Upper Peninsula Adventure Trail (UPAT - 1250 miles)

[Ed@Ford]

Bryan:

Are the map pictures shown in this thread Garmin Mapsource+Topo?

[Cannonshot]

Originally Posted by achesley

Lovin your ride report, history lessons and awesome pictures.

Glad you like it Andy.

Originally Posted by SScratch

Hey Cannonshot, I'm really enjoying your report. Educational and artistic, as usual. I vaguely remember a trip to the Keweenaw a couple of years ago - it's a little foggy cuz my brain was froze.

As much as I enjoy exploring new places with the little bit of free time that I have, Michigan is a place that keeps me coming back. So with any luck we will cross paths again soon. Fair warning and all.

Has the Michigan Dept of Tourism sent you your award yet?

So much to see in the UP. I do send a lot of business that way.

Originally Posted by SScratch

Perhaps the buoy was still needed there?

Har-har. Winter pick-up.

Originally Posted by SlackerSteve

Hey Cannnon, I shared you report with a friend and he was wondering if his mid-size pickup(Chevy Colorado) would fit down those trails in the UP?

BTW, excellent report!

You could have a nice (but slow) time using a pick-up truck. Most of the route would be fine. Many bear hunters run this stuff in trucks. There would be some restrictions in places.

Originally Posted by Oddball

I should have never gotten ride of my DRZ. It would have been a blast to take it to the UP.

Thanks for all your details! Also all the other routes that you have posted throughout the area.

You are quite welcome. I am happy to be in a position to do the scouting and reporting so that others can just show up and ride. That DRZ would have been a nice choice for this track.

Originally Posted by kzoo

Once again, a great ride and history lesson too! One day I have got to get a DRZ or some such DS capable bike...

Hope to see you on the trail with a DS bike next season! Too many good times to miss.

Originally Posted by RockyNH

Hey Cannonshot,

GREAT Report and Fantastic Photos!! I was born and raised in MI, lived there for over 40 years.. I Lived in the UP for a few years in the 60's (I was not riding then) so am familiar with some of the landmarks!!

I just subscribed and am gonna go through complete from the beginning, thanks for sharing!!

Pat in NH

Hi Rocky, glad this brings back some great memories. Riding in the UP is wonderful. There are a lot of opportunities for dual sporters. I share a lot of tracks so that others can just show up and enjoy. The history part us kind of fun too as there is so much to take in up there. Maybe you'll get a chance to make this run sometime.

Originally Posted by Ed@Ford

Bryan:

Are the map pictures shown in this thread Garmin Mapsource+Topo?

Hi Ed,

When I ride in Michigan and Wisconsin I use the ORV GPS maps from vvmapping.com as they have the trails and a lot of other useful information (like gas stops) built into them.

In this report, I took screen shots using MapSource from both Garmin Topo and the vvampping ORV maps. When I wanted to highlight terrain, I used topo. When I wanted to highlight ORV trails, I used VV maps.

[RockyNH]

Originally Posted by Cannonshot

Hi Rocky, glad this brings back some great memories. Riding in the UP is wonderful. There are a lot of opportunities for dual sporters. I share a lot of tracks so that others can just show up and enjoy. The history part us kind of fun too as there is so much to take in up there. Maybe you'll get a chance to make this run sometime.

I was already looking to see how many miles to get out there from NH where I live now!! I would love to try some of that. I enjoy your history very much, alot I am familiar with having grown up there while other of it is new to me too... I lived in Houghton/Hancock when I was up there... went back a few times to hunt there and in Manistique..

Was there a gps file in here some where???

Pat in NH

[Cannonshot]

Originally Posted by RockyNH

I was already looking to see how many miles to get out there from NH where I live now!! I would love to try some of that. I enjoy your history very much, alot I am familiar with having grown up there while other of it is new to me too... I lived in Houghton/Hancock when I was up there... went back a few times to hunt there and in Manistique..

Was there a gps file in here some where???

Pat in NH

Pat, I'll post the GPS file later on in the report. I kind of polish it a little as I go to make sure all is correct. I post the link to the file in the ride report when it is ready to go.

[Roeskar]

Originally Posted by SlackerSteve

Hey Cannnon, I shared you report with a friend and he was wondering if his mid-size pickup(Chevy Colorado) would fit down those trails in the UP?




BTW, excellent report!

I was up there last weekend with my 99 Suburban and rode from the end of hywy 41 all the way to Lac Labelle on the Mandan Road. I've also taken it on many of the other seasonal roads up there with no problem. Kinda tight in spots, but that just adds to the adventure!

[Cannonshot]

US 41 - a great ride.








US 41




We turn onto a trail that takes us up the back side of Brockway Mountain.










