Page 130 - WINE DINE AND TRAVEL EATING IBERIA

copper center, and Finlandia University, which pays
homagetotheregion’sFinnishsettlers,linesabeautiful
boulevard in Hancock, Houghton’s twin city. Residents
of Keweenaw are proud of their history and welcome
visitors. The Quincy Mine, now defunct, serves as the
centerpiece of the Keweenaw National Historic Park.
Visitors can tour the mine’s old buildings and even go
down a mine shaft to experience what it was like to ex-
tract copper from deep in the earth.
We overnighted in Houghton and ate at Joey’s
Seafood & Grill, where I said farewell to lake whitefish.
The next morning we headed north in search of our
prime objective, autumn color.
Keweenawisstarklybeautifulandatlastwewere
satisfied. The closer we got to the tip of the peninsula
the more the landscape was drenched in the painterly
reds, ambers and golds of a North American autumn.
We headed up Brockway Mountain Drive, which as-
cends735feetupridgealongthetipofthispeninsula’s
thumb. From its crest we could see every imaginable
autumn hue shimmering in the oaks, birches and
maples that carpet the hills and valleys.
And fog rolled up the valley, adding drama and re-
minding us that no place on Keweenaw Peninsula is
very far from Lake Superior, which had us surrounded
now on three sides.
We came down from the ridge and went to Eagle
Harbor,wherewediscoveredtheEagleHarborLifeSav-
ing Museum, which occupies the old Eagle Harbor Life
SavingStationandisnowaNationalLandmark.LifeSav-
ingStationspredatedtheCoastGuard,andthisoldboat
house is one of humblest and most endearing museums
to be found anywhere. Inside the old wooden building
are antique life-saving equipment and gear. Exhibits
commemorate the men and women who braved Lake
Superior’s waters, sometimes in freezing conditions, to
rescue sailors whose ships went aground or foundered
inoneoftheGreatLakes’legendarystorms.Onedisplay
commemorateda1913rescueinwhichrescuerstriedto
saveacrewtrappedaboardagroundedvesselinicycon-
ditions.Duringoneattempttheywereliterallyfrozento
theirseatsandhadtoquit;theyultimatelysucceededon
theirthirdtry.

130 WINE DINE & TRAVEL MAGAZINE 2020