UP #92: Downtowner Motel, Houghton, Mich.

We checked out that morning, only to check back in that night.

UP # 91: Downtowner Motel and Downtowner Lounge (Unaffiliated), Houghton, Mich.

he felt quite sure that he would never die [UP #90]

motel neon sign houghton michigan

drunk as fuck 2:03 EST

--------------------------------------------
Originally posted "live" on 6/17/08 at 2:03 a.m. EST. Reposted (in sequence) 10/30/08.

I don't know why this Hemingway phrase sprung into my head just after last call, though he also visited and wrote about the UP. Dan and I had been downing pitcher after pitcher of Oberon, a local wheat beer, at the Downtowner Lounge, a big lakefront bar just next to our motel. The bar was brimming with locals on a Monday night, many of them having just finished a softball game.

As we did during most of the KC Siege, Dan and I talked to no one. The next night, at the same bar, we would learn once again why that's usually the smart thing to do.

Blog/Life Update

This Upper Peninsula project I've given myself is quite a challenge. I'm not supposed to blog about anything else until I tell the entire story of the trip (which will take about 300 photographs). The feedback has been very positive, though, so I shall continue.

About fall non-work travel events, to which you are invited...

College Point Class Conflict Pub Crawl III (CPCCPCIII) happens on 11/28, Friday after Thanksgiving. It looks like we will have a very respectable turnout this year.

ABBQI, the first Austin BBQ roadtrip, will happen the weekend of 12/12-14. Amazingly this jives with my meeting schedule AND coincides with Dale Watson's only appearance at the Broken Spoke in the month of December.

Back to the UP. There will be other major news soon...

UP #89: Downtowner Motel Room, Houghton, Mich.

UP #88: Portage Lake Lift Bridge, Houghton, Mich.

UP #87: Early Summer Firewood Raffle, Twin Lakes, Mich.

UP #86: Entering the Keweenaw Peninsula via Twin Lakes, Mich.

UP #85: Syl's Cafe Exterior, Ontonagon, Mich.

UP #84: Fukowee Trike, Ontonagon, Mich.

UP #83: Stubbs' Bar, Ontonagon, Mich.

UP #82: Welcome to Ontonagon

It's a laker...in the shape of a porcupine...at a gas station.

UP #81: Ontonagon Fire Station

UP #80: Spikes, Ontonagon, Mich.

UP #79: Moon Mist and Tie Plates, Ontonagon, Mich.

UP #78: Disused Railroad Station, Ontonagon, Mich.

UP #77: Snowmobile Business Route, Ontonagon, Mich.

UP #76: Syl's Cafe Sign, Ontonagon, Mich.

UP #75: First Pasty is Served, Syl's Cafe, Ontonagon, Mich.

UP #74: Interior of Syl's Cafe, Ontonagon, Mich.

UP #73: Ordering the First Pasty, Syl's Cafe, Ontonagon, Mich.

UP #72: Ontonagon Christian Centre, Ontonagon, Mich.

UP #71: Creationist Vandalism, Lake of the Clouds

UP #70: Dead Tree

UP #69: Big Carp River

Flows south to Huron, even though it's right next to Superior.

UP #68: Lake of the Clouds

UP #67: Deer Carcass No. 2, Superior Lakeshore

UP #66: Crustacean, Superior Lakeshore

UP #65: Trout at Rest

UP #64: Trout Heading Upstream, Porcupine Mountain Wilderness State Park

UP #63: Orange Fungus, Porcupine Mountain Wilderness State Park

UP #62: Deer Carcass No. 1, Porcupine Mountain Wilderness State Park

UP #61: Rock, Porcupine Mountain Wilderness State Park

UP #61: Waterfall, Presque Isle River, Porcupine Mountain Wilderness State Park

UP #60: Erosion, Presque Isle River, Porcupine Mountain Wilderness State Park

UP #59: Rapids, Presque Isle River, Porcupine Mountain Wilderness State Park

UP #58: Waterfall, Presque Isle River, Porcupine Mountain Wilderness State Park

UP #57: Michigan State Police Post #87, Wakefied, Mich.

Posting from: Las Vegas McCarren Int'l Airport.

UP #56: Ironwood, Mich. at Sunset

UP #55: UPMobile at Sunset, Ironwood, Mich.

UP #54: Dan and Rob at Indian, Ironwood, Mich.

UP #53: World's Tallest Indian, Ironwood, Mich.

UP #52: Olkie's Bar, Ironwood, Mich.

UP #51: Non-Mailbox, Hurley, Wisc.

UP #50: Dan Texting at Hurley Vietnam Veterans Memorial, Hurley, Wisc.

UP #49: Hurley Vietnam Veterans Memorial, Hurley, Wisc.

UP #48: Hurley Vietnam Veterans Memorial, Hurley, Wisc.

It's an Apache. On a stick.

UP #47: Iron County Land & Zoning, Hurley, Wisc.

UP #46: CORKSCREW (World's Largest), Hurley, Wisc.

Just written up in the Chicago Tribune

UP #45: NIGHTFALL MOTEL, Minocqua, Wisc.

We didn't stay here, but somewhere much worse.

UP #44: Paul Bunyan's Cook Shanty, Minocqua, Wisc.

The North Woods are not without cheese.

UP #43: Finally Entering the North Country (Northern Wisconsin)

From the car window. We're northbound of Route 51, headed to Hurley, Wisc./Ironwood, Mich., gateway to the UP.

UP #42: HRTACHE, Route 51 North at East Holum Street, Deforest, Wisc.

...

UP #41: Bottle Stop Liquors, Madison, Wisc.

Another one, across the street.

UP #40: Liquor Baron, Madison, Wisc.

We're finally heading out of Madison and into the North Country.

UP #39: Rock Show, University of Wisconsin

UP #38: American College Town (Madison, Wisc.)

UP #37: Ice Cubes, Madison, Wisc.

UP #36: Engine 1 on Late Night Run, Madison, Wisc.

UP #35: Defeated by Boots, Essen Haus, Madison, Wisc.

UP #34: "Good evening, music lovers, and welcome to the Essen Haus!"

UP #33: Dan at the Essen Haus, Madison, Wisc.

UP #32: Rob at the Essen Haus, Madison, Wisc.