Fall Colors

Another reason that makes the Upper Peninsula so special is the ability to enjoy and experience the four seasons that mother nature has to offer. I mean sure, anyone can live in Florida and California and experience summer-like conditions year round. But I'd think that would get old after awhile. The Upper Peninsula is embarking on its most glamorous and spectacular season in autumn. Actually we already are in the midst of fall, but the reason why it can be so spectacular is already underway - the fall colors from the leaves changing are now close to peak viewing conditions.

As of now, the fall colors are at their peak in western interior areas of the U.P. with the rest of the peninsula following suit as this week progresses. Even despite last week's nasty wind storm, the leaves are looking especially pretty this year. However, another raw, windy day appears to be on the horizon in the next few days, so the colors may not last all that long. So if you're looking to get out and view the colors while they are still around, you had better to do it fast.

As a general rule of thumb, the peak for fall colors in the U.P. is usually during the last week of September into the first few weeks of October. Last year was later for the peak because of a warm month of September that seemed to delay the leaf changing process a tad. This year we are right on schedule. There are a variety of great locations to view the leaves in both the western and central Upper Peninsula. In the central areas, between Munising and Marquette offers some excellent leaf peeping. Approximately five miles west of Munising on M-94, the roadway descends down a steep hill and atop of that hill, you're able to see the rolling hills of maple trees in a vibrant red, yellow, and orange. And I mean honestly, you can see trees for miles around and it's a spectacular view. It's no surprise to see people parked along side of the highway to capture this beautiful view.

So if you're in and around the Upper Peninsula in the next few days, be sure and take in the fall colors. Obviously where ever you go, you'll be sure to experience the fall colors at their best. And in a matter of weeks, most of the trees will be bare and they'll be prepared to experience another long, U.P. winter, just like the rest of us.

Random Thoughts

I haven't done one of these in awhile ... it's brief random thoughts for Random Topic Fridays!

Marquette Roundabout Nears Completion

The controversial Marquette Roundabout that the Michigan Department of Transportation has been constructing is nearing completion. Much of the inner-workings of the roundabout are built - all that remains are the two exit lanes, one entering the bypass from Front Street and the one exiting the bypass and entering Front Street. I must admit, when I first entered the roundabout this evening, I didn't go in the right lane. Oops! But I didn't think it was fully functional yet. There is definitely going to be a learning curve for everyone when this thing officially opens. Yes, there are still detractors of the roundabout - people blaming the city of Marquette for going forward with this type of intersection. But these folks don't understand that this is an MDOT project - the city of Marquette had nothing to do with it (although the endorsed the project from the beginning). More complaints state that it's a waste of money and there was nothing wrong with the old intersection. And another common complaint is that bigger trucks will have difficulty traversing the roundabout as well as winter plowing concerns. They're all legitimate concerns, but all one has to do is do a little research on-line and find that all of those misconceptions that people have brought up are exactly that - misconceptions. People are just afraid of change and something new. In time, people will get comfortable with the roundabout and there'll be no further complaints.

A Racial Firestorm

A story broke on the news earlier in the week about an interracial couple dealing with threats from two townspeople in their community they just moved to. It kind of hits home to me because its my mom's hometown and the one community we frequently visited as a kid and the Fourth of July celebrations. Two men came to the front door of this couple's house and told them not to get comfortable where they are and to move on, all because the male was black. Well somehow, this story made the local news and has created quite the firestorm of comments on the website of the local TV station. This town's credibility took a serious hit with this story - I don't care if it only involved the two idiots making threats. In this day and age, you can't be making threats at someone of a different ethnic background. We're living in the 21st century, not the slavery era. It's shameful what these two individuals did and thankfully, they were apprehended by police for their actions. Not only did they make threats, but they did damage to the woman's car, by removing the radiator cap, cutting the emergency brake line, and draining the oil from her car. How immature and senseless is this. If you don't like someone moving into your community, you keep it to yourself. Everyone is free to live where ever they like. After all, this is a free country.

Last Month of Summer

And sadly, we're beginning to enter the final month of the summer season. I am sure many people in the south and the east are glad that summer is nearing an end, because it's been so hot. Well, we've definitely had our fair share of warm days here in the U.P., but nothing like those two areas of the country have faced. I just love summer in the U.P. - there's nothing like it. And I tend to get a bit depressed at this time of year when I know that summer is coming to a close. All of the greenhouses are closing up shop for the summer around here now and all of the summer gear is on clearance. The grass is beginning to dry up and some of the flowers are starting to die off. The days are slowly getting shorter. And a major, clear sign that fall is around the corner - the goldenrod is getting taller and taller. Oh well, it happens every year and it's just one of those things we have to accept. The nice part is that fall is usually quite nice in the Upper Peninsula, even though we tend to get our fair share of colder days sooner than we like. But hey, it's the U.P. We're used to it by now.

He's Gone!

