Columbus Look-a-like vacation!

There were so many things to see up in the U.P. The trees were beautiful, although not quite "turned" yet. I did, however, run across some very interesting things!!! Fist of all, Iron Mountain has this "mining town" feel to it. It is quite a pretty place. Lots of forests, and cabins, as well as the regular commodities we see everywhere else. It has a rich history of mining iron, and a strong influence by several cultures. The cornish influence is very strong. Pasties are everywhere! If you don't know what a pastie is...it's kind of like a pot pie. Usually beef or Chicken. It originated in Cornwall, England. When I was growing up in England, I used to LOVE eating these. They are very hard to come by now a days. So when I am up there, I always stop to eat one...or two...or ten. The mining industry was revolutionized by the invention of a pump, known as the Cornish Pump. It was a way to keep the water out of the mines. It is also the largest pumping engine in the United States.

Iron Mountain has hundreds of old buildings, and lots of scenic driving as well!

This old barn looked so interesting...I had to stop and take a few pictures!!!

Then I stopped to take a picture of myself LOL

It also seems that Viking ancestry runs very strong. A few miles down the road, there is a town called Norway. It has a huge Viking ship landmark as you get into town. The Vulcan Iron Mine is there as well. It is fun to go and see. There are tours to acutally go down into the mine, and look around. It is always cold...about 40 degrees down there....so you have to wear a yellow coat, and hard hat. I will post some pictures of that sometime in the future.

I found this really neat looking jug, so of course I had to take a picture.

The other thing that I found was CHEESEBALLS!!!!! You cannot find them by my house to save your life! Not only that, but they had bacon flavour potato chips!!!! I was VERY happy!

The one thing that stuck out in my mind is how similar some of these places looked. They reminded me of Columbus! Here are some pics to compare. What do you think?

Columbus ....

Crystal Falls.....

Columbus.....

Crystal Falls....

Columbus.....(couldn't find a pic with a better angle)

Iron Mountain....(not exactly the right angle to compare but....)

There was this one building in particular that I could not take my eyes off of. It reminded me so much of Mrs. Lovett's Pie Shop from Sweeney Todd. Check this place out! Scary!

I had fun making this copy of the picture!!

All in all, it was an okay vacation. When I get round to it, I will put up some pics of the Iron Mine, and the scenic views I saw while driving around.

And just so you know.....I was working hard on my books! Here's the proof!