• Mining sub-topic August 16 - 06:46 am

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Charlie

I discovered something while paging through our Guest Gallery, when I spotted this shot in Stanley Spruce's album. Mud Drag Racing is alive and well here in the U.P. There are races scheduled from June through September in various locations. Stanley captured the, 'The Intimidator', slinging muck into the air, at the Baraga contest. Makes you want to duck so you don't get covered in mud. I sure wouldn't want to be the one who has to wash those vehicles afterwards!

Good Morning

Good morning everyone!

good morning

I love it!

Mornin', Everyone keep Dave, Cairo in your prayers. He gets on a plane tomorrow mornin before we get up.

My car looks like that after 3 days in the Keweenaw.

morning all!! It's a great day

just looked at the bridge cam. whooa the bridge disappeared in a cloud of fog. Copper Harbor looks good and so does the airport. Wish I was landing there.

What a great gallery Mr. Spruce has put together. I wonder were, near Crystal Falls, that Eagle picture was taken.

And where is the "New Zoo" he mentioned in several of the captions?

From the looks of it, the New Zoo in the pics is down here in Green Bay

Nice pic today, oh the memories..LOL : )
Matt, I think you're right. My kids love the NEW zoo and have been there several times. It's a slower pace than Milwaukee.

That pic reminds me of Garden City Rd. during spring thaw...

Nothing like slinging mud with some big block HP. Cool shot. Mines are like prisons, we need them, everyone agrees we need them, but it always ends up NIMBY, just like the Kennedy's strong plea for wind power except not where they can see the windmills from their vacation retreat on the ocean. Again, great pic.

Yahoooooooooo!!!!!!! 36 hours and counting til I get to breathe some of that fresh air. :D

Whoooo-eeeeyyy don't that look like fun!!!

It looks like a beautiful day in the Keweenaw today.

Gooooooddddd Morning all!

A quick glance at the bridge cam shows the makings of a beautiful Copper Country day. The shot from the Copper Habor cam is inviting. I will be thinking of these two images as we go through another day of temperatures in the mid-ninties.

Best wishes,

HOUGHTON/HANCOCK BRIDGE QUESTION:

How come the bridge is all the way down right now? It's in its winter position (where the cars drive on the top deck) instead of its summer position (where the cars drive on the bottom deck). If a boat needs to pass under it, the bridge will just take that much longer to raise. Anybody know why its all the way down this morning?

I agree with Cal, Wi, Some people sure now how to have fun.

The Cams show a really great August Summer day in the Yoop. I wish I was there!

The picture looks like someone is having a great time....but tisk tisk tisk, Mom better buy Wisk...:)

Sure looks like fun. Best of all they are doing it in a controlled environment not out in the bush someplace where they are tearing things up and otherwise creating havoc. As for the mining issue lets not make this forum a political discussion! ! !

I just received an email asking if the NEW Isle Royale Queen is in service yet. If anyone has information about the new vessel, let us know, please. Better yet, if it is in service already, send me a photo at gallery@pasty.com and I'll post it! :-)

Thanks, all, for the answers to my questions, but they only brought up more . . . I'll live without complete answers :-)

I visited the camp with my daughter on a Tuesday, July 20th I think. There were a LOT of people around, must have been family week. We were looked at very askance (who ARE these people?), but weren't bothered much by the suspicious looks. We just wandered about, knocked on a few doors, tried a few doors I'd never found locked before. Well, never before when I was a camper ;-) Then we took a few pictures here there and everywhere, and headed for the beach. My daughter was more interested in the sunken boat keel (what WAS the name of that ship?) than the camp at any rate . . .

Hi Troll In Eagle Harbor. I keep seeing this red barn with the date 1905 and the name F.L.Monroe on it. Can you imagine where I see it?

Greetings from Cairo. Last evening in town, it is now 7:25pm the sun is going down and a slight breeze has started. Another uneventful day in an area that measures annual rainfall in millimeters.

At 4:35am Friday (9:35pm Thursday in the UP) I'm off for America, and home.

Its been a pleasure the last two weeks reading commentary and reporting from here.

