Welcome to Some Cozy Horror

I recently finished reading Howl’s Moving Castle by Diana Wynn’s Jones. I was familiar with the 2004 Hayao Miyazaki animated movie, but had never read the book. It was delightfully cozy - probably the coziest fantasy book I’d ever read. The book and the movie match maybe a third of the way through the beginning before both go off into their own adventures. Though, Calcifer does get the last word in about rain in both versions.

Typically, when I think of fantasy stories, I think of grand adventures, good versus evil, and epic battles (even when the stakes aren’t very high). Cozy fantasy was new for me and I loved it. Though, if I really think about it, a lot of Miyazaki films are fairly cozy in nature (like “My Neighbor Totoro” or “Ponyo”). Much the same could be said about Science Fiction, too, with the likes of “Castle in the Sky” or “Nausaicaä of the Valley of the Wind”. 

That got me thinking about other genres that occasionally have the cozy sub-genre attached to it.

 Mystery, is probably the best well-known genre to have a cozy sub-genre. There are a ton of cozy-mysteries out there (usually starring a middle aged female protagonist with a bookshop, a pet, and a cop boyfriend - though that’s not always the case).  My personal favorite was The Cat Who series by Lillian Jackson Braun (which starred a retired male newspaper columnist with his two cats 500 miles north of everywhere).

Romance might also have a lot of cozy sub-genre stories. I’m not super familiar with the romance genre, but I’d say that a lot of Jane Austin and the movie “The Princess Bride” are cozy romances. However, I’d probably have to ask an actual romance reader for their opinion on the genre.

Now horror seems like it shouldn’t have anything to do with the cozy sub-genre. Yet, I would argue there are several horror stories, films, and books that could count as being a part of the cozy horror sub-genre.

Gather around the campfire kids.

I’m not the first to ponder the cozy horror sub-genre. I’ve seen conversations on the-app-formerly-known-as-Twitter, posts on Instagram, and YouTube videos all discussing the idea. I identified a few children’s movies (mostly Disney or Disney Channel Original Movies) and books that could fit the bill. Think “Don’t Look Under the Bed”, “Phantom of the Megaplex”, “The Legend of Sleepy Hollow” (the animated short), “Alvin and the Chipmunks Meet the Wolfman” (which has a lot of great callbacks to the original movie and Frankenstein book), “Over the Garden Wall”, R L Stein’s Goosebumps books, and Coraline (the movie and book). These stories may scare kids (and some adults), but they focus more on atmosphere rather than cheap jump scares.

A good balance of cozy mystery and spooky horror that usually spring boards kids into either adult versions of the genres would be Scooby Doo. Scooby Doo typically starts the mystery out with a spooky legend, curse, or ghost story that leads the gang on a merry chase looking for clues that culminates with the reveal that there wasn’t anything supernatural at all going on (minus movies like “Zombie Island” and “The Witch’s Ghost”).

During the Halloween season, “Hocus Pocus” and “Halloweentown” are fairly cozy movies - though, maybe, only “Hocus Pocus” could be considered a horror movie.

But what about the jump from children to adult horror. Sure adults can enjoy Scooby Doo and the animated or TV-movies of their youth, but are there any strictly adult cozy horror movies?

This Batman likes cozy horror.

Well, I think that depends on what we define as cozy. A quick Google search brought me to Kim Berkley’s 2022 blog post where she links readers to a 2021 Nightmare Magazine post by Jose Cruz where he lays out what defines cozy horror (I know that was convoluted, but it’s accurate to my search history). There are four basic components:

1. Familiarity

2. Sensuousness 

3. Distance

4. Fun

These four components, when applied to horror, allow people to have a safe space to explore all things spooky without causing true trauma. Much of this can be applied to children’s horror like the above named media. 

Cross stitch cozy horror!

It’s a lot harder to see how these apply to adult horror media.

Except, sometimes I do crave a spooky movie that’s not meant for children, but also mind numbingly scary. These might be “Practical Magic” (granted this is a bit of a romance, too), “Sleepy Hollow” (the Tim Burton movie that was described like being on a Scooby Doo movie set), “House of Wax” (the Vincent Price version), “Crimson Peak”, “The Woods”, “Willy’s Wonderland” (don’t ask), many Hammer Horror movies, and (probably most odd) “The Ring”. All can be scary, especially for the younger audience, but overall are just delightfully spooky after multiple viewings.

Books might be a little more difficult, but I’d argue that Abram Stoker’s Dracula, Mexican Gothic, and Kingfisher’s What Moves the Dead are good examples of cozy horror (I also recognize that two of those books mentioned prominently feature mushrooms). Why Dracula, you may wonder? There are parts of Dracula that are oddly quaint - once you get past the first third of Jonathan’s “wacky fun times” in Transylvania (that quote is from Overly Sarcastic Production’s summary of the book).

The manga “Another” and video games like Silent Hill (at least the first one) and Luigi’s Mansion would also fall under cozy horror - in my not so humble opinion. They are atmospheric, spooky, and, most importantly, fun.

And remember these are my opinions. What I find cozy versus what someone else finds cozy in the horror genre might vary greatly. It’s all subjective and relative anyway.

