What to do in Marquette

Marquette is quite lovely – built on low hills bordering on the Lake, with some beautiful Victorian homes, in good repair. There's also some interesting buildings; for example, a former Lutheran Church, turned into a personal residence. It's brick, and the words “Lutheran Kierke” are still etched in the stone above the doorway – couldn't see the inside of course, but beautiful from the outside. The public library has been restored, and also is beautiful in a classic style, inside and out. It overlooks the lower harbour, and I've spent quite a bit of time at the desks with huge windows admiring the view while I do my computer stuff. It's very scenic – the lake forms the northern and eastern horizon everywhere, and is just so huge! Usually quite calm, but when the wind comes up, you can see white-caps, and waves.

Northern Michigan University lives here, and the students have now returned. Even so, the town is pretty homogeneous, as was Iron Mountain – I do miss the diversity of Ottawa, with colour, language, dress, food from everywhere, everywhere.

On my first day here, I took in a tour of a local iron mine – an open pit mine, measuring one mile East to West, one mile North to South, and 1100 feet deep. (Sorry, no photos – not allowed.) According to the Guide who showed us around, this mine has 30 years of Iron left in it – wonder what size the dig will be then?? The portion of iron is much lower than in mines that are dug into the ground – at the one in Iron Mountain, the portion was 70% I think; here it's about 30%, so they have to move 3 tons of ore to get one ton to process. AND, the resulting ore has to be 'pelletized', to be usable by steel factories. To do that, the ore is powdered, then combined with limestone and baked at 2,400 degrees, (yes, no typo); then pressed into marble sized pellets and taken by train to Escanaba for shipping. On our tour of the Plant, we passed by tanker-car sized kilns, through which the pellets are baked. Why not shipped from here? The docks aren't big enough for the ship size needed to make the transport economical – needs to be around 1,000 feet long, such as I saw in the Sault, and the docks here only accommodate 750 feet ships. So the docks here are used mostly for off-loading coal and limestone, to feed the ore plant. The plant is so big it needed it's own electricity -generating capacity; and the plant had surplus capacity which now powers the rest of Marquette – size matters!

Did I tell you about “Da Yoopers Tourist Trap” ? A Yooper is a resident of the Upper Peninsula – get it?? The Tourist trap is a gold mine of local humour – deer hunting men; truck sized rifles and chainsaws. Etc. Fun! Didn't buy anything, but sure enjoyed the humour.

"Da Yoopers Tourist Trap"

I've taken in a local production at a theatre which is housed in a working boat-house, owned by the power boat man I'll tell you about in a minute. It was an original production done in opera style of a melding of 2 of Aesop's fables, illustrating the theme that even the mighty need the small. The singers were uniformly very good, especially considering Marquette's small population (about 30,000). Well worth seeing. The boat house was being used for a wedding reception the following night, so take down started immediately after the performance. But, it's still used to repair boats!! And, I've sampled local food – ever heard of Cudighi? It's Italian sausage, shaped and cooked in a patty, put on a bun, covered with mozarella and pizza sauce. Well worth one try. And, pastys also abound here – they've been served to us by three different groups, and reflect the mining history.

I haven't tried the Gaming at the Casino where we're parked – in the first place, it doesn't look like anyone is enjoying themselves – they don't talk to anyone, just glare at the machines; in the second place I wouldn't win; in the third place, the Casino is so smoky I can't breathe, so I'll keep playing Mah Jong and Freecell on my computer, and call it a day. Won't win any money that way, but on the other hand . . . .

We've been well-treated by HFH here; one of the staff invited us to join her at her favourite local restaurant, and we enjoyed the largest stack of spareribs I've ever experienced at North Woods Restaurant. Then, we went to her home on a near-by small lake, and dove into strawberry shortcake, and more stories.

One night last week, a local supporter of HFH took us for a scenic tour of this part of Lake Superior on his 50' power boat. 3 bedrooms!! What a treat, to see the coast from the lake view instead of the other way around. Toured by a beautiful home sited into the rocks; a tiny cove for a boat; a pool carved into the rocks – gorgeous!

