Ah, winter in the Upper Peninsula, I love it. Twenty-one days into December and it has been the winteriest December I recall in recent memory. It’s almost on par with this past February, where places like Twin Lakes has already had nearly ten feet of snowfall.
Last year we chased the latest sunset in the Eastern Timezone which inspired us to look at how our long, late summer evenings in the Upper Peninsula comprae to other places in the country.
Twice a year brings the opportunty to watch the sunrise directly through the center of the historic Lower Harbor Ore Dock in Marquette. Of course, for the spectacular colors we hope to see, we’ll need to cross our fingers for a day free of overcast. At minimum, just a sliver of open sky between the morning clouds on the horizon.
Ah, summer in the Upper Peninsula, I love it. Visitors from all over the country people the downtown, the food trucks are a lot easier to find (thanks, Dia De Los Tacos), and the days seem to last forever. Neighborhood kids come home during the summer when the street lights start to glow and that could be close to 10 pm. It may sound late, but most Yooper moms are remiss to end a street game of Bloody Murder tag in a place where the weather is so unpredictable – and murders are relatively few.
Many of you have read my previous post of the old post regarding the “Legend of the Big Boy Graveyard”. Since, it has been one of our most popular journal entries, resulting in a lot of search traffic and people trying to find the statues. But we wont’ be giving out any locations here.
First off, a big thanks goes out to Katrina who e-mailed me a new top secret location.
Our friend Stephanie sent us this delightful little poem by Suzanne Kindler, which was penned in 1996 from what we could find. But we couldn’t find much else about Suzanne. If you know more about Suzanne Kindler we would love to find more information on her and the roots of this poem.
Now, go escape to the pine trees.
It’s the place people go to escape,
a place made of cabins, pine trees and lakes.
But no matter how far you drive,
there’s no sign to say “You’ve arrived.”
So just follow your heart til you find,
your special place that brings peace of mind.
As you breathe in the air and unwind,
your cares are all left behind.
It’s no mystery where the northwoods start.
When you’re “up north,”
you’ll know in your heart.
This is a favorite past time for many people in the Upper Peninsula from the shores of Lake Superior to Lake Michigan to a small strip of Lake Huron, and the many inland lakes. Not to mention a favorite past time of people across the world. Personally, I have skipped stones as far away from the Upper Peninsula as Seward, AK and Lochranza, Scotland. To call me a stone skipping expert would be blasphemy. However, to say that I’m passionate about stone skipping would be a large understatement.
UPDATE: You can now rent and download The Michigan Ice Film. If you like local folklore, adventure, winter, or simply live in Michigan, you need to check it out. Much respect to Aaron and his crew for putting this amazing film together during the coldest winters on record.
Let us introduce you to Aaron Peterson. Aaron is the driving force behind Cold & Clear Cinema. Last year his team brought us Cold Rolled (you can watch Cold Rolled here), a film featuring Marquette’s one of a kind snow biking trails. Now, a new project is underway, The Michigan Ice Film, with the mission of highlighting ice climbing in Alger County.
This post and photos brought to you by two friends of Yooper Steez, Allison Rueff (a native Yooper from Marquette living in Cincinnati) and Kate Rose (from Novi living in San Francisco), former MSU roommates who finally made it up to Isle Royale after years of talking about it. It lived up to all the hype, and they praise God for whatever topographic mistake has yielded this Michigan treasure.
Today we salute you, Mr. Shakyhands-Cartographer-That-Gave-Isle-Royale-To-The-U.P.-Instead-of-Canada. Some people say it was the foresight of our founding father, Benjamin Franklin, who gave us Isle Royale under the Treaty of Paris. But we know better. When you were employed to draw that boundary in 1783, your pencil moved gracefully from Sault Saint Marie and across Thunder Bay…and suddenly you had to sneeze. And in that nasal explosion, you unwittingly gave Michigan a spot of pristine wilderness that would be cherished for generations. Mostly by generations of moose, but hey – that’s the U.P.
Photography has been one of my biggest hobbies for several years now and it was a few years ago when I started following one of my favorite ongoing photography projects, The Gigapxl Project.
I was fortunate do a pretty cool project of my own starting two years back when I left on a 50-state tour for a year. For that year there were a number of small world connections and strange coincidences. One of my favorites and most unbelievable of the entire trip was when I was being given a tour of the Montana State Capitol.
