I'll skip through the survey and get to the interesting stuff. The survey was a carbon copy of summer survey, just more detailed for Lake Superior specifically. Nothing to report there.
Our good weather karma caught up to us with 10 stations (out of 50+) to go. So we wandered into Houghton, MI again for 3 days. Keweenaw Brewing Company (and their $2.50 pints) saw us coming as soon as the bad weather forecast was posting, I am pretty sure. Many a dollar was spent there during our three day stay, to be sure, but the Captain, Johna and I also made sure to do SOMETHING else. This 'something' was a 23 mile bikeride up the Keweenaw Waterway to the northern end to see the waves crash upon the Keweenaw Peninsula. The bike ride was rewarding, the waves were not. Still, though the Upper Peninsula is beautiful country and the fall air felt good inside the lungs, for sure. After a false start, we finally finished up the last survey of the year; a great feeling. We then kicked the science team off the boat in Duluth and turned out to sea once more, with Milwaukee on our minds...
...but it was not to be. Not only did we spend our whether karma, but we must have incurred some sort of karma deficit in Houghton, as during my watch, bad things happened. Port engine overheated. Then starboard. Black smoke pouring out of both stacks. We used all the power we could muster to cruise 3.5 kts into Munising, MI. Diagnosis, both turbo's toasted (including the one that was replaced a month ago) and bearings are stuck and all SORTS OF BAD. Looking like at least 5 days in Munising.
Munising, MI you say? You ask where it is and what's it's story? Well, let me tell you.
Munising, MI is on the UP, it is surrounded by beautiful woods and hills and the leaves are turning. It is also very near the Painted Rock National Lakeshore (which people love up here, and its kinda cool, but not THAT cool, pretty bland actually, but I digress) which is the key for it being an eco-tourism town. There are plenty of boat charters for fishing and sightseeing. The Park Service is here, the park is nearby(ish). Here we are, September 19th and nearly all tourist businesses are folded up for the winter. There is also a coal plant here with two huge coal mounds near where we are docked that semi-obstructs the town's view of the water. There is a Pizza Hut and a Hardees. There are supposed to be many waterfalls nearby. According to Wiki, it is a town of 5 sq mi and 2500 people. That's what Wiki says. I say I walked the entire town today and it is 8x7 streets. 2500 people? Maybe...but they stay inside and ...do whatever they do all day. This town could be awesome! Just plop in a couple restaurants, a couple science labs and bang, you've got an awesome, eco-touristy town. What I see is a sad sack village with nothing to do and I can't imagine the people that go to high school here. What do they DO!? There's no sports fields or parks to play around or anything!
Munising, MI, I cannot wait to leave. I'd rather be in Milwaukee (never expected to say that).
Our good weather karma caught up to us with 10 stations (out of 50+) to go. So we wandered into Houghton, MI again for 3 days. Keweenaw Brewing Company (and their $2.50 pints) saw us coming as soon as the bad weather forecast was posting, I am pretty sure. Many a dollar was spent there during our three day stay, to be sure, but the Captain, Johna and I also made sure to do SOMETHING else. This 'something' was a 23 mile bikeride up the Keweenaw Waterway to the northern end to see the waves crash upon the Keweenaw Peninsula. The bike ride was rewarding, the waves were not. Still, though the Upper Peninsula is beautiful country and the fall air felt good inside the lungs, for sure. After a false start, we finally finished up the last survey of the year; a great feeling. We then kicked the science team off the boat in Duluth and turned out to sea once more, with Milwaukee on our minds...
...but it was not to be. Not only did we spend our whether karma, but we must have incurred some sort of karma deficit in Houghton, as during my watch, bad things happened. Port engine overheated. Then starboard. Black smoke pouring out of both stacks. We used all the power we could muster to cruise 3.5 kts into Munising, MI. Diagnosis, both turbo's toasted (including the one that was replaced a month ago) and bearings are stuck and all SORTS OF BAD. Looking like at least 5 days in Munising.
Munising, MI you say? You ask where it is and what's it's story? Well, let me tell you.
Munising, MI is on the UP, it is surrounded by beautiful woods and hills and the leaves are turning. It is also very near the Painted Rock National Lakeshore (which people love up here, and its kinda cool, but not THAT cool, pretty bland actually, but I digress) which is the key for it being an eco-tourism town. There are plenty of boat charters for fishing and sightseeing. The Park Service is here, the park is nearby(ish). Here we are, September 19th and nearly all tourist businesses are folded up for the winter. There is also a coal plant here with two huge coal mounds near where we are docked that semi-obstructs the town's view of the water. There is a Pizza Hut and a Hardees. There are supposed to be many waterfalls nearby. According to Wiki, it is a town of 5 sq mi and 2500 people. That's what Wiki says. I say I walked the entire town today and it is 8x7 streets. 2500 people? Maybe...but they stay inside and ...do whatever they do all day. This town could be awesome! Just plop in a couple restaurants, a couple science labs and bang, you've got an awesome, eco-touristy town. What I see is a sad sack village with nothing to do and I can't imagine the people that go to high school here. What do they DO!? There's no sports fields or parks to play around or anything!
Munising, MI, I cannot wait to leave. I'd rather be in Milwaukee (never expected to say that).
Hope your surveys of the big lake were more accurate than your survey of the City of Munising itself. Hidden between the hills to the south is an excellent athletic field right behind the ice arena. There is a football/soccer practice field adjacent to the Munising High School which is nestled right along the waterfront, just a few blocks from the Munising City Dock and Marina where you were tied up.
ReplyDeleteThere is also first rate softball field adjacent to the parking lot for the city boat launch in Brown's Addition in plain view from the city dock.
By the way, the National Park headquartered in Munising is called the Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore http://www.nps.gov/piro/index.htm and Kid Rock found our park to be an awe inspiring backdrop for his Born Free video released last fall. http://www.mtv.com/videos/kid-rock/593593/born-free.jhtml#id=1651518
I'm a 53 year old Munising native and feel likewise.
Peace,
GWHunta
I fully respect and understand your opinion of Munising, GWHunta. As a small town resident myself, I understand that time can be a key factor in finding the beauty and personality of a small town.
ReplyDeleteThis particular entry was my first impression of Munising. It should be stated that the general morale of the boat (including myself) was very low, due to the second bout of engine trouble in recent months. The goal was to get home for the year, and unfortunately, the small town of Munising was caught in the crosshairs of impatient, homesick crew. If you read my next post, you'll find that I lightened up a little on Munising.
I will say that for the age group 18-30, Munising probably isn't the location to be. Keeping in mind that we, as a ship, generally stop into larger ports with a more developed young adult scene.
Add to this the lack of transportation (bikes, no taxi service), and the timing of our visit (most charters were already closed, tourists were absent) and you have some very initially sour visitors.
I hope that Munising remains the way it is for years to come for the sake of the residents and the picturesque landscape.