More of Copper Harbor, July 1/2, Tuesday & Wednesday

Copper Harbor Marina

one of the prettiest harbors ever

On Monday morning, we biked to town in order to obtain wifi to check emails & work on our blogs. We sat @ the restaurant Pines, for a while using their Internet & the pay phone. We found the Visitors Center later, where it was nicer to sit & use their Internet & visit with the older volunteer ladies. 

 We are enjoying really nice weather, deep blue clear skies and sun. It's a bit cooler than I would like, it's sweatshirt weather most of the time with a bit warmer thrown in once in a while. 

Monday afternoon, we biked the 4 miles uphill to Estivan Pines Sanctuary.  The 2 mile hiking trail weaves by 500 year old giant old growth Eastern white pines, some more than 300 feet tall & up to 5 feet in diameter.  It was almost a wilderness experience. The path was marked but pretty rugged. The walking sticks that Jeri gave us for Christmas really came in handy. 
We glimpsed an eagle soaring above our heads against the deep blue sky & ceiling of pine branches; awesome!  We couldn't believe how much longer it took us to get to the pines than it took us to fly down the hills back. Not like riding bikes in flat Ohio. 

in the back of Keith's pick up truck

After dinner, Keith our super assistant Harbor Master gave us a priceless gift. When he got off work @ 9:00 PM, we loaded into the back of his pick up truck

our view from Brockway Mountain

& headed up Brockway Mountain Drive.  What a spectacular view, especially at sunset.  At the top, It was so clear we could see Isle Royale, which is 60 miles away. Our elevation was 1400 & we could see for miles & miles (just like the song).  

Thank you Keith!  We wish you many more beautiful sunsets!  Another memorable day for us. 

our  view of Copper Harbor Lighthouse from kayak

Tuesday morning, blue skies, sun & cool, we rode our bikes into town again (there is a big hill we have to pedal up) and I published our blog. Doug emailed his cousins, we hope to meet up with on our next stop. When we got back to the boat, Doug & Garry put our new Folbot kayak together. It folds up into 2 bags which we store in the dinghy. It's very cool and comfortable. We paddled around the entire Copper Harbor & even a bit out into Lake Superior. Another day of calm waters.  We were entertained by loons, ducks & a big huge trout. 

that's us kayaking, pic taken by a new friend, Sharon

We have especially enjoyed the song of a bird we've called our "up north bird" because every time we are up north we hear this beautiful, long, song.  We were told Karen @ the coffee shop knows her birds (so does our friend Kathy) & if Doug could whistle the song, she would be able to identify it. Well Doug whistled a great rendition & she told us that the bird is a white throated sparrow. We still haven't seen one but we've heard the song often this trip. 

Today, we finally were joined by some more boats @ the Marina.  Since Sunday morning, when Alizann left, we've had the Marina to ourselves. Three impressive boats came in from Isle Royale. They are on their way home to Lake Michigan. We now know for sure that Alizaan made it to Isle Royale because these boats met them there. 

We enjoyed "docktails" on Day Dreams bridge & it had even warmed up enough to take the sweatshirts off. Jacque invited us to Waterford for a delicious meal out on the back deck.  After dinner, we donned our nets to keep away the mosquitoes from our heads & hiked out to Lake Superior for the sunset. We may not see too many sunrises, but we don't miss too many sunsets. We hiked back, luckily Garry & Doug are always prepared & had their flashlights with them because it got dark in the woods. Side not: sunset is after 10 PM up here. 

We wish you all many more beautiful sunrises & sunsets. 

         Love,   Jan & Doug