Feb 16, 20213 min read

Ep. 002 // How Heritage Shapes Us

Updated: Apr 13, 2021

When we planned an interview with Keith + Julie Meyers, we had no way of knowing it would be. So. Cold. January was soggy and warm, leaving us with the impression winter might never arrive. We were wrong. On the Saturday we met the snow had made a comeback in full force and the temperatures were dipping just below zero.

As we pulled our frosty car into the parking lot of the Heritage Center, we began to have regrets about planning a cross-country ski with the Meyers. When they arrived, Keith was chipper and ready to ski. He had postponed his 10 mile run until later in the afternoon, when maybe the sun would be out. Julie attributed her presence as a token of her love for Keith, noting that otherwise, she would most definitely be on the couch binge-watching Bridgerton (who can blame her).

True to most frozen powdery days, as we skied through the woods we soon forgot our cold toe woes. Neither Haley nor I could deny that it was, in fact, stunning. The snow was pillowed on all of the trees and looked like an absolute dream. There’s a stillness that accompanies heavy snowfall, and the woods become a very special place for those who do bundle up and brave the cold. Between all the gawking and chatting we managed to ski a quick loop and reconvene back at the Heritage Center. (I might take a moment to add here that the Heritage Center, seen above, has some seriously aesthetic Wes Anderson vibes if you’re into that). Keith is (among many titles) the President of the Chassell Historical Organization, and was kind enough to let us in and take a look around. Keith has most certainly earned this title. It seems there’s not a shred of history within the Heritage Center that he can’t tell you about. This deep love of history for the area stems from his Finnish roots, which was the context for most of our interview.

The interview was at a second location; set up in Meyer's airbnb overlooking Chassell Bay. It’s a small quaint house in the yard, adjacent to the newer house they reside in. The airbnb was the original house Keith’s family-owned. In the interview, Keith recounts childhood stories from summers spent in the Keweenaw, their big move from Kansas, and how they’re actively contributing to the outdoors lifestyle and historical recognition of their community. In Keith’s words, “It’s all about giving back to the place who made me who I am”. No spoilers here though; if you want the good stories you’ll have to listen to Ep. 002 of the Keweenaw Logbook Podcast.

Keith and Julie are a busy duo; members of a plethora of boards, a multitude of hiking and running groups, promoting their airbnb, and working on projects like the Remote Workforce Keweenaw (an organization to help remote workers transition to living in the Keweenaw). Links to Remote Workforce Keweenaw and their airbnb, Keith's Instagram @DecompressU, can be found below. Additionally, Keith went above and beyond in the history department, providing us with some old photos of his family from the area. Who doesn’t love retro photos? Exactly. Which is why we’ve left them here for you to enjoy.

A sincere thank you to both Keith and Julie for a beautiful morning ski and for taking the time to talk with the Keweenaw Logbook.

Remote Workforce Keweenaw: https://remoteworkforcekeweenaw.com

Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/RemoteWorkforceKeweenaw

Pinterest boards: https://www.pinterest.com/RemoteWorkforceKeweenaw/boards/

Instagram: @Decompressu