Copper Peak is High Flying

Steve and I spent some time last summer at the Apostle Islands in Northern Wisconsin and at Porcupine Mountain in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula. It was a beautiful trip and we highly recommend visiting the area. Copper Peak was one of the highlights of the entire trip.

Bessemer, Michigan

Being on the road for several days, we decided to make a needed stop in the small town of Bessemer, Michigan. It was time to do some laundry.

To our delight, the new Laundromat in town was very clean and we decided to use our down time to figure out what was next on our travel agenda. Without too much thought, we agreed that finding something to eat was the next logical thing to do.

It was late morning and we had a yearning to find a bakery.

Based on a recommendation from a local, we found small hometown bakery right around the corner called The Bread of Life Bakery. The baked goods were delightful and it was our very first time to eat a Pastie!

The basic ingredients in a Pastie, are meat, potatoes, and some vegetables covered in delicious pastry, similar to a turnover. They were common with miners in their lunch pail for their meals. All I know; it was delicious!

With full stomachs and clean clothes, we were back on the road.

We also learned from the locals in Bessemer that there was a Sky Fly Jump in the area. It’s not everyday you get to see a ski jump, so we decided to go.

Ski Flying is what the most elite ski jumpers get to do. Out of all the ski jumpers in the world, only the top few percent are eligible for Ski Flying. There are only 6 ski fly jumps in the world and one of them is in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula!

Once you arrive, the process to the top of the Ski Fly Jump is an event in itself. We took a 15-minute chair lift ride, then we took an elevator in the ski fly building up 18 stories, then we climbed 5 flights of stairs and at that time we were ON TOP OF THE WORLD!

Copper Peak

Copper Peak in Ironwood, Michigan is the first ever ski flying hill in the western hemisphere. It has been out of commission for ski flying since 1972. However, on the day we visited, they learned they had been awarded a grant to update the jump so it could be used again.