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April 2008
25 Reasons to Love Life Up North

25 Reasons to Love Life Up North

Cherries, pasties, lighthouses, fudge. Sure, we’re proud of the North’s marquees. But for most of us, it’s the understated pieces of the North that capture our hearts and call us back: a two-track heading into a shadowed forest, a fish market right on the pier. Here, then, is a tribute to the things we love about life Up North—25 wonders that capture the spirit of this place in subtle, soulful ways. Let our list inspire you to spend time exploring this spring, falling in love with your own personal icons.

Feb 23, 2009 Emily Bingham

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Niche Farms Eggs, irises, even heaps of raw wool are elevated to art in the hands of skilled niche farmers, who dedicate their lives to cultivating just one product. At Darnit Char's Icelandic Wool-n-Sheep Farm (tucked behind a stand of pines off a Kalkaska dirt road) everything is nurtured, nothing is wasted, and the end results are beautiful and earthly real: impossibly soft yarn, creamy sheep-milk lotions and soaps, felted wool hats and purses, hand-knit angora scarves and gloves. Char Barkus welcomes visitors by appointment (darnitchars.com); to find other niche farms across northwest Michigan, visit Taste the Local Difference (localdifference.org).

Fish Markets

For more than 100 years, Thill's (locals say Till's) Fish House—a squat quonset hut on Marquette's downtown waterfront—has dished up just-caught Lake Superior whitefish, plus smoked whitefish sausage, pickled trout and sound advice, if you should ask, on the best ways to cook the day's catch (906-226-9851). New generations keep the family business alive at similar markets like John Cross Fisheries in Charlevoix (231-547-2532) and Carlson's of Fishtown in Leland (231-256-9801); Bortell's Fisheries in Ludington offers absolutely addictive fried fish dinners to be eaten hot out of paper-lined plastic baskets at picnic tables just outside the shop (231-843-3337).

Champion Trees

Every few years, the who's-who of our state's superlative trees are listed in The Michigan Botanist's "The Big Trees and Shrubs of Michigan" report; unsurprisingly, many notables are rooted in Northern soil. Take a cruise to see champs like this willow (pictured) at the grounds of the Grand Traverse Commons; a grand juniper on South Manitou Island; a red osier dogwood in Frankfort at the corner of M-22 and Anderson Road. To download the report for a complete listing, click the "Big Trees Project" link at michbotclub.org .

Summits

At more than 700 feet above Lake Superior, Brockway Mountain is surely the most spectacular summit around. It claims to be the highest scenic roadway between the Allegheny Mountains and the Black Hills of South Dakota, serving up sweeping views of mighty Superior and the Keweenaw countryside. The nine-mile Brockway Mountain Drive offers overlooks, hiking trails and a bird sanctuary along the way to the summit; the drive closes for the winter, usually opening in late May when the snow recedes. The drive is located on M-26 between Eagle Harbor and Copper Harbor (906-482-5240, keweenaw.org).

General Stores

Buy penny candy while renting a canoe. Mail a postcard after stocking your picnic basket. Fill your gas tank, pick up a paperback and sit down to enjoy a spot of tea—our historic general stores have it all, plus heaps of local flavor. A few to love: Omena Bay Country Store, where you can rent a video and buy beer steins for decanting your cooler-bought bev (231-386-5850); Good Hart General Store, a historic post office with homemade pot pies (231-526-7661); and Old Mission General Store, where pickles and peanuts are still sold out of barrels, and cups of coffee cost a nickel (231-223-4310).