- [Tom] On this frosty episode of UTR, we visit six of our favorite UP winter wonders.

We'll turn me into a Yooper, do some frozen fishing and roam into an awesome inn.

Then we'll fly through the arctic air, let the dogs way out and walk high above the forest floor.

Get ready to explore the cool people, places and things that make Michigan's Upper Peninsula, a great winter place to be.

- [Announcer] Pure is what you make of it.

It's taking it all in and never taking anything for granted.

The sun sets, the moon rises, and you realize the end of one perfect summer day is the beginning of another.

Pursue your pure in pure Michigan.

- [Announcer] A visit to the Stahls auto collection will take you back to a time when cars were more than just a way to get around, a fantastic assortment of gas pumps, neon signs, and automated music machines dating back 150 years that must be seen and heard.

Info at stahlsauto.com.

- I've been around the world, but there's one place that I keep coming back to and the more I explore, the more I realize, it's the place to be.

I'm Tom Dalton and this is Under the Radar Michigan.

(upbeat music) - Well, it finally happened.

I'm home in bed sick with Covid 19,20, and the way I'm feeling, probably 21 as well.

But the show must go on and we promised you guys a winter UP adventure so why don't we do this?

Why don't you guys watch this show we put together of some of our favorite places we've been to in the UP during the wintertime, and I'm gonna call my doctor and see if I can get a prescription for some Extra Strength Vernors.

Hello, Dr. Vinny Boumbatts.

Yeah, I'll hold.

Oh, and don't worry, I got lots of ice cream.

- [Host] Well you heard sick boy, right?

If you love Michigan's Upper Peninsula as much as we do, you know that winter is a great time to explore more of it.

There's tons of natural beauty, lots of winter sports to enjoy and plenty of places to warm your heart and soul with a hardy meal.

It's a true winter wonderland that's just waiting for you to try it.

So get ready for some frozen fun 'cause first up, we're gonna turn me into a bonafide Yooper at Wilderness Sports in Ishpeming.

- Hey S, I got a challenge for you.

I'm a flatlander and you got 60 seconds to make me a Yooper.

- I can do that.

- Really?

- Yes.

- Let's do it.

- Alright, for starters, Tom, you're gonna need a pair of choppers.

- What are choppers, oh, glove, oh mittens.

Look Michigan.

- Almost.

- Nice save.

- You're gonna need these.

- Socks, great.

Boy my ankles are thin, but I'll try these.

- Long underwear.

- Okay, can I have two?

I've got skinny legs.

Do I need one of these?

- Tom, focus.

- Hey Sandee, does this come in a man's style?

- You're gonna need some snowshoes.

- There's as big as a sled.

- And you're gonna need a stormy kromer.

- No thanks Sandee, I already got one.

Well, as promised, Wilderness Sports had everything I needed to become a real Yooper and we couldn't have asked for a better sport than Sandee Sundquist.

A great lady and a heck of an actor too.

Now I've got a really close friend that said what I'm about to do is on his ultimate Michigan bucket list.

So Nick Banda, this segment's for you, but sorry dude, the fish are for me.

That's right, we're going ice fishing, but not just anywhere.

We're going in one of the coolest and most beautiful places imaginable on Little Bay de Noc on Lake Michigan.

And we're not just going with anyone, we're going with the iceman himself, Marv Zukolowski.

Now this guy's got more positive energy and fish smarts than you can shake a rod and reel at and he's about to school me in the fine and frigid art of ice fishing.

It was the full on blizzard that day, so it was a pretty wild ride.

But me and the boys, we were ready for adventure.

And once we got about a mile out onto the bay, it literally looked like we were in Antarctica.

There were dozens of little ice shanties dotting the frozen icecap as far as the eye could see, which that day wasn't that far.

And once we found Marv's magic spot, up went the portable shanty in no time at all, 'cause when it's this cold, you move fast.

So with the hole drilled and handled, the heat turned up, it was time to get down to some serious ice fishing.

Well as serious as we could be.

