Tuesday, June 20, 2023
A good guess on the Hwy 26 bridge closure being near the one river it crosses would put it right about Silver Falls. I was right. The retaining wall collapsed, taking half the roadway with it. You can read about that here: With nothing set for the day, I drove down that way, just in case I could find another way to the falls.
I probably could have driven past the barricade. There's a neighborhood with roads leading around it, too. Based on the construction noise coming from around the curve, I decided against it. Good call in the end. I did see a few large dump trucks going around it. I probably wouldn't have been welcome.
Instead, I stopped at a roadside park, right on the lake.
There was something about the was the clarity of the water and the way the light played off the rocks underneath.
Add in some blue sky...
My next stop was the Joseph and Mary Lizzadro Lakeshore Preserve.
I worked my way back into town and took Hwy 41 a few miles out to a road called the Mandan Loop. The Medora and Mandan Mines opened here in 1864. A four inch thick ribbon of almost pure cooper had been discovered in the area.
With the mine came the town. At its peak, three hundred called it home. Everything from mining equipment and food had to be delivered before Lake Superior froze for the winter.
Getting to and removing the copper turned out to be more difficult than expected and the mine shut down in 1866. Under new management, the mine would reopen in 1907, but the copper reserves weren't as large as expected and it shut down again four years later.
There's not much left from the mine. You really have to know where to look, and which of the numerous side roads to take. All things considered, I stuck with the loop. I definitely wouldn't recommend a sedan for this drive.
On the loop there are two buildings standing. One is an occupied house. The other was used for housing while the mine was active.
With the afternoon waning, I walked up to the Brickside Brewery for a pint. When I stopped in two nights ago, they had two new brews almost ready to go, including a Porter. With the promise of some new flavors, I couldn't pass it up.
Abigail was working the bar again and singing along with the music on the PA. I know, First World Problems, but I didn't recognize the bulk of the music. I do miss my Shazam app. For those unfamiliar, it can identify most songs, even in a crowded room.
Over my final pint, Abigail told me there are about one hundred-twenty people who live here year round. The tourist season starts in May and usually peters out by the end of October and most businesses are closed by then.
Sure, Mt. Bohemia is open during the winter, but it's fourteen miles away and most skiers simply stay at the lodges by the slopes.
After working my way back to the room, I took the camera out for one last time along in Copper Harbor.
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