[Rhodes22-list] Keweenaw Waterway Cruise?

[Jesse Shumaker]

Roger, thanks for all the information.  It's great to have the background
from someone who knows the area well.  I will report back on how the trip
comes together.

Jesse

On Thu, Feb 25, 2021 at 8:54 PM ROGER PIHLAJA <roger_pihlaja at msn.com> wrote:

> Hi Jesse,
>
> It depends somewhat on how much you want to be on your own vs. in a
> marina.  Of the three trips you mentioned, the Keweenaw Peninsula will have
> the most marinas.  Traveling from west to east, you have Michigan Harbors
> of Refuge (HoR’s) at Ontonagon, Houghton, Hancock, Eagle Harbor, Copper
> Harbor, Lac LaBelle, Grand Traverse Bay, Baraga, L’Anse, & Big Bay.  You
> will also have the option of ducking into the Portage Canal from either the
> west end at McClain State Park or the east end at White City to escape bad
> weather on Lake Superior.  The HoR’s at Houghton and Hancock are actually
> on the Portage Canal.  But, you also have Portage Lake and Torch Lake to
> explore via the Portage canal.  Portage Lake & Torch Lake will offer some
> safe opportunities for anchoring out.  You might also consider
> circumnavigating the Keweenaw Peninsula clockwise, closing the loop by
> transiting the Portage Canal from east to west.  This circumnavigation is
> also known as the Keweenaw Waterway.  The north end of the Keweenaw
> Peninsula can be a wild place; but, the HoR’s at Eagle Harbor, Copper
> Harbor, & Lac LaBelle are all right there if you need to get off the big
> lake.
>
> I went to school at Michigan Technological University in Houghton from
> 1971-1976.  With its old buildings and hilly streets, Houghton always
> reminded me of San Francisco, CA.  My grand parents lived at Boston
> Location near Calumet in the Keweenaw Peninsula.  I also have a number of
> uncles and cousins in Ontonagon County and I deer hunt in this area every
> year.  So, I’ve spent a good part of my life in this area of the state.  I
> recommend you get a pizza and beer at the Library Bar in downtown
> Houghton.  You can’t visit the copper country without having a pasty.  I
> recommend the pasty’s at the Suomi (Soo-Oh-Me) Bakery in Houghton.  If you
> are in the mood for fresh fish, try the Portage Landing Restaurant in the
> Ramada Inn in Hancock.  I especially recommend their whitefish, it’s a UP
> tradition!  As you transit the Portage Canal, you will sail under the M-41
> bridge at Houghton/Hancock.  This bridge is one of the world’s largest
> center span lift bridges.  If you can get a ride up to the top of the bluff
> on the north side of the Portage Canal, visit the Quincy Mine Hoist and
> Mine Tour.  You will get to ride one of the original trams down into the
> Quincy Copper Mine and see some of the huge mining equipment and steam
> engines.
>
> All of the towns are pretty small with the typical small town amenities.
> If you rent a car in Ontonagon, you could drive ~25 miles to Porcupine
> Mountains State Park.  By car, the easiest day trip in the Porcupine
> Mountains State Park is the Lake of the Clouds overlook, which is quite
> beautiful.  The park also has over 85 miles of hiking trails, 30
> waterfalls, and ~80000 acres of forested wilderness on the shore of Lake
> Superior.  But, these are best experienced on a backpacking trip.
>
> Copper Harbor HoR has a restored lighthouse and light keeper’s house that
> you can tour.  It is only a short walk over to Fort Wilkins State Park,
> which has a restored 1870’s US Army post.  During the summer, there will be
> costumed reenactors at the fort.  If you can get a ride, drive up to
> Brockway Mountain overlook.  On a clear day, you can see all the way to
> Isle Royale ~40 miles away.  You will also see the Estivant Pines, one of