We've been told frequently how dangerous the Lake is – people drown near here nearly weekly – there are rocks near the shore, many just below the surface; and the heat and winds cause currents that sweep people away from shore regularly. One young man drown 2 days ago – the water looked calm; it was very hot; he thought “I can swim to those rocks, no problem”. Sad. And, the boat owner emphasized the point, saying that even in the middle of the lake there are rocks just below the surface – there are always some novice boaters that say “I'll just take 'er out and let 'er rip”, and they do, sometimes ripping the bottom out of their boat.

And, we were here just in time for the annual Rotary Seafood Fiesta – 3 evenings of fish and music. I went twice – free admission – and bought a bit of fried whitefish and some strawberry shortcake and listened to the bands – mostly blues, but some bluegrass. No jazz. But the sky was blue; the food was good, and the music was better – a great way to conclude my travelogue of Marquette – it's a nice town to spend some summer days in.

Finally, we did work, really we did. Here's a photo of this group of builders, which includes a staff person, the homeowner and some of her friends. What a crew, eh?

Habitat Build - Marquette, Michigan Aug 24

Exterior of one of the HFH houses to be finished by Thursday.

This build is very different from the one in Iron Mountain. In the first place, we're putting finishing touches on 6 houses, all of which will be turned over to the new owners on Thursday August 26. The fact that 6 houses are involved and to be Dedicated all at once is unique, according to “Mike” who is the executive director of HFH here in Marquette County, Michigan. HFH got a rural development grant from the federal government on the condition that the houses be located outside the urban area and that no owners could move in until all houses were complete. (there may be other conditions, but that's the gist of it.)

Following usual HFH criteria (living in sub-standard housing; sweat equity; ability to pay interest-free mortgage) six families were chosen, and work has been underway for about 18 months, I think.

So, at this build, we 7 Care-A-Vanners came in 12 days before the dedication ceremony, by which date ALL 6 houses have to have passed building inspections, etc., as well as be in ready-to-move in condition. Most were pretty much ready, but the new owners and we Care-a-vanners have been doing touch-up painting; caulking missed nooks and crannies; putting in window blinds and doors; but also constructing, roofing and painting sheds; installing and painting molding / baseboards; building interior and exterior stairs; helping lay cement pads for stairs. We have an onsite supervisor - Matt, who is 25 years old, and has built 46 HFH homes, 40 in Washington State, and 6 here. He reports to Gerry, a retired staff sergeant in the Air Force; she oversees all of the construction, purchases materials, deals with inspectors, etc. Gerry has the final word, but Matt is the on-site director.
This is a view of the interior of the kitchen on the day we arrived.

Our Care-a-vanners group is small – 5 rigs, but only 7 people, as I and two men are sole occupants of our rigs, joining two couples to be a small but might force :) Jim has been on 40 builds, Leroy and Janice about 15; Skip and Dave have not only done HFH, but also helped with Katrina rebuilds and other Red Cross rebuilding activities; Larry and I are the new-bies, but Larry has sophisticated skills in fine carpentry and cabinetry and has been doing the precise work. I'm a good go-fer; and am learning so much. All are patient with me, and will take the time to teach me new skills, and coach me as I try to do the work.

Our days are simple – work; beginning each day, and each meal with prayer; a “Happy Hour” in late afternoon, where we talk over the events of the day, and tell many tales of our travels – my goodness, have we as individuals put on the miles around the world and over the years! Several times Leroy who has been a professional musician plays bluegrass on guitar and sings his own and other's music – mostly of the Johnny Cash variety – and we try to sing along. Music around a camp-fire is a wonderful thing. An early supper; and early to bed as we have to be on-site 15 miles away by 8:30 a.m.

I shower at the Y (15 miles away), as I don't have facilities – the others do. I also use the bathroom at the Casino, as again I don't have facilities – I don't mind, generally – it's the price I pay for living full-time in a 13 foot trailer.

We're housed at the local Casino, about 10 miles from town; we have electricity but no water, and no dump facilities. The Casino had set aside 5 sites for us, for 2 weeks, and the out of towners who come by in their big rigs looking for a nice place to park, look sideways at us. We offer them a hammer and 2 weeks worth of volunteer work in exchange for a site, but so far, no one has taken us up on that.

