Copper Harbor

Copper Harbor is a town at the tip-top of the Keweenaw Peninsula. There are only 100 year-round residents, and it has the unusual honor of being the town furthest away from an interstate (5 hours' drive). Since it was only 30 miles from Keweenaw Castle, it was natural that we wanted to check it out.

<br/>On Saturday morning we put the top down and drove Highway 26 along the Lake Superior shoreline, enjoying the weather and the view and the beautiful shades of blue.

In the town of Eagle Harbor, we stopped to browse the tents at an art fair. We saw copper wall art, jewelry made from Lake Superior seaglass and agates, pottery, and woodcarving. Our favorite artist was a graphic designer named Chris Schmidt, whose prints captured the feel of Keweenaw in an elegantly simple way. Here's his version of a Lake Superior sunset, with lighthouse and freighter.

Then we left Hwy 26 for the Brockway Mountain Scenic Drive, the highest paved road between the Rockies and the Alleghenies. At the first overlook, we had 360º views of Lake Superior and the Keweenaw Peninsula. The next stop had a great view of the town of Copper Harbor and the distant lighthouse. The views were gorgeous in the summer, and we imagined they must be spectacular in the fall.

The scenic drive exited in Copper Harbor. Just past town was Fort Wilkins Historic State Park, built in 1844 during the Copper Rush, right on the banks of Lake Fanny Hooe. The buildings were preserved and restored, and there were well-designed exhibits for an easy and fun self-guided tour. It was a Living History Museum, too, and we enjoyed chatting with a young soldier and his wife about their day-to-day life at the fort. They were dressed in period clothing and inhabited their characters really well, and we marveled at the hard work needed to live through winter in the mid-1800s.

We headed back to Copper Harbor for a delicious dinner at Habor Haus. We had a nice view of Lake Superior, and enjoyed watching colorful catamarans sailing by. It was also fun seeing the bridal party at the wedding reception in the tent next door. It was the perfect end to a beautiful day in Keweenaw.