Saturday, July 1, McClain State Park, Hancock, MI

It's a bit overcast this morning, but it is supposed to clear up and be nice.
We decided that today would be a sight-seeing day.  There is a place called Copper Harbor on the tip of the Peninsula that is supposed to be pretty.  There is a little mountain hike up to a vista point that we want to do and there are several light houses and water falls that we want to check out.
So, after coffee, yogurt and smoothie we headed out.
We drove through the cute little town of Hancock and then into Houghton. This whole area started as Copper Mining towns.  
Jobs in the mines-and hardships overseas- brought thousands of immigrants to the Keweenaw between 1843 and 1914.  Experienced miners first came from Cornwall, England and from Ireland and Germany.  Later immigrants arrived from northern and eastern Europe as well as China and Lebanon.  In 1908 Calumet public schools taught children from over 30 countries.
People brought the old ways with them:  Finnish saunas, polka music and politic, an Eastern European sweet nut bread.
The Cornish pasty is meat and vegetables baked in a crust.
There were two major Mine units; Calumet and Quincy.  Everything else supported them;  shipping, smelting, etc.
We drove first out to Copper Harbor which is at the point.  There is a passenger ferry there that goes out to Isle Royale National Park.  The island is about 56 miles away.  We didn't go.   We went to the Beach and looked for agates.  

They are apparently mixed in with the rocks and if you are patient enough to sit and look you can find some very pretty ones. We drove through town looking for the a way to the light house, only to discover that is only accessible by boat tour from the Copper Harbor Marina. It is currently closed for some reason. It is now part of Ft. Wilkins State Park and was built in 1866. 

the Copper Harbor Lighthouse from afar.

Then we hiked the Brockway Mountain trail out to the Copper Harbor over look.  

It was a nice hike.  Lots of wild flowers.

And the overlook provided a nice view,

 Especially of the Harbor town

From there we drove the coastal route out to Eagle Harbor.  And we visited the Eagle Harbor Lighthouse built in 1871.  It is now a museum and is a part of the Keweenaw county Historical Society's Light Station Museum Complex.  

It was not open so we didn't get to go in. Although we didn't get a picture of it, the other side of the tower is red.  From the water you can see it as half red and half white.

The next light house is the Also Eagle River at the south bend of the river and was built in 1855.

It is now a private residence.  How fun would that be?!

There are a total of 13 lighthouses along the peninsula and out in the water.  5 of them are either only accessible by boat or not at all, and two of them are now private residences.

As we continued on toward home we came upon :

Jacob Falls with a total drop of 40'.  This section, near the road is only 20'

Upper Eagle River Falls is a smaller waterfall locally know as ten foot, this smaller waterfall is part of the Eagle River and continues on until the Eagle River Dam Falls

Eagle River Falls.  It is on the site of the original Lake Superior Fuse Company and remains of the dam still span most of the 60' wide river.  The dam extends the falls to a total height of well over 60 feet.

From there we headed back into Houghton.  We found a laundromat and did our laundry.  Rob got a new iPad from the airlines and needed wifi so he could swap things over from the old to the new.  

It is so crazy out here.  It doesn't get dark until 10 pm.  I mean it is just as light at 9:45 as it is at 4:00.  It is impossible to judge time.  Anyway, it was about 9 pm when we finished laundry and went and ate a lousy hamburger.  Then we went and got ice cream.  I am not supposed to eat ice cream any way, and at 10:00 at night it is especially miserable.  

We got home and since it was 10 pm, Rob went to bed.  I had to sit up for a while with a belly full of lactose rich ice-cream yuk.