Last year Outdoor Life ranked the City of Marquette as the 7th best town in the United States.
This year Outdoor Life ranked Marquette as their 2nd best town in the United States to experience the great outdoors.
“Another repeat Top-10 finisher from last year, Marquette jumped five spots from number 7 in our 2008 list. Located on the banks of Lake Superior on the Upper Peninsula’s northern shore, Marquette is the ultimate Great Lakes town. Outdoorsmen are blessed with abundant year-round activities, including awesome steelhead and salmon runs; phenomenal smallmouth, walleye and muskie fishing; great grouse gunning; and a whitetail-hunting culture that is second to none. Public access to grouse and woodcock, deer, ducks and turkeys is near at hand on the spacious Hiawatha and Ottawa national forests.”
Have you been to Mackinac Island? If so, did you venture beyond the fudge shops and beaches to the untamed interior? As a lover of all things that bloom, I felt like I was in paradise once I made it to the island’s internal trails.
If you’re into wildflowers too, you may know that timing dictates the species. I visited in early June this summer, so the initial bloomers were popping up all over. Colorful petals and fresh, shiny leaves kept my nature-loving friends and me captivated.
Earlier this morning a shark was photographed swimming in Lake Superior near McCarty’s Cove in Marquette.
Larry Beckwith contacted Yooper Steez to give us an exclusive first look at the photos he captured.
I was at McCarty’s Cove early this morning to get some photos of the dawn sunlight on the Marquette Lighthouse. It was about 9 a.m. when I headed back to my truck–I noticed something sticking out of the water out there. I grabbed my big lens. I immediately knew I was looking at a shark! It swam off real quick. – Larry Beckwith
From the great Labor Day adventure and being a part of the MQT Plaidurday this year, I learned all about Yooper Steez and its beginnings. As I was finishing school at Northern Michigan University this past December, I became inspired by the Hometown Invasion Tour that kickstarted Yooper Steez. Approaching graduation gave me anxiety about my future and even though I secured an awesome job at Elegant Seagulls, I found myself itching to embark on an adventure like the Hometown Invasion Tour to see more of this wonderful earth. So I made the leap to go on a trip with my best friend and recent NMU grad Jessie Johnson. We bought a one-way plane ticket to Seattle and a one-way ticket from LA and went for it without many plans for the in between.
It’s Memorial Day weekend, which makes the beginning of summer road tripping season. And yesterday was one of those epic Upper Peninsula days. The plan was simple, get a late start and head to Pictured Rocks for the sunset. And it was worth each and every mosquito bite. Truthfully, the mosquitos weren’t that bad as long as we kept moving.
Typically when we post photos to Instagram and Twitter you see photos taken from a beat up iPhone. But the real mission is to take many photos with the big dSLR, many of which never see the light of day. So we’re doing a little photo dump of yesterday’s highlights–some snapshots, some carefully crafted photos, some with corrections, some raw and unedited.
Destination mountain bike trails weave through the terrain of the Upper Peninsula. The Keweenaw itself hosts over 100 miles of sweet singletrack trails for riders of all skill levels. Copper Harbor and Marquette have each been deemed a Ride Center destination from the International Mountain Bicycling Association. Ontonagon has trails and a race through the old mines in that area.
But now gravity is taking over.
It used to be that only ski hills with running chair lifts in the summertime could provide the transportation needed to run a successful downhill mountain bike operation. But the Keweenaw Adventure Company (KAC) in Copper Harbor has changed that.
A few years ago, big wave surfer Jamie Sterling came to Lake Superior for some surfing. He grew up surfing big waves in Hawaii since a young boy. And well, it’s pretty rad. Not much more we can say, just enjoy the beautiful footage!
Somehow this one slipped through the cracks, as it took place in 2011. Thanks to our buddy Teddy for sending the footy over this way.
It has been amazing to see the growth of surfing in the Great Lakes in recent years and people are coming from different ends of the earth to make use of what the Great Lakes and Upper Peninsula have to offer. Earlier today, amongst the storm, there were a number of surfers out. Nothing but respect for what they are all doing.
