Pleasant Peninsula with O.W. Root

When was the last time you used a power tool or a kitchen gadget that was older than you are? How about older than your parents? O.W.’s mother has an electric juicer that predates them both, and says volumes about the way things used to be built to last. Plus, Ludington needs a road diet. It’s main drag downtown is way to wide for this cozy community. It’s picturesque view of the lake is overshadowed by a mass of ugly concrete.

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As the sunshine and warm temperatures finally start hitting up north, so do the floods. That enormous amount of snow this winter has melted, overwhelming riverbanks and dams in Northern Michigan. Of the many casualties, the Tunnel of Trees in Cross Village. But not all of nature is menacing. Behold the great migration of the blue-spotted salamander in Marquette. It’s an event that brings out those elusive creatures who burrow away all winter … and also the salamanders!

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Springtime up north can sometimes feel like having Stockholm Syndrome. It conditions you into accepting anything that is "not winter" is therefore, beautiful. That's why mud can become a welcoming sight after months of snow and ice. Then there's the case of the 500-Pound Man-Eating Clam of Northern Michigan. You can see it up close, but only if you dare!

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If you're wondering when the off season is Up North, this is it. No, it's not warm enough for the beaches or about half of the activities that people come up north for, but there are places, like The Perry, where you can snag a heck of a vacation deal. Plus, O.W. takes you to a place where digital doesn't exist. It's a bar that plays nothing but vinyl records. You won't find a TV blaring sports or news, just old school jams being played as God intended.

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While many things in this world continue to decline, there is one bright spot you can see with your own two eyes. The world is a little more beautiful than it used to be, and that's in large part to our efforts in cleaning up pollution. It's a lesson brought home to O.W. this week on a walk with his kids. Plus, it's one of the few places you can defy physics. Not really, but it does really feel that way. Is it a roadway or an optical illusion? Gravity Hill is both.

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Spring shows up, gets cocky, and then gets absolutely buried—two feet of snow later, O.W. is reminded that Michigan isn’t one state, but two, divided somewhere between grass and survival. Plus, a ranking of Michigan’s area codes, where geography becomes identity and your phone number doubles as a personality test. From the grind-it-out suburbs to the earned toughness of the 906, every corner gets its verdict—but only one can claim the crown.

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It’s a blizzard out there - for real. And O.W.’s just getting over a nasty bug. It gave him some time to reflect on how the mainstream media thinks Pete Buttigeig residing in Traverse City means he’s living like a mountain man in the wilderness. In reality, Traverse City is one of the most affluent cities in the state. Mansions long ago replaced cabins. It’s why many from Up North (O.W. included) feel free to mess with outside journalists, and occasionally tourists, with fables like “Mama Lake,” and “Snow Snakes.”

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Some people are obsessed with their lawns in the summer. For O.W., he’s got a different compulsion: the ice in his driveway. It stares at him every day as snow elsewhere else melts effortlessly. Plus, have you ever hears of the Cross in the Woods? it’s one of Michigan’s hidden gems Up North and O.W. gives us a tour in the off season.

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Last week, O.W. defined the term "Ugly Winter." Now the debate, which Ugly Winter is worse, the brown, grassy, muddy South or the bone-chilling, snowy North? Plus, if you've ever looked at modern cars and longed for the style of yesteryear, O.W. is right there with you. Why can't today's vehicles possess the same sense of design as the ones we made decades ago?

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We’re past the “Winter Wonderland” stage of the season. That was during the holidays. What’s leftover is the snowy, sloppy mess that is Ugly Winter. But it, too, has its own bright spot. Plus, O.W. marvels at one of Michigan’s modern marvels, the Superior Dome in Marquette. But it’s not just impressive because of its size, but also how it came to be.

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