Jeff....you are a good writer on this sort of thing that I like.....the
culture of "place". I will have to check out your web site. I would love
to hear more about this type of culture....one of the things I look for when
traveling are these kinds of discoveries. What are your comments about
Houghton........which of the two towns, Calumet or Houghton would be a
better base for exploration?
"Jeff Potter" wrote in message
...
I dunno about the specifics but the generalities about Keeweenaw snow is
that
there's TONS of it. If anywhere had snow, they would!

Houghton's Tech Trails, Hancock's cool-Finnish-name system: Maasto Hiito?,
Calumet's Swedetown, then Brockway Mt---that would be a great day and a
half of
skiing!

Calumet is not restored. It has never changed. It is a throwback. Life is
slower there by half than even in the UP proper! They've simply kept what
they
had. Well, minus the money. There are cool authentic unchanged foods up
there.
Same in Hibbing Minn, but I dunno about the ethnicities of Minn/Wisc ski
areas.
You can find lots of ethnicity in the Copper Country's ski areas! Lake
Linden
has a cafe---LINDELL'S---that serves $4 fresh lake trout sandwiches, ice
cream
soda fountain, and mixed drinks...mahogany booths, tile floors, big ole
waitresses with Orthodox crosses on their necks and actual polka music on
the
local radio--not a tape. THAT was cool. Hmmm, open in winter? Who knows.
I've
met nice people up there, openminded, with all the time in the world. A
different clock pace up there. Very nice. ---Much less polebarn culture up
there.

Maybe New England would have more of a 'money' feel, stodgy. The UP is
very
layed back and slow.

Marquette is a nifty old town, too---ringed by the usual miles of
bigboxes,
tho.

Munising has a cool old bar.

The culture can be thin but is usually warm and open and slow when you
find it.

Can't complain about the saunas either, with the jump in the hole in the
ice
routine.

--

Jeff Potter
****
*Out Your Backdoor * http://www.outyourbackdoor.com
publisher of outdoor/indoor do-it-yourself culture...
...offering "small world" views on bikes, bows, books, movies...
...rare books on ski, bike, boat culture, plus a Gulf Coast thriller
about smalltown smuggling ... radical novels coming up!
...original downloadable music ... and articles galore!
plus national travel forums! HOLY SMOKES! 800-763-6923