Miles | Drive Time | Total Time |
| 370.9 | 6.7 hrs | 16 hrs |
The Mighty Mac! I have driven across countless times, I have been underneath a couple of times, and I was even fortunate enough to go to the top, but one thing I have never done is walk across the bridge for the annual Mackinac Bridge Walk on Labor Day. That’s all I need for the a spur of the moment road trip.
Legend says that the spring was named Kitch-iti-kipi (pronounced KITCH-i-tee-KI-pee) in memory of a young chieftain by that name who died in the icy waters when his canoe overturned during an attempt to impress a young woman. John I. Bellaire, the man who discovered the spring back in the 1920s, told this story to attract visitors to the site. The legend survives today as a tale that adds to the mysterious appeal of this water site.
Have you seen the Northern Lights dancing across the starry skies? The U.P. offers a good opportunity for viewing Auroras. I want to share some tips for successful Aurora chasing.
The Kp number refers to the strength of the Auroras. Auroras with Kp 5 and higher are considered storm level and can be seen farther south. Use the map below (from NOAA.gov) to find the Kp number needed for your area.
Kiteboarding is making its way to the Keweenaw Peninsula and Lake Superior. Off the shores of McLain State Park in Hancock, to Keystone Bay near Copper Harbor, kitesurfing and kiteboarding are on a roll.
This past winter, the locals in Copper Harbor hosted their first annual Superior Gales Kitefest, held the first weekend of spring. About a dozen enthusiastic kiters came from Michigan and Wisconsin to shred the frozen, snow-covered lakes.
Water cooler conversations at offices around the country have been full of chatter about this epic 2014 winter. What an awesome winter it has been. And from local news stations all the way to the NBC Nightly News, people have been talking about Lake Superior being 95% frozen over, and especially about the ice caves around the Apostle Islands. But that’s out out of our jurisdiction!
We just caught wind of this awesome montage from Justin Armstrong. These clips were shot in fall of 2013 in and around the shores of Marquette including Presque Isle, Blackrocks, and Sugarloaf Mountain. You can see more of Justin’s work on his Facebook Page.
It’s time for a new mountain bike, one fitted for snow and ice.
Marquette has been on a number of lists for best outdoors town in America. Everyone is familiar with the vast options for kayaking, skiing, snowboarding, mountain biking, and the list goes on. There is now an upcoming group of snow bikers and this 5-part documentary was put together showcasing what they’re up to on the trails.
Cold Rolled is an action documentary from Clear & Cold Cinema, Salsa Cycles and TravelMarquetteMichigan.com that will explore the history and progression of winter cycling culture in the small Lake Superior harbor town of Marquette, Michigan.
On top of Brockway Mountain in Copper Harbor, there is a researcher with his or her eyes toward the sky. He or she probably has a pair of high-tech binoculars and maybe even a shelter to shield from the occasional bursts of winds that sweep across Brockway. It’s a month or more before the typical tourist season, but it’s the birds’ migration season. Specifically, for raptors, birds of prey.
I’ve been there the past two years and hope to go again in the next month to see some of those birds of prey on their way south. The best time to catch the birds’ migration is in the months of April, May and somewhat in the beginning of June, and the number of raptors that pass by is astounding. Sometimes standing on top of Brockway it feels like any other day, but every couple minutes someone will shout, “there’s one!” and the spectators who know about this secret will all look eagerly.
The Upper Peninsula is truly is one of the most beautiful places in the world to see the fall colors. We couldn’t get enough of the photos we were seeing around the web, so we picked some of our favorites to share with you. We’re envious of the images these photographers captured, so be sure to click on the photo and leave them a nice comment, they deserve it for sharing their talent with the rest of us.
Well done Kris, now let’s see if Bear Grylls or Les Stroud come to the Upper Peninsula for an episode of either of their shows.
Also, might not want to giveaway that we have pasties growing in the wild, or beer trees, too many people might start moving to the U.P.
Today is the last Wednesday of June, and on Absolute Michigan, that means it’s a Weird Wednesday. Today Weird Michigan author Linda Godfrey has a piece on Shocking but Scenic Seney that features Hemingway and the Ogre of Seney and the seedy history of this town that you’ll want to check out.
Hunt’s UP Guide says that while Seney was once the Upper Peninsula’s most raucous lumber town with a population of 3000 – now just 300 – today Seney is best known as the start of The Seney Stretch:
Springtime fun in the Upper Peninsula, snowmobiling and snowboarding over a house. Filmed at a “mystery location” in Keweenaw County. Courtesy of @Barrette906.
