• Thursday-What'sUP July 15 - 02:11 am

Rock Harbor is where you arrive on Isle Royale if you take the Isle Royale Queen IV (a Pasty Cam sponsor!) or the Ranger III, across Lake Superior. If you decide to fly over on the seaplane, you'll land in Tobin Harbor. That's usually a good spot to get a glimpse or even a picture, like Rick Whitman did of this bull moose wading in the water. Seems like each time we visit the Island, we're lucky enough to see a moose, but I was sure excited when kayaking in Tobin and we saw this cow and her calf swimming to one of the small islands nearby. Don't worry, we gave them enough space and didn't get too close (I had a telephoto lens).

A special welcome if you are brand new to the Pasty Cam. This daily feature has been around, going on 8 years, and as the editor of these pages I often recall similar sights from the past archives. Mary prepares the weekday pictures ahead of time, then I do the final publish each morning. Today's shots reminded me of August 8, 2002 when Jonathan (my son) captured a moose on digital film standing a bit closer. The click of the camera received this reaction:

Good morning! Nice pictures... especially the smallest one... :)

Great pictures. Just got back from Alaska. It was a incredible place. Lots of wilderness not many peaple. My kind of place. The UP is the closest thing I have within driving distance. It will more than do.

Good morning from Mishawaka IN. Great Pictures this morning! Have a good day everyone.

I've never seen a moose in the wild, even after living in Maine for several years.

Need to get to Isle Royale one of these days

5 Years ago our family spent 4 days on Isle Royal. On the last day, after leaving the lodge from having breakfast, there was a moose right outside the building having his breakfast of greens. That was the first moose my wife had seen. We were literally 15' from the moose.

Mary, you made my day! Until I actually experience the thrill of photographing a moose in the wild, I will have to live virtually through the great pictures on Pasty Cam. Isle Royale looks like the place to go. I remember Jonathan's fabulous photo. Thanks for showing it again, Charlie.

I love moose or is it mooses or meeces?!? Thanks for the beautiful pictures.

I think it's singular moosum and plural moosi.

Thanks Charlie & Mary for keeping this site and especially this feature going! Not only is it a brief escape from life well below the UP, but it is a really fun feature.

My visit to Isle Royale is one my cherished memories. Now that the sea plane is running, I'll have to get out there for a day trip.

Pasty Cam is still my first site of the day. I really enjoy the animated cam shots and slide shows.

my 1980 visit to Isle Royale offered seeing 14 moose while hiking. my 2003 visit ZERO.

Last year while camping at King Lake I needed to make a cell call.

I only had to drive a mile up the road to a ridge to get reception, so when I did, I backed the truck into the woods at a right angle to the road, threw it in Park and started to dial.

Looked up while it was ringing and there on the other side of the road was a Moose stairing back at me.

Probably her first cell phone sighting. lol

of course the camera was back at the campground and when i returned she was gone. Bummer

Bob! You learned the hard way- you must always carry the camera!

That first picture made me think of that line from the movies, "You talkin' to ME?"

Beautiful pictures of a majestic animal. Only, pictures don't show how HUGE Moose are. Scary huge!

Greetings from IL.
I have had the opportunity to visit Isle Royale on two ocassions. Both experiences were wonderful. My second trip there was in 2004 when I,too,had the chance to see a moose and her calf up close and personally. It was a wonderful experience.
I have a question for all of you who live or travel to the Keweenaw. I will be there in August and need to know which cellular phone service works the best in your area? I will be at both McLain State Park and in Copper Harbor. It is critical that I stay connected with folks at home here in Illinois. Thanks Mary Frank from IL.

Bob,

Those dangly things under mooses necks actually pick up cell phone transmissions. Had it been a male, the antlers could have boosted your reception.

Beautiful pics of Isle Royal...now that is one place I have never been in the UP and definately want to visit. The second pic definately looks like Alaska.
Sue, your comment about cell phone reception via moose was too funny.

Man, y'all have a lot of Bullwinkles UP there!!!

Oh, I love moose! They're just such strange-looking animals. Thanks for the great pictures. Love the cell phone/moose story -- bet she was surprised.

Mary Frank - My Verizon cell doesn't work in the town of Copper Harbor, but I can get a signal on the top of Brockway Mountain. I can also get a signal all the way up Hwy 41 to the Delaware Mine area and off Hwy 41 down the Eagle Harbor Road to Eagle Harbor. I've never been to McLain State Park, however. We're going up to Copper Harbor on July 23!

