mer' I probably wouldnt survive the trip over. Or at least wouldnt want to. Then I'd have to stay there for the rest of my life, or wait until an ice bridge formed and I could walk back to the mainland.

--Hey maybe that wouldnt be so bad! The rest of my life on the Isle...

Mary, when you're back on the mainland, can you post a photo from Brockway Mountain? I wont get there till the fall. When things get rough at work I close my mind and take a 30 second vacation to the top of the hill, watching the sun slip into the lake and the stars come out.

morning all. beautiful pic. very relaxing.

Good morning...
I see the thumbs down thread is locked...wasn't that a great way to get some of those political juices flowing ???
Thanks for the opportunity for democratic expression.

Todays pic is very tranquil...more typical of the UP than a pic of a political rally.

Stayed on Isle Royale about 5 years ago and totally loved it. The kids, well? Anyone who would consider going,should. If you don't, you may be missing the opportunity of a lifetime.

Ahh, that's really something. PastyCam at it's best.

FAVORITE ROADS/RIDES
1)Pepin Road to the valley
2)Arboreal Tunnel Road to Freda
3)Any road to Copper Harbor
4)Top of Brockway to Copper Harbor (Steep Side)
5)Eagle River to Eagle Harbor
PS. Brad get back to work.......

Lets see, top 5 roads....

1) The Mandan - I've 2 Tracked this in my Jeep as well as Mountain Biked it...
2) Road from Gay to Lac La Belle
3) US 41 - North of the fort out into the tip (off pavment)
4) Road from Calumet down to Water Works Park (On a clear day you can see Isle Royale)
5) US 41 just North of Baraga, with all the sand stone cliffs, along where Carla's Motel is. Means we are almost to Chassell!!

22 Days till we head north!

What a pleasant way to start the day. Much better than yesterday. Thanks for the great picture! Wish I was there.

For its name alone, I like the Bootjack Road Extension (assuming it's still there) to Dreamland. Where else?

Mornin' Wonderful picture. Goin' to Colorado. See all on Tuesday.

1 - Road down to Calumet Water Works - It always looks like you are going to drive right into the lake.
2 - Between Lac LaBelle Road and Medora on US 41.
3 - The winter road between Central and Eagle Harbor
4 - Gratiot Lake Road - Coming off of the hill
5 - Gay/Betsy road up to Lac LaBelle

Steve in Laurium any tips for blueberry picking up near Gratiot/Central.

Have a great day.

Used to travel a road from the bar at four corners (we stayed in cabins near there) and we'd go out to get a piece of homemade pie at a restaurant in a house in the old mining ghost town of __________. (You all told me the name of the town once, but darn if I can remember it). There was a road , we would take a left on the way out to the mining town, that we would drive in the dark, it was so dark and scarey, even as adults, we would be scared, never been to a place so dark before. Of course all these roads were dirt, I think, at least no sign of concrete or asphalt left to the eye. We would challenge each other to get out and run around the car in the dark, there must be stories about that road.

Minkfarm Road Big Traverse to Little Traverse..........

Speaking of roads, on our way to the Copper Country earlier this month, we made a side trip to Grand Marais. Had never been there and it is a "jewel". Recommend taking 77 from Seney straight north and return the same way. We went north through Newberry and took a "seasonal" road along the lake. After Grand Marais, we continued on the "seasonal" road toward Pictured Rocks. We were happy to arrive at M 28, when a tire went flat. The service station was able to plug the tire. The fellow said we had a snowmobile clip in it. Apparently a common occurence when traveling snowmobile routes.

Favorite Roads

1. Cliff Drive
2. Road between Eagle River and Eagle Harbor
3. Road from Gay to Lac LaBelle
4. Road at Bete Griese (what a view)
5. Waterworks Rd.

Also Sand Point Rd. in Munising and M28 between Munising and Marquette.

Good morning! I was so happy to visit this morning and see my picture! Thanks to all for your compliments. Isle Royale is one of my favorite places.

Top 5 roads:
1. M26 from Phoenix to Copper Harbor
2. Misery Bay Road
3. Freda Cross Cut
4. 41 from Lac La Belle Rd to Copper Harbor
5. There are so many I like, I can't decide!

Hey Cookie - Hope you are having fun! Don't get to wild at the 40th Houghton High Reunion this weekend.

