Pleasant Peninsula with O.W. Root

What’s the worst month to drive in Michigan? O.W. makes the case for November, when rain turns to slush overnight and the first wet snow catches drivers off guard. Then, O.W. shares what he saw at the Great Lakes Shipwreck Museum at Whitefish Point. The artifacts there help explain why he calls the Great Lakes “Freshwater Seas.” Discover more at Michigan Enjoyer Follow O.W. Root on X: @necktiesalv...

When did a homemade birthday cake stop being enough? O.W. revisits the simple family celebrations that made childhood birthdays special. Then, a quiet walk on Drummond Island’s Heritage Trail offers another reminder that less can be more: no engines, no phone, just the woods. Discover more at Michigan Enjoyer Follow O.W. Root on X: @necktiesalvage This is a public episode. If you would like to dis...

Why hasn’t anyone bottled the smell of fallen leaves? O.W. takes in the fleeting beauty of a Michigan fall and a fragrance no camera can capture. Plus, a trip to remote Shoe Island reveals a side of Michigan that looks suspiciously like the Caribbean. Unbelievable water, an island almost nobody visits, and another reason to be grateful we live here. Discover more at Michigan Enjoyer Follow O.W. Ro...

Has the quality of fast food really gone down, or is O.W. just being a Doomer? You decide after hearing his haunting tale of a rather revolting burrito. Plus, riding on a side-by-side is a lot of fun. But if you’re not careful, it can radicalize you. The pure freedom of the off-road experience is both liberating and addicting. Discover more at Michigan Enjoyer Follow O.W. Root on X: @necktiesalvag...

Have kids already become dependent on e-bikes? They've swiftly become so ubiquitous, that perhaps we haven't even noticed. Should we make our kids peddle again? Plus, O.W. takes us to the dustiest place in the State of Michigan, Bois Blanc Island, with thoughts on why camping trips are usually more memorable than others. Discover more at Michigan Enjoyer Follow O.W. Root on X: @necktiesalvage This...

Have you noticed we don’t really start decorating our houses until the Fall? Sure, there’s 4th of July, but the real decorating melee begins when the leaves start to fall. But are we doing enough outside of Halloween and Christmas? O.W. suggests a Decor-Maxxing strategy. Plus, Brutalistic architecture is out of place in most of modern America, but in some places, it works. O.W. shows us such a pla...

What ever happened to “Beater Culture?” You don’t get a new car every two years, you’ve had the same one for two, maybe three decades and you’re proud of it. You’ve fixed it. Sure, it’s got some rust, but it also has stories. Plus, normally the trolls are below the bridge (Yooper joke), but O.W. shows us a giant one in the U.P., which raises some interesting questions about what public art is, and...

If you look at photos of clouds on a sunny day, can you tell what time of year it is? As O.W. explains, the clouds in autumn do have a distinctive flavor. Plus, if you’ve never been to the Tower of History in Sault Ste. Marie, you should check it out before it closes for the season. It’s not just the multitude of artifacts inside, it’s more about the view from the top. Discover more at Michigan En...

It’s a marvel of modern engineering drawing thousands of hardcore infrastructure tourists every year. But let’s face it, the Soo Locks is the most boring show on Earth. Plus, meet a boat captain, diver and part-time goat wrangler Mike Weede, an Up North Legend. O.W. gets on board and shows us why he’s a true Michigan Enjoyer. Discover more at Michigan Enjoyer Follow O.W. Root on X: @necktiesalvage...

As school begins and the tourists leave, the folks Up North get to enjoy a time of year when the water is still warm, but the beaches aren't crowded. Glorious September. Plus, did you know there is only one solitary waterfall in the entire lower peninsula of Michigan? O.W. takes us there. Discover more at Michigan Enjoyer Follow O.W. Root on X: @necktiesalvage This is a public episode. If you woul...

O.W. screams for ice cream this summer. And when he does, it's always in a waffle cone. There is no other cone. And eating it from a bowl? That's just giving up. Plus, tourists can be their own worst enemies when vacationing Up North. Sometimes they don't take nature seriously, and they often get hurt. Discover more at Michigan Enjoyer Follow O.W. Root on X: @necktiesalvage This is a public episod...

Why is it that air travel has gone from inconvenient to downright impossible these days? The amount of delays and cancellations is skyrocketing, and no one seems to have any answers. Have we forgotten how to fly? Plus, there’s a treasure just over the state line in Wisconsin. They don’t know how to treat islands like we do, so maybe we should annex one, Madeline Island in particular. O.W. assures...

