Some of my family members were born and raised in the UP. The winters are tough with the snow and cold temps, but they love it. The UP is unique, but it's not for everyone.
Many homes North of the bridge have a door on the second floor with no balcony. I thought this strange until I was told these are for getting out in the event of snow blocking the main floor door. What you ran into was lake effect snow and very normal. Living in Northern Mi we take the weather most serious, especially lake effect snow. I enjoyed snowmobiling the super freeway from Munising to Marquette. I was blown away by the divided north south lane. We traveled the power lines mostly. Typical UP winter really.
The people that live in the UP and northwoods area are used to this weather for 6 months out of the year. The beautiful summers , lack of ugly construction building booms, and friendly and safe environment make up for the winters- though if you embrace the snow you can be very active outside during this time.... PS- Locals are happy that nobody wants to move there!
You got that right...we like company, we like that you spend your cash, and we really like when ya go back home! This snow is nothing. Come on U.P. to the Keweenaw. I worked there one year...it snowed 44 days in a row! I thought we were being buried alive! The business owners were thanking the Snow Gods for the "White Gold'....You would not believe the people that come up to play in the snow. TONS!
i've lived in The Soo for 40 years and i and people like me would be very happy if people wanted to move here. not everyone here is a right-wing stay-out-of-my-yard-go-back-to-where-you-come-from 'outsiders-are-bad' types like christiana and lady yoop here, but they do make about half the population. luckily because of the indian reservation having a lot of power in town, we have fewer racist redneck types than you'd imagine for a place like this. it's not all of us who are unwelcoming or hateful
@@LadyYoop I'm moving back to Calumet. Virginia (where I live right now) freaks out over snow warnings and a single inch of snow. It's unbelievable lol.
I lived in Marquette Michigan while stationed at K.I. Sawer AFB in 1971 and the winters were brutal but it was one of the most beautiful places I’d ever seen. I really would like to move back up there but we now have 5 grandkids and live in the Philadelphia area.
Hate to tell you but 3 feet is far from the record. Maybe for a low snow area like around the straights, but up here in the Keweenaw thats not unusal. We average close to 300 inches a year.
I was in Marquette that winter. Had just moved there from Phoenix and was new to deep snow. We were jumping out the 3rd floor dorm rooms into piles of snow. What a fun time. We ended up having a 4 day weekend when they shut down NMU because the plow drivers could not get to the plows.
Richard, I grew up in Port Huron...I well remember that winter...brutal as all hell all over Michigan and the Great Lakes region. We certainly didn't get 350" but I had a couple of friends who up there at MT during that winter. I was at CMU and remember a 26" snowfall! They closed campus for 3 days.
I remember as kid in 80s we got like 4ft in ashland wi. And the UP GOT LIKE 9FT that was onto of 3ft hard pack from heavy winters we use to have after mt. St Helen's blew and last few atmospheric nuke tests lol
I remember those days we'll. I'd always would end up using balsam branches tied to my feet while having to carry my fatass lab because she couldn't make it through the snow. No choice if I didn't the wolves that followed us would have killed her. No bullshit those things here show no fear to a human.
I was born and raised just east of Mackinaw City, I have seen more than 3feet of snow on the ground. Seeing footage of 75 north brings back memories as I have driven those same roads, I miss northern Michigan......
I live a lil bit southeast of Mackinaw and we had 3 feet over night just a couple weeks back. Its not unusual for that to happen either. I used to have a snow removal company and we would regularly get a foot plus overnight and just a "dusting" could be 8 inches.
Lake Michigan and Lake Huron is just one giant lake. I grew up on the Canadian side. Wind coming off of Superior is deadly. I remember being a kid and it snowing so hard over night and we would hope school got cancelled but the radio stations in the area come from the American side and the Canadians would send reports across the river, so we could all hear if school had been cancelled or not. We would hear, schools on the American side are closed, schools on the Canadian side are open...ya right They hit with the same storm and same amount of snow !!! The American side would close and call in the national guard. We went to school :(
Fucking right.. awesome country up there and I've spent many winters up there snowmobiling but no fucking way would I live up there in the winter.. I like playing in it amd then going home away from it lol would not want to deal with it everyday plus the cold
Ill being moving to UP Michigan here soon, been living in Arizona for about 3 years. Lived in Montana for over 6 years, cant wait to get back to the magical winter wonderland that is north USA!
