Day 3: Fun and Forts

Saturday, June 15, 2013

Minutes before the clock went off in the early morning, the light pitter-patter of rain on the tent woke us up.  Checking the local radar from the comfort of my sleeping bag, we were in for a short break before heavier rains moved in.  With military precision, camp was broken down and we in the car just in time – a gully washer ensued.  iPhones are great.  I don’t care what people say.

With the rain, we had a quick breakfast in Houghton…er, Hancock….oh, hell, I don’t know.  We ate in town. 

The rain did not dampen our spirits at all.  We had set aside the morning to visit the Keweenaw National Historic Park anyway, so it didn’t really matter.  Housed in Calumet’s old Masonic Temple, this awesome addition to the National Park Service does a super job of laying out the details of the copper mining industry during its heyday.  Among the many cool period items was a step and chair set from the aforementioned Italian Hall Disaster.  Creepy to say the least.

The rain did not dampen our spirits at all.  We had set aside the morning to visit the Keweenaw National Historic Park anyway, so it didn’t really matter.  Housed in Calumet’s old Masonic Temple, this awesome addition to the National Park Service does a super job of laying out the details of the copper mining industry during its heyday.  Among the many cool period items was a step and chair set from the aforementioned Italian Hall Disaster.  Creepy to say the least.

As predicted by the ‘ole iPhone weather app, the rain broke.  A short shuffle up the road brought us to Copper Harbor.  Tiny, but picturesque (The population?  Negative 18 people), it was time for some hiking.  With dueling Ovenbirds at the hike’s start, we walked to the Lake Superior shoreline on some Nature Conservancy property. Having lunch on a rocky shore should be on everyone list of things to do.  We’re serious here.  Natalie, by this point, was in full nature mode, soaking up every flower, bird and rock. Yes, folks, a new addition to the “B” theme on this silly blog – boulders.  The stones were awesome.  We were diggin’ rocks just as much as anything else. 

At one point, we were pondering a chunk of sedimentary rock that clearly had the “ripples” on it, showing how, once upon a time, that rock was sandy beach front property. The ripples had been caused by the crashing waves and cemented into place as the millions of years ticked by.  How said chunk of ancient stone ended up in my backpack is not certain……

Afternoon drinks were had at the Brickside Brewery.  A tiny place in a tiny town this place is certainly worth a stop.  No food, but so what.  Give it a whirl. We suspect you’ll like it.

Walter’s Wiezen, Mosquito Lake Pale Ale, UP IPA, and the Mud Lake Brown Ale (#1449-1452) were all pretty well done. The Wiezen was light and citrusy.  It would be pretty fair on a hot summer day (which it wasn’t).  The Pale Ale and IPA were both pretty fair representation of their styles. It was nice to try the styles next to each other. They can be similar in the eyes of some folks, but the Pales pale when compared directly to IPAs. The hop tones just aren’t as strong. If you are an IPA guy (like I am now), Pale Ales almost seem weak.  The Brown was the best of the four. The Belgian influence was nice.

Beware.  They have candles on each table. If you flip pages on your notebook and the corner ends up near the open flame it might just catch fire. How would we know this…..

With a few hours to dilly-dally before dinner, there is nothing better than a historic fort.  Built in 1844 in anticipation of chaos associated with the copper mining rush, Fort Wilkins turned out to be completely unnecessary.  Abandoned two years later, it was re-garrisoned during the Civil War only to be abandoned again.  After soldiers came and went, entrepreneurs did the same as business ventures failed.  By the 1930s, restoration of the fort, now a state park, was underway. 

Always trying to appreciate the efforts soldiers forced to live in the middle of nowhere, the exhibits did a super job of laying out how life moved along (or didn’t).  Period arms, clothing, kitchen equipment and other nifty items were on display throughout the various structures.

Opportunities like this also give you the chance to really think about that experience (in the 21^st century) vs what they would experienced almost 200 years previous.  The smell of the lake, for example.  Would it have been the same? I suspect so.  The Alder Flycatcher calling the woods? Certainly, they would have heard it. The Merlin catching bugs high over head.  The same, I’m sure, if they bothered to look up.  It is like time travel.