The site is very sandy, as much of this part of Michigan seems to be, so keeping sand out of the trailer is an on-going challenge. However, right out my door is a forest bedded with blueberries, so I add them to my granola every morning and get my vitamins that way. The Casino parking seems safe – well lit, with lots of security. And, to my surprise it's relatively quiet; some cars coming and going, but not much people noise, though occasionally, very rarely, we hear someone in the parking lot yelling “I won, I won”. I've not been tempted yet, but who knows!

Enough for now – bye all.

Adieu to Iron Mountain

Well, the Iron Mountain build is finished, at least for this group of Care-A-Vanners. We closed down yesterday (Aug 13), having finished the roof, the inside framing, the basement insulation, and installation of soffits and beginning of fascia. Evidently we were lucky that the weather allowed us to work every scheduled day, as so often rain closes down the Builds in this part of the world. I think we were only down for about 3 hours, as lightning kept the guys off of the roof, but we all just moved inside and worked there.

This has been a real learning experience for me in many ways – learning the vocabulary of house construction (joist vs truss; stud vs nailer; speed square vs framing square; framing hammer vs finishing hammer. . . .). I'll be well-prepared if I run into a crossword puzzle based on house construction. And, I'm developing some skills – using different kinds of saw; different sized nails – who knew there were so many!!! Measuring, measuring, measuring, then cutting. So much to learn!

Working with others has been a challenge for some– we've had an informal structure, and it's sometimes not clear who's in charge; or who has the last word on how to do a particular procedure. For those who like clarity, it's been a bit of a challenge. But, on the other hand, so many have been bosses and leaders in their professional and pre-retirement lives that following instructions is not as easy as it might be if we were young and naïve in our experience.

It's a great feeling to have helped Aimee and Joe get their house underway. Their joy and appreciation has been obvious every day. They, and her father Mike, have worked more hours than any of us, every day; and while Joe had taken the two weeks off; Mike has often gone into work and done a 12 hour shift at his paid work at the paper plant before heading back to the Build Site. Joe carries Aimee across the threshold, to celebrate the completion of the roof; and the family shows their joy at our farewell party.

Aimee's sister Nicole; and Mike's wife Jody, took care of the 4 children, and made sure we were well fed. What a family!!

As Care-a-vanners, we've had lots of fun – 'happy hour' every day talking over the day's work, jokes, story telling. We've taken tours together – the Big Spring, Fayette, the Iron Mine; and eaten many fine meals.

It's been a great experience.

And now, on to Marquette.

Build Day 6 and, the week-end!

What a great week-end! On Sunday most of us toured two great tourist sites - highly recommended to those of you travelling this way.

First, we went to "Big Spring" - Kitch-iti-kipi where, legend has it Indian braves and maidens made decisions about their love lives. 200 feet across, 40 feet deep, with 16,000 gallons per second flowing from the underlying limestone. You float across the Spring on a self-operated observation raft, and get to take pictures through the crystal clear water of the water bubbling up through the sand. For more info, and location go to www.uppermichiganwaterfalls.com

Then, on to Fayette Historic State Park, which is a townsite formerly owned by Jackson Iron Company. It closed in 1891, and in the late 50's the State bought the site and has been restoring in since then. Many buildings, or their foundations still exist, and the free admission, and free guided tour and good signage make a visit very informative. Learning about life in a company town in mid-19th century makes me very grateful for being alive today, not then.

For more information, go to this website

Here's a photo of the old smelter.

Then, on the way back, the foreign visitor in the group (me), was introduced to a new American tradition - frozen custard at Culver's. I had a brownie blaster cement mixer with chopped up heath bars added - think Dairy Queen, on steroids! yum.

Today at the build we continue to make good progress. The insulation is on most of the outside of the house; the tar paper is on half of the roof; we'll finish both tomorrow. It was another hot day - high 90's, plus humidity, so we sweat a lot, a lot. I should lose weight, right??? I spent the day with the Skilsaw; and cutting insulation with a box knife. We were disappointed to learn that the windows won't arrive in town until next week, so we can't put them in; that also means we can't insulate or sheetrock the interior walls; or finish the siding. Darn - we really would like to leave Joe and Aimee further along, but it's definitely out of our control.

Here's where we got to by end of day today. Bye for now.

