Aug 13 – Up North and Under the Bridge

‘Up North’ is a common term used in Michigan to describe a region of the state.  I incorrectly used it in reference to Michigan’s upper peninsula in a blog I wrote three years ago. To be clear, the Upper Peninsula holds a unique identity within the state of Michigan and is colloquially known as “the U.P.”, or “Yoop” for short (see my previous and appropriately titled post). ‘Up north’ is vague enough it could be used to describe a lot of places, such as northern Minnesota or northern Maine.

So where IS ‘Up North” if it is not Michigan’s most northern region? I’ll give you a hint – if you are in the U.P. and you want to visit ‘Up North’, you have to go south and cross the Mackinac Bridge.  ‘Up North’ is Michigan’s upper lower peninsula. And this is where Vivian and I spent most of our time while in Michigan.

What is there to see and do Up North? Plenty. First, you have to appreciate that Up North is surrounded by two great lakes and the straits that connect the two. We stayed on the Lake Michigan side, but know that the Lake Huron side is worth some time (we have a blog post that will vouch for that statement) because it is quite different from the other side. Seriously, you can’t get enough Michigan.

Lake Michigan was the draw for us Up North, including three of our campgrounds located on the water. Many mornings were spent enjoying a walk or coffee on the beach and many evenings were spent watching the sun drop below the crystal blue horizon. And then there are the stones. In search of the  elusive Petoskey, it took a lot of restraint and reminders of payload capacity to not keep every exquisite stone I found.

Up North contains several charming communities, some on the lake and some not. While staying at Fisherman’s Island, we spent a day in Charlevoix, including its amazing public library.

On occasion, Vivian and I seek out public libraries to score some WiFi and catch up with digital housekeeping.  We were taken aback upon arriving at Charlevoix’s library, an L-shaped 2-story building built in 1927 as a middle school and gymnasium. Renovated in 2006, it became the public library. The gymnasium is now a museum-quality reading room.

Charlevoix is known for many things (including a couple murder cases) and one of them is the architecture of Earl Young who created the curious mushroom houses. They are easy to find and require nothing more than a casual walk around the neighborhood, but you can also take a tour for more information on Young and his charming “hobbit” houses.

North of Charlevoix and along Little Traverse Bay are Petoskey and Harbor Springs, two waterfront resort communities so worth the visit.

As you go toward the interior of Up North where I-75 divides the state, you’ll find several charming towns including East Jordan and Boyne Falls. And scattered among the rolling hill country of Up North are farm markets, orchards and wineries.

Further east is the charming Swiss-like village of Gaylord (my home town) and south of it and along the Ausable River is Grayling, a river town and with one of the best art galleries and community Art Centers Up North.

After meandering Up North, we headed south and meandered some more. Eventually, we got back to Lake Michigan’s coast near Grand Haven and then across the border into Gary, Indiana. Yes, Gary, Indiana (more on that later as it gave us the opportunity to visit downtown Chicago, a first for me). With friends conveniently located on the coast and generous enough to give us space to park, we enjoyed Lake Michigan, and much more all the way to the end.

Stay tuned for the next blog about a couple great lake Midwestern cities we visited before we began heading south toward Florida. We traveled many times between Michigan & Florida, so is there anything new to see along the way? We’ll find out soon enough!

Over a period of 4 weeks, here is where we stayed below the bridge:

(A) Wilderness State Park – one of Michigan’s most popular and on Lake Michigan. Beautiful sandy beaches, but no stones.

(B) Yard Games Harvest Host located near Burt Lake and Alanson. Wonderful get-a-way from the busy state parks.

(C) Petoskey State Park – A wooded coastal campground that is also very popular with one of the best beaches for rock collecting.

(D) Fisherman’s Island State Park – while most Michigan state park campgrounds offer electric hookup, this one does not. But it’s worth it to be right on the water, near Charlevoix.

(E) East Jordan Township Park – we made a last minute decision to stay here, and were glad we got a spot – full hook up no less! East Jordan is a great location to stay if you want to explore Up North.

(F) My brother’s backyard and bar, Gaylord

(G) Friends Jan & Al on the Ausable River near Grayling & thank you for letting me photograph the bees in your backyard).

(H) Empire Township Campground – beautiful wooded campground near the Platte River and Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore.

(I) Mountain Town Station Harvest Host – brewery and restaurant in Mt Pleasant.

(A #2) Friends Denise & Jim’s place not far from Detroit (more on that next time) and who gave us a waterfront campsite on their property.

(B #2) Steamboat RV Park near Grand Rapids. A wonderful campground with full hook up, concrete pads and on the Grand River.

(C #2) Friends Marlene & Nels on Lake Michigan & with the best outdoor shower ever, near Grand Haven.

(D #2) Friends Karen & Bob who live on the edge of Indiana Dunes National Park.