Copper Harbor is the farthest little outpost in Michigan, it stretches way up into Lake Superior.  I was expecting cold weather, but it's been fantastic.  Today the temperture hung around 65 all day.  It rained this morning, cleared up by mid day, and is now raining again ( 10pm ) as I write this.  I don't seem to mind the rain, I've got the windows open and I'm getting nice a breeze running through the room.

With the copper boom in 1847, Copper Harbor and the surrounding area were settled.  At one point this area supported a population of over 100,000.  Some 22,000 men worked a half dozen or so copper mines.  I doubt that there are that many people on the whole peninsula now.
The pictures below were taken from Brock's Mountain overlooking Copper Harbor.  Quite a view.

In the afternoon I drove up the shoreline to Eagle Harbor.  Eagle Harbor is a bit more developed than Copper Harbor.  I'm told that in the last two years or so property values along the shoreline have skyrocketed as us 'trolls' (those who live below the bridge in Michigan) have come up and bought summer homes.  Understandably the locals are not too happy about it.

In the series of picures below I tried to capture the general flavor of Eagle Harbor.  It's actually very pleasant, I wouldn't mind having a place up here myself.  As with all the other harbors I've been to, Eagle Harbor has a light house too.  I don't have any details on when it was built.  It's still functioning, but as with the others, it's been automated and is more or less unmanned.  The ship in the picture is a Coast Guard vessle.  It was making the rounds along the shoreline pulling in the buoys for the winter.

Eagle Harbor

Fort Wilkins

Fort Wilkins is located on the edge of Copper Harbor.   Offiically it was built in the mid-1800's to provide protection for the copper miner's from Indian attack.  The locals tell me that's nonsense as most of the Chippewa were already working for the mining companies by that time.  Apparently after the Civil War they needed to do something with the soldiers, so they sent some of them way the heck up here.  Who knows what the truth is, but those are the two stories I've heard.

I thought this series of pictures below was pretty cool.  The one on the far left was taken first thing this morning as the fog lifted on the lake. The middle picture was taken at mid-day just before the skies cleared, and the last was taken just before night fall.  The pictures really don't do it justice.  The effect was spectacular.

Well tomorrow is going to be an awfully long day.  I'm packing up and will try to make Mineaplois/St. Paul by evening.  I'm guessing that'll be an 8 hour drive.
Good Night.....

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