I spent 2 Winters in Calumet, so I'm no stranger to deep, lake effect snow. It was nothing to get 2 - 6 inches of snow a day in Winter. Your interview with Dan was great, and it's good to hear from somebody living there. Thanks for the video!
Many people who love the UP love it because there is a lack of people. You kind of go there to get away from the rat race lower peninsula. The UP has fantastic activities like some of the best snowmobile trails in the united states, Whitetail deer, partridge and other hunting where again it has some of the finest in the country. The pristine wilderness. Incredible scenic drives. Fascinating history. Quit frankly, the fewer people there are the more charming and alluring the UP is. What could be better the sitting in your little log cabin, in front of the fireplace with a hot cup of joe with your sweetheart. Put another log on the fire and smell that fresh UP air.
Fun fact: I live in lower Michigan but my wife and I are looking for a way to move up to the UP. I love it there, I always get sad when I cross that bridge going south.
Penneys Sears and Woolworths are gone from the planet, not just The Soo (as we Yoopers call Sault St. Marie). So that's not really a fair judgment of the area.
Yes definitely go to houghton I’ve drove from LA’nse to houghton a few times you’ll see cars on the side of the road and may end up sliding a few times
Burr!! Makes me cold just watching. Grew up in Michigan until I was 19 and then moved to Florida in 1998. But I’ve been up on that stretch of road several times and to the park you were at on the UP side of the bridge. The northern third of the lower peninsula and up in the UP can be beautiful, especially in the summer. Although I do have friends who like the winter better up there. Which…🤷🏻♂️…I suppose I just don’t get. I don’t think I’d enjoy living up there though. Just not enough going on for my tastes. I feel for any place in the state or throughout the U.S. that’s struggling though. Even my little old hometown in Central Michigan sort of makes me sad to see today. Good mom and pop stores, grocery stores, hardware stores, plumbers, local restaurants etc have mostly been replaced by dollar stores, pawn shops, check cashing places, and coin laundry. It feels very strange. Oddly enough I’ve really come to appreciate so many more good things in Michigan now, only after I’ve moved.
@@ChrisHarden I hear ya. In as much as I love getting away to the wilderness or somewhere remote for a hike, ski, camping, or whatever, I think I’ll always be just that little bit more 49% country but always 51% city. I just need my amenities, sports, other entertainment, culture, restaurants, etc.
Even in Howell Michigan it can stack up over a winter. About 15 years ago I had a temporary real estate sign posting job where I would put them out Friday and pick them up Sunday night. One intersection corner I put signs on had about a foot of snow on a Friday in March and by Sunday it was all gone. This was about the fourth time that winter that it happened. I thought about it and realized that if all the snow that had fallen on that corner were all there it would be about 4 or 5 feet.
@@ChrisHarden Go now while your young! Enjoy all you can and take the nice young lady friend of yours with you. She may find it too cold, but after a few days you get used to it. Adversity brings you closer together. Buy both of you a couple pairs of long underwear, tops and bottoms, dress in layers. Get an REI 50 below parka with a hood. Make sure it reaches just above your knees. Get it a little oversize. Dress like this: underwear, long sleeve t-shirt, flannel shirt, pull over sweater then parka. Neither of you will ever be cold dressed this way. for your head get a pull over ski mask that covers your head, neck and lower face. Just getting dressed will be half the fun!
Holy crap am i’m glad that I’m seeing this now. I was honestly tempted to drive up as far as Lake superior in my car and try to camp for a week either in February or March. I ended up not doing it thankfully, and this just shows me that I’m glad that I didn’t. I probably would’ve ended up dying in my car.
Love the video and I am glad that I left their in 1965 and moved to southern CA--I do not like cold weather--spent 2years in HAWAII AND it spoiled me--God bless the people that can live in it--
The snow squal you drove through was a lake effect squal that frequent all of the great lakes depending on which way the wind is coming from. 3' happens once in a while, but did you notice that the streets were already plowed and the main was wet but bare of snow. Most of the accident prone areas are because of the drivers that don't know enough to slow down and drive according to the conditions.