This is a guest post from our friend Alice Rossignol. She’s a big fan of the great outdoors and her love for the Upper Peninsula is blossoming. You can follow her on Twitter. Photos courtesy of Courtney Shuert.
For as long as I can remember, I’ve always preferred one direction: up.
And I take it as it comes: straight up, upstream (on Cripple Creek, preferably), Up (the movie), what’s up, shut up, up north, or since I moved to Michigan – UP, the Upper Peninsula.
Have you ever wondered what it would be like to kayak over Tahquamenon Falls? It’s only a 51-foot drop, no big deal, right? Marcelo Galizio came to the U.P. from Brazil with his eyes set on Tahquamenon. He’s made numerous first descents over waterfalls 50 feet and higher. He’s also spent five years as a an experienced guide and spent some time guiding in the Upper Peninsula this summer.
In our book, Marcelo is an honorary Yooper.
UPDATE: For those of you who want to visit the Big Boy Graveyard and for more information visit the latest post here.
During the spring of 2001 three friends and I headed out with cameras with a big destination in mind, our mission: find the Big Boy Graveyard. We heard of its existence and even had a nice aerial map to pinpoint it’s location.
To be honest, it was quite obscure. It’s not often you come across a molded fiberglass version of one of your favorite childhood cartoon characters tipped over in the woods — with a big hole in the side of his head. Not to mention there were three Big Boys. It was evident upon arrival that this was indeed a graveyard.
If you’re a regular reader on Yooper Steez you probably know by now that I grew up snowboarding in the Upper Peninsula, namely Mont Ripley in Houghton.
Last winter Houghton, MI was visited by four of the gnarliest “urban snowboarders” in the world: Peter Line (who’s a legend in the history of snowboarding), Eddie Wall, Pat Moore, and Stevie Bell. The boys saw prime Upper Peninsula weather, with temperatures as low -25 degrees. Even more consistent to the U.P. than a cold winter is there story of kind people. From a waitress at Joey’s Seafood helping them find a generator to Scott MacInnes giving them permission to do their thing all over town.
The U.P. 200 Sled Dog Championship wrapped up on Sunday with Eric Morris from Port Wing, WI taking home first place. Behind him in 2nd, 3rd, and 4th place were Ryan Anderson, Tim Calhoun, and Rebekah Chapman, respectively.
Each year the race attracts over 15,000 visitors to Marquette and the surrounding towns for a combination of three races. In addition to the U.P. 200 there is also the Midnight Run from Gwinn to Wetmore and the Jack Pine 30 from Gwinn to Marquette.
Every year a few dozens of the Midwest’s best snowboarders and skiers take to Marquette Mountain and showcase some of the best talent around. It’s impressive to see the kind of talent there is locally.
Here are some photos from the big air competition, courtesy of yours truly….
(click the photo for a larger version, and if you competed in the comp or are looking for more photos, get a hold of me and I can set you up with files or prints)
It was another lively night in downtown Marquette for the 1st annual Downtown Showdown snowboard and ski rail jam. Riders of all ages were going harder and harder as the day went on, from 3pm until 8:30pm. It seemed with each hour the riders were getting more aggressive, the snow was getting faster, and the tricks more difficult and technical.
There was music from Double Trouble DJs, beer provided by L’Attitude, food trucks, and a lively crowd that seemed to pick up as the night went on. The first annual coincided with the start of the U.P. 200last night where the end of Washington Ave was already snow covered. It looks like it’ll be an event sticking around for years to come.
Nestled in the Rock River Canyon Wilderness, about two miles north of Eben Junction, is the Eben Ice Caves. For those new to the area it’s pronounced eh-been not eeeeee-been. Rock River Canyon is one of the six designated wilderness areas of Hiawatha National Forest. The Rock River Canyon was created by congress in 1987 and consists of 4,600 acres in Alger County. There is another canyon, Silver Creek, which is separated by a wide flat ridge. Both canyons are about 150 feet deep.
Downtown Marquette was lively Friday night for the start of the annual U.P. 200 and Midnight Run sled dog races. It was a chilly night, but the dogs certainly didn’t seem to mind. They were animated and full of energy.
