The U.P.

The Upper Peninsula. It's a beautiful place way up north, in-between Canada and regular Michigan. Now, you may be thinking, oh yeah! The U.P! That's where the wolves and the trees are! Technically, you're not wrong. But, there's truly so much more up here, the people, sights, and experiences are one of a kind.

Obviously, I should probably start off by answering the basic questions that we "Yoopers" get when we leave our home turf and venture elsewhere around the country. Yes, we do have power, cable television, fast food restaurants, cell service (for the most part), deer, moose, wolves, people who love trucks and rocks. Lots of rocks. Lots of rocks and water, actually. Common Michigan myths debunked, right here, right now: We do not communicate via telegram, we do not get our music, movies, or TV shows later than you guys. We're just like any other place, with significantly less people and way more trees. They're nice trees.

You'd be amazed the type of stuff that actually happens in the U.P. You can go hunting, fishing, see a show, swim in Lake Michigan, snow board, catch a band play, or eat at one of the hundreds of locally owned restaurants around the U.P. Like nature? See a variety of wildlife, visit lakes and stuff! Those are cool! State Parks and the State Fair are always magic times, they really bring out the best of people. The U.P. is full of beautiful places and sights: Presque Isle, Pictured Rocks, Taqhuamenon Falls, the mere forests and trails themselves are all unique wonderlands found nowhere else in such variety. It's really a good life. It doesn't snow here year round either, seriously. We get snow for maybe four to five months. It can be in the 90's during the summer. This is the Upper Peninsula fellas, not the arctic.

The U.P. also features its own unique cuisine. Yooper specialties include: pasties, Trenary Toast, and a variety of local food products that can be found around. The U.P. definitively cranks out a TON of venison and beef jerky. Jerky is a staple of everyday life up here. Seriously though guys, beef jerky. <3

So, yeah guys. Seriously. If people ask you about the U.P., don't let them assume we ride moose and are just now getting the release of Michael Jackson's Thriller. Let them know that the U.P. actually is full of normal people, we're pretty nice! So hey, when you come up, don't just drive through. Take time to smell the timber and the fields; you may find you enjoy it more than the smell of asphalt and exhaust.