The pictures of Isle Royal are beautiful. I have never seen a moose up close, but hope to someday. A week from today we are heading to the UP for 10 days!! I am so excited! Thanks for all the hard work you put into this site. I make it a daily stop for a quick get away!

Love the pictures. What excitement to have these happy family members show up. Probably a reunion or something.

My first Moose Experience was on Isle Royale. It was the summer before I headed off to LSSU. 3 friends and I went out there for 3 days. It was a mother and calf like 20 feet away. I have been fasinated every since.

Coming out of the outhouse on Carribou Island one morning I was surprised to see a cow and calf moose standing five feet away from me. I didn't know what they would do so I held on to the door in case I needed to retreat back inside. She finally made a noise and headed away from me with the little one following. I ran to the shelter to wake up my husband and get the camera. Shucks, but the camera had been left on our friend's boat. Another friend was in his sleeping bag on the ground. He said the pair had stopped by to check him out then just wandered off. Wow! Of the three boats docked on the island, six friends total on the boats, they all watched the pair swim from one island, come on to Carribou, then we all got to watch them swim on to the next. Cool!

When we lived in New Hampshire we would go camping in the White Mountains a couple times a year. During most trips we would see several moose. In fact, the highways in the WM region have caution signs posted to watch for moose crossings, as well as the number of fatal moose/vehicle accidents. Those signs certainly made us pay attention!

ya der eh ppl, i went to da Island once for 5 days, hike da hole ting, saw 18 moose and got chased by 1 mother with her calf up by Todd harbor, i tink she was just tryin to pretect it doe, it was pure nutz addrenalin rush.

Another hot spot for moose (no, they're not meese!) is north of Michigamme. Our hunting camp is up there & on several occasions we've seen cows & calves; once a bull. Magnificently ugly creatures.

Sue,Calumet: You are TOO funny!

I always say that God HAS to have a sense of humor ... he created the moose!

Awesome pictures! I'm so jealous.

We've spent many vacations in the U.P., and spent many hours north of the Michigamme area looking for the elusive moose, and backpacked on Isle Royale, and never saw even one! Every time we take our son back and forth to NMU, I look for them. I'm beginning to believe they're mythical creatures, kind of like the unicorns!

Thanks Anon for the info about the Verizon cell phone not working in Copper Harbor. I may have to switch to another carrier. Perhaps Cingular will work up that way. My Verizon worked in Houghton, but not much further north than that. Mary Frank from IL

Mary Frank - It might not do you any good to switch carriers. Unless it has changed recently, I was told last year that none of the cell companies work IN Copper Harbor. Maybe someone from the area knows differently?

I never got to see a moose in the UP, despite lots of looking. Had to wait 'til years later in WY, then again a few years ago in New Brunswick, CA. Yes, Andy, 'magnificently ugly' is a good description.

Bob:
"Last year while camping at King Lake..."
Which King Lake? (I would guess #1):
1. King Lake, 492 acres, Baraga County, Covington Twp, via King Lake Rd south of US41/M28.
2. King Lake, 16 acres, Gogebic County, Marenisco Twp, via Forest Service Road 8270 east of US64.

A number of years ago the DNR released moose in
varios spots across the UP. I saw one near rabbit bay and knew someone who saw one at little traverse. Anyone know if the released moose are still around and if their reproducing.

Thanks again for information on cells phones not working in Copper Harbor. Does anyone have a cell phone that does work from there? It would really help me to find out. Thanks Mary Frank

My phone connected to a Canadian cell while at the Calumet waterworks{Buckey's} I was calling Calumet ..Gets pricey with international roaming charges..Who was Buckey anyway?

mary frank: none of our cell phones worked from Eagle Harbor this year. (last year they did...???) I have Verizon. Sorry I don't know what the others had. When we spoke to a business person located in Houghton and said we had no connection, she basically said: "oh, yeah."

Anybody know why our phones worked last year but not this?

I have Cingular and my phone did not work while in Munising and at Eagle Harbor in May and June, although last year I had no problem. I asked why this was and was told that some 'other' phone company bought the towers and don't allow other cell companies to use them (or something like that).

There was a story/joke in Readers Digest a while back from a woman in Houghton or Hancock who said that..
just after.. giving up a new cell phone because it did not work well where she lived ..The cell company wrote to see how she liked her service and mentioned that the customer service department had repeatedly tried to reach her by ..cell phone.

What good are cell phones if they can't be used in all areas?

I hope cell phones never work in Copper Harbor...so I don't have to sit next to some Yuppie taking care of business while the rest of us are trying to enjoy......Pray the real developers never discover the peninsula or you will see gentrification such as you have never seen. One guys opinion.........

