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64 images Created 1 Apr 2014

Wintry U.P. Wanderings

This is a gallery of various Upper Peninsula photographic subjects from my trip there in mid-March, 2014. The U.P. is a vast, wild, and wondrous place, that offers pristine wilderness areas, hundreds of waterfalls, some of America's most wonderful architecture, a rich industrial and cultural heritage, and is a home to some wonderful people. I look forward to every visit to the U.P. and I am always reluctant to leave.
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  • I'm not big on car photos, but I took this shot to capture the snow depth, which is significantly greater than the height of my truck. This is Rock River Road (also known as H01) in Alger County, just a bit north of Chatham, where the road heads into dense forest.
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  • This is the Rock River as it wanders its way out of the densely forested wilderness north of Chatham, Michigan. At this point in the protracted winter of 2013-14, the river is almost completely frozen.
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  • This is a sepia-tone panoramic image that I created from a Munising cliff side view of Grand Island and the old East Channel Light. This can be a desolate place in the heart of winter.
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  • I just liked the feeling I got from the wood smoke coming out of this little house on Munising Bay at the dawn of this very chilly winter morning.
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  • One of the things that I really like about the U.P. is that things tend to be re-used or recycled. That's why so many of its architectural treasures are still in existence, even if used for something other than their original purpose. This was the Washington Grade School on the east side of Munising, until 1979. It's an elegant school building, with stylistic touches in the masonry, and great symmetry. In 1993, it was renovated and reopened as the Alger County Heritage Center. That's quite an enormous woven basket in their front yard.
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  • Munising's commercial district has all of the stuff that you need. The Ace Hardware in this photo had an amazing selection of snowblowers on display. This shot kinda reminds me of Northern Exposure .... all that's missing is the moose (actually, they do live around here).
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  • One example of the many beautiful Upper Peninsula homes. So many of these houses, which were built in the early 1900s, are still in place, and receiving wonderful care from their owners.
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  • This pretty Munising home provides a look at the basic winter accoutrements for an Upper Peninsula family. These include his-and-hers snowshoes, his-and-hers snow shovels, an extension ladder for climbing up on the roof (which must be shoveled), and the barely visible snowmobile (at right) for retrieving things from the market.
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  • This is the entry arch to the swimming beach on Lake Superior in Marquette County along M-28. Even though I captured this image on March 13, Lake Superior is frozen as far as the eye can see in this record-setting, brutally cold winter.
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  • This old building, a typical retail store from the turn of the last century, appears to be relatively intact. In fact, from my way of thinking, it has a pleasing "curb appeal". Whenever I see buildings with this character, I have to wonder about the amazing stories that could be told. I also can't help but to wonder what commercial endeavor could be brought to life within its walls today, resulting in the preservation of the U.P. architecture.
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  • Despite the relatively brutal winter of 2013-14 (which really has no impact on real Yoopers), Upper Peninsula humor appears to be alive and well. I'm not sure quite exactly what this bit of U.P. visual commentary is all about, but it occurs to me that it took nearly as much effort to get that dummy up there on this Calumet home as it would have to simply shovel the roof.
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  • Still in use, the Christ Episcopal Church is one of the original churches of Calumet, Michigan. This very simple, yet elegant structure was built in 1893 and, in my opinion, remains quite beautiful to this wintry day.
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  • Another great story of re-purposing in the Upper Peninsula, and specifically Calumet, is that of the First Presbyterian Church, which opened in 1894. As the population of Calumet has dropped substantially after the copper boom, the congregations of many of the beautiful churches could no longer financially maintain their buildings. Some congregations consolidated; some largely disappeared. Not all of the old churches have been re-purposed, yet, but this beautiful old church now provides a home for the Calumet Art Center, which provides a learning environment for art, culture, and history for the people of the Keweenaw.
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  • Turrets are a common architectural feature on Calumet and Laurium commercial buildings and homes. Given the number of churches in these towns, steeples are a common site, as well.