Top of Brockway.


















Overlooking Copper Harbor.








Interesting wayside.




Fantastic ride down the shore road.

[Head413]

I live here and your pictures make me yearn to go out and ride. Next year I hope to get some solid miles in, on and off road.

[c-zulu]

This RR brings back such great memories, always top notch reporting Bryan..

[WOXOF]

Fantastic Job Cannonshot

I was thru the UP in 2007. It appears I missed a lot. Time for a return trip.

[RockyNH]

Originally Posted by Cannonshot

Pat, I'll post the GPS file later on in the report. I kind of polish it a little as I go to make sure all is correct. I post the link to the file in the ride report when it is ready to go.

Great! Thanks, I was afraid I missed it! Your Keewenaw, Copper Harbor, mining country photos are FANTASTIC and bring back memories..
Fort Wilkins
Calumet
Laurium

This RR is great... looking forward to the next section!

Pat in NH

[Garry]

What an awesome RR! I need to load up my DRZ and head up there for a week. Thanks so much for sharing. This is really cool

How many days did it take to do the loop? I'm guessing 6 (~200 miles per day), but maybe it's more with the stops to visit historical sites and whatnot.

[ThumperDRZ]

Beautiful! Beautiful! Beautiful!

Awesome Fall pictures Cannon......

One Day I'll make it......

[Cannonshot]

Navaid guides you into the harbor without hitting rocks.




This 1853 Eagle Harbor school was the site where the Knights of Pythias was formed. A teacher that worked here started the organization in 1860.






This organization once had close to a million members in the US and Canada. Abe Lincoln liked it and thought it was good for the country post civil war.






Another one of those devices for grooming snowy roads for horses and sleighs.
















Monks that make jam.






At the site of this falls and partial wooden dam (left side) there once was a fuse factory that made 50,000 feet of fuse a day for the mines.


1915 highway bridge.


1990 highway bridge next to it.


This small county has highway signs that look like this. Nice touch.


This courthouse, built in 1866, is still in use. By the way, there were two divorces in this county in 2005, seven in 2006, and eight in 2007. Can a lawyer make a living here?


This is the Sheriff's Department and Jail. The Sheriff lives there and his wife cooks meals for the inmates.




When the miners came to town, there were often problems. Sometimes there were lethal fights between the Methodist Cornwall miners and the Irish Catholics. The town built a sturdy jail in the attic of this place. There was one very large and very troublesome miner that the town had a hard time with. Eventually they ordered a 200 pound ball and chain. When he would come to town, they would attach the ball and chain before he got too drunk. After leaving him in a park, they were surprised to find him in a bar with a drink on one hand while carrying his ball in chain with the other arm.




We take to a nice trail out of town that runs toward Phoenix.








Back by the Bammert Blacksmith shop.


Phoenix






The old town and mine site.

[Cannonshot]

Originally Posted by Head413

I live here and your pictures make me yearn to go out and ride. Next year I hope to get some solid miles in, on and off road.

Perhaps we'll get a chance to ride together up there. The peninsula is so nice, we seem to get there a few times each year.

Originally Posted by c-zulu

This RR brings back such great memories, always top notch reporting Bryan..

Good times Ted! Enjoyed having you along on the Trek.

Originally Posted by WOXOF

Fantastic Job Cannonshot

I was thru the UP in 2007. It appears I missed a lot. Time for a return trip.

There is so much great riding in the UP, street or dirt, someone could spend a lot of time there for sure!

Originally Posted by RockyNH

Great! Thanks, I was afraid I missed it! Your Keewenaw, Copper Harbor, mining country photos are FANTASTIC and bring back memories..
Fort Wilkins
Calumet
Laurium

This RR is great... looking forward to the next section!

Pat in NH

So much interesting history in Calumet and Laurium! I think I cover some of that in the next installment.

Originally Posted by Garry

What an awesome RR! I need to load up my DRZ and head up there for a week. Thanks so much for sharing. This is really cool

How many days did it take to do the loop? I'm guessing 6 (~200 miles per day), but maybe it's more with the stops to visit historical sites and whatnot.

I can do the loop in four long days, but I have visited these places many times so I make better travel time. For a first timer to this loop, plan for six days and take your time. You'll probably finish it in five, but why rush?

Originally Posted by ThumperDRZ

Beautiful! Beautiful! Beautiful!

Awesome Fall pictures Cannon......

One Day I'll make it......

Gary, I hope you make it up there this year. With the self-guided track, it would be much easier to put together a Missouri posse to come up and ride this. The fall colors are great, but it is beautiful most anytime you can make it.

[Cannonshot]

I ran out of light so I borrowed some pictues I took prior to this ride.