> the few remaining stands of old growth white pines remaining in the state.
>
> The HoR’s at Eagle Harbor, Lac LaBelle, and Big Bay are all pretty
> primitive, with no towns nearby.  The HoR’s at L’Anse and Baraga have small
> towns.  As I recall, the Baraga Municipal Marina has more transient slips
> and amenities vs. L’Anse.  They all offer a safe place to spend the night
> or weather out a storm.
>
> Isle Royale National Park has two HoR’s, Rock Harbor on the north end and
> Washington Harbor on the south end of the island.  Neither HoR has an
> amenities; but, the park headquarters at Rock Harbor has a guest lodge,
> restaurant, and laundromat.  Other than this, there are a few scattered
> places around the island where you might be able to anchor out; but, only
> in favorable conditions.  If you go here, be prepared to be off the grid.
> Be especially careful around the Palisades, Blake Point, and the five
> finger region on the northern end of the island.  But, in good weather, it
> is spectacular!
>
> I’ve never done any boating around Grand Marais, MN, so I can’t help there.
>
> Our family Sailing/Kayaking High Adventure Trip to Apostle Islands
> National Lakeshore is scheduled for July 22-26, 2021.   There will be four
> of us.
>
> Roger Pihlaja
> S/V Dynamic Equilibrium
>
> Sent from Mail<https://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkId=550986> for
> Windows 10
>
> From: Jesse Shumaker<mailto:jesse.laten.shumaker at gmail.com>
> Sent: Thursday, February 25, 2021 6:03 PM
> To: The Rhodes 22 Email List<mailto:rhodes22-list at rhodes22.org>
> Subject: Re: [Rhodes22-list] Link for R-22 locator on Goggle Maps?
>
> Roger, thanks for the update on the situation.  I'm really sorry to hear
> about the long road to recovery for your area.  It seems like slips are
> often hard to come by in many places.  I wonder if there are any areas
> nearby where you could store your boat lakeside with the mast up.  It's not
> as convenient as a slip but it's a lot faster than having to rig each time.
>
> I'm looking forward to hearing about your Apostle Islands adventure this
> year.  In mid August, my wife and I, as well as a few sailors from
> our local sailing club, are going to take a 5 day "offshore" class through
> Superior Charters out of Bayfield.  The plan (pending weather conditions)
> will be to go to Isle Royale, Keweenaw Peninsula, or Grand Marais.  Do you
> have any suggestions on which of those destinations would be preferable?
> We'll be working out more details with the captain as it gets closer.
> We'll be on a 43' Jeanneau so it will be interesting to be on a boat
> that big for the first time.  We plan to do some overnight sailing and get
> experience standing watches.  What part of the season do you plan to do
> your high adventure trip this year?  Our June trip to Apostle Islands last
> year turned out to be a bit chilly.
>
> Jesse
>
> On Thu, Feb 25, 2021 at 11:41 AM ROGER PIHLAJA <roger_pihlaja at msn.com>
> wrote:
>
> > Jesse,
> >
> > ~9 months after the dam failures, the crystal ball is still very cloudy.
> > Boyce Hydro has declared bankruptcy and the State of Michigan has
> condemned
> > & seized the 4 dams under eminent domain.  The State of Michigan is
> trying
> > weasel out of responsibility regarding the class action law suit brought
> by
> > all the riparian property owners.  Our lawyers are fighting these motions
> > and the circuit court judge has yet to rule on the State’s motion to
> > dismiss.  There is a restoration plan; but, insufficient funding to
> > implement it.  If the lakes are to be restored, the timeline is 4-6
> years.
> > But, as I write this, it’s not at all clear the 4 lakes will ever be
