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Quite a bit of new information has come out since I wrote yesterday, so I thought I would take a moment to fill you all in. A quick announcement, I have a Facebook Page for the site. I use it mostly to get the word out, so posts are few, but usually important for the site and/or region. Please visit it, like it, go up to the “Following” button at the top and be sure you are set to receive notifications. For those that do not check the site on a daily basis and want to know when important items have been added, this is the ticket!

There are a number of important things I would like to make right off the bat, so I will just list them here to keep it short, but sweet.

1. The area impacted by the flash flooding was rather small as far as a percentage of the region known as the Keweenaw. All areas from Calumet north were not impacted and are fine. Same with areas from around South Range south.
2. Most of the roads/structures impacted will not have an impact on visitors. All the major highways are now passable. In a few spots they are at a single lane with automated signal lights to direct traffic, but we are not stranded and anyone can come and go from the region freely.
3. Almost all businesses are open. To my knowledge, no hotels/motels were ever closed. I have not heard of any restaurants either, but some of the fast food places up near the strip malls towards Walmart might be, as that was a hard hit area.
4. Because of the nature of the flooding, the things needed are very diverse and the best way to help would be to send a monetary donation and then those funds can be used locally to get what is needed.
   Donations – I have 4 sources that I feel 100% confident folks can send to.
   1) The Keweenaw Community Foundation. This seems to be the lead fund raising mechanism right now and 100% of the donations will be going to it.
   2) Portage Health Foundation – Flood relief.
   3) A go-fund-me page has been set up by a friend of mine and regular visitor to the site. All of the donations made here will go to the Keweenaw Community Foundation.
   4) American Red Cross- Houghton County. For those wanting to send items like clothes, daily living items, such as toothbrushes, toothpaste, etc.

I can report that the clean-up and recovery is going very well. There is still a ton of work to do, but I am so proud to be part of this community. Yesterday, there were several small armies of volunteers that banded together to help those who were impacted. These were just impromptu gatherings, where folks went down to the hardest hit areas and simply said: “I am here to help, what can I do?”. In many cases, the volunteers did not even know who they were helping. At this moment, I believe there are actually more lists of individuals waiting to be told where they can go to help than there are lists of areas that need help. Such a wonderful group of people. If you ask me, it is what makes the Keweenaw what it is more than anything else.

We are a tough group of people up here and will band together when the need arises. That does not mean that we cannot use help from the outside, especially in the form of monetary donations. Some have lost all  and many have lost some and they need all of our help.

I will continue to update things as they come down the pipe.

Blessings from the Keweenaw..
–JD

The past 36 hours has been interesting for sure. As I am sure most of you know, areas of the Keweenaw were hit with devastating flash flooding early Sunday morning. The main period for the rain was from around 1:30 until 6 am. In that 4 1/2 hours, many areas in and around Houghton and Hancock received 6 to almost 7 inches of rain. We also saw rain Saturday night into Sunday morning, but nothing of the magnitude just to our south.

I knew the area was experiencing rough weather, as the lightning and thunder kept waking me up, as did poor Millie who was going from me to Nora and back to try and ease her nerves. At around 5:30, my phone gave a nasty electronic warning sound, very loud and very disturbing. I don’t even know where the warning and resultant sound came from, but who ever came up with the sound did an excellent job of making it effective at both waking a person up and also getting their attention. The warning was for Houghton CO, so I did not even read further. I just set my phone back on the nightstand and faded back to sleep.

I awoke at around 6:45 that morning and as I meandered from, the bedroom to my office, all appeared to be normal. When I got to my office, Nora was already awake and had told me that she was getting word of some bad flooding just south of us. So I got on the computer and started browsing to collect info. At first, there was not a lot of info, but what was coming through was bad. Entire streets washed out, others filled with boulders 1-2 feet in diameter and left there by the rushing waters. I spent the next hour or so waiting for more info to come in and then had breakfast.

Grace was to start summer camp yesterday afternoon in Eagle River (MI) and so far all of the info had seemed to indicate that the flooding took place from around Lake Linden to just south of the airport and then south through Hancock and Houghton and ended just a bit south of Houghton. Never the less, Grace and I took a quick trip up to the camp to make sure all was well there and that camp was still going to go on as scheduled.