When the copper market fell during the depression, times were tough out here. One program that helped out was the Works Progress Administration. This program of relief for work allowed one job per family. Unskilled workers were paid 34 cents an hour while skilled forkers got 49 cents. One WPA project was this stone ship named the Kearsarge. By the way, there have been four Navy ships named Kearsarge between 1862 and the present and none of them were like this one.


Note the mine drill for a deck gun. There were a lot of other WPA projects out here. Some we will visit. The Gipp Memorial was one. There were also 5,000 men on highway work as well. 8-10% of the WPA jobs were for women. They included sewing, canning, and some writer's projects.


This exclusive club, which is still running today, is where all the big mining execs went to relax.


Supposed to be a good museum.


On the peninsula, snow can be a problem (up to 390 inches worth).





Calumet Electronics took over some old mine buildings to build circuit boards.


Firefighters museum in an old firehouse near the theater.


You could ride around these towns for a couple of hours checking stuff out. There is a walking tour available for old mine stuff.

This mining company did not outlaw saloons as some others did.


When this theater was built, it was far better than anything even in Detoit. It opened in 1900 and has been nicely restored.


I thought the street lights with the faux power lines was a nice downtown touch.






Laurium lays claim to "The Gipper".


Incredibly, Gipp's remains were recently dug up to get a femur to use for DNA analysis. Some woman claimed to be his grand daughter - an alleged product of his college days. There was no match.


Apparently these mining towns produced some football players. The Hunk played for da' Bears.


The dramatic story which was the subject of a movie with Ronald Reagan.




The Laurium Manor was built in 1908. It is now a B&B. They give tours.


As I mentioned, you could ride around Calumet and Laurium for hours looking at old stuff. Much of what you see in this photo is still around.




A lot of these old buildings are still in place.


The mining office - now the National Historic Site headquarters.


Warehouses still in use. By the way, H&C used engineers for their large long span industrial buildings. They used architects for housing and other more routine facilities.


Drill repair shop.


Early company housing (cabins).


These incredibly valuable old growth white pines were devoured by the mines.


A lot of premium wood is buried inthe mines.






This company did a lot for their workers. They provided libraries, schools, taught english to immigrants, built pools and bath houses, provided medical services, and even provided land for churches and fraternal organizations.


At one time they had 50 steam power systems running things around here.




Rail operations were important. Lots of rail paths to ride now.




Silver was a by-product.


Introduction of the one man drill caused a bitter strike in 1913-1914.


Henry Ford was paying $5/day in Detroit so some workers pulled out.


The National Guard was called in to preserve order.


During the strike, the workers held a Chirstmas Eve party for children at the Italian Hall. Someone (likely not a striker) called "Fire" and caused a rush that killed 74 people - 59 of which were children - all that were trampled to death. The Italian Hall has been torn down but the doors were kept in a museum. Woody Guthrie wrote a song about it.


Another 9200 pound slab of native copper scrubbed off by a glacial and left until a few feet of glacial till.


This slab of native copper is displayed at the airport terminal. Glaciers scrub these hunks of copper out of the strata and drag them along polishing them up a bit. After a while they leave them buried under a little till to be discovered sometime in the future.


This is Quincy #2. The shaft is 9,260 feet deep (1.75 miles). It used the world's largest steam hoist. The hoist could lift 10 tons at a speed of 36 mph. The hoist sits on the largest concrete slab ever poured with 3200 yards of concrete. The mine gives tours down to the 7th level. Water has risen that high in the mine and drains out an adit holding the water to the 7th level.


This mine ran from 1846 to 1945 with some operations going into the 1970s. For a while, it was the world's leading producer of copper. This mine had large pure masses of copper.


It is now part of a National Historic District that covers several sites in the UP. (Sort of like a National Park.)


Water pump?




The nearby technical college offers a unique program in restoration of historical sites.


These wooden ore cars are back up to the boiler house.


Notice the rails still run to the second floor but the trestle is gone.




Like I mentioned earlier, sometimes you are riding along and you happen upon some mine works. This headframe has an ore car abandoned with it.




The executives from back east thought that the miner's homes should have electricity and water. Managers here didn't see the need. The execs from the east won out and homes for miners were better in this company. The idea was to keep miners from jumping to another mine.


Thing started off in tents and got better and better as the years went on.


Looking back toward the Quincy Mine from Houghton.


Edit: I rolled into Houghton-Hancock thinking I would have no problem getting a room mid-week at this time of the year. Turns out the university was having career week and there was not a single room available anywhere in town. There was a possibility of a room all the way down in Baraga. I worked the issue for a while and was lucky in that I found the last room left in Lake Linden out on the peninsula.