The Ultimate Yooper Thread

[Bear Up North]

This Bear is not much of a gambler. Once a year, on trips to the Upper Peninsula of Michigan, we will stop at a casino and play about $40 worth of slots. The casino we play at, most of the time, is located just north of St. Ignace, just north of the Mackinac Bridge.

That casino is in the news.....they started construction on a huge new casino, with hotel rooms, the whole works.....and somebody pointed out (halfway during construction) that part of the building complex is on non-Indian no gambling allowed property.

Oops.



Bear

[Bear Up North]

FACT
Folks living above the Mackinac Bridge, in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan, are called "Yoopers".

FACT
Folks living below the Mackinac Bridge, in the Lower Peninsula of Michigan, are called "Trolls".

FACT
The Mackinac Bridge is a toll bridge, with the toll booths on the north end of the bridge, in the Upper Peninsula. The booths at that location service both northbound and southbound vehicles.

QUESTION
Should the southbound toll booths be called "troll booths"?

Bear

[DetroitPlanner]

na if da boofts wert on da soutd side of da bridje den dey would be da troll boofts.

Dammed glass makers from the Maumee Valley think they know everything!

[Bear Up North]

na if da boofts wert on da soutd side of da bridje den dey would be da troll boofts.

Hey dere, Datrut Plan Commie.....Yuze kint getta off da bridge or even out of yer rusty Chevy when on da bridge, so yuze gonna be a troll wedder ya like like it or nut. Pass da pastie, eh.

Da Bear

[noottamevas]

The Mackinac Bridge is a toll bridge, with the toll booths on the north end of the bridge, in the Upper Peninsula. The booths at that location service both northbound and southbound vehicles.

So if you cross the bridge and don't have money for the toll, do they make you turn around and you get the cross the bridge twice for free? Or do they let you off and make you drive around through Wisconsin?

[DetroitPlanner]

Hey dere, Datrut Plan Commie.....Yuze kint getta off da bridge or even out of yer rusty Chevy when on da bridge, so yuze gonna be a troll wedder ya like like it or nut. Pass da pastie, eh.

Da Bear

A lot chew know Bear, Eye gotts a Dodtch! I'd ratter be a troll dan live in d'ta Michugun/Ohio State war combat zone!

BTW, I have a commie planner mug and also a conservative planner one that I use in certain meetings where I know I can get some people's goat! Support Cyburbia, buy some mugs!

[Bear Up North]

Last summer I took a really nice picture of the Mackinac Bridge. A couple weeks ago I transfered the image to high-quality photo paper in a larger size. I placed that photo on my desk, at the workplace.

I am amazed at how many people have to ask what bridge it is. Here in NW Ohio we are only about 335 miles from "The Bridge".....and northern Michigan vacations are a staple of folks in these areas.

Today, the COO asked what bridge it was. This is a man who has traveled the world.....but he has never been to the Straits of Mackinac. When I told him he was surprised, perhaps because the water was so dang blue. He probably thought I doctored the photo. I didn't.

Bear

EDIT: The photo is still up via Imageshack or something like that, at a Cyburbia thread called UPPER PENINSULA VACATION.

[JNA]

HEADLINE: Going to Extremes on Midwestern Slopes
From The NY Times: http://travel.nytimes.com/2007/03/09...pes/09ski.html

HIGHLIGHT:

Mount Bohemia on the Keweenaw Peninsula

With 900 feet of vertical drop and runs that reach close to a mile in length

Powder snow is left as is, never groomed. Cliffs are unmarked in an area called the Extreme Backcountry.

[Bear Up North]

HEADLINE: Going to Extremes on Midwestern Slopes
From The NY Times: http://travel.nytimes.com/2007/03/09...pes/09ski.html

HIGHLIGHT:

I have been to Mount Bohemia.....in the middle of summer. If I remember correctly, michaelskis has done Bohemia a number of times.

A business friend is an avid adventure skier and he always travels to slopes north of Montreal, Canada. I have told him about Bohemia.....I need to forward the news article to him.

Bear

[Bear Up North]

Yes, winter hangs on in the Upper Peninsula.....April and even May snowfalls are common. What is not common this year is the depth of the latest snowfall, here in almost-mid-April. Negaunee Township, just west of and up the hill from Marquette, has recorded 37 inches of snow in the last couple days. This Easter weekend they are expecting another 9 inches today and even more on the let's eat some chocolate bunnies day.

The problem is akin to Buffalo and upsate New York.....those places buried with "lake effect" snow (caused by cold air sliding over a warmer Lake Erie or Lake Ontario). In the Yoopee, the waters of Lake Superior (the most magnificent body of water in the world ) are just under 40F.....and this cold blast (sent south by nerudite ?? ) brings in the unusual April snow to the Upper Peninsula.

Marquette's elevation is nearly at the level of the lake.....at the edge the roads and beaches are just above the water line. Marquette is a very hilly city, though, and as you move west from "The Queen City" your route takes you gradually higher and higher in elevation. Negaunee, Ishpeming, Palmer.....these towns (part of what could be termed a Marquette Metro) all get more snow when the waters of the lake are warmer.

