Welcome to the cKotch.Com blog. I’m Christopher Kotcher, and this is my third post for cKotch.Com’s special Vacation Month. This is one of our road trip routes through Up North Michigan.
What It Means to Be Up North
Some of the favorite vacation spots for Michiganders are found Up North. This is where nature abounds and life relaxes.
Many outside Michigan may assume Up North refers mainly to our Upper Peninsula. Well, while the U.P. is certainly part of Up North, this fair region includes many spots in the Lower Peninsula.
In essence, Up North refers to those places in Michigan where one is allowed to breathe. They just tend to be north of Michigan’s largest population centers.
Now, there are many ways to enjoy Up North.
Some explore the woods in winter. They ski through nature trails and ride snow mobiles across frozen lakes.
Most favor summer trips. Some stay in a single place to enjoy all it has to offer. Others see as many places as possible to get glimpses of what the region has to offer.
Between the two, my family tends toward multiple-destination trips.
My parents and I have gone to a few places now. I wish to discuss some of them here to show you just what it means to be Up North and show you how they have inspired my writing.
City of Cherries
Traverse City is usually the first place my family stays Up North. It is a good hub for several day trips but also offers a few things of its own.
All kinds of family restaurants and family dining experiences can be found here. Many of them are within easy walking distance of the hotels.
Stores have all kinds of cool Up North gear. This was even where I got my yellow coat made famous in high school.
One of my favorite stores is Cherry Republic. It has just about every cherry item you can imagine.
Seriously, cherry salsa is something I never expected to exist, let alone be good. Now I need to grab a jar every time we go Up North.
And speaking of cherries, Traverse City has a whole festival dedicated to them. Being one of the United States’ leading cherry producers makes you a natural home for the National Cherry Festival.
My favorite memory of the Cherry Festival would have to be from the summer just before high school. Playstation 3 demo trucks were parked there. The demo for the game Ratchet & Clank Future: Tools of Destruction is what convinced me to get a Playstation 3 in the first place.
Let Sleeping Bears Lie
Sleeping Bear Dunes is one of my family’s main destinations during a stay in Traverse City. One look at this beauty and you see why the area is protected as a National Lakeshore.
The main activity here is climbing the dunes.
You see the steep sandy hills, and you get ready to reach the summit. You want to conquer the dunes.
Then you reach the top you saw. You look out and realize the dunes still go onward. They stretch far beyond the horizon.
Few will reach the edge from here. I know I never have. Still, there is something exciting in getting further each time.
After the dune climb, we typically go on a car tour of the area.
We drive ourselves along a steep road alongside the dunes. Maps show us all kinds of sightseeing spots ranging form bridges and buildings to land formations and lookout points.
Halfway through the tour, we can stop and walk a trail at the edge of the dunes. Here we glimpse at those who have made the complete journey across the sand.
Mackinac? Mackinaw?
After our time in Traverse City, my family heads further north. We stay at Mackinaw City at the edge of Michigan’s Lower Peninsula.
Originally, this stop was just where we would board the ferry to Mackinac Island. (Pronounced the same as Mackinaw for those not in the know.)
The island is one of Michigan’s most famous summer destinations.
The Grand Hotel is one of the finest resort’s in the nation. Even roaming the grounds is an awesome experience.
History and nature abound everywhere in the forts and the landscape.
No cars are allowed on the island. So, it is the perfect place to enjoy a bike ride or horse-drawn carriage.
Of course, one of my favorite things about the island is the famous Mackinac Island fudge. Best flavor would have to be the Rocky Road Fudge.
Our latest trip changed our focus in Mackinaw City though.
Car trouble made us stay in town. We needed to be nearby in case of any developments.
So, we strolled the city streets for the first time. This was more fun than expected.
We enjoyed restaurants serving fresh-caught fish from the Great Lakes.
City stores held all sorts of vacation town novelties. My favorite here was a popcorn store selling all kinds of flavors. Who knew English Toffee Popcorn could taste so good?
We were there during the height of the Pokémon Go craze too. Every store we passed had to have either a deal for Pokémon Go players or a Pokémon plush in the window.
I had a good time pointing out newer Pokémon my parents had never seen. Most of them were actually not even in the game at that point. That gave me a good chuckle.
Driving Through the Woods
My family has one more traditional destination from Mackinaw City.
We typically cross the Mackinac Bridge to spend some time in the Upper Peninsula. Best stops we have made here would be Tahquamenon Falls and Whitefish Point. The falls are a natural beauty. The point gives a good look at Lake Superior and features a decent shipwreck museum.
(Though I do warn anyone going to Whitefish Point to wear long sleeves and bring plenty of bug spray. Mosquitos there can be vicious.)
Here though, I wish to focus on where most of our time in the Upper Peninsula is spent. The road through the woods.
Forests are dense in this part of Michigan. Homes are small and spread apart between the towns and cities.
All through our vacations, my parents would be taking photos and sharing them on social media right away.
They could not do that up here.
Our phones could not connect to anything. I could not even glance at the latest videogame news.
Initially, I went for my usual offline activities during long car rides. Reading books, completing writing prompts, editing my journals.
Then I stopped.
The landscape rushing in the window grabbed my attention. The scenery mesmerized me. I guessed when the next home would appear. I wondered where the road would curve or branch.
There was some strange sense of peace in this odd focus. Slowly, I realized this moment would have never come if my phone connected me to my world.
I was able to see a totally different world. I rushed to my journal to record my experience there.
Kotcher’s Call to Action
My poem on the drive through the woods has been added to the cKotch.Com portfolio. Please enjoy “Importance.”
If you like my content and wish to see more, then you have a few options.
You could check out my book Five Strange Stories on Amazon. Five Strange Stories is enrolled in the Kindle Matchbook program, so anyone who buys the paperback can also get the eBook for free.
You can also check my Essential Posts page for links to some of my greatest posts to the cKotch.Com blog.
Finally, be sure to like my Facebook page and share it with your friends. I post a link there whenever a new blog post goes live each Friday at 5:00 PM EST.
1 thought on “Up North in Michigan”