The Keewenaw

Copper Country Cruising

Michigan Tech can be a fairly boring place to be entombed 9 months out of the year. However, duing the fall, the colors are amazing. So, to escape near-certain Cabin-Fever in the upcoming winter months, students will pile into their cars and go driving the back roads of the Keewenaw Penninsula. It's called The Copper Country for all the copper mining that has been done there over the years..

Here are a few shots from around MTU.....

Here's a shot from my Dorm Room in Wadsworth Hall. You're looking Northwest towards campus. The Big brown building is the EERC (Electrical Engineering Resource Center). The green hills are on the other side of the Portage Canal, where Hancock is.

This is a view of the Tech Campus, Houghton, the Kennedy Lift Bridge, and Hancock across the Portage Canal. As you can see, the fall colors have just started to get bright in this picture, and it really shows off what a beautiful campus Tech has.
The Lift Bridge is a nifty bridge. It has two levels - One is the road, the other (lower) is a railroad & roadway. THe center section of the bridge can lift up to allow the freighters that cut across the Keewenaw using the Portage Canal to fit under it.

Here's a view of the North Side of the portage as you head towards Chassel, southeast of Houghton. The colors seem a bit faded since the sun isn't out.

Here is a gorgeous little pond that's just off of Lake Superior (You can see the Lake off in the distance) on the way to Eagle Harbor at the very tip of the Keewenaw.

This small bridge is over the stream that comes out of the pond up above. It ws such a lovely contrast of colors that I had to take the picture. This whole little roadside park was just a wonderful spot to stop and enjoy the colors, the smells, and the feel of a Michigan fall.

Here's where that same stream winds its way off into the woods. Again, you get a real feel for a Michigan fall on a grey, misty kind of day. On this trip, I ended up taking my flute to a small bay on the Lake Superior shore, and just sitting there playing while I listened to the waves, and the silence.

Here's another shot to really get the feel of the Upper Penninsula - This one is from a small pull-off picnic table and shelter on a little bay of Lake Superior. You can see the highway curving off into the distance, headed North towards Eagle Harbor. Even on a busy day, it seems like no one is around and you're alone in the world. Just the wind, the waves, and you.

This shot is from Brockway Mountain, looking over Eagle Harbor and Lake Superior...You can see a storm rolling towards us, that you can see in this next photo...

Here's a slightly different angle from the same place - You can see the storm is hitting Eagle Harbor now, and the mist is really starting to sock in the view from the Mountain!

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