Speaking of time travel, one the most interesting things to me was use of a period DeWalt drill. We can only gather that officers (certainly not the enlisted) had perfected a time machine, travelled into the early 21^st century and snitched a powertool.  Of all the things to grab before returning the mid-19^th century…

Camping and dinner were at the Fort.  An evening drive took us up and over Brockway Mountain and up to Eagle Harbor. With the clouds finally breaking (it had been cloudy all day, even after the rain stopped), we hustled back to Copper Harbor with the hopes of securing lighthouse photos in beautiful evening light. Yeah, cool idea. Didn’t happen. As we made our way out to the harbor, the light shifted again. Very….blah. Not gray and ugly, but certainly not what I was hoping for either…..

With the sun gone (or nearly so), Nat and I decided to head back the Brickside for another round of drinks.  The Park Bench Porter (#1453) and Stone Ship Stout (#1454)  are just superb.  Even experienced beer snobs can having trouble separating the two. Hell, sometimes brewers and authors can’t tell you.  So what. Have ‘em both.  The stout edged out the porter.  Pitch black, smooth and refreshing enough you could fill a pool and jump in it, I would not hesitate to buy this beer if I could secure here in Detroit. A “5” for sure. Damn good. 

It was also here that we noted a new rule live by – be mindful when drunks are playing darts.

 Imagine a man so drunk he wobbles when he stands.  Imagine a dart board on a post (not a wall). Imagine a walking space of at least 4 feet behind the post.  Imagine a beautiful, young woman walking to the restrooms via the small walking space behind the board. Imagine the previously stated drunkard flinging a dart at the board…  Can you see the disaster in the making?   Holy crap. No, the woman was not Natalie but holy crap, what is the first-aid response when a metal tip dart enters your head?  (For the record, the man was a very good shot. How he managed to hit the board is anybody’s guess…)

Day 2 – Falls And Fires

Friday, June 14, 2013

The same birds that put us to sleep the night before woke our butts up early.  Maybe they were thanking us for drinking Bird-friendly Coffee on the shores of Lake Superior?  A quick camp breakfast gave us the fuel to head out to Miner’s Castle (photo below) and Miner’s Falls.  The trails were pleasant and “birdy”.  Yellow-bellied Sapsuckers were nesting (yes, folks, there is such a bird!).  Least Flycatchers were calling everywhere. Yellow-rumped Warblers and Great Crested Flycatchers, too.

It was at this point, by the way, that I realized that songbird photography was going to be difficult, if not impossible.  Sure, while territorial birds will be faithful to a given spot, that spot could be dozens of yards off in to the sticks or dozens of feet up a tree.  This set the tone for the trip – lots of “birding by ear”.

After suffering through nuclear Dijon mustard on our sandwiches (gotta watch that stuff), drinks were had at the Jasper Ridge Brewery. Rope’s Golden Wheat, JRBs Upside Down Brown, Rye’d the Tiger, and JRB’s IPA (#1444-1446) were all fair for the most part.  The IPA seemed to edge the others, but that is not saying much.  I cant fault any of them for sure, but I cant say they were the best beers in the world. Stunningly average, you might say.

Keep in mind, my camera did not go to waste. Yes, birding was a challenge, but before the trip, I purchased some neutral density filters.  In short, they work as sunglasses for your camera.  Longer exposures are possible during daylight hours. 

On a recommendation from a brewery buddy (Thanks Brant!), we made sure we made a stop at the Sturgeon River, specifically Canyon Falls. Holy cow!  Photographically, I couldn’t do a thing with the falls. The light. The shadows.  Impossible for me.  The river?  Much better. No, we won’t hang it on our wall, but it’s okay.

Flowers were awesome, too.  Fringed Polygala, Yellow Clintonia (named after the President), Starflower, and Nodding Trilliums were everywhere.

After camping was secured in Houghton/Hancock , it was off to dinner in Calumet.  The Michigan House Café is home to Red JacketBrewery. While the building dates back to the turn of the 20^th Century (with a killer mural from 1906), they have not been brewing beer that long.  This place is a must.  (By the way, The Gipper worked here back in the day.)

