Be Still My Beating Heart: A Love Letter To People and Places That Keep Us Coming Back To The Upper Peninsula
Moving to Marquette - plus news, events, music, and more
A Love Letter to the U.P.
During our trip to the U.P. for the UP 200 dog sled race, we thought for a hot second about moving up to the Marquette area. This isn’t the first time we’ve thought this, and it probably won’t be the last. You see, there is a lot to love in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula.
Since my first trip to the U.P. back around 1988, I have been in love with this part of Michigan. There is plenty of natural beauty as well as urban gems in Michigan, but there is an exotic quality to the U.P. Perhaps it is the resonance of ancient mountains, the majestic power of Lake Superior, or maybe the miles and miles and miles of trees. Whatever it is, since that first visit, I’ve been hooked.
Brenda and I make a point of getting up to the U.P. at least once a year. Each year, since 2012, we make our annual pilgrimage up north. The U.P. Fall Beer Fest in Marquette is a great excuse for us to visit this wonderful place. The festival makes for a great jumping-off point for further adventures to such favorites as Hog Back Mountain, Big Bay, Pictured Rocks, Grand Marais, and the Porcupine Mountains. The Keweenaw Peninsula, with its combination of history and splendid beauty, is always calling for another visit or two, especially when it includes a stop at Fitzgerald’s and the Cliff View Bar. We’ve been all over up there, yet so many more adventures lie in wait. The natural beauty of the U.P. is definitely a huge draw. However, the real pull is the people we’ve met who call it home.
Through our adventures across the state, many fueled by Michigan beer, we’ve developed some fabulous friendships—absolutely wonderful people, both close to our home and dotted across the state. Of all the places we have visited, the most welcoming and friendly folks have typically been in the U.P.
For example, we didn’t know Jay (owner of Kognisjon Bryggeri) from Adam, yet he made us feel like long-time friends from the minute we met him. Same thing with the Kog’s brewer Kris, although I think part of why we hit it off is a shared love of heavy music. Then there is Janelle, one of the most endearing and generous people we have met. Being around her, you feel that you are part of something bigger and that you totally belong.
I’d be remiss not to mention our good friend Kevin from Barrel + Beam. We’d chatted remotely when he was running his beer blog, sharing our mutual love for Michigan beer. However, when he joined Barrel + Beam, he was quick to make us part of his experience. He kindly shared with us his love not only for the beer and the brewery, but also for Marquette as a community. We couldn’t help but feel like we were in some special club. Thanks to Kevin, we also met Nick (owner of Barrel + Beam) and Joe (brewer). They are easily some of the nicest people who welcomed us into the fold like we’ve known them since the dawn of time.
That friendly, welcoming nature was on display during our last visit to the UP 200. The volunteers for the UP 200 were incredibly warm. They also have an enormous love for their community that is infectious. As soon as we walked up to the Grand Marais crossing to watch the teams make their way into town, the volunteers (all part of the Grand Marais community) treated us like we lived next door. Our lovely friends Robin and Bill have recently made their home in Grand Marais. They were already kind and generous people, but I think that, if it is even possible, the spirit of the land and the people who live there have amplified their loving and giving instincts.
The idea of moving up to Marquette got serious a few years ago. I can’t put my finger on the exact moment. I think it was during the pandemic. Working remotely meant that we could basically work from anywhere in the world. Meeting so many people up in the U.P. (and Marquette in particular) that genuinely cared about their community was a real draw. Yet reality started to sneak in when looking at house prices (which are as high, if not higher, than in Ann Arbor). That, combined with the fact that everything is “an hour away” and winter is really winter, pulled the plug on that notion. Visiting a place is one thing. The reality of a Tuesday trudge to the grocery store through a winter whiteout is another. Yet, every time we visit, there will be a moment when I think, “Man, I’d love to live here!”
Don’t get me wrong, I love our home just south of Ann Arbor in Pittsfield Township. It has the perfect layout for “aging in place.” And I can’t deny that the real draw is our neighbors. As this was a new development, we all moved in around the same time. Brenda and I laughed that it sort of felt like when you moved into the dorms in college without the drunken carnage (well, not a lot of drunkenness). Everyone in our hood is excited to be here and warmly cares for each other. We’ve made some excellent friends that I love getting together with, particularly our little book club, which is really just an excuse to socialize over food and beverages.
You know, as I’ve been thinking and writing about my love of the U.P., it brings home the fact that the key ingredient is the feeling of belonging. Anywhere that you find a passion for living and an inviting aura surrounding a place and its people will be a perfect place to call home. Will I still think about living in the U.P.? Oh, for sure! Will I actually make it happen? Probably not. I’m happy here with Brenda and my friends. That doesn’t mean I won’t get up to the U.P. every chance I get to fill up on the wild spirit and the love of the people that call that part of Michigan home.
Upcoming Events You Won’t Want to Miss
Our events calendar on Life In Michigan is a treasure trove of events we’ve scoured the interwebs to bring to you. There are a ton of great events coming up. From that list, here are a few highlights:
Manchester Brewing Anniversary Party at Manchester Mill on the Water on Mar 7
Manchester Brewing is celebrating its anniversary with a party featuring great food and beers at the mill (just across from the brewery). Live music too!