And what are we fishing for?

- We are fishing for Great Lakes Yellow Perch.

- Great Lakes Yellow Perch.

- Which is the delicate, it's the delicacy of the north is what it is.

- I didn't know you'd have electronics out here.

That's amazing, so that tells you what.

- I'll tell you what right now electronic, everybody, there you are.

- [Tom] Wait, that, oh that's my, that's my lure.

- [Marv] That's your lure going down.

- Okay, and I don't want to go all, - You're 15 feet.

- Okay.

- [Marv] And now you're gonna get your headed to 20.

- [Tom] Okay.

- [Marv] So when we see a perch come through, you actually see it rise up from the bottom and we'll be able to watch and anticipate your bite.

- I got a friend that he does this old school, he sits on a bucket out on the lake.

He doesn't do shanties.

And you can't see this at home, but.

- Go ahead and shut your bale Tom.

- Shut my bale.

- You're just gonna click, this is the bale.

- Click it.

- Click it, there you go.

Now you're gonna reel a little bit, you're doing good.

- You can't see this at home, but there's actually a heater in here, so it's toasty.

This is very comfortable.

So quick question, is this catch and release or is this fish to fork?

- You actually have a fish right below you.

Can you reel, yeah, reel your line a little bit.

There you go.

I'm sorry, I missed the question.

I was all fish geeked out already.

I'm sorry.

- No, I know, I can tell you're, anybody that does this in these conditions, we're out in a blizzard today.

- It is.

- Is really into fishing?

No, is this catch and release or is this fish to fork?

- Absolutely.

- What, fish to fork.

- Uh huh, or catch and release.

- Oh no, I'm hungry.

- Okay we can do that too.

- Okay.

- I know a guy, I gotta filet knife.

- Okay, now it's a waiting game.

- That's it, it's a waiting game.

- [Tom] So with the help of a little TV magic, it wasn't long, sort of, until the fish found us.

- Actually there is one, here he comes right up to you Tom.

- [Tom] You can see this?

- [Marv] Yep, there's a big fish right below you.

- Oh, it's like you see them.

It's like reading the matrix.

I have no idea.

- Now put your Line down.

We're gonna watch for your bobber to go down.

He's actually right on top of you right now.

When you see that bobber go down or I say set it, you're just gonna jerk the hook.

He is right on you.

- [Tom] Oh, yes, right there, he's nibbling.

I got him.

- You got him, reel him in.

- Which way's in?

- I think he got off.

He did get off, but that's okay.

- Hey, now I can tell the story about the one that got away.

- You're outta here.

Reel it back in.

We'll put a new wiggler on 'cause he cleaned you off.

- Okay, darn it.

- Tell you what eh.

- You know, this.

- That's all right.

- This is actually exciting.

I used to drive by shanties like this on lakes and see 'em out in the lake.

- Put 'em right back down.

- And I'd feel sorry for the guys sitting out there, but this is actually fun and relaxing.

Well it's fun, it's exciting and relaxing at the same time.

- Ice shacks were developed, like I said, by married men.

They wanna spend their day in comfort and tell their wife how miserable it is.

- Yeah, you know what?

I would totally, you look at the blizzard outside right now and you think those poor guys out there are suffering.

You're born and raised up here, right?

- I was, I was born and raised up here.

- [Tom] What do you love about the?

- I wouldn't say I've grown up up here 'cause I'm not really grown up yet.

- Well, I sort of gathered that.

No, what do you love about the UP?

- Sunrises and sunsets and the people.

I mean the people as you know, in, and Michigan in general, but in the UP, you can stop and ask.

Look, if people stopped over here just asking what you're setting up, getting anything?

- Yeah, I noticed that.

- It is, you won't get much friendlier environment than we have up here.

Oh, there's one by it Tom, give it a little jiggle.

- Little jiggle.

- He's right on you, put your tip down.

Watch your bobber to go down.

When we see your bobber go down, you're just gonna give it a little snap, which is what we didn't do last time.

