Cruisin' the Keweenaw - Part 1

There's always something happening in the Keweenaw.  Saturday, July 21, was the date of the annual End of the Road Keweenaw Cruise & Car Show.  The event began in Calumet and ended in Copper Harbor.  We couldn't pass up the opportunity to take Steve's baby out of the nursery for the day.

He spent some quality time pampering her to make sure she was in cruise-worthy condition, of course.

Car Cruise/Show participants met at the Pat's IGA parking lot on Sixth Street in Calumet about an hour before the cruise began.  That gave spectators a chance to gawk at all the cool vehicles without making the drive to Copper Harbor.  The local newspaper said there were about 125 vehicles involved.  We departed the parking lot and began our journey up Hwy. 41 about 12:15 p.m., and we followed this orange Corvette all the way to Copper Harbor.

Police blocked off the major intersections and waved us through, so we could all stay together.  It was very well organized.

As we drove through the small towns on our way to Copper Harbor, spectators were gathered in many locations along the route.  They waved, and we waved back.  Even people in some of the cars we were meeting on the road waved at us.

This green car followed us in the cruise.

The line of cars in front of us was impressive.

Steve noticed the Corvette's odometer hit 10,000 miles while we were on the cruise.

Not bad for a 2003, huh?  No wonder it still smells like new.  Of course, food isn't allowed in the vehicle, so the leather doesn't have to compete with the aroma of french fries or pizza either.  When the cruisers reached Phoenix, we were directed to turn left onto Hwy. 26. 

Hwy. 26 follows the scenic coast of Lake Superior and took us through Eagle River and Eagle Harbor before reaching Copper Harbor.  The weather was completely perfect with our typical blue sky and a temperature in the mid-70's.  Here's a shot I took through the top of the Vette while we were driving up Hwy. 26.

Like I said. . . perfect!  Steve was loving every minute of the drive.  He was wearing a Corvette shirt and a Corvette hat.

This group of spectators had stopped to look at Jacob's Falls.  The car cruise was a bonus for them.

The title of the event ("End of the Road") comes from the fact that Hwy. 41 begins in Miami and ends on the far side of Copper Harbor at a cul- de-sac.  When we reached Copper Harbor, we drove through the back streets of town and headed for the end of the road. 

Before we reached the cul-de-sac, we started meeting other cars that were ahead of us.  They were already on their way back to Copper Harbor.

We also looped around the cul-de-sac and headed back toward Copper Harbor. 

Now, we were meeting cars that had been behind us.

Hwy. 41 is the main street through Copper Harbor, and it was blocked to normal traffic.

We parked along both sides of the street for the car show, and spectators walked down the street to view all the cars. 

Due to the large number of photos with this topic, I divided the Car Cruise into a 2-part post.  I'll post Part 2 in a day or two.

All is well in the Keweenaw!