BTW.....Negaunee Township has recorded 212 inches thus far this season. The local ski resorts have opened back up. "Paging michaelskis".

Bear Standing At The End Of The Old Airport Runway

[Bear Up North]

Couple important events taking place in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan......

A huge wildfire has been roaring through Luce County, north of Newberry. The fire has now consumed 13,000 acres and is not controlled. This is an area that has a few camps and cottages and hundreds of square miles of trees and swampland. (Bears included.)

This is the largest fire in the YooPee since 1976. The area on fire is about 20 miles west of an often-used-for-Bear-Up-North-camping spot.

http://www.miningjournal.net/stories...rticleID=18393
_____

The spirit of actor Jimmy Stewart is alive and well in the Upper Peninsula. The U.S. Postal Service is about to issue a commemorative stamp, honoring the great classic movie,."Anatomy Of A Murder". The movie, considered one of the best flicks of all time, was filmed in the central Upper Peninsula.

Last week this Bear snapped a couple photos of the courthouse used in the movie.

News article below.

http://www.miningjournal.net/stories...rticleID=18422

Bear

[Maister]

A huge wildfire has been roaring through Luce County, north of Newberry. The fire has now consumed 13,000 acres and is not controlled. This is an area that has a few camps and cottages and hundreds of square miles of trees and swampland. (Bears included.)

This is the largest fire in the YooPee since 1976. The area on fire is about 20 miles west of an often-used-for-Bear-Up-North-camping spot.

During the early 19th century it was a race which would destroy the forests the fastest, the loggers or the forest fires. The fires won.

[michaelskis]

During the early 19th century it was a race which would destroy the forests the fastest, the loggers or the forest fires. The fires won.

I have been hunting several times in the woods that are on fire and I can tell you that it was just a matter of time. There is so much undergrowth that has piled up. Additionally, all of the trees there are Jack Pine... which requires fire to grow, so this is just part of the cycle.

My Grandparents live in Newberry and they can see the smoke from their house. They said that it looks like a storm rolling in from the north... but it is not rain in those clouds... it’s ash,

[Bear Up North]

They thought they had the fire under control, with a perimeter ring about 75% complete. High winds and continued dry conditions have created some new problems. Last weekend the fire-fighting helicopters left the area.....perhaps too soon.

The Michigan budget is already strained. This fire will really cause additional money problems, even with all of the voluntary help (food, housing) that the area residents have been contributing.

Bear

[time+space]

Made it to the UP (first time!) for vacation 2 weeks ago despite the wildfire (Luce County). Upon arrival to our cabin in the woods, we hear a strange sound approaching...

What the--







Blackhawks (and a Chinook at one point) kept stopping by to get some water throughout the week. We had favorable winds fortunately and was not affected despite how close we were. But it was quite exciting.

The pup enjoyed it too

[jmac]

Ms. jmac and I will be taking a backpacking vacation in mid-September. One of our top options is Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore. Any YouPee experts out there have any experience hiking in the area or have advice on things we need to see on the way?

Because all of my posts need to mention beer in some way, will we pass any good breweries driving from Pittsburgh?

[DetroitPlanner]

Ms. jmac and I will be taking a backpacking vacation in mid-September. One of our top options is Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore. Any YouPee experts out there have any experience hiking in the area or have advice on things we need to see on the way?

Mackinac Island, Taquamenon(SP) Falls, Paradise.....

You could also stop off and say hi to Detroit Planner, or stop at my cabin and mow the grass....

Oh and another word of advice for you hikers, remember you don't have to out run the bear, just as long as you can out run your spouse you will be fine.

[Bear Up North]

Ms. jmac and I will be taking a backpacking vacation in mid-September. One of our top options is Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore. Any YouPee experts out there have any experience hiking in the area or have advice on things we need to see on the way?

Because all of my posts need to mention beer in some way, will we pass any good breweries driving from Pittsburgh?

This Bear is not "in the know" concerning breweries. There is a brewery in downtown Toledo.....no idea how it is ranked. (There are web sites that rank 'em.) Out of the way, when driving from your direction.....Bell's, in Kalamazoo. I neat place with good brew. There is also a brewery in Grand Marais, MI, near Pictured Rocks.

Taverns? Keyhole (Mackinaw City), Yukon (Paradise).....both "good" choices.

Things to see along the way.....Mackinac Island (absolutely no motor vehicles on this island, incredible huge lakeside mansions, largest summer hotel in the world, Bob Seger, Republican Party strategists).....Mackinaw Bridge (if you don't SEE it, who the hexx is driving? Ahhhhh......).....Stop and eat a pasty in the bar on the right in Trout Lake.....Whitefish Point can give you a feel for the moods of Lake Superior.....Taqua Falls, as mentioned; second largest falls in the east; skeeters and flies should be gone by mid-September.....Be sure to visit Paradise; the center of the road at 2:00 AM (one winter day) was where this ole' codger first earned the name "Dancing Bear" .....Hopefully the Sleeper Lake fire is out by the time you arrive (burned 28 square miles so far).....you can drive back (or hike the beach) to the most endangerd lighthouse in America, at Crisp Point.