I understand that I had a few Earlybird posts, but were they really valid? After all, at 7:00am there it is 2:00pm here. :-)

For yooper in mn - So why does the bridge need two decks? Why a different deck for winter?

AHH... YES, NICE PICTURE. REMINDS ME OF SOMEONE.....THE LATE GREAT DALE "INTIMIDATOR" EARNHARDT. WONDER IF HE FISHED OR HUNTED IN THE AREA?

A cool 63 degrees here in West Texas for cycling today with light winds...had to break out a long sleeved jersey:)A taste of fall to come...

DW

The second (lower)deck was originally for train traffic. After the mines closed, the trains left, and the tracks removed. Today the old track beds are used as snow mobile trails in the winter.

It's really a good safety issue, not having the snow mobilers on the same bridge level with the automobiles.

The lower bridge deck was originally for railroad use.

Dave-at-Pike-Bay
I had a shirt-tail relative that started a company near Temecula. His name was Victor Paulson and he made plastic motorcycle shields for helmets among other things. I think his family still operates Paulson Manufacturing Co. somewhere out there.

Victor was from the Copper Country and migrated to that neck of the woods where he became a multi millionaire after he turned 60. Great story.

Stuck in PA:
I drive right by Paulson's twice a day. Its on a twisty little canyon road (Rainbow Canyon Blvd.) which is a short cut I take to the freeway. Your relatives in Chassell have relayed the story to me. The company would appear to be doing very well. The parking lot overflows and cars end up parking on both sides of a narrow road (think Brockway Mountain Drive). I haven't hit anyone, yet.

I noticed there are no posts today from the folks around Tampa -- they must all be out buying water, batteries and convenience foods prior to hunkering down for the arrival of some crackpot named Charlie. My wife and I are both from Manistique, and ever since we moved here, she's said she has wanted to experience a 'Florida snow day'. Looks like she's going to get her wish. MacDill (AFB) released all 'non mission-essential' personnel (including me) by noon to go home and batten down the hatches. I'm hoping for some luck, as we have four cars and a pop-top camper to stuff into a two car garage...

Dave B, FL

Best of luck Dave. What's the ETA of Charlie?

ps: Leave the oldest cars out, unless they're '57 Chevys.

Hi All,
Wonder if I can interrupt today’s threads with a question. I’m reading (for the second time) the fascinating book called "Calumet Copper Country Metropolis". In this reading I hope to really explore the history of the region. In the first few pages of the text there is mention of Lakeview as a neighborhood or club. Specifically there is reference to a brewery at Lakeview on the road to Sedar Bay waterworks. The map on page four shows a small grid north and west of Calumet labeled Lakeview. I do know the Lakeview Cemetery and visit my grandparents, aunts and uncles gravesites there when I’m lucky enough to be in the neighborhood. On my way to Sedar bay I do pass some old ruins of what my mom once told me was a brewery. So that’s the question. Was there a settlement or location called Lakeview and are the ruins those of the brewery?
TIA.

Yooper Willie,

It appears that we will start getting 'rain bands' late tonight. From there it'll just grow in intensity until expected landfall of 2 PM or so tomorrow. 105 MPH winds -- YIKES!! As for the cars, my currently-under-restoration '80 Trans Am will definitely sleep under the roof!

HAPPY 50TH BIRTHDAY JON SATERSTAD . . . in Amman, Jordan.!!!

downstate don, just a quick note to say Charley is on his way. Evacuation has started and everyone is securing their homes and belongings. We are supposed to take a direct hit here in the Tampa area tomorrow afternoon. The airport is closed as we speak. Not sure when it will reopen. It depends on what Charley decides to do. Gotta help the boss get things ready for the big storm. They say it is possible he will become a category 3. This could be serious.

I have noticed that most Isle Royale visitors are not Copper Country enthusiasts and vice-versa. For most Isle Royale types, the Keeweenah is nothing more than a launching pad to get to the Island. Mary Drew asked a question about the new Isle Royale Queen probably 20 posts ago and I noticed that no one has replied yet. The Isle Royale Queen carries a good percentage of the summmer traffic up U.S. 41, but the Isle Royale crowd seems to be pretty scarce on this website. I have also noticed that the snowmobile crowd in Copper Harbor seems to know little about Isle Royale, and that Isle Royale visitors seem to have no interest in snowmobiling or pasties or other U.P past times as a general rule.

