I Am Not A Born "Yooper"!

I am not a born "Yooper" (nickname for a resident of the UP of Michigan), I became a yooper when I moved here in 1970 and then stayed.

I grew up in the suburbs of Detroit and to say that I was surprised that there was anything or anyone in the UP besides Mackinac Island is the understatement of the year.  There were a great many things I needed to adjust to when I moved here, the biggest of these was the winter weather.  An inch of snow on the ground where I was raised caused an entire city to shut down.  Here, it takes more than a foot or two for that call to be made.  Also, the length of winter is nothing to sneeze at.  Winter usually starts in October and lasts until April (if we are lucky).  Yoopers do not follow seasons on the calendar, we follow it as when the snow starts and when the snow ends.  But for all the downside of winter here, to me the most beautiful time is spring and summer.  The beauty of the UP is amazing and it is so beautiful that tourists come from near and far just to experience it.

I am lucky in that I live in the most beautiful part of the UP.  I live amid forests and woods of green filled with animals that most city dwellers never see. I live near Lake Superior, the largest fresh water lake in the world as well as the largest of the Great Lakes.  I live in a place where the residents are strong, faith-filled, happy and loyal to family, friends and even strangers.  When I was growing up in the city never did I think I would find a place like the UP to call home but that is exactly where I happily am.