During the last several weeks Yooper Steez has reached a large and growing demand for Steez. Now, we’re even representing turtles. Let us introduce you to Aristotle Esio Trot…

“I am a well rounded Greek tortoise living in a fab pad in Northern Michigan with a dotty woman, her husband, their yappy Yorkshire terrier and a parrot. As long as I have my lettuce and my weekly soak I am content. If that man ever thinks of unplugging my special heat lamp and full spectrum lamp, I plan on taking him out…as soon as I warm up.”

–Aristotle Esio Trot

If you’re a Facebook user you can befriend Aristotle. Also feel free to join the Yooper Steez page on Facebook.

Scott Murrary from Helps, MI won a gold medal today for his double backflip in the best trick competition at the Moto X Championships. ESPN featured Murrary on the top 10 plays today, landing him the #5 play of the day.

Murray attempted the double backflip during the Summer X games and came up short.

Today was a different story. Also note that the announcers say, “…from the Upper Peninsula of Michigan”. Thanks for representing the U.P. Scott!

“It took over a year and a half, but eccentric Moto X rider Scott Murray re-introduced the double back to its native environment and won Gold in Best Trick.”

–EXPN.com

Murray also made the front page of EXPN.com. Awesome to see a fellow Yooper making news not just nationally, but this will be news worldwide in Moto X.

Scott Murray got held up by security. He wasn’t credentialed to enter the awards paddock, and guards refused to let him pass without one.

Murray pleaded his case for admittance, claiming to be an athlete with a Moto X World Championships medal awaiting him on the podium.

The guards weren’t buying it. This guy didn’t have the requisite tattoos or energy drink accoutrements, looking more like a roadie for Lynard Skynard than the second freestyle motocross rider ever to perform a double backflip on dirt.

Several witnesses finally convinced security to stand down, allowing Murray to claim his just reward. This unknown from Helps, Mich., won the Best Trick competition of the inaugural Moto X World Championships with a double backflip first accomplished by Travis Pastrana in 2006.

–Scott Bair, North County Times

After receiving press and sponsorship around the world in just a short time, Murray has reached a new level of success in his Moto X career.

After asking “What is your favorite month in the Upper Peninsula?” it turns out that two months are tied for the least favorite months in the Upper Peninsula: April and December.

We launched this poll several weeks ago (check out our latest poll) and it took a long time before anyone listed April as their favorite month.

It’s no surprise after the first half of April in 2008. We still have two weeks of April to go, and some U.P. towns have seen the biggest snowstorm of the year this month and several inches of snow since. Yoopers are teased with spring in April and the snow still looms around the corner. Everyone is anxious for spring, as we are right now.

On the other hand, July seems to be the favorite month in the Upper Peninsula, with a cluster of votes coming for August, September, and October as well. One surprise is that November is not higher. With the popularity of deer season in the Upper Peninsula it seems that November would have more votes.

For those of you who can’t stand April, just two weeks left, and your favorite month of July is approaching.

If you did or didn’t get the chance to vote, please comment below and elaborate on your favorite month to be in the Upper Peninsula. Looking forward to your responses.

(view larger graph)

…on the Yellow Dog Plains

Find the Salmon Trout River on Google Maps.

A photo by savethewildup on Flickr

Annette Summersett hits 100,000+ views on YouTube for her tribute to Brett Favre.

Getting 100,000 views on YouTube is no easy task. So until proven otherwise, Annette seems to be the biggest YouTube celebrity to come from the Upper Peninsula.

Annette… good work! If you’re out there somewhere come say hi. We’ll hook you up with a Yooper Steez shirt for your next video.

Check out Annette’s music on MySpace.

Does anyone know of any other popular Upper Peninsula or Yooper related YouTube videos?

Spring is coming, I’m sure of it! The Upper Peninsula saw one more big snow storm this winter, hopefully it will be the last one for the season. After a number of warm days all the accumulated snow seems to be gone. But trust us, spring will come.

We have been anxious to get to some spring photos as we move into a new season, but when we came across this photo we had to do one last winter photo from the Upper Peninsula.

This is a great shot snapped by mishupishu on Flickr, taken February 23rd, 2008.

This is a guest post from Nancy Sailor of Baraga, a weather enthusiast.

According to Wikipedia, April Fools’ Day or All Fools’ Day is a holiday in its own right, a notable day celebrated in many countries on April 1. The day is marked by the commission of hoaxes and other practical jokes of varying sophistication on friends, enemies and neighbors, or sending them on fools’ errands, the aim of which is to embarrass the gullible. We though Karl Bohnak may have been doing just this when he called for one of the biggest snowstorms of the year on April Fool’s Day

Well, Mother Nature supplied a major practical joke in honor of April Fool’s Day today by socking the Upper Peninsula with the biggest winter storm - blizzard in Marquette and Alger Counties - of the winter of 2008! And according to the calendar, Spring arrived 12 days ago! Could have fooled me!