I just got home from my trip to Lake Linden for the "Big" reunion.....saw lots of old friends and had a great time!! Hope I don't have to wait another 20 yrs for the next all-school reunion..it really is wonderful to see the "old gang" and we still got together for some "giggles" and too many hot-fudge-sundaes at Lakes Dairyland. Never too old for fun!! A really big Thank You to the committee for an excellant job.....the Keweenaw Star trip from Dreamland dock was great.we went past the the old family cottage in Bootjack, which I sold last year....sad..but nice to see the new owners having fun!!...the pasty picnic was held under huge tents so the downpour didn't dampen our joy.....the dance was a success and I understand over 600 attended......It was so nice to retrace steps taken more than 50 years ago up and down the halls of LLHHS and to hear the echos of laughter from long ago.....now just distant memories.

My favorite road? Any road that takes me from where I am to the U.P. I miss my home. Yes after being away for 23 years it's still my home. I can't wait to get back this fall.

What a peaceful photo. Wish I were there today.

Think a little bit south and west - the Old Stage Coach Road from US 2 to the south end of Lake Gogebic. My favorite escape-from-it-all drive. Will be there in 2 weeks and not a moment too soon.

You tell him Rice Lake Gary

Some of the forementioned roads can almost be multiplied by four; As each season produces a different scene.

The last stretch of Route 41, from Delaware to Copper Harbor, is majestic in winter's snow cover, un-describable during fall colors, stellar in the summer, and exciting in the spring when the ground cover has yet to fill in between the trees.

Well, Howdy from Houston-
Went to da U.P. for 2 weeks and enjoyed every minute of it. Even the trip to Copper Harbor when it was raining and 45 deg. BRRRRRR

Now its back to grid lock traffic and pollution, gotta find a way to get back to Michigan as soon as possible!

Took a tour of the Qunicy mine, which was great! You Yoopers are so lucky!

Favorite Drives:

1. Bruce Crossing to Painesdale (includes the Military Hills and M-26 through Twin Lakes. After a 2000 mile drive from California, this is the home stretch!)
2. The road to the tip of Pt. Abbaye
3. The road to the mouth of the Huron
4. Pike Lake/Donken-Tapiola Roads and their side roads.
5. Skanee to Big Bay

Just home to the real world from the Copper Country ourselves and I wanna go back!

My favorite road? Probably the road from Phoenix to Eagle River- lots of fond memories there. The road to the mouth of the Gratiot is right up there too.

Those are some of my favorite roads also DH. Thanks for another conversation starter, Brad! I did that asking for favorite restaurants a couple years ago and am still reaping the benefits!

Calling all Yoopers, check out yooperalumni.com

1)Gay/Lac La Belle Rd.
2)M26 from Phoenix to Copper Harbor
3)Cliff Drive
4)5 mile pt road
5)Bootjack Rd

LO LO MAE, WE MADE IT BACK TO VEGAS AND THE NICE WEATHER. IT WILL BE OVER 100 TODAY. SAY HI TO LOW GRADE

How about that water road from the Lower Entry to the Upper Entry? Then there's the Rabbit Bay creek/creak (Lahti's). Got some real nice trout outa there.

i love the bootjack rd also, i live there!!

Yooper in Vegas.....what's wrong with the weather here?!

Mary - A quick question. How do you get online from Isle Royale? Do they have wireless access somehow?

At a Ranger Station maybe you can get online.

Steve from Laurium, that part of the snowmobile trail off of Old Colony Road was always my blueberry spot, too -- sure miss picking there (but not the mosquitoes!). We only get the gigantic blueberries out here in CA, imported from Washington state. I'd love to get a bunch of big zip-loc bags filled with those little tiny sweet tasty blues to put in my freezer!

Thanks Steve, for the tips on blueberry picking. Anyone know if thimbleberries will be ready by the first of August and where to pick the best ones?

I remember now...it was a road off the road to the Frieda mine....I don't think the road has a name.

When I read the post about favorite roads I remembered right away the view from our farm on Pepin road overlooking Traprock Valley. Very beautiful. I also like the dirt road going down the back way to Traprock. My dad lives on Bootjack road, which is also nice. The road to Gay is nice. The road to the tip of the Keweenaw. I also like the road that takes me to visit my very best friend, Terry, Farmer's Block Road. LOL

DP, WHEN THE TEMP. IS COLDER THAN YOUR AGE IN JULY THEIRS SOMETHING WRONG AND I'M NOT THAT OLD

Good morning from Orlando...wish I was in the UP

favorites:
us41 across the lift bridge because its the gateway to my
favorite place, the keweenaw

the road from phoenix through eagle harbor to copper harbor

the road to gay/lac la belle

the eastern end of brockway mountain drive

any road with a passing lane for when im stuck behind the train
of slow-moving camper trailers

Anything floating thru the Keweenaw Grapevine as to what Jim Berryman is going to do now that the White House is gone?