- Well, it was my first time.

- It was the wind.

I mean, the wind caught your hand, I understand.

- We're inside, darn it.

- So he's right on you.

- Yep, I got him.

Holy cow.

- Holy Tom Sawyer.

- Oh my God, oh, I'm sorry fish on.

- Fish on, get the net.

Kodak moment, we got another one down there too.

- Uh oh, it's coming up off.

- Does Tom do this, he does this.

- Yes, oh my gosh.

- Ladies and gentlemen.

- Hold on, look at the size of it.

Nice look how big it is.

So the iceman cameth and showed us all how it was done.

Marv made sure we caught our quota and a great time was had by all.

Well, not sure about the fish.

So if you're looking for a classic sports adventure, get up to the UP and do some ice fishing on Little or Big Bay de Noc real soon.

Just make sure it's in the winter though.

Otherwise it's just fishing.

So with our hunger tucked safely away, we headed about an hour and a half northwest to a place famous for the incredible Pictured Rocks National Lake Shore on Lake Superior, countless beautiful trails and waterfalls and an island so grand, that's exactly what they call it.

You know, Munising has always been one of my favorite Michigan towns.

It's got a great historic walkable downtown.

It's smack dab in the middle of paradise and it's holding onto its past, while it's still moving into a really cool future.

Tom Dolaskie is a dedicated and driven dynamic dude who is helping make Munising a first class destination with all the amenities amenable to modern Magellan's like me.

You know, like great places to stay and eat, all while you explore this awesome area.

Well, one of his latest and greatest is the Roam Inn, a boutique style hotel that's so cool and creative, you could put it anywhere in the world, but lucky for us, he put it right here in Munising, bonus.

- Now don't take this wrong, but I love guys like you.

Seriously, because you could live anywhere in the world, but you decided to stay in Munising and help this community evolve and grow all while keeping it, I mean, it still has the charm it's always had, but you guys and you figured out a way to improve it and to make this place a destination, which is amazing.

The Roam Inn, it's a world-class ambience atmosphere.

What's the inspiration for the interior?

- You know, it's a local flare, right?

Like I say, the bird's eye maple tables, these trees were cut in Alger County, processed in Alger County and finished in Alger County.

Using stuff but then, you know, talking about how, how unique it is, how unique that you can't find tables like this anywhere.

You have to make them, you know, the lumber and the side walls was from a friend of mine that cut the trees on his property and then a friend of his ran them through a mill.

That just sort of spoke to me from an interior design.

The interior design piece is one of my favorite things to do.

It's my personal touch on all of it.

And using as much local talent and local flare as we could.

We had to, we had to do it that way.

- [Tom] The rooms here are different.

- There's a good solid mix.

I mean, 18 units, family rooms, large lounge rooms, you know, they've got separate living rooms, separate bedrooms, and then a couple that are smaller.

But it's a good mix.

We did the most that we could with the amount of space we had.

- And the restaurant, I mean, it's Tracey's, right?

- Yep, just Tracey's.

- [Tom] And you've just won some awards?

- Yeah, so, you know, the Yelp award in 2017 was unexpected.

I remember, I think a friend of mine tagged me in a Facebook post or something.

They're like, hey, you know, Tom, did you see this?

You have no clue and because it, and that's the cool part about it, is we didn't push out to achieve that.

You know, I was surprised to find out we were named the best new restaurant in Michigan by Yelp voters, which was, it's user generated validation, you know.

- Which is the best?

- Yeah, when you're, when a collection of customers across the state say that one was the best one, that was an extreme surprise.

- But thanks to you, now it's even more of a destination.

I want to come here even more and now I want to come here and stay here, is that possible?

- It is.

- You can make that happen.

- Yeah, I know a guy.

- [Tom] You know a guy who knows a guy?

- I know a guy named Tom.

- Hey, so do I.

Well, with all that being said, we dined at Tracey's, amazing.

Enjoyed the inns many amenities and slept in sumptuous style.

