Northern Michigan

My love for northern Michigan is deeply rooted in memories from taking trips up north with my family. We'd pack endless amounts of games/notebooks/coloring books and snacks to keep us occupied and load it all up in the car (which would always be a different kind of company van or SUV, courtesy of Dad's job in the automotive industry) then set off, stopping at least once, but usually twice, during the 3 hour journey, at the best exits off I-75, Birch Run and West Branch before arriving at our destination: Gaylord, MI.

Otsego Lake

We'd make this trip multiple times during the summer and almost every weekend in the winter, but no matter the season, up north was always glorious. For one, life seems to move a little bit slower up there. You can relax, unplug from your hectic life at home, and just enjoy family and nature. You can also always see more stars at night from the less densely populated northern towns, and I'm a big fan of stargazing. And Otsego Lake, where my family's cottage is located, is 5 times as big as the downstate lake we live on. When you're a little kid, this translates into 5 times longer straight-a-ways for tubing, water skiing, or just going fast as the motor will let you while jumping over big waves on a 1980's Four Winns deckboat.

As you get older (and tall enough to see over the candy shelves at Al's Market to realize that they actually sell other stuff too!) you also begin to appreciate the town of Gaylord, not just the lake where you spend most of your life in summertime. You see movies in one of the 6 theaters at Gaylord Cinema, you do tricks off the diving board at the Sportsplex with your cousins, and you search for quirky treasures at the Spud Warehouse on shopping trips with Mom.

You also get delicious brunch at Diana's or the Sugar Bowl (and bonus: Mom and Dad usually pay when you're up north!) and are treated to your family's incredible culinary expertise throughout your stay. This latter category can include any (but hopefully all) of the following: deviled eggs, potato salad, herb bread, baked brie, cucumber sandwiches, fruit salad, chocolate chip or oatmeal raisin cookies, ice box cake...and those are just the appetizers! (well, some desserts might have crept in there too...) But you get the point. You will not go hungry up north. In fact, you will most of the time eat yourself sick because you literally can. not. help. it. But it's worth it! Most of us subsist on frozen dinners and cold pizza the rest of the time (or is that just me?), so why not indulge a little up north!

And while Gaylord is my home away from home up north, sometimes you need to go in search of even bigger waters for a boat trip. Lake Charlevoix as well as Burt and Mullet Lakes are two of the Peters' family favorites for just such a trip. Again, this involves packing the car to its gills with clothes/towels/food/drinks/sunscreen/maybe a dog or two and trailoring a boat to another gorgeous lake for a day of fun in the sun. You might putz around Oyster Bay, look in awe at the outlandish mansions on Round Lake or climb the sand dunes along Lake Michigan. You might also stop at the Weathervane for lunch, or go shopping in town while you tie your boat up to somebody else's an open slip in the marina!

This picture doesn't do it justice, but this is one of the giant houses on Round Lake (complete with colossal boat house and boat!)

I also love to read the names of people's boats while on these boat trips. Every so often you find a real gem, though I can't think of a good example at the moment (although I once saw a huge boat named the Jillian with a tiny dingy that was called the Jilly Bean - which for those that don't know - happens to be my nickname since forever. So that was cool). But really, people come up with some interesting stuff when giving a moniker to their ridiculously expensive sea homes.

As you can tell, life on the water is the central theme of these up north trips. I feel very fortunate that I've been able to call northern Michigan my second home for so long. I can also say with certainty that I appreciate being up north that much more now that I'm only able to go a few times a year. There will certainly be more to come from me about some of my favorite up north activities, but for now I'll leave you with a Pure Michigan video. It's for Traverse City instead of Gaylord, but you get the gist of it: northern Michigan = pure happiness.