A terrific Italian Fest is starting in Milwaukee today. PROBLEM IS...NO PASTIES!!!

To DH, smokey Temecula, CA. How do you get from Skanee to Big Bay? I guess my maps are not good enough to get me through, unless I go through the Huron Mt. Club.

aayooper: Go to the Baraga County Tourist & Recreation Association's webpage for help navigating the Triple AAA Road (Yeah, I know Triple AAA is redundant!). We always get lost when taking that road anyway. Your best bet is to go to the Baraga County Tourist place when you're in the area. It's at the gateway to L'anse and not open on weekends. Tracey will have directions there.

Bowl Road

I always like M-26 from Twin Lakes down toward Mass City - It was even more fun before they straightened out some of the curves. And traveling east on M-38 from Nisula to Baraga on a clear day when you can see all the way across the Bay. That is the only good thing about that drive, though, because if we are going east, we are heading for home downstate.

http://yooperalumni.com/WebPages/index.php

Pike Lake road through the woods from Nisula. I'll be driving in to the cottage on that in only two more weeks!

Pike Lake Road is a beautiful drive, almost as much a covered drive in some spots as the arboreal tunnel in Liminga. But there are so many awesome back country roads all over the U.P., it's impossible to make a choice. Gotta love it UP here, u betcha!

Going to be home in two days!!

1. Gay to LacLaBelle because it gets me home.

2. The road behind Delaware to Eagle Harbor.

3. The road up to Bumbletown and down the other side.

4. Garden City Road.

5. The High Road, eh Sarah?

Where or what is Dreamland and Liminga? How do you get there?

SarahK

Perhaps a trip back to the UP would refresh your memory banks...

I mean - as soon as you cross the bridge you realize the weight of a thousand worries were left back on the other side... The air is cleaner, pace is slower, roads all lead to your destination, and the opportunities to make new memories abound. Like a candle and match create light / atmosphere, the UP enkindles your very soul. Plan a trip, recharge your batteries, get lost / find yourself; it is there waiting for you...

Dreamland is a great old bar restaraunt and at onetime a Hotel on Bootjack Rd.About 9?? miles from Lake Linden..Try the fish!

YOOPER IN VEGAS! YOU CAME AT THE WRONG TIME, ITS BEEN REALLY NICE SINCE YOU LEFT! I HAVE EVEN BEEN IN THE LAKE SWIMMING! NEXT YEAR WAIT TILL THE MIDDLE OF JULY AND IT MIGHT BE WARMER THAN YOUR AGE!

The road from Silver City to the Lake of the Clouds especially in the fall or on snowmobile in the winter!

I think I'm going to print this column so I can get to all the rides next time I get to the UP.

Wow- I forget to check in just one day and the Pres. shows up! Shhhh..let's hope Bush and his team will keep God's Country a secret.

Now... I'm going to scroll up to that beautiful picture and meditate on those cooling clouds, that lovely blue water and the general sense of calm that comes over me, just looking at it.

ANY ROAD TRAVELLED HERE IS MY FAVORITE!!!!! JAYNE, WILL CONFINE MY ACTIVITIES TO NO LESS THAN YOURS. TROUBLE!!!

Liminga: On the Houghton side of The Bridge take the Canal Road 4 miles out to Schmidt's Corner (bar, store, fire hall are there). Turn left (West)on the Liminga Road. The whole area is
"Liminga." About 9 miles further you end up at
Freda, the site of an old smelter. Smokestack is still there. About halfway out you go through Redridge; an historic dam is to the left. BTW, that road parallels the LacLaBelle/Bete Gris Road as the most beautiful in the Fall. And the Freda Restuarant is still there, but check open hours.
Dreamland: Cross The Bridge to Hancock. Turn right to Lake Linden (about 10 miles). In LL turn right just before the overhead caution light. Stick to the right and continue out to Bootjack. Dreamland is a bar/grill at the junction of the Jacobsville Road and the lower Bootjack Road. Either one will take you out to White City, the Jacobsville Beach, or Jacobsville.

Thanks so much!! I appreciate the detailed directions.

I can't wait to come up next month and explore the many roads mentioned here today. I've been down many of them, but there are many I haven't experienced. Can anyone tell me where I can get a good detailed map of the Keweenaw that may show the location of these roads? I would appreciate it very much.