Honestly, when you're traveling, where you stay can be a big part of the fun and adventure and this is a comfortable and creative place that made ours truly special.

Next time you're roaming across the UP, stay a few nights at the Roam Inn in Munising.

Your pleasure center will thank you for it.

Now onto what brought us here in the first place.

Ishpeming just happens to be home to the longest, continually running ski club in the entire US and every year since 1887, skiers from all over the world have come here to take flight.

Bob Hendrickson is the tournament chair for this year's 125th anniversary celebration.

Happy birthday, 125 years.

- 125.

- That's incredible this jumps been here that long.

- Yeah, yeah, it is.

It's a testament to the community, to the ski jumping community and just to skiing in general.

- [Tom] Oh, I'm ashamed until just recently I didn't even know it was up here.

And did you ever jump, were you a jumper?

- No, no, I can't say I have.

I ski and I've played around on it but I've never gone like this.

- [Tom] Yeah these guys are the rock stars in the ski world I think.

- [Bob] Yeah, I mean they love to fly.

That's why they're doing it.

- [Tom] So what do you guys have planned for this celebration, 125 years?

- Well, we had a parade last night and a community dinner and tonight we have a couple bonfires lit up.

We'll have about 20 jumpers competing through the evening and then we'll do a longstanding jump and then at about 8:30, after the, you know, the competition's done, we'll do some fireworks.

- Well before the festivities started, I was able to catch up with a true legend in these parts.

Coy Hill's been on this hill longer than I've been on the planet and that's a long time.

You've won quite a bit of awards.

- Oh well I won seven first places on this hill.

- On this hill.

How long have you been?

- I've got seven years in this valley.

- And you just retired what, last year?

- I retired when I was 46.

I built two towers.

Put two up, I was the boss.

I brought up at least two national champions.

I was a lifetime coach in America.

I'm very proud of this area.

- What do you think this hill means to the community up here?

- Whoa, I know what it means to me it was my life.

- Well a lot of people downstate don't even realize that this treasure is up here, that this hill is here.

- [Coy] Well this is the birth place of skiing in America.

- I might try to jump one of these hills later.

You got any advice for me?

- You're too old.

- Ah darn it.

- I'm sorry, I'm sorry.

- I'm good looking enough aren't I?

- Yeah, that mustache is very becoming.

- Thank you.

Maybe it's best I take Coy's advice.

- You're too old.

- Or not, those kids can do this, I can do it.

Piece of cake.

- You're too old.

- This will be easy, ha ha.

Not bad, eh?

Well, as good as my first attempt was, I, well didn't make the cut, which was fine because being able to just sit back and watch these kids do what they do is an absolute treat.

If you've only seen ski jumping on TV, you really owe it to yourself to get up to Ishpeming and see it for yourself.

Oh, and speaking of owing, Zach, that was perfect.

That was perfect, here's your 20 bucks.

- 20 bucks you trying to stiff me.

We said it was 40.

- Okay, here's 40 bucks.

- All right, all right, thanks.

- So now let's talk about the main reason we're in Marquette.

The UP 200 dog sled race.

It's a 240 mile Iditarod qualifier that brings mushers and their teams in from all across the Midwest.

And it's something I'd never experienced before.

On race day morning we had a chance to meet up with some of the participants at the vet check.

So you're one of the vets that does the actual vet check.

- Yes.

- Now what is it you guys are looking for?

- This is, right now we're doing what's called the pre-race vet check.

And so at this point we're making certain the dogs are healthy and that they are fit to compete in the race.

- Well a lot of people are seem concerned about, you know, dogs in this kind sport but these dogs seem to love this.

They seem to live for it.

- These dogs enjoy it, okay.

They live to pull okay, and they wouldn't do this unless they enjoyed it.

- Are you ready for the race?

(dog barking) Are you gonna win?

(dog barking) Well you, are you sure?

(dog barking) Yeah, he's pretty sure.

I think he's gonna win.

I like your coat, where'd you get your coat?