While I only had two beers here, they are worldly as far as we are concerned.  The Downtown Brown (#1447) was clean, crisp and had a very nice sweetness throughout the experience.  The literature suggested nothing about grapes, but I swear I was getting a hint. Perhaps this is associated with style; it was an English Brown Ale.  The Oatmeal Express Stout (#1448) was even better.  Caramelly (that is a word now if it was not a moment ago), smooth. Wowzers.  Damn good. 

A short hop up the street found us on site for one for one of the darkest chapters in labor history.

Calumet is functionally a ghost town of it former self. By 1900, the region had a population exceeding 25,000 people.  It was all about the copper mines; employees were not treated well.  Foreshadowing issues of today, miners had concerns about job security, pay, and safety. Their union was brand new so they went on strike in 1913.

After five months, nothing had changed.  On Christmas Eve, striking miners and their families gathered on the second floor of the local hall (photo above) for a holiday party.   Apparently, some wanker yelled “Fire!” in the crowded room.  There was no fire.  A rush a people towards the stairs became a crush of people at the bottom of the stairs.  Over seventy people died that night. Most of them were children. 

History of what is now known as the Italian Hall Disaster seems to be a bit sketchy.  The structure of the doors at the stair’s bottom -did they open out? Did they open in (and thereby prevent the onslaught of people from opening them?).  In a sense, it doesn’t matter – dozens of children died when they should have been having a good old time with family.

To make matters worse, the coroner’s inquiry was a comical operation (key witnesses weren’t even there that night and non-English speaking witnesses had to answer questions in,….yes, you guessed it….English. ). Officially, we don’t know what happened.  Unofficially, there are suggestions that the “fire-yeller” was associated with the mines. We’ll never know.

In any case, the building was leveled a few years back. The arch over the doorway was preserved and has become the centerpiece to the memorial now under the KeweenawNational Historic Park.

The next time you get frustrated about work contracts, think about Calumet.

With the summer solstice approaching (the year’s longest day) and our northern latitude, it wasn’t dark until well after 10:30.  Sleep was good.

Day 1: On The Road

Thursday, June 13, 2013

After a mega-trek through the desert southwest last summer, Natalie and I decided that a “more local” twist on summer vacation was in order.  Basically, the route was the famed Lake Superior Circle Tour:  Michigan’s Upper Peninsula, Wisconsin, Minnesota, and Ontario. 

Sure, birds can be the focus, but if your life revolves around only birds, I would argue you are a bit lost.  Beer?  Yes, now were talkin’.  History?  Always.  Life in general?  Got it.  Combine those factors and you have a trip the way they should be….

Keep in mind, for those of you that are taking notes, this is the first two-week trip I have taken in over 12 years (at least) were my chances of a “new bird” were basically zero.  This trip was built around Natalie’s needs to secure some boreal birds: Connecticut Warbler , Black-backed Woodpecker, and Boreal Chickadee just to name a few.  Sure, many of these birds can be found in Michigan (some even breed here). Trust me, that played into our decisions as went…

My National Park map, complete with pins marking the locations that I have visited (just like fourth-graders might do) had some holes in the region.  She gets some birds.  I get some pins.  We get some beer.  It all works out. 

In any case, mega-road trip ’13 didn’t start until the early afternoon. Natalie, a teacher a training, had to pass a test mandated by the State.  In short, it confirms you have a pulse.  She passed it easily.  Duh.  From Ann Arbor, we hit the road.

The drive was more or less uneventful.  The creamed Pileated Woodpecker on the I-75 shoulder was unfortunate.  On the positive side, the baby porcupine did not suffer the same fate.  Refusing to have dinner at the Big Suck Brewery, we pressed onto St. Ignace for chow.  (How Natalie’s bladder lasted this long is a question for the ages...)  Fresh salmon and a Mad Hatter at the Village Inn certainly worked.

Continuing to scoot, we managed Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore by dusk.  Whipping up the tent at the Twelve Mile Beach Campground in minutes (we’re pros at this point), we wandered the beach until dark. 

Ovenbirds, Black-throated Green Warblers, and thrushes wished us well as we slept…in the cold.  It was quite chilly. I was already regretting the lack of cool weather gear.

Apparently, the star show that night was really something else. I, however, was perfectly comfortable in my sleeping bag.  I just couldn’t fathom getting up and out to see something I’d be seeing most nights for the next two weeks.  You can see where this is going, can’t you…?