Saturday August 7 Iron Mountain, Michigan

Well, we got the sheeting on the roof yesterday - hauled the sheeting up by hand, and nailed like crazy. We had access to a nail gun, and boy does that speed things up. And, the ladies' team prepared all door and window frames for early next week, when they will arrive on site.

Our aim is to leave the house totally enclosed so that interior work can continue as the weather gets cold.

We're all quite sad that we can't finish the house before we go; we'd love to help Aimee and Joe move in, but the house won't be ready for quite a while yet, as after we leave there are just a few volunteers who donate 1 full day per week to continue the work.

Last night we went to a 'fish fry' at the local Elks Club - some of the folks in our group are members, so they signed us in. While tasty, the most memorable element was the salad bar - the only lettuce I've seen all week! We are being fattened up I think for next week. I may treat myself to a big salad tonight, just because I can!!!

This morning we went to a old iron mine, in nearby Vulcan, Michigan. We went into the mine in a little train, and about 1000 feet into the mountain. I believe we were 300 feet below the surface, though we had gone in horizontally. The bats graciously shared the space with us.

It was quite spectacular - at one point, the mine had caved in (after it had closed because of the economy, in 1945), leaving a huge cavern 700 feet across, 180 feet high, and, in one place, 1400 feet deep - quite an exciting vista, but couldn't get a good photo.

This mine was interesting to me, because I had visited a silver mine in northern Ontario a few weeks ago, and while they had to take out several hundred tons of ore to get one ounce of silver;the iron ore here in Michigan was 55% iron, meaning much less was taken out to get at the iron. Evidently the ore was shipped by train to Gary Indiana for processing.

There, your history lesson for the day. And to top it all off, here's a picture of me in a hard-hat. It may be a while before you see that again!!!

Now, off to do laundry - my clothes have more dirt in them than they do fabric. And they're held together by very lady-like perspiration :)

Iron Mountain Build - August 4 and 5

(1) before a.m. break (2) before lunch break (3) end of day

August 3

A very productive day at the Build today. We put up the exterior walls, which we had unloaded from a truck the day before. They were pre-fabricated, made to measure, by inmates in a nearby prison. The hard part, besides the lifting and carrying, was making sure everything was 'plumb' (straight up and down); and “square” that is, fit to the foundation precisely. “level” as a concept comes later. We got the exterior walls up before morning break. (see 1 above)

Before lunch, we got most of the interior walls up – again, pre-fabricated by inmates.(2) Then, before we left for the day, we finished installing the interior walls, got the 'top plate' on the top of the exterior walls, and put 'hurricane clips' on the top plate, to fasten the roof trusses to the house. (3) As you can see, I'm learning lots of construction-specific vocabulary.

The men are doing much of the construction-specific work, reading the plans, confirming location of walls to the 1/2”, leading in lifting the heaviest pieces. But while all of the above is happening, the women are busy too - organizing the materials – 2 x 6's here; 2 x 4's there; labelling the tool shed – hammers here, chalk lines / measuring tapes there; they're doing all of the caulking around all of the joining places - ll of them!!, both on top, and underneath in the now floor-covered basement.

Women are double checking measurements, sawing boards with the power saw, lifting, toting, carrying everything here and there. Moving, putting up, taking down, moving, putting up the scaffolding. Some of us have now had a lesson in how to effectively nail, and are putting that to good use, as we follow behind the men who have put in the main nails to hold the pieces in place, and our nailing secures that the pieces will stay together. One of our leaders, Roseann, told a story about Roslyn Carter, wife of the former president, who was asked about her greatest aspirations – the audience expected to hear of desire for world peace, or some such lofty goal. But no, Mrs. Carter's highest hope was to be able to drive a 16 penny nail with 6 hits!! Now there's a practical wish!

The home-owners, Aimee and Joe, have been there much longer hours than we have – we work from about 8:00 to about 3:00 (all of us are over 65 at least!); but Aimee and Joe are there until it gets dark, making sure that their home is getting done as quickly as possible. We have a photo of them putting the first exterior wall up – what pride, what joy!!