As we drove from our house up Hwy 41 to Eagle River, all looked pretty normal. There were some puddles and some ditches had water in them, but otherwise, it was just cloudy and business as usual. We got to the camp and saw that all was well and upon our return, we heard that the camp had sent out a note saying that they heard about all the bad flooding in the Houghton area, but that things were fine there and camp would go on as scheduled.

So we spent the rest of the morning and early afternoon getting Grace ready for camp, trying to keep her from climbing the walls too much and also helping a friend out who had a daughter that was going to the same camp, but trapped in Houghton and was hoping to join us for registration. Enough of the main roads were opened up to allow them to get to our house in time to get to camp. So we dropped the girls off and then came home.

I have not personally been down to see the damage done by the flash flooding. The emergency officials are still asking folks to not travel in the area if you do not have to and I am heeding that. There are a multitude of pictures and even videos on social media and I will share some links to a couple that are very well done. I have also pulled a few from the web and will share with you, but because the damage was so extensive (over 60 washouts/sink holes), it is in both of our best interests to just point you to some of the albums already created, rather than putting it on here.

I must say that because we were basically left untouched by the flooding, yet areas very close by, areas that I see on an almost daily basis, areas where I know who lives there, or owns the business, damaged very badly, it is hard to comprehend without seeing it first hand. The images and videos I have seen are something I am used to seeing about areas around the country/world that I have never been to before. So my mind is having a hard time comprehending the whole situation.

I am also extremely grateful, but also feel a little guilty that we were not impacted by the flooding. It’s not that I wish we had gotten it too, more like I wish it had never happened to so many good folks. I do plan to see if there is anything I can do, either personally, or via the site and all of it’s wonderful visitors. I know that many of the local hotels and motels that were not impacted are offering up free rooms to those that have no place to stay and I am sure that there will be supplies needed, but I would rather sit tight and let the fog of war dissipate and things calm down before I start bothering those impacted and those who’s job it is to clean up.

As far as coming up here, that would determine where and when you are coming. If you are coming up and plan to stay from Calumet north to Copper Harbor or from around South Range south. Do not change your plans. Those areas were not impacted and are just fine. For those of you that have plans to stay in the impacted areas. I would sit tight as long as you can. The damage is still being fully assessed and in many cases, you should be able to get around without too many problems by later this week. However, only time will tell when all issues will be fixed. So let the business in Houghton, Hancock, Dollar Bay, Tamarack City, Hubbell and Lake Linden have a day or two to assess and figure some things out and then call. If you are coming up for the Independence Day holiday, I would suggest waiting until next week to call.

Much of the damage seems to have been to roadways and not as much to buildings/businesses. That is not to say that all businesses are operating normally, but a good percentage of them likely are in the affected areas and those that were might be able to recover in not too long of time. The first image I want to share with you is the MI DOT page showing where major roads have issues. There are a lot more side streets with issues, but most of them only impact locals and probably even have another way around them. Here is the link to the Houghton County Road Commission list of roads impacted. At last check, it was a hand-written list, which eludes to the extent of work they have on their plates, so please do not call them unless it is an emergency!

So here are some pics that I pulled from different sources which give an idea of the flooding. If I have stepped on any toes by posting these, please let me know and I will remove them from my site, but most of them appear in multiple sources on the internet, so I thought it would be safe to share them. The best album I have seen so far detailing the damage done is on Facebook and can be found here. I do not know where this shot was taken, but it shows some of the flooding as it was occurring. I believe this shot is from Paradise Road, which runs mainly north/south in the neighborhood between Houghton and Chassell. It is one of the complete washouts. This next one is also a complete wash out and is a side road that connects the strip malls off of Sharon Avenue to the Walmart area. This flooded area is just downstream of the previous pic.

The snowmobile/ATV trail system also sustained major damage in spots. The majority of them are on trail 3 from Hancock, through Dollar Bay, Tamarack City, Hubbell and Lake Linden. I know of at least 6 complete washouts, two of them monsters that are over 30 feet deep and over 100 feet wide. Here is a shot of one of them. As if to toss a little humor into the situation, Mother Nature decided to leave a sign post with the confidence marker on it. Besides the problems between Hancock and Lake Linden, I know of another washout between Houghton and South Range. Since this has all happened during the ATV season, I will refer you to their page for any additional info on trails. I do know that trail 17 is fine to ride from Hancock to Calumet and that all other trails did not have significant damage, but the entire region saw at least 3-4″ of rain over the weekend, so one should ride with extra caution and be on the look out for flooded sections or areas where the trail has lost material on its edges. As far as when those massive problems will be fixed, I have no idea right now. I do know that members of the ATV club were out surveying the damage with a DNR official, so it has been put in the hands of those that will lead the charge to fix things. As soon as I know more, I will let you know.