FLYIN MY MOONEY-you have a good point there!!!

saw a cow on isle royale and a bull on the way to crystal falls in june of 05 unconcerened about out presence at that time, however some caution must be exercised in their [presence.

In 2003 was on Isle Royal camping. The first night I was walking back up from the lake and put the water bottles on the picnic table. You could imagine my surprise when I looked up and saw a moose at the other end of the table not more then 8 feet away. Then he just casually went back in the woods to eat some more.

Was about that close to a couple raindeer in northern Norway 2 weeks ago. More raindeer than people in most of the cities!

a few Moose hotspots:
-Van Riper Park
-Tahquamenon Falls area
-Michigamme
-Big Bay

Out of my 4 sightings of moose, 3 were from one of the areas listed above. Best time of day is early A.M. or just before the sun sets

Good luck all

I was going to say after packing up from camping at Van Riper State Park afew years back we just pulled out heading south when the wife started oh,oh,hey,hey! I thought we forgot something,or the camper came off,so i said WHAT? She said Bullwinkle!

Flyin my mooney..... I agree with you 100%!!! Hope the yuppies go to the big cities to vacation where they belong and not the yoop.

flyin my moony......I would hate to see Copper Harbor change too much and the developers take over. However, there other more respective folks who need to stay connected with family and friends at home. Emergencies do happen. It isn't just the yuppies who use cell phones. I don't mind using a phone card to call out from a pay phone, but that doesn't help when I am staying in a charming cabin and can't get any incoming calls.
It is critical that I can be reached. Mary Frank

right on mooney!!!!!

Mary,
I used my verizon in Eagle Harbor when I was there in June without any problem. It might depend which way the wind is from!

Flyinthemooney: Great point. Personally, I feel a certain sense of relief when my cell phone signal is lost, enroute to the UP. Really hard for people to pester me, when my cell phone isn't getting a signal. :)

Flyinthemooney: I agree, I have a cell phone and hate
the darn thing but I have a teenager sooo.....I am so
glad it doesn't work in the harbor. Besides the teeen is
with us there and no worries.

I hate to be considered one of the "yuppies"! I could understand mooney's point if there were land lines where everyone in the gorgeous Copper Country is. The concern is not about being able to make a call--it's about not being able to be reached.

True, it's lovely to be away from contact. But both my children had certain things going on. We were in a lovely house w no landline. They had my cell #, which by the way, I never use at home and NEVER, NEVER talk on in public or HORRORS! while driving. I don't leave it on except in these conditions.

Everything turned out OK, but made me slightly nervous the whole time to be unreachable.

I agree with leaving the cell phones at home! I've managed to live without one so far.It wasn't all THAT long ago that there were no such things as cell phones. What did people do when there weren't any? People travelled and left home for various reasons and seemed to get along quite nicely. We should remember how we got along then and do the same now. If there is a "real" emergency at home, there are ways to get in touch with people. We've become a society that is way too reliant on modern conveniences!

I have to echo Rose from Illinois above. My wife and I also are beginning to believe that moose are mythical creatures, as in seven trips to the U.P., we have yet to see one. We have been told several times that one was there earlier or yesterday where we are now or tomorrow. We usually look for them in the Eastern U.P. around Paradise, Newberry, Crisp Point, and Tahquamenon, and also in the Michigamme area on our way to the Keweenaw. Actually, we've never even seen a black bear, although we've been close on their tracks at both ends of the U.P.
Eleven weeks from today and we'll be trying again.

Right on, 'Me'!! There's always some way to be reached. Spent decades in Copper Harbor with no cell phones, and sometimes no electricity (does't happen so much these days). No TV even. Can you imagine?!!! Have seen a handful of people in all those years have actual emergencies at home while they were UP visiting, even camping, and were contacted as needed. The good, old-fashioned, mostly-reliable land lines will always serve quite nicely as security blankets for nervous travellers. Just ask Aunt Josephine.

I am seeking moose photos(preferably photos taken in Luce County but not neccessary) for a project I am working on for our upcoming car show and moose spectacular next July. The photos will be posted on our car clubs website that I am working on updating. Our car clubs name is the Tahquamenon Valley Cruisers. Our show next year will be held in Downtown Newberry and we want it to go along with the Moose Capital theme. We are a not for-profit Organization and photos would not be sold they would be solely used on our website for the promotion of our show and event. you can visit our website http://tvcruisers.com
please email photos to tvcruisers@yahoo.com