Remember those charming roadside motels? They were the ones with character. Unfortunately, they're all gone. Most have been bought by large corporations and "updated" into a bland aesthetic you can find literally anywhere. Plus, the Ugotta Regatta. It's a unique event that's pure Michigan. Discover more at Michigan Enjoyer Follow O.W. Root on X: @necktiesalvage This is a public episode. If you wou...

Black flies are everywhere Up North, swarming in the air, on your windshield, and on your skin, mercilessly eating you. And the further north you go, the more there are. But they are the price you pay for the beauty that surrounds you. The more isolated in nature you become, the more insects you have to deal with. It’s the tradeoff we make with nature. Plus, Lake Erie has come a long way since it...

You know what's terrible? Not being able to enjoy a July Up North (or any part of Michigan for that matter) because of wildfire smoke from Canada. Adding insult to lung injury, the gaslighting by those who tell us it was always this way. Plus, a tragedy unfolding in real time on the state's most beautiful road - the Tunnel of Trees. Discover more at Michigan Enjoyer Follow O.W. Root on X: @necktie...

The future is here! There have never been more innovative ways to stay cool in the summer. From splash pads to inflatables that spray kids in all directions, it's the golden age of hydration. But it wasn't always that way. Plus, O.W. visits a real bat cave with an estimated one million of the creatures living under your feet! Discover more at Michigan Enjoyer Follow O.W. Root on X: @necktiesalvage...

How hot is it Up North right now? People are using their air conditioning. It's almost unheard of, actually. This is the first summer in years O.W. has had to give in to A/C, and what sweet relief it is. Plus, the latest sunset in entire eastern timezone happens in Michigan. But, as you may have guessed, it's kind of a hike. Discover more at Michigan Enjoyer Follow O.W. Root on X: @necktiesalvage...

Welcome to summer! Time to take a road trip to the beach. Wait, why is the road closed? It's also construction season. And no one does it quite like Michigan, and there's proof. Plus, sometimes restaurants are hidden gems, and then there's the Weathervane in Charlevoix. It's location is perfect, and fortunately, so is the food. Discover more at Michigan Enjoyer Follow O.W. Root on X: @necktiesalva...

Do you have a backyard? How about young kids? Are you constantly picking up their toys or just running them over with the lawnmower out of frustration? It may not be as hopeless as you think, especially when you consider the alternative. Plus, it’s a place you can go and see dozens of bears in their natural habitat. It’s not a zoo, by any means, and it’s definitely worth the hike to the U.P. for i...

It takes a lot longer. It’s a throwback. But for some, drying their clothes outside is a quiet luxury. Yet in certain places, it’s actually against the rules. You can guess which ones. Plus, the hidden lesson in the tiny town of Mecosta about cultural renewal. It’s the home of an intellectual giant you may have never heard of, but his life’s work has probably influenced American life for decades....

Are you one of those who obsess over the perfect lawn? Do you need every blade of grass to be cut the same height? Do you mow more than once a week? Then the front and back yards of Northern Michigan may give you heart palpitations. O.W. let’s it go natural. Plus, did you know they were still skiing up at Boyne Mountain in May? The surreal experience of hitting the slopes in t-shirts and shorts ma...

It was literally just like the scene from the Seinfeld Episode. O.W. shows up to rent a car with a reservation, but there are no cars. What in the name of Cosmo Kramer is going on with these rental companies? Plus, if you've ever wanted to visit the Hobbit's Shire from Lord of the Rings in real life, the closest place in the U.S. is in Charlevoix. That's where an architect liked to design and buil...

It’s spectacular Up North when the weather finally starts getting warm. But it comes with a price - millions and millions of bugs. This year, O.W. is arming up to fight off these six-legged invaders, chemicals be damned! Plus, two big construction projects in Petoskey have different clientele. One keeps the town going, the other want to turn it into Traverse City. Discover more at Michigan Enjoyer...

What's worse than losing your home in a flood? Some victims in the Cheboygan area are finding out the damage isn't covered by insurance. They needed flood insurance, but were they even eligible to buy it? Plus, a legendary tale of frontier Michigan, the day a man fought a bear. There were no survivors, but the story has endured to this day in Devereaux Lake. Discover more at Michigan Enjoyer Follo...

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 overshado...