19 WINTER 2020 ISSUE 02 / VOL . 01 SNOWGOER . COM 20
exclusively by snowmobilers , who cross the 500-foot span between the two cities beneath four lanes of car traffic . On previous visits , the lower level was always snow-covered and groomed ; on this visit , the rocky dirt surface was predominant and , once to the other side , we had another mile of scraping the carbides through the city of Hancock before the trail became snow-covered again .
North of the bridge , we took Trail 17 up through the picturesque towns of Calumet and Laurium – each featuring many old brick building and stoic-looking churches – before rejoining Trail 3 and continuing our run to the north and east . We were making good time to our lunch destination – the city of Copper Harbor at the far northern tip of the Keweenaw , 91 miles from our start . It was a particularly cold morning and exceptionally windy – the side blasts occasionally felt like they were moving the sleds around on the icy trails as we tried to tuck behind low windshields . To warm up , we bounced off of the main trail at Phoenix and jumped the parallel , but more weaving and interesting , Trail 130 toward Eagle River and Eagle Harbor on the shore of Lake Superior , then rejoined Trail 3 for the climb up and over Brockway Mountain . Trail 130 has much more of a northwoods feel than the rail trail – tall trees envelop the narrow trail that has various undulations .
The ride over Brockway is a must-experience adventure . It takes riders 700 feet above Lake Superior and then weaves down slightly to a great overlook on the beautiful tourist town of Copper Harbor . It has a certain coastal charm – what we ’ d imagine an old-school Cape Cod would feel like . Beyond the town was the blue water of Lake Superior , violated by a protective reef decorated with pine trees . It ’ s a spectacular sight , though we didn ’ t linger long because the howling winds and bitter temperatures chased us toward our lunch spot – the Mariner North in Copper Harbor .
After a hearty cheeseburger and a fuel stop up the road , our adventure continued by jumping the combined Trail 134 / 135 out of town and back into the forest , and then toward the next must-visit destination : High Rock Bay . This far-too-often skipped side trail is a five-mile long dead end . The trail itself is entertaining and fun , but the view at its end is downright awesome . We ’ ve been there previously where the tiny bay to the right is frozen crystal clear ; on this visit the