On our trip to check to see if Gracie’s camp was OK, we did stop at the Eagle River Falls and I snapped a shot of them. As you can see the water was flowing pretty good over them, but not at record levels. Had the north end gotten the 6-7″ that Houghton/Hancock had gotten, it would have been a different story for sure.

So if you are wondering what caused all of this to occur, it was basically a series of severe thunderstorms that traveled over the same area, dumping torrential rain for around 4-5 hours. I have seen an extended radar loop of the storm and did not see strong signs of train echoing, but there did appear to be several impulses that lead to the excessive totals. This morning, I was doing some research on the causes and I saw that the moisture and energy that traveled over the Keweenaw to produce those rains were enhanced by the remnants of a hurricane that was in the eastern Pacific off the coast of Mexico earlier in the week. It was hurricane Bud and made landfall in Mexico on the south end of the Gulf of California in the vicinity of Mazatlan. It then traveled up through NW Mexico into Arizona, New Mexico, then CO, then the Dakotas, northern MN and into the UP. It’s hard to determine if that moisture and energy was the root cause of the excessive rainfall, or just enhanced it, but it was clear that the impulse of what was left of Bud was over the Keweenaw early Sunday morning.

I hate to end the journal with no “light” news to share, so I will share some pictures of our fishing excursions this weekend. Nora’s brother made a quick trip up and back from Port Huron. He is a huge fisherman and owns Anderson’s Pro Bait in Port Huron. The Norwegian fishing blood also flows thick through Nora’s body and it is almost an automatic that they will go fishing when he comes up. I have been slowly getting back into fishing and Nora even helped the cause by having her brother bring up a new rod and reel for me for my birthday last week. It is amazing the difference between a run-of-the-mill rig and a high end one! I cannot believe the difference in casting and feel.

I did not catch any fish with the new rig, but am sure I will someday. Nora was the fisherman Friday evening when she hauled in a nice pike. Nora’s brother, Joel, taught us a trick. If you hold the fish upside down like in the picture, they do not try and squirm away and get dropped on the dock!

The next evening, Nora, Joel and Gracie all headed off to fish. I was a little tired and there was the threat of some storms, so I stayed home to try and keep Millie calm if a storm came. Turns out Gracie was the fisherman Saturday evening. It was the first fish she has caught in her life! I was bummed that I missed, but am sure there will be plenty more in the future.

More storms rolled through yesterday evening, but caused little in the way of additional problems. Nora also tried a remedy for Millie’s anxiety with the thunderstorms and it worked great. It was a combination of some Rescue Remedy (an all natural stress relief tincture) and some “valor” essential oils applied to the fur on her head and shoulders, as well as letting her smell Nora’s hands with the oil on it. Millie sat on the couch, fully relaxed when the storm was rumbling through. We’ll be stocking up on that stuff for more storms, as well as the long car trips for both of them. They do not get anxious in the car, just wound up!

Good night from the Keweenaw..
–JD

Yep, last day was Thursday and it was only a half day. Wednesday was an all school picnic for Grace’s school and I am sure that they did next to nothing on Monday and Tuesday, so basically the last 3 1/2 days of school they did nothing and I still had to pay for those days, so the principle will be getting a call from me on Monday for sure!

Truth is, Nora and I both spent some time at the picnic and enjoyed our annual lunch date with Grace on Thursday. The picnic is a pretty cool idea and for the most part, they have lucked out with the weather. I do know that last year it rained at the end of the day and they had to all scoot inside for the final hour or so of the picnic and this year was a bit chilly, but the kids still have lots of fun. I stopped at the hardware store before heading over to the picnic. It is located about a block away from where the picnic was going on and as I got out of the truck to go into the store, I could hear the sounds of the kids having fun. What a wonderful sound!

For the most part, the picnic is just letting the kids run around and do what they want. They do serve them a picnic lunch and have some games for them to play. One of the games is tug-of-war. They pitch class against class in the same grade and also boys vs. girls in the same grade. That last pic was of one of the first grade matches. I had to get back home and finish my work for the day, so I was not able to see her grade go at it, but Nora did and snapped this shot of Grace getting ready, complete with her game face and war paint.

