OurPod: Aug 9, 2010 - Start of Upper Peninsula Tour

Today we cross the bridge into the Upper Peninsula (hereinafter abbreviated UP), where we are considered by the residents there (referred to as Yoopers) as either terrorists, trolls (we live below the bridge), flatlanders, or lopers, depending on who you talk to. From now on, we will attempt to use the Yooper vernacular whenever possible. The dialect will be in bold italics, and I will include definitions in parentheses or provide footnotes as needed.

Our first stop was for lunch at one of the many small diners along US2, in this case the Whitetail Inn, where I ordered a beef pasty. That’s a short “a” like in “cat.” If you say it with a long “a” like in “way”, you’ll be referring to the decorative tassled things exotic dancers wear, and will be immediately identified as a troll, and possibly have your face slapped by the waitress. Pasties are dough covered pocket pies whose main ingredients are diced rutabaga, onions, shredded carrots, sometimes diced potatoes, and a meat filling that can be anything from your normal chicken and beef to the more exotic elk, moose, buffalo, or bear. They were introduced to the UP by miners many, many years ago and you can buy them everywhere. I. Mean. Everywhere.

When I told the very nice waitress there I’d never had a bear pasty, she replied, “Yah hey! (I don’t believe it.)”

Afterwards we crossed the Cut River Bridge (a million dollar bridge over a two dollar creek) and hit the Seney Stretch. The Seney Stretch (77) is the longest stretch of road in the area, where Yoopers go to burn the soot out of their beaters¹. Then we hit 28 West to Munising and the Wandering Wheels Campground. This is a private campground just east of town. Nice sites with water, electric, and cable TV at all sites. Wi-Fi is available on a hit-or-miss basis depending on how far you are from the office, and whether or not any big rigs get parked between your campsite and the office. Their showers could maybe use a little updating, but are serviceable enough. Basement laundry room, sort-of putt-putt course, nice pool, some short hiking trails, and a camp store with the usual staples, a few camper parts (I’ll get to that later), etc. I sure wish I knew what kind of firewood they sold there; I’d build a house out of it – I guarantee it will never burn down.