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  • Built between 1903 and 1908, at a cost of $100,000, this beautiful structure started out as St. Joseph's Catholic Church, which served the Slovenian Catholic congregation of Calumet. As the population of Calumet collapsed, four Catholic congregations consolidated into one, making this building their church, and renaming it St. Paul the Apostle Church.
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  • Built between 1903 and 1908, at a cost of $100,000, this beautiful structure started out as St. Joseph's Catholic Church, which served the Slovenian Catholic congregation of Calumet. As the population of Calumet collapsed, the four congregations of Calumet consolidated into one, making this building their church, and renaming it St. Paul the Apostle Church.
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  • Another of Calumet's beautiful buildings is the Oak Street Inn. Although it originally housed a tavern and grocery store on it's lower level, it lives on as a large group lodging facility with three huge private suites. The front of this building is beautiful, with styling touches similar to those of many of Calumet's old commercial buildings. This is a terrific example of how Calumet's new business community is investing in the area's architectural legacy while creating new economic activity in the town.
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  • St. Mary's Catholic Church in Calumet remains quite beautiful, but has been abandoned by many years.
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  • One of the many beautiful Calumet/Laurium homes, nestled in a deep blanket of snow. With street parking being out of the question in Calumet during the winter, people create "parking nooks" wherever they can.
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  • One of the many beautiful Calumet/Laurium homes, nestled in a deep blanket of snow.
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  • One of the many beautiful Calumet/Laurium homes, nestled in a deep blanket of snow.
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  • One of the many beautiful Calumet/Laurium homes, nestled in a deep blanket of snow.
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  • I just love irony!!
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  • Sometimes, in the cold of a Keweenaw winter, you just need to have a little nip. While there are lots of pubs in northern Michigan, this is THE U.P. Pub. Kinda reminds me of the old Northern Exposure show. By the way, the Copperdog 150 is the annual sled dog race that is held here in Calumet, and it's a really big deal!!
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  • This building could use some paint, a bit of mortar work, and, ideally, a return of the symmetry of the facing of the first floor. Setting those issues aside, this early 1900s structure is a thing of beauty. What an awesome headquarters it would make for a small to midsize business.
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  • One of the true architectural marvels of Calumet is St. Anne's Catholic Church.
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  • One of the true architectural marvels of Calumet is St. Anne's Catholic Church.
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  • One of the true architectural marvels of Calumet is St. Anne's Catholic Church.
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  • One of the many beautiful Calumet/Laurium homes, nestled in a deep blanket of snow.
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  • One of the many beautiful Calumet/Laurium homes, nestled in a deep blanket of snow.
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  • Just guessing ... this image suggests that the owner may have had his fill of shoveling.
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  • This homeowner has crafted a narrow pathway to his front door for the mailman, but Mother Nature is busy today, as well.
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  • Copper City is another tiny little hamlet that grew out of the copper boom of long ago.
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  • Copper City, like Calumet and Laurium, has beautiful, and well preserved old frame houses. I would love to have a home with a front porch like this one.
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  • In Copper City, this is another of the many Upper Peninsula retail storefronts that could, with a bit of paint and TLC, rise again. The challenge that entrepreneurs face is always that of commercial viability, which is nothing new, except that virtually all of the customers must arrive through either tourist traffic or the internet.
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  • The Cliff Range, midway into Keweenaw County, provides an endless array of beautiful, natural sights for a photographer.
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  • I love the look of fresh powder snow. This seasonal back country road follows a parallel path to the Keweenaw's Cliff Range. About 2.5 miles into the forest (just beyond the curve ahead), the snow plowing stops.
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  • Ice caves gained notoriety during the winter of 2013-14 in the UP. Most folks looked at caves on Grand Island, the Apostle Islands, or in the Rock River Canyon Wilderness. I found this cave up on one of the peaks of the Cliff Range, and had to capture this photo with a very long lens. I kinda wonder what's living in there!
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  • Snowy 2014 winter images from Michigan's Copper Country.
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  • The Cliff Range, midway into Keweenaw County, provides an endless array of beautiful, natural sights for a photographer.
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  • The Cliff Range, midway into Keweenaw County, provides an endless array of beautiful, natural sights for a photographer.