Lunch is had at a local establishment right after school is let out on Thursday. Nora has to work the rest of the day, but is a little bit more free, as her school also has a half day and is done. Not only is the lunch a tradition, but so are last-day-of-school pictures with dear old Mom and Dad.

After lunch, Gracie and I headed home, while Nora headed back to work. I did have a bit more work to do and then Gracie and I got busy hanging a hammock that we just picked up. Gracie then spent the rest of the afternoon just chilling. Man, can I remember that last day of school. It was probably as, if not more, exciting than Christmas Day. It seemed like the next school year was so far off and we were free! Since that last pic was taken, we have all had some downtime on the hammock, some of it with more than one on it at a time.

The week started a bit on the chilly side, with highs only in the upper 50’s to low 60’s, but has finished in fine form. The temp as I write is 78, with clear blue skies and low humidity. Yesterday was also a superb day, with highs in the 70’s and loads of sunshine. We sure have had some wonderful weather in the past month or so. A few off days, but thankfully we are not stringing them together in clumps of 3 or 4 like can still happen at this time of the year.

This afternoon we took advantage of the beautiful weather to head to the beach. I am always a little worried heading to the beach the second week of June, as that is typically when the biting beach flies are out. They are nasty and nothing keeps them away. They will even bite right through your clothing. So when we got to the beach today, I held my breath as we all got out of the truck, but all was well. They will start harassing you almost immediately, so it’s not like you are even able to enjoy a few moments at the beach before you have to high-tail it. There were a few horsefly’s that buzzed us all and even tried to take a few bites. That was a bit surprising, as they typically are not out until late July or early August. They are not a big deal though, as their numbers are usually small and they are slow enough that you can whack them dead before they bite.

I know that last week I commented on the sudden disappearance of the huge mosquito population we had up here and I am happy to report that there was no big rebound in their population. They did come back once the weather warmed, but to a fairly tolerable level and also have only been a problem in the usual times/spots, meaning dawn and dusk and in the deeply shaded areas. The blackflies have all but disappeared. So, so far, I can say that this bug season is starting out rather timid. That is not a personal challenge to them, just happy to report the news!

As mentioned, we all headed to the beach today and I am not sure who was more excited, Grace or the pups, but they all went prepared to swim! Upon arrival, we all tossed the fetch into the water and let the dogs do their thing. Gracie had no problem putting her toes in, but was somewhat timid to go too much further. The water temps have come up some, but are still largely in the mid to upper 40’s. So its cold for sure! I time, her bravery got the best of her and she was going in further and further. Not much time passed then before she took the full plunge! She was even brave enough to go all the way under and I have a video of her doing that. She did that several more times and then Nora and I decided she needed to get out and warmed up before hypothermia set in.

I do believe that was the first swim of the season for both the pups and Grace. Not too surprising, given the fact that a month ago we were still getting rid of the ice! I believe the pool will be going up this week. The weather looks to be pretty suitable for it going forward. Grace actually goes to camp for a week starting next Sunday, but that will give us time to put it up and for me to get a heater here and installed before she is begging me to swim with her!

I have been keeping busy with the transformation of the old utility room into a pantry. All of the work that I least like to do is over. That started with patching drywall, including some large holes that were there for vents and pipes. Then came the priming and painting and I finished the walls this morning, while Grace hug out and kept me company and fetched me a wet paper towel each time I dripped some on the floor. I know I go on and on about her, but she really is a very special girl and deserves all- and more, than I say about her. I thank God every day for her and for Nora. Nora gets almost all of the credit when it comes to Gracie’s fine qualities. Thank goodness Gracie decided to follow her mothers lead when it came time to pick a path of compassion and understanding. I am doing my best to change myself to fit in with my girls, but it takes time to teach an old dog new tricks.

Anyway, this week I hope to get the cabinets built and then cross that job off my list. I really will not have anything left that I really want to get done this building season, but I would like to build a secretary’s desk for my office and also an armoire for the bedroom. Otherwise, I think the summer will be spent hanging out in the pool, or at the beach or in the woods. Life is rough.

I guess that about covers it for this one. I know it sounds like I am working for the chamber of commerce when I say this, but we really are having some wonderful weather already and with the bugs at a minimum, we have been free to enjoy the great weather and great outdoors up here, so come on up!