Cindy: try www.topozone.com or www.mapquest.com OR try any MUCC club for US Geological Survey quad maps or most DNR field offices have fairly detailed county maps. AAA at this time apparently doesn't have county maps for the western UP but fine ones for the rest of the UP and state!
Russ (former St. Clair Shores resident)

Isle Royale is a wilderness paradise indeed. Too bad nowadays you can't walk around a mudpuddle for fear of bending some grass or explore much of the island because you may break a twig and get "scolded". There are sure some beautiful sights to see.

Now that I've been away from the area for so many years and have learned how much I took it for granted, I'd love to see Isle Royale in person. I heard there's a boat now that leaves from Copper Harbor that takes almost half the time as the Ranger. I'd like to get out there for a day or two. I'm not so good at roughing it though :)

Favorite roads....HMMM...2 track out of Eagle Harbor to the stamp sands.
2 Track from Elisa creek to US 41
Track from Eagle Harbor Cut Off to Baldy
Central Road to Central
That pretty much covers my favs.I also love Delaware Rd. and Garden City Rd...Even though they are gravel,they are beautiful drives especially in the fall.EXCUSE me...I meant to say Autumn!
Hope all of you are havin' a decent day.

Most any road in the great outdoors can become a favorite to travel. Just relax and enjoy the scenery and wildlife as you go.

JJ MI

So completely true. I spent the 2 weeks soaking in Nature, clean air, the water, you know all that the U.P. has, and I did get my soul filled with enough good things to come home and make some good changes! The U.P. is better than any retreat!!!

Russ, thanks for the map tips. I will check them out. I can't wait to get there.

Oh gosh ...How could I forget the Pricket Dam Road and the Silver Moutain Road! My mom lives on Silver Mountain Road. Beautiful back roads that go all over. These are out by Pelkie.

There are blueberries out that way too!

Russ,
The road is called the AAA road. No affiliation with the auto club. It is a great place to get twisted and turned about. Takes you through the true "Back Country" of the yoop! Great Blueberry picking back there on the Yellow Dog Plains. Over the years we have seen lots of wildlife back there, but never a moose. I'm sure they have been watching us. You can go from Skanee to Big Bay. Just have a relible mode of transportation and a full tank of gas.
Enjoy.

1 - The Covered Road
2 - Brockway Mountain Drive
3 - Quincy Hill - the panoramic view
4 - Road past Calumet cemetary towards
MeLain's St. Pk.
5 - Bootjack Road

I would like to know if PastyCam has ever considered setting a day aside for people from everywhere in our states and even international Germany, Finland, Netherlands, Japan etc. to let others submit a picture of there favorite places in there respective countries or state? Would be nice to see other parts of the world on occasion.

we always picked blueberries in the cemetery where
my grandparents rest...

I heard that it has been so cold there that even the Canadian Geese were making test flights in the > formation and ready to fly to warmer climates.

Great Day, come on up, to those who are somewhere else. It doesn't get any better than this. We took the dog to Bekala's swimming hole and let her swim, The waters still to cold for me.

HELP! is there anyone out there that can advise me on how to learn to use Adobe Photo Shop #5? I'm just starting with computers in my graphics, and have no idea which diretion to even start in. Any help at all? I think the first week in August will be the first thimbleberry picking, for whoever asked earlier. Thanks Steve

As I write this my wife is on Isle Royale and I'm on the mainland with the pooch. Not so bad really as I have a bevy of cold Ol' Milwaukees at hand and the cd player rumbles with the sound of LOUD jazz! The island is a true northern paradise and I'm getting the itch to ferry over soon.

I'd like to wish my sister catherine a happy birthday.She is a regular visitor and sometimes poster to this site.happy Birthday

Julie S. As to the Pelkie/Alston area, born there, lived there, been there! Miss there? Naw...? Will visit there someday... Enjoying FL weather now. All UP roads lead to somewhere great to explore. Blueberries to pick on the Baraga Plains.

My 5 favorite roads:
1. The numerous roads traveled to get to the UP
2. M 26 from Phoenix to Eagle Harbor to Copper
Harbor
3. 5 Mile Point Road
4. Brockway Mountain Drive
5. The cut off road from M41 to Eagle Harbor
#1 is a favorite because it takes us to our yearly vacation to the UP. #2,3,4,5 all have beautiful views as you travel through the UP. Less than 30 days to be in the Up - Hooray!