After this pleasant day – really, it was great – temperature only 85, humidity only 75%, we went to a water-ski show put on by a local ski club. The Bad River Ski-ters are a national award-winning ski club, and we watched young people from age 6 up put on all manner of displays – 15 skiiers behind one boat; pyramids of 12; doing a 360 on swivel skis; barefoot skiing; slalom ski jumpers doing a complete vertical rotation off the jump; people starting on their back, feet first, then rising to ski backward around the lake – Wow!!! A pleasant end to a good day.

And then for Thursday, the crane came in, and we put the roof trusses up before lunch, and are getting the bracing reading to begin putting sheeting on the roof tomorrow. See photo below. It was amazing to see the crane operator, working from controls on his belt! He walked around the site, keeping his eye on the crane and his thumbs on the buttons on his belt, moving the roof trusses back and forth with great ease. He was done in less than 45 minutes - glad we didn't have to do that part by hand.

We also put up the shed for Aimee and Joe; but lifted the roof up 'by hand', so to speak. Good reminder of the olden days!

To top off another great day, we went to a fund-raiser for Habitat - a Door County Fish Boil, with Lake Superior whitefish, topped with melted butter; red-skinned potatoes, boiled onions, baked bean, coleslaw and pie. And that was on top of "pastys" for lunch - think Jamaican patties with hash for a filling - they are the speciality in many mining towns where men from Cornwall came to show the North Americans how to dig in the mines. I won't lose any weight at this rate - we are indeed well-fed.

(4) roof trusses in place, end of day August 5

Iron Mountain Build - day 2

August 3

We started work on the Iron Mountain build for Habitat for Humanity (HFH) Monday. 9 rigs - 3 from California; one from South Carolina, Oklahoma, Minnesota,Texas and other parts of the U.S., and me, the sole Canadian. You're welcome – glad to hold up the side.

The picture on the left is at the start of our work - there is a foundation poured, but that's all!

The picture on the right is at the end of Day one - centre beam down, all joists in, flooring begun.

FYI, the Habitat “Care-a-vanners” here all have rigs that are substantial – except for me of course. Several 40' RV's, several couples are 'full-timers' who have sold their land-based homes, and live on the road year round. More on this later.

We were welcomed Sunday with several orientation meetings, one led by our 'group facilitators' who are part of the construction crew; one led by the HFH local affiliates Executive Director, and followed by a picnic dinner put on by the local affiliate and the young couple who will own the home we're building. Joe and Aimee are their names.

Joe and Aimee and their three children will live in the 3 bedroom home which they hope to be able to move into by Christmas. Like other HFH buyers, they're chosen by a local committee according to 3 criteria; currently living in sub-standard housing (Joe and Aimee's family live with her adoptive father, his wife, her sister, 2 other children.) Second, they have income adequate to make the payments that will arise from the purchase (Joe works full time in Green Bay, Wisc, about 70 miles from here – he commutes 2 hours each way). Third, they have agreed to put in sweat equity (work on the house, or related to it). Joe has taken two weeks vacation from his job to work with us while we're here, and Aimee is here all day, as is her grand-father, and her sister when she's not working.

It's now the end of Day 2. We've gotten a good start, putting down the centre beam, adding floor joists all along, as well as ?sill? and other boards around the edges (no laughter from the house builders among you). And, today we got all of the flooring on. The pre-fab exterior and interior walls were delivered today – and unloaded by hand, by our crew. And, just when we we were feeling a little overwhelmed, another truck delivered the roof trusses, and the pre-fab materials for a shed we're also building.

End of Day 2

Tomorrow morning we start with the exterior walls. That will be fun, as they have to be lifted by hand. Thank goodness for the crane that's coming Thursday to put up the roof trusses.

It was a good day, but hot!! Temperatures around 100 degrees, and no shade where we are. We have good leaders, and they insist that we drink lots of water, wear hots, sunscreen etc. All good, so far.

After today's shift I went for a swim in beautiful Lake Antoine (that's An-toy-ne here in Michigan); and really enjoyed the cool water after a hot day!!

While I hoped I might lose a few pounds on this Build, I'm learning that Builds are classified as either 5-pounder, or 10-pounder – not according to the difficulty of the build, but according to how much weight participants gain. We're well fed at lunch by the local church people, and the donuts just keep coming for morning break. Ah well.