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  • The Cliff Range, midway into Keweenaw County, provides an endless array of beautiful, natural sights for a photographer.
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  • In an image so reminiscent of sea ice photos taken from Alaskan shores, you can see the amazing extent of Lake Superior's freeze-up in the winter of 2013-14. The ice extends from the shoreline at Eagle River to the horizon. As I write this caption, I have just heard of the woes of the fleet of Coast Guard icebreakers that have been struggling to break this ice up for the start of the 2014 Great Lakes shipping season.
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  • In this idyllic setting, white-tailed deer mill about in an Eagle River picnic spot. It seems that this location has become that one special place where the locals bring food to the deer. While I was parked here, observing the deer, a constant parade of local vehicles drove up, tossed out vegetables and fruit, and drove on. Given the snow depth, this may be the key to the deer's survival.
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  • These white-tailed deer are so accustomed to the threat-free nature of the visitors to the Eagle River park that they remain calm and almost pose for photos.
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  • This is M-26 leading north and east out of Eagle River, toward Eagle Harbor. What a breathtaking view I experienced on that entire journey.
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  • This is Holy Transfiguration Skete, a Roman Catholic Monastery in a very remote Keweenaw location, at Jacob's Falls on the Lake Superior shoreline.
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  • At Copper Harbor, which is as far north as you can go in Michigan (without going to Isle Royale, that is), many of the businesses are closed for winter. However, the Mariner North is always open, and has great food, lodging, and other nice things for weary, hungry explorers.
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  • This is the passage from Copper Harbor out into Lake Superior. Like everything else, it was frozen solid in mid-March of 2014.
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  • While the Harbor Haus is a renowned eating establishment, with an amazing view of the harbor in summer, it closes for the season in early autumn, and the building must endure the winter onslaught at the top of the Keweenaw.
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  • This is highway US-41 heading south and west out of Copper Harbor toward Lac La Belle. Back in Green Bay, this is a freeway with four lanes in each direction, but, here in the northern Keweenaw, it's 2 lanes, covered with snow and ice, and no shoulder. It's almost indescribably beautiful, here.
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  • At Lac La Belle, it snows almost continuously from Thanksgiving until April. Because of its location, it almost really doesn't matter which way the wind is blowing, as the lake effect snow will still be there. The only exception was this winter, in which the completely frozen surface of Lake Superior eventually led to the cessation of most lake effect snow, as the water could no longer evaporate from the lake's surface. Just the same, this shot illustrates what happens if you neglect to run the snowblower for a couple of weeks in the Keweenaw.
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  • Highly qualified skiers and snowboarders make the long trek to the tip of the Keweenaw, and Mount Bohemia.
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  • Making my way south from the Keweenaw, I decided to stop in the town of Crystal Falls, another of the Upper Peninsula's great spots, rich with history and fantastic, well-preserved architecture.
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  • A big part of the UP economy is the pulpwood industry. Here is another huge load of wood moving down highway US-2.
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  • Nothing short of an architectural masterpiece, the Iron County Courthouse has the appearance of being brand new. This is truly one of the great historic buildings in the entire state of Michigan.
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  • Nothing short of an architectural masterpiece, the Iron County Courthouse has the appearance of being brand new. This is truly one of the great historic buildings in the entire state of Michigan.
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  • Another beautiful building in Crystal Falls is the Forest Park School.
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  • As is the case with Calumet and Laurium, Crystal Falls also has many well-preserved old homes.
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  • As is the case with Calumet and Laurium, Crystal Falls also has many well-preserved old homes.
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  • As is the case with Calumet and Laurium, Crystal Falls also has many well-preserved old homes.
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  • Located in front of the Iron County Courthouse is a stone monument to the Finnish settlers that contributed to building the economic and social environment of the western UP.
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  • On my way back from the UP, I decided to stop and capture this image of the Dickinson County Courthouse, which is another of those beautiful and well-preserved examples of Upper Peninsula architecture.
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  • Heading back into Wisconsin on my return from the Keweenaw in 2014, I stopped in Niagara, Wisconsin, to capture this shot of the Niagara Cliffs, which stand along side a very frozen Menominee River.
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