Good night from the Keweenaw..
–JD

 

It’s been a pretty crazy week of weather. Things started quite warm and even humid, with highs in the 80’s and dewpoints in the upper 60’s. Most of the nights were still cooling off into the 50’s and the humidity was dropping in the evenings as well. However, it sure felt a whole lot like full blown summer. The bugs were responding to the warmth. Mostly the mosquitoes. It almost seemed like their population was doubling every 24 hours and they were eating all the other biting creatures like the black flies. By Wednesday and Thursday, it was so bad that you really did not even want to go outside…even in the middle of the day.

The bug population fluctuates not only from day to day or week to week, but season to season. I really thought that this was going to be one nasty mosquito season. In fact, I was not looking forward to writing an entry and talking about how bad they were, but I also did not want folks to come up here thinking all was as it usually is. Then, we had a cold front blast through Thursday night, with some pretty heavy rain and temps were very chilly on Friday. Highs were only in the 40’s. When it is that cold the biting insects go into hiding, so when Saturday rolled around with sunshine and 60’s, I thought for sure it would be game-on with the bugs. However, to my pleasant surprise, there were little to none of them. Today is also only in the 40’s, so it’s hard to tell if the cold on Friday killed a bunch of them off, or if they were just still in hiding.

I am hoping and leaning more towards the idea that their population just spiked with the warm and humid weather we had and then the cold did in fact kill off many of them. No doubt that there will be future generations to have to deal with the rest of this season, but as long as they only reach average population numbers, it would be great. This week is suppose to warm back up and be warm for several days in a row, so we will see how things go, but for now, it is a joy to be able to go out and not be swarmed.

Not a whole lot else is going on up here at the moment. The first taste of summer tourist season came and went with Memorial Day weekend last week and just about all of the snow-birds have arrived back home. However, we are still not yet in full swing as far as the busy summer season goes. That will be ramping up starting around next weekend and will hit its crescendo around the 4th of July period and then hold its own for the rest of the summer.

This week is the final week of school for all of the kids. For some reason, it sounds like the kids have been extra ramped up for the end of the school year to come. I am not sure if the summer-like weather we were having had anything to do with it, or if it was something else, but it sounds like most of the staff at the schools are anxiously awaiting the end of the school year, so that things can quiet down!

Gracie has a pretty nice week, with regular school on Monday and Tuesday, then the all school picnic on Wednesday. That lasts pretty much all day. Thursday is the last day and is only a half day and I doubt that any work is done that day. I remember our last day of elementary school was usually around an hour long and all we did was pick up our report cards and make sure all of our lockers and desks were cleaned out. Seemed like kind of a waste to have to wake up at the regular time, just to go in for an hour and then come home, but I did not argue much. Any day of school that was only 60 minutes long was a good one to me!

I can announce that the Laurium Glacier melted this week. We went by it on Monday and there was still some left and then by later Tuesday, it had all disappeared. I have already been in touch with the winner and his prize is on it’s way. I do have to admit that I really thought it was going to make it into June this year, but with all the warm temps and sunshine we had the last 2-3 weeks of May, it sure did melt quickly. Only about 5 short months and it will be re-building!

I also can announce that I will be starting up the warm season forecasts tomorrow. I do plan to have some new graphics for high temps and winds this season, although I am not sure if I will be able to roll out that new feature by tomorrow. Depending on how much work is involved in the new maps, I may carry them over into the winter months, as the temps are pretty important in that time as well.

I think that about covers it for this one. Short but sweet I guess!

Good night from the Keweenaw..
–JD

Happy Memorial Day! If I did not know the date and was asked to guess what holiday it is based on the weather, I would most likely be guessing Independence Day. The past 4 days we have hit 80 degrees or more and we have made it above 75 degrees for the 7 days. I am certainly not complaining and neither is anyone else up here. The extra month or two we had of winter was a tough pill to swallow for most up here.

In the last entry, I promised to show a picture of the bookcase I built for Grace. I doubt that too many of you even remembered that, but I do like to stay true to my word! So here it is. It has made a wonderful addition to her room, helping to get all of her books into one spot and organized. I am also proud to say that she was the one that did all the work, collecting the books and organizing them in the case. I am also happy to see empty space on it, as she is a total bookworm. She has read all of the books in that case, plus a lot more. There is a stack of around 30 books that she did not put into the case and said she wants to donate them. Plus, she seems to read a library book about once a week and I am not talking about the small kids books, but rather novels, many of them adult. I am going to a bit of bragging here, so forgive a proud dad, but all of that reading has caused her to be very good at it. They recently did testing in her school and her reading score was what is expected when a student is finishing up 12th grade. I think by the time I was in the 12th grade, I was already in a backwards slide, due to lack of reading!