Is it warm?

Hey did you guys know that Stormy Kromer also makes doggy beds?

You're a girl musher, that's awesome.

Are there many women in this sport?

- There's a good number.

- Is this your sled?

- Yes it is.

- How much does the sled like this weigh?

- Well, when it's totally empty, probably about 30 pounds.

- Can I stand on it?

- Yeah.

- Awesome, oh God, wow.

- You kind of just, you know it kind of do this with it.

- Well that's how you steer.

- Yeah.

- It probably goes faster when there's dogs on it, yeah.

I was amazed at the condition these dogs were in.

They're all in perfect, I mean, I've had a lot of dogs in my life and my dogs usually end up kind of roly poly and, but these dogs are all in phenomenal condition.

- Absolutely, some of the animals were questioned.

They, people think they may look a little thin, but, you know.

- [Tom] No, they look the way they're supposed to look probably.

- [Vet] Absolutely, there's no such thing as a fat marathon runner.

(dog howling) - What'd he say?

- Oh, he said he loves being up in Marquette and he can't wait until his next visit again.

- Awesome.

While all that was going on, tons of snow is being trucked into downtown Marquette for the track that will eventually take the mushers out of town and on their journey.

It was here where I had a great interview with one of the race's key figures.

Well, I'm here with the official mascot of the race up here in Marquette, Banshee, the dog.

And just arranged for an interview, excuse me, dear, Banshee.

Oh, apparently Banshee must have had some top priority business to attend to so I decided to talk to race organizer, Pat Storiano instead.

Now what does an event like this mean to the community?

- It's a big thing to the UP.

You know, we're stuck in the, we're stuck in the snow a long time and then you can get out and play in it.

- Right, that's what I tell people.

Stop complaining about it and get out and play in it, enjoy it.

- Exactly.

- It's fun stuff.

- Yes, tonight here on this very street where you're filming us, we will probably see close to 7,000 people.

It is the largest event, summer and winter, to this community.

- [Tom] And as race time approaches, you realize why the UP 200 is so special.

It's one of the four biggest dog sled races in the lower 48.

- This is the best race we do.

I mean, there's no place else where you have a downtown start like this.

You get what, six, 7,000 people.

- [Tom] Oh, nighttime start like this is really cool.

- [Racer] It's unbelievable.

- [Tom] Now are you talking to 'em while you're mushing them?

- You know, actually the more you say to 'em it's like, it's like my wife and I, the more she talks to me, the more she says.

- [Tom] The less you listen.

- Right.

- [Tom] Hey, same at my house.

You look pretty warm, are you warm?

- I am very warm.

- [Tom] How much you, it looks like you're wearing everything you own.

- I only got half.

- Oh this is only half?

He does live in the UP, he is a Yooper.

So the moment everyone was waiting for finally came and it was spectacular.

- [Announcer] Three, two, one.

- [Announcer] Here we go.

- This is awesome.

I can't remember how many times I must have said the word awesome that night, but I couldn't think of another word to describe it.

The people, the dogs, the race, the energy, Marquette, awesome.

They say the older you get, the more often you should do something for the very first time.

You should really do this.

This is exceptional.

Oh and it's awesome too.

The next morning we headed about two and a half hours east to a place in the UP we'd been to in the summer, but never under these beautiful and snowy conditions.

And this last leg of our adventure would put us back on our feet again, but this time with a little help from an old friend that's been helping people walk in the snow for over a hundred years now.

And speaking of old friends, we found another one.

Here we go again.

Now you may remember Theresa Neal from such TV shows as Under the Radar, episode 506.

She was the awesome park ranger at Tahquamenon Falls State Park who showed us all of the wild watery wonders they have here.

Well, as luck would have it, there's something else they have here at the park.

In the winter they conduct guided snowshoe hikes and Theresa is our official guide.

So this is like old home week on UTR 'cause first we saw Tasha again and now you.

- Yes, welcome back.

- Thank you, remember we were here in the summertime and you were so wonderful.