Now, I'm off to have some ice cream - I deserve it, after all that hard work. ::)

Sault Ste Marie > Iron Mountain, Michigan

Trouble with photos -

SHIP INTO LOCK - note position of name of ship, centre of photo.

CAN'T GET OTHER PHOTOS INTO THIS POST. SORRY!!

I've arrived safely in Iron Mountain, Michigan after driving from Sault Sainte Marie, Michigan yesterday. Stayed in the Walmart parking lot in SSM, Michigan, and I think I'll double check again before I stay at another. There weren't many rigs there - 2 others to be exact – and though another pulled in at 10:00 pm, and another at 4:30 a.m. (?), there just weren't enough folks around to feel really comfortable. No one bothered me; and, I had introduced myself to the folks in the big rig that I parked next to, but it wasn't a night of 100% comfort.

I was glad when morning came – had breakfast at Subway and used their free Wifi to check my email. Then I went to the Soo Locks, and saw two huge ships go through – one was 1004 feet long, the second about 750 – amazing to see how quickly the water rushing into the lock pushed them up 21 feet – the pictures should show the change in height. I remember once many years ago, when my daughter and I were driving through the Welland area in Ontario, and in the middle of a big field appeared a full size cargo freighter – that's how I learned of the existence of the Welland Canal, between Lakes Erie and Ontario. At the Soo Lock yesterday, I met a couple from Ireland who told me about the locks that have been built between two lakes near Dublin I think, which are self-operated, and you pay by credit card – the wife said it's quite amazing the first time you do it, following instructions on the LCD screen. But the fellow says he prefers the canals that have lock-masters who do all the work, winching the gates up and down, open and closed, and guiding the boats by hand.. He knew of our locks in Ottawa, which operate on that principle. I told him they were built by Irishmen, and he was pleased to see their influence in the New World.

The locks were the most interesting thing for me in the Soo, although being stuck in traffic at the top of the international bridge for an hour had its moments.

My trip to Iron Mountain was uneventful; about 5 hours I think, with an unexpected time change as I got close. I learned today that the four counties that border Wisconsin are on Central Time, rather than Eastern – that explains why my GPS kept telling me I'd arrive at 4:40 pm when I knew darn well I wasn't going to go 120 miles in one hour. Going across Highway 28 I was struck by how straight the road was for maybe 50 miles – there were several places along the route that looked like former air-fields or something – maybe a WWII training area? I'll have to look that up. But, for the most part, just small pine trees; no towns, no houses; a village of 2 or 3 houses every 15 – 20 miles – pretty empty!! I see on the map that this is the Hiawatha National Forest.

I did stop for 2 hours in Manistique, Michigan, which is where my ex-mother-in-law was born more than 90 years ago. Took many photos, and happened to meet a historian who's just published a book about the history of the town. I was interested to learn that the lumber industry there was fading by 1913, because all of the big trees had been cut – isn't that what happened in our Ottawa area as well – and about that time?? I'll send photos to the lady I mentioned, and can meet with the historian again in two weeks if she has questions. It's a quaint little town on the North Shore of Lake Michigan, and absolutely beautiful in the views of the Lake. It was fun to have the historical photos, and match them with the ones that I took of the same land-marks. Manisique is well worth a stop, with several good museums.

Going back to Friday, I had a learning opportunity that morning at the Walmart in North Bay, where I had stayed overnight, uneventfully. I had gone to MacDonalds for my coffee at 7:00 a.m., just in time for the morning staff meeting of Walmart employees. The meeting was held in the MacDonalds, and free donuts were available to all, even the non-employees. It began with the manager asking about birthdays or anniversaries; then the crowd was cajoled into doing the Walmart cheer – did you know there was a Walmart cheer? It was led by two who were coerced by the manager into doing so – one, the only dark skinned person in the place, the second the only identifiably mentally challenged person in the place. They began reluctantly, but the manager cheered them on, and then the whole group of employees joined in. Let's hear it for Wal-mart – give me a “W” . . . .

Then there was bingo, for about $120 – maybe they had to buy the cards, and that's where the money came from? Then, a few words of encouragement, from the manager, and the meeting broke up.

So that's how the day begins for employees at that Walmart – wonder if they're all like that?