Anyone have any theories on this?

Tim, All-purpose U.P. fan, I've never posted here before but you've brought me out of the woodwork. I'm an Isle-Royale type. I can tell you that for me a large part of the fun is the drive into C.C. to get there. I check out this site and the bridge-cam daily and feel a longing to be there every time I see that bridge, and the great photos. I've enjoyed reading the posts ever since I found this site. I can't speak for the snowmobile crowd (or for that matter, the "Isle Royale types" either), only myself. I'm not sure what kind of contribution I could make to the dialog on this site, especially since, unfortunately, most of my life has been spent downstate in the desolation of the Detroit area.
But I love the entire U.P. and pasties.Sorry to be so long winded, I'll shut up now.

Rick from downstate: It is good to see there are people who enjoy both places. The reason I mentioned the "great divide" is I've noticed when trying to talk to fellow tourists on the Ranger III or Isle Royale Queen about how great the Copper Country is, I usually get indifferent responses (what's a PAYstee?). Then, in the winter, I'll go snowmobiling in Copper Harbor and try to talk to the winter patrons at the Mariner about the beauty of Isle Royale and get that same deer-in-the headlights look. I find that native Keweenah residents usually are "hip" to both places, but us downstate (or outstate) folks are usually missing out on 50% of what the area has to offer.

Tim, All Purpose U.P. Fan, As a prisoner of downstate :( , I can't get up there nearly as much as I'd like to or used to. One vacation up there a year was doing good for me. I'm well aware that I'm missing out on at least 50%, but likely a lot more than that. My dream has been to move "up north" when I retire. Maybe then I can get a hold of some of the rest of what I've been missing. Maybe that deer-in-the-headlights look is the look of wishful thinking.?

Holy Cow...three planes at the airport. Are you all giving Pasties away?

Tim,I can also only speak for myself on the Isle Royale types. I grew up in the U.P and never got out to the island. Growing up on a busy farm it never crossed my mind to take such a vacation. Copper Harbor and Calumet were visted only during a holiday vacation. We did the tourist stuff, hitting every gift shop and all the local sites. If or when I ever get a chance....Isle Royale is my next vacation destination. I see myself slowing hiking a quite trail, stopping to listen and see every blade of grass, tree and wildlife there is. I see myself sitting by a campfire listening to the crackle of the wood and a distant howl. I see thousands of stars and maybe even one to wish upon. I can't get that in fond du lac. Here's to missing the U.P and desperatly needing a getaway. LOL : )

Bek, Fond du Lac, It's strange how we can live so near to something and seldom or never see it. I advise you to go to Isle Royale. I've been there four times and it's an awesome place. I was even inspired to rewrite the song "Ghost Riders In The Sky" while I was there. My version is called "Moose Nuggets On The Trail" :) But it(Isle Royale, Not my rewrite) really is a gem. I may never get back there (not as spry as I used to be) but I've got great memories.

Karen; Good luck to you. I hope that all goes well
and that you still are able to board that plane
on Saturday and take your journey to the North
Country. I will be gone all next week so when you
do get back please let me know how everything went.

hey Tim, it's the Isle Royale Queen that takes you from the Harbour to the island,...it's the Ranger 111, (or 4 or 5) that takes you from the canal in Houghton. It is a wonderful visit to the island, I've been there 3 times years ago. If I wanted to go now I would take the sea plane from cmx....but if there is fog or wind, your delayed for a few days, like recently, crappy weather.
The new boat at the Harbour...I guess they bought it in Florida, and made their way all the way here through the St Lawerence Sea Way....quite a trip. It must be much better than the old boat...us locals called the "barf barge".
The island is great.....bring a back pack, some gorp.....sit with nature, and enjoy.

p.s. There was a recent blip in the gazette, a comentary, on having an old well on your property. I have some property with an old well. It's capped. What's the scoop? Must I buy a bunch of permits and fill it?