> > restored.
> >
> > We have spent ~K$19 so far to remove flood debris, repair our steps and
> > sea walls, and stabilize our shoreline (river bank?).  If we had
> assurance
> > the lakes we’re going to be restored, it would cost another ~K$19 to
> > restore our dock and beach to their preflood condition.  We won’t spend
> > that money until we have assurance of lake restoration.  We will have
> > several years of advance warning, so there is no hurry.
> >
> > I have been looking around for a seasonal slip to rent on Saginaw Bay.
> So
> > far, any of the desirable locations have a 2-3 year waiting list.  Of
> > course, all the nearby inland lakes were destroyed in the same flood
> > event.  So, there is nothing available on any of those lakes.  We didn’t
> > put S/V Dynamic Equilibrium in the water at all in 2020.  Our planned
> High
> > Adventure Sailing/Paddling Trip to Apostle Islands National Lakeshore may
> > be the only time we use the boat in 2021.  But, the boat is all paid for
> > and Deb & I don’t want sell it yet.  It may come to that; but, stay
> tuned.
> >
> > Roger Pihlaja
> > S/V Dynamic Equilibrium
> >
> > Sent from my iPhone
> >
> > > On Feb 25, 2021, at 9:31 AM, Jesse Shumaker <
> > jesse.laten.shumaker at gmail.com> wrote:
> > >
> > > Roger, it looks like you had a nice spot.  Are there plans to rebuild
> > the
> > > dam and restore the reservoir?
> > >
> > > When I first added my boat, I just placed it in the general area before
> > > zooming in.  After taking a look at some others, I realized you can be
> > very
> > > precise so I just moved my pin to the exact slip for my boat.  It is
> > > interesting to see exactly where the other R22s are located.
> > >
> > > I know of a few other R22's in Iowa at two other lakes, but I don't
> know
> > > the owners and I don't think they are on the email list.  I could add
> > some
> > > anonymous pins for those if the group would find that helpful.
> > >
> > >> On Wed, Feb 24, 2021 at 10:01 PM ROGER PIHLAJA <roger_pihlaja at msn.com
> >
> > >> wrote:
> > >>
> > >> Hi Jessie,
> > >>
> > >> I added S/V Dynamic Equilibrium’s location in the central lower
> > peninsula
> > >> of Michigan.  This satellite picture must have been taken prior to the
> > May
> > >> 19, 2020 dam failures  because Sanford Lake is still there.  If you
> zoom
> > >> in, you will see S/V Dynamic Equilibrium sitting on its trailer in the
> > >> driveway.  I placed the marker on the boat slip where S/V Dynamic
> > >> Equilibrium would normally be.
> > >>
> > >> Thanks for sending me the link.
> > >>
> > >> Roger Pihlaja
> > >> S/V Dynamic Equilibrium
> > >>
> > >> Sent from Mail<https://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkId=550986> for
> > >> Windows 10
> > >>
> > >> From: Jesse Shumaker<mailto:jesse.laten.shumaker at gmail.com>
> > >> Sent: Wednesday, February 24, 2021 7:50 PM
> > >> To: The Rhodes 22 Email List<mailto:rhodes22-list at rhodes22.org>
> > >> Subject: Re: [Rhodes22-list] Link for R-22 locator on Goggle Maps?
> > >>
> > >> Hi Roger, here you go:
> > >>
> > >>
> >
> https://maps.google.com/maps/ms?msid=202374364222581305408.0004ce9c151367fed2dc8&msa=0&ll=38.659778,-79.936523&spn=2.702258,5.394287
> > >>
> > >> Or a shortened link that redirects:
> > >> http://bit.ly/3dBM5hb
> > >>
> > >> On Wed, Feb 24, 2021 at 6:39 PM ROGER PIHLAJA <roger_pihlaja at msn.com>
> > >> wrote:
> > >>
> > >>> Hi All,
> > >>>
> > >>> I’m sorry, I wasn’t paying attention when the posts containing the
> link
> > >> to
> > >>> Google Maps were posted.  Can someone please repost the link?
> > >>>
> > >>> Roger Pihlaja
> > >>> S/V Dynamic Equilibrium
> > >>>
> > >>> Sent from my iPhone
> > >>>
> > >>
> > >>
> >
>
>