Can you believe it finally happened? If you haven't heard, you probably live under a rock. But in case you didn't hear about the conclusion of this week's American Idol results show, Sanjaya was finally voted off. It should've happened much earlier, but now that he's officially gone, he is going to be missed. Yes, I am being serious. Just when you think American Idol couldn't get any more buzz, Sanjaya brought with him a media storm of conversation. Week after week, it wasn't just about his poor singing, but also his plethora of hair styles. Simon hounded on him constantly, week after week, and it made for good comedy. I really believe the Sanjaya-delerium peaked when the camera panned upon a girl who was bawling her eyes out in the audience at the vision of Sanjaya. And the thing of it is, we may never see the likes of Sanjaya again. Sure, we've had William Hung, but he never made it to Hollywood. Scott Savol acutally could sing somewhat. But Sanjaya? There wasn't a week that he was spectacular. Melinda? Yes. Blake? Yes. Lakisha? Yes. Sanjaya? No way. He is going to be one of those memorable contestants that will stand out forever, and will be talked about for a very long time.

And since thing blog is about American Idol, I thought I'd discuss another thing about the show that I find pretty intriguing. It seems there are two groups of people when it comes to American Idol. You either love it or hate it. There are very few in between. Usually the people who hate the show dispise everything there is about it and can't even fathom watching one minute of it. But then there are the people who love it and can't get enough of the show. So you either love it or hate it. What is your opinion of the show?

I figured I would sneak in a quick blog tonight as I will be tied up the next couple of nights working 12-hour shifts. But the nice part is, after this weekend, it's the easy part of the schedule. Next weekend is my long weekend (count 'em, five days off). Then I work five days of afternoons and then it's another three-day weekend! Yes, the 12's are no fun - in fact, they suck! But this schedule definitely has its perks (more days off). There are still detractors to the schedule (one such guy continues to state how he "hates" the schedule emphatically), but I am not one of them. Sometimes, change is good and you never know exactly how good it can be until you try it. I think that's what some people have been finding out these past four months.

It's looking to be a beautiful weekend here in the Upper Peninsula, as we'll be seeing our warmest temperatures of the season thus far. Remember a week or so ago when I was complaining about the constant snow? Well, that's all but a memory. The high temperature on Sunday is expected to reach 77 degrees. Can you believe it after the 50+ inches of snow we've received thus far in April? The snow is quickly disappearing (in fact, mainly snow piles remain) and thoughts of summer are not that far away. I love this time of year. Get out and enjoy your weekend, where ever you are.

March Snow Storms

We've had some dandy snow storms in the past during the month of March. We just experienced another March snow storm here in the Upper Peninsula the past few days to add to the record books, but it's not going to be a very memorable one. We picked up around a foot of snow to add to the snow pack. And it's not the fluffy kind of snow, either, as there is a decent-amount of moisture to it. It really is not easy to move it around. It's currently snowing as we speak, with the storm enhancing squalls from Lake Superior. It would not surprise me if we picked up another six inches of snow before tomorrow morning. But we're already into the month of March and spring isn't that far away now.

I remember some pretty spectacular snow storms when I was a kid. This storm was a little too close by which didn't allow us to receive more system snow than what we could've. The winds also weren't as strong as what they could've been. If all of the right ingredients came together, we could be talking about six to eight foot snow drifts, strong winds, blizzard conditions, and storm totals nearing 30 inches. Those are the kinds of storms I remember when I was little. Usually we'd get this huge snow drift to form right in front of the house that would be so high in the air, almost up to the eves of the roof. The snowbanks would be quite high, as tall as the street sign near the end of the driveway. There would be snow as far as the eye can see. I could tell the winds would be howling when the little tag that hangs down from the electric meter on the exterior wall of my bedroom would rattle away, waking me up. But in the past few years, we really have not seen the blizzards from the days gone by. And by blizzards, I mean blizzards - strong winds, heavy snows, and snow days. I remember one winter, we missed close to ten days of school because of snow. One such school year, we had to make up a school day on Saturday! That's how many snow days we racked up. And although schools still close down because of this kind of weather, they usually open right back up the next day. We had bad storms in the past that would close down school for two straight days. Doesn't seem to happen that much anymore.

I remember one snow storm that was particularly severe. Our high school boy's varsity basketball team was competing in the regional tournament up in Marquette one day in March of 1997. We had an old fashioned blizzard going on, but despite the bad weather, we still had school, all because of the basketball game that evening. For some reason they couldn't postpone the game so they decided to hold school. When it was time for us to leave for the game, the weather was really nasty. My parents were deciding whether it was a good idea to even go, but I was rather insistent on going. So my dad and I traveled out on the roads. It wasn't a very good idea for us to go and we quickly found that out along the way. We experienced a heavy, blinding snow and frequent white-out conditions. Even part of the highway just south of the city had to be closed off because of the dangerous driving conditions. My dad found an alternative route to where the game was being played and we got to the gymnasium on time. But, because of the road closure, the basketball team was a good 45 minutes to an hour late. The wind was really involved in that storm and I knew afterwards it wasn't such a good idea to risk our lives just for some basketball game (especially one where we got hammered!). That stormy situation is one I will never forget.

The winter of 2006-07 is quickly coming to a close, yet that doesn't mean we won't see our fair share of snow and cold until spring finally starts to set in. April can be a rather snowy month around here, too. Judging from the way our winter started with a snow cover finally establishing itself around January 13th, I have a feeling we may end up paying for our unusual late start to winter early on. I guess we'll just have to wait and see.