Mosh For Mutts - Dog Food Drive at Sanctuary Detroit in Hamtramck on Mar 7
Raise money for local dog shelters and rock out to live music from Forge the Sun and others.
Lord Centipede EP Release at the Reagle Beagle in Ypsilanti on Mar 13
A blockbuster night of heavy music in Ypsilanti.
Dirk Kroll Band at Edo Ramen in Royal Oak on Mar 14
Fabulous food and amazing rock music! A feast for both your ears and stomach.
In Other News
Last weekend, we filled up on over 40 ounces of fantastic soup at the Dark Horse Brewing Soup Showdown.
There was a LOT to share on our UP 200 dog sled race experience.
The latest news from GIG - The Art of Michigan Music is out now via the GIG newsletter. Be sure to sign up to stay in touch and mark your calendars for Friday, July 24, and Saturday, July 25 to see GIG at Chelsea Sounds & Sights.
I can’t say enough good things about Mitten Music. Check out this installment with more from the visual artists at GIG 2025.
Heads up, artists!! Geek Brush Studio in Chelsea is spearheading an effort with the city to turn the alley between 105 and 107 Main Street into the Chelsea Art Gallery. They are currently seeking artist submissions to display in this new outdoor art space. Submissions are due by April 1, 2026.
Finally, I learned about the Cross Country Ski Headquarters located in Higgins Lake through an article on Michigan Blue by Bill Semion. They can outfit you with skis, and they have 11 miles of groomed trails.
Life In Michigan Podcast
We had a great chat with Ann Arbor’s own Christina Morales Hemenway, founder of Dancingstar Productions. She shares her journey of creating independent, “uplifting” cinema outside the Hollywood system.
Substack Restack Attack
Substack is where it’s at. Check out these other superb publications:
If you are considering writing a novel, short story, or essay, these notes from Lincoln Michel at Counter Craft are worth reading
John Strohm on Ready for Nothing shares some thoughts on the community that rises from great music and the sounds of Weston Hunter (new to me and damn good too)
✧ brooklyn 𓆏 on offline crush shares the slippery slope of Substack moving in an unsavory direction…I, for one, will continue to “post”!!
I just have to share Nolan Green’s soundscape from the Netherlands
Adventures Yet To Print
We just finished our Improv 102 class at Hear.Say Brewing and Theater in Ann Arbor. Once again, it was a ton of fun and a chance to stretch out of the ordinary. I believe Brenda will share some thoughts with you about our improv journey.
What Are You Reading?
I’m on the home stretch of The Alienist by Caleb Carr. Being a cold wimp and doing indoor workouts instead of our normal 5-mile jaunts outdoors has cut into my “reading” time, so my progress has been slow. However, that is not a poor reflection on the book. Carr has crafted an excellent story. The writing is tight and compelling. I find myself either wincing, smiling, or looking astonished as the story unfolds. I love the interaction and development of the characters, with New York City being one of them.
While the nature of the crimes (abuse and killing of children) is horrible, Carr does a fantastic job of making the book less about the horror and more about the psychology of the killer as well as those seeking his capture. The Alienist definitely keeps you riveted to the story. I particularly enjoy how Carr leaves a tasty morsel of foreshadowing at the end of the chapters. It pushes you in just the right way to want to dig in deeper and see where he is going to take you next.
What Are You Spinning?
The last few days have been consumed with Leviathan by Mastodon. My introduction to Mastodon came with the video for “March Of The Fire Ants” on MTV (remember when there actually was a music video channel?). At the time, I dug the heaviness and the unique angular structure of their music, but didn’t quite jump on the fan wagon. That all changed with Leviathan. This is a perfect album where you are never tempted to skip a track.
From the opening blast of “Blood and Thunder” to the dreamy wash of “Joseph Merrick”, this album grabs hold of you and will not let go. The riffs pummel, swirl, and froth with violent eloquence, capturing the essence of the ocean and the conflict between Ahab and the White Whale. What I love most of all is the drumming. Brann Dailor takes the drum kit from the rhythmic background to center stage.
I dig every song, but my favorite is “Iron Tusk”. Through those crashing drums and the concussive riffs, you feel the ocean waves and the relentless fury of the hunt. It is a supremely powerful song within an epic album.
That’s A Wrap
As my buddy Sturgill once said:
“Keep your head out of the clouds
And remember to be kind
And just stay in school
Stay off the drugs
And keep between the lines.”
Thank you for reading. I hope your week is awesome! Don’t forget to kick out the jams!
Now, here is your moment of zen:
Same here! I fell in love with the UP and Lake Superior on a trip a few years ago, and have managed to travel up there every year since then, exploringdifferentparts of the shore. Like you, I find Marquette particularly charming and am happy that for this year, I've got a lecture tour coming up in April and will get to meet more locals. I've entertained thoughts of moving to Marquette but realistically, it's too far from family. But! I can dream, and I can visit and delight!
Never been to your great state, but the UP is for sure my greatest curiosity about MI. One day.