AMERICA the Beautiful! - Part 3

After the parade was over on the morning of July 4th, we ran a few errands and then made a beeline back to Copper Harbor via Hwy. 41.

I snapped a quick photo of the fence at the Keweenaw Mountain Lodge as we passed by - another project completed during The Great Depression.

As we drove down into Copper Harbor, we couldn't help but notice the boat on the harbor.

The weather was delightful - 74° and sunny - pretty perfect!  We spent the afternoon walking around town.  We visited almost all the shops (including the old-fashioned candy store), watched the potato sack races in the school yard, chatted with people, and enjoyed a brat and a pop at the cookout by the Copper Harbor Volunteer Fire Department in the Township Park.  That may sound dull to some of you, but we enjoyed it all.  Copper Harbor is a very laid back place; that's what we love about it.

After all that excitement, we went back to our room and had our dinner while relaxing on our deck.  Here's the 4th of July action on the harbor.

Here we go again!

Yes, that was another Lake Freighter.  Boy, the harbor was busy for a while.

Oh no!  A storm started moving in. 

The people who had gathered to watch the fireworks on the hillside near our motel ran for cover.  We were hoping the storm would pass before the fireworks began at 11:00.

It rained for about 30 minutes.

The rain stopped; the sky cleared.  Suddenly, lots of people began coming to the shore from both sides of the motel - like a bunch of ants emerging from underground.  It wasn't long before the hillside was filled with people.  Darkness fell, and the show began - right on time!

I don't have the best camera for photographing fireworks, but I'll share some of our favorites with you.  Remember, they light the fireworks on Porter's Island and shoot them across the water toward Copper Harbor.  You can see the water in some of the photos.

The town cleared out quickly, and the weather was perfect for sleeping with the patio door open.  We checked out of the Bella Vista the next morning, and pointed the Traverse down Hwy. 41 toward Calumet. 

Just before I snapped that photo, we saw a young bear running along the shoulder of the road and then cross in front of us.  He disappeared into the forest on our left.  No sign of Mama, but she must have been close.  Why didn't I have the camera out of the case when I needed it?

All is well in the Keweenaw.