The Michigan Tradition of Heading "Up North"
If you live in Michigan, you know there is one phrase that gets repeated every summer. "I'm heading up north this weekend." It doesn't even need an explanation. Everyone just knows what it means. People from Detroit and the southern part of the state pack up their trucks, SUVs, coolers, fishing poles, and lawn chairs and make the annual migration north. I always chuckle because I used to live up there. The funny part was that traveling was actually easier for me because everyone else was driving north while I was heading south. I'd cruise right along with hardly any traffic while thousands of people were bumper-to-bumper trying to get to their cabins, campgrounds, and favorite lakes. Meanwhile, I was enjoying the empty roads. Living up north had a lot of great things going for it. The scenery was beautiful, the air felt cleaner, and life moved at a slower pace. You got used to seeing deer more often than traffic jams. But eventually, the long winters started wea...
