Sunday

destination 1 ~

I was invited to go along yesterday with my two daughters, son in-law and granddaughter for a ride up into the Michigan UP.  No ... not to my sister Chers; but close - and I'm kicking myself for not calling her and telling her to meet up with us somewhere.  Sorry about that Cheryl :(

 Way off in the distance ... circled on the photo was destination #1 ... Copper Peak.  You can see it for miles out.  It looks like a big needle sticking out of the landscape.

What is Copper Peak?  It's a ski flying ramp.  Like you'll see on the Winter Olympics.  A dare-devil sport if there ever was one.  Remember Eddie The Eagle?

postcard image from the internet

Driving up ... a little closer ~


Oh... that don't look too high and intimidating to those who are afraid of heights (sonny in-law). 

We're there ... ready to load and go into the nose bleed zone :) We're a heavy load ... and we've been assured that it can handle us.  Haha ... seriously ... I wasn't laughing.

Here's a zoom in on the sign:

1782 feet above sea level ~ 1180 feet above Lake Superior ... 18 story elevator up top of that ... another 8 stories above the first platform.  The ski jump is 26 stories high on top of this hill.

Going up ...

That little sign reads 'Do Not Bounce or Swing Chairs' ... yeah... like that's going to happen.

mid way up ... a bear den? or cave?  in the rocks below:
still going up ... getting closer to the jump ...

Daughter 1 and Grandlove on my tail wind ...


... followed by daughter 2 and SIL ...  or should I say daughter 2 and the Great White Knuckler! Oh how I love picking on him.  Truth be known... I was a bit of a white knuckler myself up there.   Just kidding ... but that's what I told Don to put him at ease :)

We made it half way there ...

That ski jump doesn't  look too high  ~ you can handle it Don ... the worse part of this journey is over. LOL


Then it's down a trail and over to the ski jump elevator.

 hmm... still not looking too high ~

In the elevator - and off we go ... 18 stories up ... the door opens and you step out onto the first platform.  Yep ... now we're up there!  This is where the slightest wind blows and you can feel the sway.  I'm feeling high!

The view ...

Lake Superior, trees and sky! Truly a birds eye view.  Look down  ... there's the landing pad for the ski lift and below that WAY DOWN THERE is the landing pad for the jumpers and a 10 story fire tower on the right. Those two trucks down there look like matchbox toys.


... and this is only Platform Landing One at 18 stories up.  There's still another 8 stories to go - but you have to climb the stairs for that.


Staci, Bailey and Sara head up ... I can't do those steps with my bum knees.  I'm staying on Platform One with Don. 

Looking up at the top from Platform One.

Staci up top:

... a river below ~



Heading down to lower ground ~

It was fun.  This was my third time up there and the best time up there.  The weather was perfect.  It wasn't windy, the sky was clear and you could see for miles and miles.  I just wish my knees weren't so bad and I could make the climb to the very top!

This turned into a pretty long post so I'll save Destination 2 of our little road trip for tomorrow :)

Until next time ...
So it goes in my neck of the woods.
~mel

10 comments:

  1. what a view! but also a bit of yikes! :)

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  2. Great view.I wouldn't want to go all the way to the top though.

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  3. Wow what a view but I would be a white knuckler too. Sorry your knees wouldn't behave if you really wanted to go all the way.

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  4. I have never seen something like this. As I said my education continues!!!! LOL
    Funny how things look from the ground, I have been fooled twice in my life. Once in a diving contest and I had NEVER dived from a 20' board. When I got there it scared me, but I could not show it. I won the diving contest including the diving contest. The other was diving from a trestle 30' up, I did that too but it wasn't graceful nor repeated.
    That height would have probably scared the beegeebees out of me.

    Love from DOWN HERE.

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  5. Very, very interesting. I do not have bum knees, but I certainly think platform #1 looks scary enough for me. Maybe your blog should be UpHighWithMel.

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  6. SPECTACULAR views. What a trip you had to the top. I would have never wanted to leave. Thanks for sharing. LOVED it.

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  7. We saw this last, in the fall when the colors were awesome. But, it was windy and I could not wait to touch the ground again. I also remember getting creeped-out in that claustrophobic elevator. I'll bet Bailey loved the day.

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  8. ARGH!!!! WHY DIDN'T YOU CALL US!!!
    You can get some really cool shots when you're high! Just kidding! (Mom would have slapped me for that.) LOL
    Thanks for sharing.
    The next time you come over, we have a surprise for you.
    'love & hugs from afar'

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  9. We went there two years ago but were too cheap to pay for the trip up. It's a pretty spot and the idea of people flying through the air on their skis and then landing is amazing. I love all your pictures. Now I don't have to wonder what it looked like from up there. I would love to see that view in the fall.

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  10. Oh my oh my. How can anyone go down a thing like that. I am SO not a dare devil. I'd have been clinging on to the sides for dear life.

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