The Thumb of the Glove

Copper Harbor, MI - July 5 to 8, 2012 Our current location

Yoopers refer to the Keweenaw Peninsula as "The Thumb of the Glove" for  it's contribution to the shape of the Upper Peninsula of Michigan.  It's that little bitty hunk of land, that if you screw your eyelids up just right, it just might resemble a thumb. You need a pretty good imagination to see it, but it's there.  Let's just call it Yooper vision.

The ride up here was really beautiful. Lots of hills and forest. The final leg of the island up Hwy 41 is called the green tunnel.

At the end(start) of  Hwy 41 we found an interesting tidbit. For those of you looking for a travel adventure, this one may be something different.

As we mentioned earlier, EJ found a campground just a block away from downtown Copper Harbor.  This is great!  We can walk to restaurants, gifts shops and the only brewery in town.

The check in was an adventure.  The guy checking us in was a former history professor who loved to talk. He had opinions about everything we needed to see and do while we were there.  Turns out he also had opinions about Nova Scotia and PEI as well.  And all we wanted to do was check in, set up and relax.

After we got hooked up and settled in, I emptied the water pump bay of it's contents again as it still hadn't completely dried out after the water pump incident.

We decided we wanted a pizza for supper so we walked into town and found a restaurant that advertised pizza as one of it's offerings.  The first omen as we walked by the restaurant building was 2 men standing outside with their hands on their hips staring at the air conditioning condenser.  Next we noticed that all the windows were open.  Oh well, it was comfortable outside, how bad could it be inside?  The waitress brought us our menus which only offered one size pizza for $21.95 plus toppings at $1.95 each. So that worked out to about $32 for a pizza like we normally get at Pizza Hut for $10. That plus the excessive temperature in the dining room helped us decide to head back to Big Guy and eat some of the stuff we brought with us. Yes, I get very parsimonious when I think I'm being overcharged for something.

Friday we hiked a trail through a stand of ancient White Pines.  Supposedly some of these have been here since Columbus landed in 1492.  This is where we started to get our first taste of how many big hills there are in the U.P. Da Yoopers tried to tell us it was pretty hilly, ya? Estivant Pines Nature Preserve is one of those places you should go if you get the chance. Some of the pines are 4 foot in diameter and over 125 foot tall. The Preserve is very peaceful and quiet and a great hiking place.

The visitor center in town turned out to be a regular fountain of information.  We got more tips on places we must see and were even told to avoid one particular place.  Eagle Harbor sounded like an interesting place and the info center had recommended a good restaurant so that was our goal for the afternoon (we had a great pizza for half the price of last nights offerings).

Along the way, Frank had to stop at the Jampot (this is the place on the "do not go list") and check it out.  The lady at the info center was right.  What they were selling was overpriced, but that didn't stop the place from teeming with people hungry for jams and pastries.  The place is run by a group of Monks, and apparently they aren't too well liked in the community.  Something about when you take a vow of poverty but live in a fancy house and drive a new Cadillac just doesn't set well with the local folks.

It was a very nice drive down the west side of the island. Great rocky shoreline and views.

It started to rain on the way back so we took a detour over the highest point on the peninsula, Brockway Mountain.  I guess you can call it a mountain even though it's only 1,320 feet high. Even in the rain, the views from the top are well worth the trip. We end up back at Big Guy, it's still raining and we decide to call it a day.

Saturday the weather looks better so we decide to take a hike out on Hunters Point.  It's a thin strip of land that Frank thought would take us to the lighthouse.  It's another hike through beautiful surroundings.  The temperatures are being held down by the breeze blowing in over the Lake.

The hike ends abruptly and the trail ends at the waters edge.  Seems as though you have to ford about 100 feet of water to reach the rest of the trail.  Since the bottom is rocky and neither of us wants to go barefoot we turn around.  This time we take the other part of the trail which leads us back on the other side of this spit of land.  It's much warmer as there is no wind on this side, but just a interesting views.

Now we've worked up an appetite and it time to head to the town of Laurium for a Pasty and pastries.  Very busy little place.  Most folks  are coming in and carrying out huge boxes full of food. We finally get a waitress to bring us menus and then she disappears, never to reappear.  I know I put deodorant on this morning, and EJ hasn't complained, so I'm pretty sure it's not any thing I did or said.  After about 10 minutes we left and drove across this street into the town of Calumet.

Now we're talking as we find the Michigan House Cafe and Brew Pub. There was a wedding party that was just wrapping up so our timing was pretty good.  It turns out the food and local brews were good as was the service.

To help settle the meal we take a walk around town and end up at Agassiz Field.  We're in for a real treat as this is where the Coca Cola International Frisbee Tournament is underway.  We watch a couple of games and never quite understand the rules.  One team throws the Frisbee at the other team and that team never throws it back.

Now it's time to think about wandering back to Big Guy but we opt to head up the east coast to see the opposite side of the peninsula.  Talk about some lonely roads.  Although they were possibly the best roads on the Keweenaw, they were virtually deserted. 

The contrast between the east coast and the west coast is a contrast between stormy and calm.  While the west coast beaches are wild and rocky, the east side has white sandy beaches and placid streams emptying into the bay.  We stopped at one beach and hiked over the sand enjoying the views out over the still lake waters.

The last town between here and Copper Harbor is Lac La Belle.  This community  had ties to the mining industry and was the site of a stamping mill plant for the Mendota Mine and the Delaware Mine. Both mines supplied copper ore to the stamp mill for processing.

And finally it was time to head back to Copper Harbor and call it a day. A day’s not complete without at least one waterfall and some fascinating floral.

It's Sunday, our last day in town and EJ has been dying to drag me to some of the stuff that's been on her list like visiting all the quaint little shops in town.  After putting up with me for a couple of stores she suggests I go over and check out the brewery. I like seeing what the local brewers have to offer, as it's almost always an adventure in taste.  But wait! The doors locked.  I back up and see the sign with the dreaded words, "Closed on Sunday". So I go catch up with EJ and we do our best to leave no store door unopened.

Since we're leaving Copper Harbor tomorrow, it's time to take care of some chores.  EJ is taking care of the laundry and I'm making sure Big Guy and the Element are ready to hit the road.