Celebrating With Friends - Part 1

This is the first in a series of posts about our July 4th week. Our friends, Marty & Donna Bonner, arrived for a visit in the Keweenaw on Tuesday, July 2nd. After taking us out for dinner at The Hut (!), we stopped for ice cream and drove to the Calumet Waterworks Park for the sunset. Is watching sunsets all there is to do in the Keweenaw? No, but we love sunsets; and Lake Superior gives us spectacular sunset-viewing opportunities.

Upon arrival at the park, we had some time to kill before the sunset magic was to begin, so we took a walk down the beach.

The big lake was very calm that evening. We noticed a group of 5 or 6 loons nearby - the first time we had ever seen loons at this park.

Finally. . .  the sunset.

 

 

 

The plan for the next day was to travel to Copper Harbor where we had motel reservations for the 3rd & 4th. 

With the Bonners in their Toyota behind us, we headed up Hwy 41,

cruised by the cliffs,

turned onto Hwy 26 toward Eagle River,

and stopped at The Jampot (bakery) to purchase some muffins and cookies. Next, we made a quick detour to our property to pick up the golf cart (for the parade) and started back up Hwy 26. Another freighter was spotted out on Lake Superior.

We checked in at the Bella Vista Motel and opened up our rooms. This is the idyllic view from the deck outside of our room. It was another calm day on the big lake.

After relaxing a bit and having a great meal at The Mariner, we headed back to Calumet for church that evening. Upon returning to Copper Harbor, we had time for more ice cream and made the drive up Brockway Mountain to view. . . yep, another sunset!

 

 

 

Steve noticed a new shack just off the parking area on top of Brockway Mountain. 

 

The sun was fading fast, so those last 2 shots weren't the best, but Steve couldn't resist getting inside for a photo opp.

The purpose of the shack was posted on the exterior.

The sign was smeared from exposure to the elements, but the shack was erected and used for the 2013 Brockway Mountain Hawk Watch. Here's some information from their site:

Brockway Mountain, over-looking Copper Harbor, is an unusually good location to view and survey the spring migration of birds of prey aka: Raptors, along the Central Migration Flyway. It has been recognized as an IBA (Important Bird Area) by the National Audubon Society due to the number of raptors and other migrating birds that take that path.

The current study is called the Brockway Mountain Hawk Watch, organized by Copper Harbor Birding and Copper Country Audubon. We are aspiring to continue the study over several consecutive years in order to obtain the long-term data necessary for comprehensive analysis.

The survey provides important information in the whole picture of current Raptor health and recovery from the deadly era of DDT usage when some species were headed for extinction, especially Eagles, Osprey, and Peregrine Falcons.

If you would like to read more about their project (with photos), click on the following link:

Brockway Mountain Hawk Watch

Stay tuned for Part 2 of Celebrating With Friends. All is well in the Keweenaw.