You actually rowed us I think in a boat, over to the Lower Falls.

- I did row you in a boat, yes.

- [Tom] Which was, thank you very much.

- One and done by the way.

- Yeah, thank you.

But it was such a wonderful experience, I actually brought my family back the next summer.

So, but now we're here in the winter obviously to snowshoe.

What is the experience like?

Is it free?

How does this work?

- Sure, so every Saturday in February we get out as many snowshoes as possible.

And people come from all over the state and all over the Midwest to borrow snowshoes for free.

They can take a hike on their own or they can go on our guided hike at two o'clock.

And then oftentimes people stick around to do a one mile lantern lit trail.

- Yeah, we were gonna do the nighttime one, but the cameras don't work too well at night so.

- That's true.

- We thought this might be easier.

- That's true.

- So these snowshoes look a little different than the ones I've seen in the movies.

- Sure yeah.

- So obviously they've progressed.

- There are many different types of snowshoes anymore.

So we have our traditional wood frame snowshoes, which are more the original style that you might think of in the movies, the ones that hang on the wall and are really pretty.

- [Tom] You see at restaurants and.

- But they're super nice in this fluffy stuff we have right now so they're really good at blazing a trail.

They're nice and quiet in the snow and they're pretty, you can hang 'em up in the summertime.

- Yeah, you could also strain spaghetti with them.

- You could strain spaghetti with them or play tennis.

- That too, that too.

Yeah, 'cause we've gotten in the past couple days, like two feet of snow so this is, the conditions are perfect.

The weather's actually warmed up.

It's went from a balmy 17 below to I think today is like 21 or something, which really helps.

But this is also an educational experience.

- It is, yeah.

So the guided snowshoe hike, we talk about winter survival, about winter at the park.

- Well, speaking of the park, the trail system here is more than just around the Falls.

It's gigantic, isn't it?

- It is, yeah.

The winter we have a few different trails.

So we keep some trails groomed just for snowshoeing.

We keep some groomed just for skiing, but people can explore anywhere in the park in the wintertime.

- The, it's not too strenuous of a hike, is it?

- No, it'll be okay.

- Okay.

- I geared it down for you.

- Oh, thanks, thanks.

What is, it's 55 minutes instead of an hour, thanks.

Well it was almost time to take off into the snowy tundra.

So as Theresa did her pre-trek talk, I geared up and got ready for adventure.

This wintry hike really is a blast and you learn so much about the forest along the way.

Not to mention the fact that you get some much needed winter exercise and make a ton of new friends.

As we hiked between the trees, Theresa told wonderful stories, imparted fascinating facts.

And believe it or not, these snowshoes really do keep you about five feet above the forest floor.

But the coolest part of the whole experience is at the very end of the hike, when suddenly the winter majesty of Tahquamenon Upper Falls appears right before your eyes.

Now I'd seen the Falls in the summer, but never like this.

And thanks to Matt's gratuitous drone footage, you get to see the Falls like the birds do, from high above and all around.

Seeing the Falls like this kind of makes you want to grow wings.

But even on the ground, Tahquamenon is absolutely awesome.

What a great end to a fun and wonderful hike.

If you're looking for a fun and unique UP winter adventure, give the guided snowshoe hikes at Tahquamenon Falls State Park a try.

And if cabin fever has your family in the doldrums, do what we do on UTR, hop in the car, head for the UP and hit the trails.

Oh, and don't forget about the food.

You know us, we likes to eat, mmm.

More schnitzel.

- [Announcer] Pure is what you make of it.

It's taken it all in and never taken anything for granted.

The sun sets, the moon rises, and you realize the end of one perfect summer day is the beginning of another.

Pursue your pure in pure Michigan.

- [Announcer] A visit to the Stahls auto collection will take you back to a time when cars were more than just a way to get around.

A fantastic assortment of gas pumps, neon signs, and automated music machine dating back 150 years that must be seen and heard.

Info at stahlsauto.com.

(upbeat music)