All night I could hear the wind howling and instead of sleeping, was imagining (and hoping!) to wake up to a huge snowfall! Okay, so I am kinda weird in the weather department…….I love nothing better than a good ol’ blizzard or other inclement weather! Even in April!! I don’t even mind shoveling snow, even the 8″ (according to the National Weather Service……I KNOW there was at least a foot!) of the wet, heavy stuff that greeted us this morning. In Negaunee (50 miles east of Baraga) 25″ of snow fell! I wished we got that much here!

So glad we have the 4WD pickup - the car would never have made it down the driveway. SPRING!! in the UP!! Yoopers have to be tough, resilient and willing to wait for May -or June - for ‘real’ Spring to arrive! And by the way, I am writing this ‘guest blog’ because Bugsy is currently in our warm and sunny Nation’s Capital - April Fool’s Day there brought 70+ degrees!!

Here is a collection of the best photos to date in our “Steez” section. We’re looking for photos of people wearing our Upper Peninsula Yooper Steez t-shirts across the globe. If you already have one don’t forget to snap some photos and submit it online! If you don’t have one you might might want to grab one before your next vacation.

Since our launch, just over a month ago, we have heard from Yoopers across the United States and across the world, as well as many folks who love to vacation in the Upper Peninsula.

Thanks for your support to help successfully launch a brand new Upper Peninsula website and brand. Great submissions so far and we can’t wait to see more! See all the Steez.

We’re always looking for great Upper Peninsula content, if you’d like to share an idea, be a guest blogger, or submit a photo let us know.

Most Creative: Steez at the Atlantic Ocean by Jen

Furthest Away: Garmisch, Germany by Joel

Highest Point: 14,110 feet by Jen

Oldest Fan: Clara at age 85

In our first month of business you have helped us to send Upper Peninsula t-shirts to:

• Finland
• Germany
• US Army Base in Afghanistan
• Washington
• Florida
• Indiana
• Illinois
• Colorado
• Massachusetts
• Wisconsin
• Maryland
• Virginia
• Pennsylvania
• California
• Minnesota
• And about 20 Michigan towns

13 States down and 37 states to go

Most popular blog entries to date

• Power to the T-Shirt
• The 8 Essential Winter Hats of a Yooper
• Ugliest Michigan Map Ever!
• Marquette Redmen Win Co-Championship in Longest Game in History
• Photo Friday #005: Legend of the Big Boy Graveyard

Thanks for all the comments thus far and keep them coming, as well as all the great entires in the guestbook.

Every spring, summer, and fall thousands of people make their way to Canyon Falls. Not as many people make it back to the falls during the winter, which is one of the most impressive times to see it. The best is if you can make it right after a big snowfall, where you’ll see pillows of snow broken by the flowing Sturgeon River.

If you plan to stick to the trail you won’t be needing snowshoes. The trail stays well-packed throughout the winter. Most of the time you’re able to cross to the other side of the river, but will want some snowshoes for this so you don’t sink down.

“For winter photos at Canyon Falls I always prefer shooting black and white. This photo was shot with ISO 400 film and a Canon Elan 7NE. A grainy film produces great results with with a unique feel. I am always looking for the minute details in nature that most people walk past while taking the larger scale photo.”

–Justin “Bugsy” Sailor

If you’re not familiar with Canyon Falls be sure to check it out sometime, here’s a map to show it’s location on US 41, just 10 miles outside of L’Anse.

Photo courtesy of our own Justin “Bugsy” Sailor

Have a great photo? Get in touch and we’d love to post it on Yooper Steez.

In their April 2008 issue Outdoor Life ranked the top 200 towns in the United States for Hunters and Fishermen to call home. Out of the 200 ranked towns, the Upper Peninsula’s very own Marquette cracked the top ten, ranked 7th in the nation. They labeled it “The undisputed capital of the U.P.” (but we’ll leave that to you to decide). Escanaba also made the list (#136).

No. 7 Marquette, MI

“One of the best salmon and steelhead towns in the nation is hundreds of miles from the ocean. Just outside this thriving college town in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula, anglers cast to surly chinooks, chrome-bright steelhead and colorful lake-run brown trout.”

–Outdoor Life, April 2008

Grades:
Fishable species: B+
Huntable species: B+
Public-land proximity: B+
Gun laws: B+

Some of the additional ranking factors were economy growth rate, unemployment rate, degree of taxation, travel access, commute times, crime rate, housing prices, and cultural opportunity.

Outdoor Life’s Top 10 Towns for Hunters and Fishermen to call home (out of 200)

1. 1) Mountain Home, Arkansas (map)
2. 2) Lewiston, Idaho (map)
3. 3) Sheridan, Wyoming (map)
4. 4) Cody, Wyoming (map)
5. 5) Pocatello, Idaho (map)
6. 6) Lewistown, Montana (map)
7. 7) Marquette, Michigan (map)
8. 8) Dillon, Montana (map)
9. 9) Page, Arizona (map)
10. 10) Bismarck, North Dakota (map)

Of the 200 towns ranked there are three other Michigan towns listed: Manistee (#62), Escanaba (#136), and Cadillac (#182).

For more information check out the April 2008 issue of Outdoor Life magazine. And if you’re from out of town and want to learn more start with the Marquette Visitor Bureau.