Been in the Soo for 4 years now, I live with this weather pattern quite often in the winter, especially making trips back and fourth to Petoskey. Our town is more commonly referred to as Sault Sainte Syberia. 😂
Funny....I was returning from a snowmobile trip up in Wawa Ontario that same Sunday you were in the 'Soo". Compared to the snow depth up there the Soo had hardly any snow! Step off the snowmobile trail between Wawa and Marathon and the snow was up to your arm pits and you still weren't touching ground!
I'll have to try and find time to venture out further west next winter. I've learned a lot about it, the Keweenaw Peninsula especially through the comments on this video.
The track in the ice going under the Mac Bridge is done by Ice Breakers and ships. Some ships run all winter long generally hauling rock salt from Goderich, ONT to Milwaukee or Chicago. There used to be more traffic all winter when Iron Ore was transported out of Escanaba, MI to Detroit or Cleveland since that doesn't require going through the closed Soo Locks but the mine that fed Escanaba shut down and the dock closed. Some tankers also run all winter but they are few and most travel from Sarnia to the Canadian Soo below the locks. By the way SARNIA is generally pronounced SAR NEEYA, Canada's Houston.
Born and raised around Mackinac City now I live on the west coast lol yes it's FREEZING in Michigan especially Northern and the U.P. I remember when I was young we had SO MUCH SNOW to where we could jump out the roofs and have a safe landing because we had like 20 ft snow hills from the snow getting plowed lol. Snow itself was like 4 ft or so sometimes you'd get snowed in ughhh it sucked but homemade food ALWAYS made it BETTER 🥰
I live just out of Sault Ste Marie ,Mi & I drove back & forth to Saint Iganace daily. The weather is deceitful. It can be snowing like bandits in St Ignace & nothing in the Soo. Sometimes they can get more snow than us. They are further south so in the spring it melts quicker. But, the Soo does average a whole lot of snow.
Another great video Chris. Admire your courage to go up there in winter on those roads. How nervous was your wife on those roads? As I’ve mentioned before I love the bridge area. I did not know you lived in Detroit. Do you root for any of the Detroit sports teams? Having grown up in lower Michigan but now have long lived in Wisconsin, I still will always hope and pray for some Detroit team to win a championship. Thanks again for showing us a great place, the U.P. I just subscribed because you did. Keep up good work👏
We were both equally nervous. It’s not always about how good of a driver you might be, but it’s also about worrying about who else is on the road. For example, how overconfident other drivers might be to where they’re more vulnerable to cause an accident because of it. So many pile-ups are caused from people driving too fast for the conditions… but traffic in the U.P. Is always light.
born and raised in the up. where i live now is nothing compared to what i grew up with. lots and lots of snow. walk a quarter of a mile to catch the school bus in minus 30 degree weather for weeks at a time. could get to minus 50 with wind chill minus 70. great video.
I live in Memphis Mich. very close to Port Huron. We love it here. I grew up in New Baltimore Mich. My family has lived there since the 1800's. I love Memphis just as much since we moved here 5 years ago. Most of my relatives still live in the New Baltimore area.
Heh I remember when I was around 6yrs old my mom and dad was taking us kids upper peninsula to visit my aunt and uncle , my dad had to stop at a motel do to it snowing so hard ,the next day we had to eat at the motel and wait till the sidewalks and roads are plowed I remember in the dining room here and hearing some of the local men talk about it it was so deep they couldn't get the snow plow and one area and one man so it must be about 8 ft deep .
Laughing,, "higher and higher and higher, the further we have gone." Its not every year, and if climate change,, it may be less common in the future. You are marveling that the picnic tables are flush with the surrounding. "Why I remember the time,," There have been years and I have been witness to this,, people get tired of shoveling their front walk to the street in town. Also you can only throw it so high,,,, When the snow gets deep enough,, you stop shoveling. You throw plywood over the ditch to the house and walk the rest of the winter through your tunnel to the front door. To the top of the picnic table? Nahhhh think more in terms of right to the gutters on the roof. You go up on the roof and shovel the 6 feet of snow off to save your trusses and roof rafters.