Steve, Laurium: Adobe Photoshop 5 should have some very good help in it's own help directory or at www.Adobe.com. I also like this site: {http://www.good-tutorials.com
But nothing is better than just practicing with the tools and making some notes for yourself.
Have Fun!

ANY ROAD NORTH OF THE PORTAGE LAKE LIFT BRIDGE works just fine for me. :-D

Was up to Slims Restruant tonight and across the road they were beginning to clean up where the White House burned. A big crew up there. Don't know anything else about it.

Hey Melissa!

Happy to see one of your pics chosen for the day! I've thumbed through your album a couple times, but seeing your name in lights is neat.

How goes Lansing?
-Mel

Okay, I see big flies all over the cam at CopperHarbor.org. Are there really that many flies up there and what do you all put on to keep them away? Will there still be berries for those of us who are going to the UP in mid-August? Thanks for the beautiful pictures. Things seem so tranquil up there.

Those aren't the flies - looks like they are mosquitoes. Backwoods off works really well for both black flies and mosquitoes - if you remember to put it on. Was just up in Copper Harbor for the fourth of July and only got bites when I forgot!

trish sorry for the slow responce my people are ERINS own i will be there in august as well as november but you are quite correct there is go raith maith craic in da western up

And my favorite road is...
The road on which we're building our future home in Keweenaw County. Won't tell you which one, but someone has mentioned it already! Just 8 more days until our next trip to the U.P. Yeah!

Over the lift-bridge and thru the wood's. What more could you want.....

It's great to see today's cam pic without the political pic's, keep politics off the site and keep it in your diners with your AM coffee.

This is really off of the subject but does anyone have any idea where I can buy a gas grill that still uses the lava rock. Seems like they've done away with lava rock and just have a plain gas burner. [like the lava rocks a lot better]

smn/clearwater

Mid-August is prime time for blueberries.
Mandan rd.
Southshore dr.
Mud lake rd, because it leads to camp.
M-26 on the northshore.
All the rest.

Who is going to the Aura Jamboree tomorrow and Saturday? Mimi and I will be. :>) Hope the weather stays nice. Music starts at 5:00 pm tomorrow, 'til 8:00. Dance goes from 8 - 12. It starts all over again at 10 or 10:30 on Saturday morning and goes 'til 9:00 pm. Dance is from 9 - 12. Hot dogs, brats, pasties to eat, etc. Coffee and pop to drink. The music and friendship is wondermous! Just ask Marsha/Genesee. I'll be playing with Kilpela and Friends and Ron Jarvinen's Backwoods Bandits, among others.

I got a grill from Sears...there were no rocks in it. I got the rocks from Walmart.

Good to get off of politics and see a great picture of our beloved U.P. Purposely did not post my perceived views. (it was difficult).
After getting pounded and deleted (maybe
rightlyfully so on the latter)have realized
this is not the forem to express these views.
I`m learning Charlie.
1- covered road out of Atlantic
2- either road to Copper Harbor
3- Misery Bay road
4-Mass City to watersmeet

Definitely the road from Gay to LacLaBelle.

The High Road (definitely Rachel!)

Gratiot Lake Road

"Roller Coaster" Road

Delaware to Eagle Harbor Road

Drive save going home Rachel! Teach Dorothy more and more about the Keewenaw!

By the way, it's pronounced locally
I'll ROY l
not
I'll roy AL

We're waiting..... fingers poised over the keys....

I must give credit where credit is due. This photo was actually taken by Jon Sytsma, using my camera. We'd both like to be back at Daisy Farm right about now!

Hey Mel! I'm sending you an email.

2 Road

Hank,
Thanks for letting me know where the berries are. I will bring my Off with Deet and a pail to put my berries in. I'll be watching for you.

TO PAT IN LOWER MI: SEASONAL RD NEAR GRAND MARIAS IS H58. IF YOU WANT THE BEST SECLUDED CAMP GROUND IN THE WORLD, ITS 12 MILE BEACH, OF H38, ABOUT 15 MI WEST OF GRAND MARAIS. SOME SITE ARE ON LAKE SUPERIOR!! ITS A DNR CAMPGROUND @ 10 BUCKS A NITE. MY WIFE AND I LIKE TO THINK WE HAVE LAKE FRONT PROPERTY OF ONLY 10 DOLLARS A DAY!!!PLEASE KEEP THIS A SECRET, WE DONT WANT TO MANY PEOPLE TO FIND OUT ABOUT (HE HE) ....