I think it's almost time for Dave, Cairo to get on a plane back to the states. Good Luck Dave!

Tim, All-purpose U.P. Fan
Small point BUT do you know it is spelled Keweena{w} never Keweena{h}..are people thinking of the new Isle Royale fuel barge {it went into service this season} when talkimg about a new queen or is a new queen really out there somewhere.

The Isle sounds so good. Never been there. But is it some place someone like me can get around a little without much effort? Don't do trails and long walks any more? And good luck to all the friends in Florida.

Karen, Florida; Last word from you was around 5:30
p.m. You must have taken cover from the storm.
If you get this message,please respond. I am
worried.

There is a new queen....

In reference to the post By LMS, Idaho; on Thursday, August 12, 2004 - 04:42 pm:
HAPPY 50TH BIRTHDAY JON SATERSTAD . . . in Amman, Jordan.!!!
Happy Birthday Jon! Travel safe... Big Hug from one of your cousins!

HI does anyone know if Above the Bridge Magazine is still around??

downstate don, We are pretty much waiting on the storm to hit tomorrow afternoon. It would be good if it hit either north or south of the Tampa area. A direct hit will make the tides at least 12 to 15 feet in addition to all the wind. It is moving fast so we should be through all of this by late tomorrow night. We will have to wait and see if the planes are flying or if we can get to the airport. As long as we have power, I should be able to keep you posted. If the power goes out....I'll have to post from the UP itself. Thanks for your thoughts. I will try to let you know tomorrow how things are going. Good luck on your trip next week also.

It's not "Ghost Riders in the Sky", it's the perseid meteor showers that peaked last night with 60 to 100 meteors shouting across the sky an hour. Tonight should also be a good night to see this beautiful light show and will last till about the 15th of this month. So go ahead.....turn over your wish box and "Wish Upon a Star" everyone.

"We're Having A Heat Wave, A Tropical Heat Wave" that has lasted for 4-5 days. Hopefully the fingers of fog from the Pacific will cool us off.
Also, while driving today, I noticed the price of gas was down to $1.95 per gallon. First time I have seen it under 2.00 in a very long time.

Hi Kevin, how is it to go back to work after being so ill for so long? Take care.

Karen; If your still up, just wanted to know if
you graduated from Milford High School?

To Dave in Farmington

I did a paper for Michigan History at Tech a long time ago and do remember reading in my research about the Calumet Brewery on the way to Sedar Bay. I believe it was called the Calumet Brewery and I do recall several bottles from the brewery in the archives up on the third floor of the Tech library (if they are still there). I believe Calumet has many "subdivisions" such as Red Jacket, Oseola, and Lakeview. These subdivions are also refered to as "locations". If anyone can help me out with this, please feel free. It has been many years since I did research on the Calumet area.

downstate don, yes I did, many years ago. Looks like Charley is movin right along this morning. Got the bags packed and we will just have to wait it out now. I'll let you know, if possible, when we head out.

Good luck Karen and all in Charley's path.

Good Luck riding out Charley all you Floridians! We're all on stand by up here; hoping to hear that the storm damage is minimal!

Thanks maijaMi. From the looks of it, Charley's coming with 105 mile per hour winds. That's quite a storm. This will be the first direct hit the Tampa area has taken in many many years. God willing, we will be in the UP by Sunday. That will be a good thing.... I'll be ready for my Pasty...my very first pasty.

Dave Whitten,
The town of lakeview is a plat originally recorded in 1894. It is 1/4 mile East-West and 1/2 mile North-South. The ruins you refered to are indeed the old brewery and it's located on the East side, middle of the plat. I believe the the plat itself was never developed.

dan

Thanks Dan,
I'd like some more info so with your permission, I'll contact you directly.
Dave

HELLO FAMILY AND FRIENDS IN THE U.P..
JON OTTO SATERSTAD HERE IN SUNNY CALIFORNIA,
HOPE TO SEE YOU SOON.

AUG. 12 is my birthday and i love to go mud riden