This was the 24th running of the U.P. 200 and they’ll be going to Grand Marais and back, returning throughout the day on Sunday. It is a 12-dog mid-distance race that is a qualifier for the Iditarod in Alaska. The race covers 240 miles with a first place cash prize of $7,200.
We’re looking for your input on the top places to see the fall colors in the Upper Peninsula!
Initially, we were hoping to do a poll to find out your favorite place, but there are simply too many places in the Upper Peninsula. There are many classic places like Lake of the Clouds, Bond Falls, Brockway Mountain, and Tahquamenon Falls. Everyone knows of these locations (or at least they should).
This post and photos were contributed by blogger Kathy, a hometown friend in Baraga County. She writes one of my favorite Upper Peninsula blogs and is making a commitment to enjoy Upper Peninsula’s nature each and every day in 2009. Please check out her blog and subscribe at centria.wordpress.com
Any one ever feel challenged about getting off the couch and getting outside in the depths of winter? Any one ever stay inside (except for maybe a trip to the mailbox after work) and suddenly you notice a week or two has passed without spending time in the beautiful outdoors?
UP Overland has a pretty sweet thing going on. If you like adventure and want to see some places in the Upper Peninsula you wouldn’t normally get to see, these are good people to know. This video will give you a nice introduction.
You can find Upper Peninsula Overland on Twitter, Facebook, You Tube and the web.
Last September I reported, from this same seat, that I saw a Google Street View car drive by outside my window. At that point I knew that Google Street View was finally coming to the Upper Peninsula. Being the nerd I am, I was very excited. I was also very curious to see what depth of they visit the Upper Peninsula since it is a rural population.
Several months ago while sitting in this location I noticed a funny looking car drive by my apartment window. I followed up with my initial hunch with some research and came to the hypothesis that it must have been a Google Maps Street View car.
It’s possible that my hypothesis was wrong. Several others agreed to seeing the same car, but no evidence yet.
I decided it was time to follow up on the status. In the last several months Google Street View has expanded their range dramatically. However, it hasn’t quite mapped out the Upper Peninsula. But, they have mapped out I-75 and gone over the Mackinac Bridge.
Spring is slowly coming. I think we’re all eager to enjoy the warmer weather, get out our bikes, kayaks, or just a lawn chair and lemonade.
With all this in mind, I’d simply like to ask…
Perhaps you’d like to explore a…
The Western Upper Peninsula is home to 10 ski hills and some of the finest skiing and snowboarding in the Midwest. Among the hills you’ll find great variety… family resorts, backcountry skiing, terrain parks, touristy resorts, and more secluded hills. I haven’t been to all of them yet, so far I’ve been to six of the ten. You can expect to see me as a regular at Marquette Mountain this season.
If you have any other suggestions, we know there are lots, just let us know by commenting below and we’ll add it to the list.
At the turn of the century Mandan had a few hundred residents with a few dozen houses. Today, only a few of the buildings remain. Over the years there was a post office and a general store and Mandan marked the end of the line for the Keweenaw Central Railroad.
The Upper Peninsula of Michigan is a spectacular place, indeed. Just ask any Yooper. I wonder, though, how much of the UP an average Yooper is familiar with. I’ve been a Yooper for 23 years and I’ve been blessed with the capability and aspiration to find and explore many of this land’s hidden treasures. Yet it seems there is always a new adventure to undertake or place to see in this great peninsula.
Squatch Watch– Written, Shot and Edited in 72 hours as part of the 2009 National Film Challenge. The required elements were: Genre: Mocumentary; Character: Mark Shapiro- Unemployed; Prop: Book of Matches; Line of Dialog: This is like Deja vu all over again.
This post was contributed by Christina Henderson of Escanaba. Christina is currently director of the Delta County Economic Development Alliance. You can follow her on Twitter at @ChrisQuick. Coincidentally, shortly after finishing up their film, author Lisa Shiel spoke about bigfoot in the Upper Peninsula.
Bob Haase and his wife, Jan, started the Copperman Triathlon in Copper Harbor in 1992 and have since passed along these duties to other organizations. He decided to do his first triathlon at the age of 31 after watching the Ironman (Hawaii) on TV. His most memorable race is the Bud Light USTS Chicago Triathlon in 1986, where he got Dave Scott’s autograph and chatted with him after the race.