Two years ago my friend Olivia and her hubbie backpacked Pictured Rocks in early October. There first couple days it was like summer, with temperatures in the upper 80F range; a cold front blasted through on their last days and they enjoyed some snow flurries.....bottom-line, be very aware of the weather. BTW.....the YooPee is a beautiful place to be on a high pressure 55F degree day.....stunning!

Mid-September you may see a few leaves turning color. Late-September you will see a lot more.

Have a great trip.

Bear

[ofos]

Ms. jmac and I will be taking a backpacking vacation in mid-September. One of our top options is Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore. Any YouPee experts out there have any experience hiking in the area or have advice on things we need to see on the way?

ADVICE: If you drive on 28, beware the Seney Flats! That's the section of highway between Seney & Shingleton on the way to Munising (Pictured Rocks). It's a long flat section of road through the marsh land. It's also a favorite stretch of the road for Bears. No, not our Bear or the furry kind, I mean the State Troopers who will not hesitate to issue you a costly citation.

TO SEE: If you're up by Taquamenon Falls, also stop and see Kitchitikipi (sp?). It's a crystal clear springfed pond that you can travel across on a self propelled raft and look at the trout swimming below. It's so clear that you can read the labels on the beer cans that less environmentally sensitive types have deposited.

Bear mentioned Bob Seger but noted rocker Ted "Motor City Madman" Nugent is also a resident hunter in the Upper Lower as well.

[jmac]

Thanks for the tips, everyone! Pictured Rocks looks pretty amazing in the photos I've seen, and it sounds like there will be plenty to do once we get out of the woods.

We've been paying attention to the fire situation... it sounds like it was pretty bad.

You could also stop off and say hi to Detroit Planner, or stop at my cabin and mow the grass....

Will do. I assume the key is under the doormat. Got any beer?

[jmac]

Well, I'm back in the office after the big vacation. We had a great time hiking at Pictured Rocks. It was pretty cold last week, and Lake Superior looked and sounded like the ocean most of the time. The views were quite dramatic.

Made a side-trip to Kalamazoo on the way back from the U.P. in an attempt to catch some Oktoberfest fun at Bell's. We arrived about 20 minutes too late. Still, I had a decent pulled pork sandwich, had a tasty Imperial Stout, listened to a band from Detroit, and added another brewery to the list.

Bear, I laid on the horn for a good three minutes as we passed the Swanton exit. Hope you heard me.

Thanks for the suggestions, everyone! We had a great time and will be back to the U.P. one day.

[Bear Up North]

On another thread, a long time ago, we determined that Mackinac Island is in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan, by virtue of their telephone exchange.

With that in mind, the YooPee was overrun with elephants this past weekend. (Should this be in the PREZ ELECTION thread? Nahh....it's about the YouPee.)

All the Republican candidates for President invaded the northern Michigan island, for Republican Party strategy meetings.

Bear

[Mark]

Ms. jmac and I will be taking a backpacking vacation in mid-September. One of our top options is Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore. Any YouPee experts out there have any experience hiking in the area or have advice on things we need to see on the way?

Because all of my posts need to mention beer in some way, will we pass any good breweries driving from Pittsburgh?

On the east side of the National Lakeshore is Grand Marias, which includes the entrance. Grand Marias has a cool saloon, which Lake Superior Brewing. Great place last time I was there. http://www.grandmaraismichigan.com/LSBC/index.html

Just east of Grand Marais within the National Lakeshore is a dunes area along Lake Superior, which includes good hiking. Good views. Plus check out the mouth of the Hurrican River on Lake Superior, you can see shipwreck from the shores.

[michaelskis]

Timber Charlie’s in Downtown Newberry. It is at the north end of their main street right next to the Rail Road Tracks. Food is cheep, well portioned (HUGE), and taste great.

If your hiking, I would recommend bringing bug spray, sun screen, and plenty of water. It is not difficult to get dehydrated and do something stupid (like stand too close to the edge with the winds blowing around).

If the water is not choppy, you can also rent kayaks and see the rocks from the lake. That is a cool trip.

There is also a place just west of Munising on M-28 (that I wish I could remember the name of) but it is a stone building that has great food.

[Bear Up North]

There is also a place just west of Munising on M-28 (that I wish I could remember the name of) but it is a stone building that has great food.

It would be The Brownstone Inn, just a mile west of the blinker at the Au Train cut-off (on M-28). The Lake Superior beach at Au Train is one of the best on Lake Superior.

I have rented a cottage at Au Train Lake, a little more than a mile south of M-28. Beautiful lake, with log cabin cottages lining the west and north side of the lake, wilderness on the other sides (including a National Forest campground). I have also camped at that afore-mentioned campground. Back in the 1950s, my parents (and another family from northwestern Ohio) rented a cottage for a couple weeks for a couple summers. To get to the YooPee from Michigan's lower peninsula, we had to take the auto ferry. The Mackinac Bridge was under construction.

Beautiful area.

Bear