15:08 It was the same with me. I’ve visited the UP numerous times. Yoopers always seem pleasantly surprised that a Troll would visit the UP. However, I’ve known many Trolls who would never go to the UP since it’s not prestigious & fancy. Also, they find Yoopers to be backwards.
In December of 1995 Sault Ste Marie got between 50 and 60 inches of snow in 72 hours. It was very localized, though. 20 miles south of town they got far less. Average annual snowfall there is around 120 inches, give or take a bit, so that one storm dropped almost half of an average entire winter's snowfall.
went to Gwinn High we had 18 feet of snow in 1971 that's when I took drivers ed. I'm forever good driving on it with right accessories. Swam in Lake Superior 32 degrees year round
My daughter went on a snowmobile trip for a week . End of February to March. She was up in Ontonagon. She had a blast on those trails with massive powder.
would have been nice to meet your wife and dog but thanks to the drone views i got to see a little glipse of them... thanks for the trip, the info , the drone views and all it was nice to view on a very hot day here....
My wife and I visited the UP in June of 23. It's my favorite destination I've visited. I'm a truck driver and have seen most of tge country and the UP beats all of it.
I know that the snow on the ground in the Keweenaw peninsula was likely higher than what was in the Sault Ste. Marie area… but 29 feet of snow on the ground at any current moment? Doubt it.
Just drive slow, don’t be in a hurry driving on snow or icy roads. Remember you have your wife and dog in the vechicle and they depend on you to do the right thing.
"The occasional Yooper did pass me at about 70 or 80 miles an hour" Sounds about right. I never push it that fast. 40-50 is perfectly fine in whiteout conditions so long as its not too Icey. 4 wheel drive is a godsend for the UP.
@@ChrisHarden Great Idea.. Im older. lol. 2005-2006 staying in the sault area, u.p. they were like snows over some roof tops. Got to have snowmobile etc.. :)❤️
Did 2 years at da Tech (MTU). My son did,like 5 years to get his degree , ya know. Dats how dey talk . You are seeing just any old day in da U Pee. People drink a lot of beer and time in da sauna then a dip in da hole cut in da lake.
@@ChrisHarden It has been there forever. It is decorated with all kinds of wildlife & they had great food the last time I was there. I think there are pictures online.
let me tell you all. the UP and the yoopers is one of the best unkept secrets in america.. despite the climate. it is truly one of the best places on earth.. Pasty anyone?
I’m from Southfield Michigan and we’ve got snow in the last couple of Mays. Going to snow today and in April. Springs have been getting cold and cold around here. Nothing is blooming yet. Usually we have crocus by now. Not this. If you don’t like cold weather. Michigan isn’t for you.
@@ChrisHarden Yea it's a very small community, not even a town, they had a bar, an American Legion, and a hotel. However it does have a snowmobile trail going thru the town and many stopped to get a beer at the bar. It's very nice out there
Turned 18 2 days ago and recendyl got an apartment in the UP!!! The only car I have is a 2007 mustang from Texas when I got it 2 years ago, it’s gonna be a fun winter I can’t wait.
Im originally from downstate lower Michigan, Montrose, Michigan to be more specific,but my dad lived in the Pelkie, Baraga area,Froberg and Pelkie roads to be exact,and I frequented the area many years as I have my dad buried there in the Pelkie cemetery,but I seen nice weather,and I have seen snow and it was not just a little snow but lots of snow,so much that you had to have snow shoes because it was so deep. Thank you for your videos and Thumbs up and keep up the great work on your videos 💯👍 Peace and Blessings to you all 🙏👍💯
Update I found an article on Facebook saying in December of 1995 and it said the earliest snowfall was in November getting 9 inches. Fast forward to the first week of December the sault already had over 20 inches of snow.
Spent many years up there snowmobiling.. usually newberry, grand Maria's Munising, strongs, and the soo.. been up there on many trips over the years when we show up to 2ft on the ground and leave 3, 4 days later to 5 ft on the ground
This is nothing unusual at all. You should visit Houghton to see some deep snow. I live in Traverse City and we can get this too. Where are you from, anyway?
Metro Detroit. I was going to go up to houghton this past winter… didn’t happen. Hopefully this winter I can. I definitely want to see that area at peak accumulation and make a video.
