Snow in July!

Ok, we didn’t exactly have snow. But sure had some showers of white, fluffy stuff not too long ago.

Here’s the culprit…

The cottonwood trees combined with some wind really make it seem like it was snowing in July. To be honest, I’m glad it was this type of “snow.” It’s been a chilly July, so I’ve been wondering if this was a summer where we would get the real stuff!

Where in the Copper Country #15

No one took a guess at last week’s picture. It’s the newer addition to Hunter’s Point in Copper Harbor. They have done a lot out there to make it nice and more accessible to everyone.

NOTE: It’s the second trailhead at Hunter’s Point – the one down North Coast Road.

This week’s picture is from a lake that we have kayaked before. It’s a very shallow lake, but has some good perch and pike fishing.

Where in the Copper Country is this pic taken?

Where in the Copper Country #14

dcclark figured out the answer to last week’s mystery location. The picture was taken at Horseshoe Harbor. What an amazing place!

This week’s picture is a newer addition to the Copper Country. It is a beautifully done handicapped accessible viewing platform. What a wonderful place to sit and watch some Lake Superior waves.

Where in the Copper Country is this picture taken?

Copper Harbor Fireworks

I can go on and on and on about the 4th of July fireworks in Copper Harbor. I love them!! I tried taking some pics during last year’s show. Fireworks are tough to shoot. But practice makes perfect (hopefully!) so I tried again this year.

We arrived a little later than usual this year so we had a different viewing area. We still had a nice spot right next to the water on the sand.

The show was different this year. For the first time (that I know of), they played the Star Spangled Banner from the island before the fireworks show. That was a nice touch, although it was tough to hear through all of the chatter on the mainland.

After the song ended, the show began.

After what seems like a very nice display, the fireworks stop. A woman near us started talking about how nice the show was. But it wasn’t over yet. The people setting off the fireworks on the island want to know if us on the mainland are ready for the finale.

Slowly the audience started clapping and the yelling. It grew in volume. Then we heard a lone male on the mainland yell, “Git er done!“.

The island fireworks crew must have been impressed – they started the finale.

Pictures do not do the Copper Harbor fireworks justice. If you have never seen them before, I highly recommend that you try to catch them! Copper Harbor may be small, but they sure know how to wow everyone with their fireworks display.

Being at the Right Place at the Right Time

We are a family of freighter-lovers. If we hear that one will be coming through the Portage Canal, we try to get over there to catch it. We don’t always hear about them, though, and Boatnerd.com doesn’t always hint that a freighter is in the Portage.

But anytime we catch a bigger vessel going through the Portage is a treat!

We recently were driving down M-203 and caught a glimpse of a bigger vessel through the trees. We hurried to the closest viewing point of Lily Pond and made it just in time. I was in such a hurry I forgot to grab our camera and had to run back to get it. I managed to get a shot of a US Army Corps of Engineers barge and tug. Click picture for larger view.

We wondered where it was taking the load of rocks. If we had more time to spare, we would have followed it to see if it went all the way to the bridge. That would have been a treat to watch the bridge go up. Reminds me of when we caught the Ranger going under the bridge last summer (and the model our son made).

We were at the right place at the right time to catch that tug and barge :)