Anyway, back to the goings on in the Keweenaw. Last week I shared a picture of the tree tops as they were just beginning to fill out. That filling out process went very quickly and here is the looks of the woods now. We did get a little bit of rain this week, but not enough to really give everything a good soaking. Nora has been busy watering her plants and I am seriously thinking about putting the pool up this week. The shade the filled out trees provide is very welcomed and helps to keep them from becoming tinder dry, even on the warm and sunny days like today. There has also been a greening up of the floor of the woods. That greening up is lagging the greening in the canopy, but is also helping to reduce the fire danger I harped on in last weeks entry. We are still at an elevated risk, but the DNR fire risk sign down the highway has gone from “Extreme” to “Moderate” this week and for that I am thankful.

The amount of vehicles on the roads has also increased noticeably in the past week or so. Probably more due to the return of the snowbirds than tourists, but there have been quite a few out of town licence plates spotted as well. It really is amazing how much more active this area gets in the summer. I think those of you that have only been up here to play in the snow would be surprised at all that is going on up here in the summer.

Yesterday, Grace, my brother and I headed out to the mouth of the Montreal River. It has always been one of my favorite spots up here, but I also had not been out there since Grace was born, and Grace and my brother had never been there. It’s weird preparing for a hike like that up here at this time of the year. While the temp at our house was 80 degrees, it can be in the 40’s when you are right down by the lake. So you ponder if you want to wear shorts or long pants and not if you are going to bring a jacket, but what kind! There is also the issue of the bugs. The have come out in what I guess could be said full force, although I think the drier weather is keeping the mosquito population at bay and the blackfly population also does not seem to be as bad as it can get.

We all were able to pick out suitable and flexible attire and headed up Hwy 41 to the Lac La Belle turn off. Then down to Lac La Belle and up the coast towards Smith Fisheries. The road seemed to be in slightly better shape than I remembered it and when we got to the parking area, there were more vehicles there than I have ever seen. Granted there were not dozens of vehicles, but probably 8-12 there and all the other times I have been out there, I have only seen 1-2 other vehicles.

Conditions for the hike in were nearly ideal. It was a little chillier down by the lake than it was inland, but still very comfortable and all of the jackets remained in the backpack or around our waists. We had brought bug dope, but were fortunate enough to not even need that. I would consider that a minor miracle, as I thought that the blackflys would be horrible out there.

One of the neat things about the falls at the mouth of the Montreal is that they run pretty hard all year long. I have been there in late summer, which is typically the time of the year that the river levels are at their lowest and there is still enough flowing that you cannot cross. I also have never been there during the peak water level period during the spring melt, but hope to be able to some day. However, it gets complicated as the snow hangs around on the road and trail in, so the best way would be to get there via boat.

It’s probably about a mile hike from the parking area to the falls, but about 1/8th of a mile into the hike, you are treated to a vista of the falls and also can hear its muted thunder. That is always a fun little pick me up to get you excited to get there. Then, once you are within around 1/8th to 1/4 mile away from the falls, the sound of them becomes very clear and you can see the current from the river going out into the lake. We were treated to all of that on our hike in and when we arrived, we were treated to a pretty healthy river flowing over the rocks to the big lake.

Gracie was in total awe of the place. She is a very happy and inquisitive person by nature and loves to explore- much like here mom and dad. So she had a blast checking out all the different areas of the falls. There are numerous levels of falls at that spot and the falls in their entirety go on for about 120-150 yards, so there is lots to explore! That is the exact thing I loved to do as a kid, so I let her have all the time she wanted. I honestly do not know who had more fun, her doing the exploring, or me tagging along with her and watching her have all that fun!

We spent probably close to an hour out there and decided to make the hike back to the truck and head home, as it was already around 4 in the afternoon and the total trip with hiking and driving combined is around an hour and a half. Before leaving though, I did perch myself in a spot where I could see most of the falls and took a panoramic picture of them for you all. In case you were wondering, that was not a black bear watching the couple fish, but rather their black lab. Although I was sure tempted to try and pull a fast one and say it was a bear!

I guess that about covers it for this one. We sure are in summer full swing and it feels good!

Good night from the Keweenaw..
–JD