If you enjoyed this post (or if it really pissed you off), please like, share, and/or leave a comment. I love hearing from my readers and I hope y’all like hearing from me.

Until next week.

Welcome to Pink on St. Patrick’s Day

 Happy Saint Patrick’s Day! 

It’s been a long few days weeks months. I’m right now watching the Disney Channel Original Movie “Luck of the Irish” - a movie that kickstarted my interest in my heritage (I am not Irish, like at all). 

Lots of people were out dressed in green to celebrate St. Patrick banishing the pagans snakes from Ireland. Though there were also plenty of people out in their finest pink today too in the DC area.

It’s a beautiful day in the DMV. So beautiful in fact, the cherry blossoms are at Stage 5 in their bloom cycle (the stage before peak bloom). This is fairly early for the blossoms, though it might be becoming the new norm for the blossoms to peak in March instead of the historic April.

Thanks climate change.

And speaking of climate change, DC will soon need to cut down over 100 of the famous trees along the tidal basin because the land the trees are on is slowly sinking back into the swamp. This includes the infamous stumpy (which I do not have a picture of, but here’s a Washington Post article), a tree made famous by a Reddit meme. 

Yeah that’s right, DC is sinking into a swamp (it was built on one) and the city hopes to prevent further erosion by building a sea wall. The tidal basin floods daily and parts of the original walkway are now always underwater. 

Unfortunately, fully grown trees are too hard to uproot and plant. So, the city has to cut them down. I’m sure grafts of the old trees will be used to plant new trees once the project is complete. There are plans for the National Arboretum to take some clippings of old Stumpy, so there might be hope that the Child of Stumpy eventually comes to live on the Tidal Basin after the sea wall is complete.

In the meantime, the Cherry Blossoms are blooming. The Martin Luthor King Jr. (MLK) memorial looks particularly stunning while framed by the pink trees. People come from all over to see the trees and partake in the festival (which starts next week).

If you’re in the area or already planning on visiting the city, the best way to see the trees is to either park near Jefferson and walk through FDR memorial, towards MLK or fight for a space near FDR. You also can’t go wrong taking the metro to either Arlington National Cemetery (walk over the bridge and make a right at Lincoln), Foggy Bottom (walk past Lincoln), or from Smithsonian (walk towards MLK, then follow along the Tidal Basin and loop back along the 14th street bridge). Personally, I think the best trees are around and near the FDR memorial, plus you get a great view of MLK, Jefferson, and Washington.

I know I’ve been a bit sporadic with my blog posts. My personal life has been a bit of a mess and I recently learned some more tragic news this week. Thank you for still reading and checking up on me. I’ll try to restart my webcomic and food blog soon, I just have a few more things to do first before things settle down again.

Until next time.

If you enjoyed this post (or it really pissed you off) please like, share, and/leave a comment. I love hearing from my readers and I hope y’all like hearing from me.

Welcome to Murder on the Orient Express

I know it's been a while since I last posted a blog post. There's been some tragedy in my life and it's been taking me a while to work through and get into a place where I can regularly write again. However, this weekend, I was finally able to do something "normal" - go to a local play. 

My community center occasionally hosts a theater group. This time they were putting on an adaptation of Agatha Christie's famous story Murder on the Orient Express. I am very familiar with this story. I've seen the original 1974 somewhere in the hundreds of times. I read the book in college (for fun). I've seen the David Suchet adaptation. I've been listening to a podcast called "All About Agatha Christi" that goes through all of her novels and short stories. I've even watched that vanity project Kenneth Branagh calls an adaptation. 

I know the ending of the mystery, but that's okay. Because its how we get to that ending and how it's handled is what is most interesting. 

The play was fine, certainly entertaining, but mostly just fine. I liked some of the changes made. They expanded the role and personality of at least two characters - though a bit at the expense of other characters. Additionally, they removed about 5 characters from the original story. Though it is understandable that changes must be made during an adaptation, this choice was a bit unfortunates. The number 12 is incredibly symbolic in this story and some of that gravitas is lost by the exclusion of those characters. 

All of the adaptations have some character shuffling and plots dropped. I find that the 1974 movie is the closest to the book, while the Branagh version takes the most liberties. I find that the Suchet version has some confusing flaws, but overall an entertaining watch. Though there are other TV adaptations, these three are the ones I am most familiar with. 

- - -Warning Spoilers Ahead- - -

It is in the Suchet version that we first start to see shifts in characters. The Countess is made to be a bit more delicate than in both the book and the 1974 version, while the Princess is shown to be more of the mastermind than the two characters who really planned the murder. Additionally, one of the characters is missing, with the doctor now having a connection to the murder. Originally, the doctor was just a random person in another part of the train. 

The characters in the Branagh version have been placed in a tumbler, shaken around, and dropped into the story. Some of the changes are interesting (like combining the doctor and the colonel into one person and making him a Black man - this added a whole new element to his romance with Miss. Debeham). Others seems to exaggerate already made changes from the Suchet version (the Countess appears to have manic depression and may have a drug habit). One character was actually from an entirely different Poirot story and removes some of the original book character's racism. 

The real character change in the 2017 version was to Poirot himself. I'm sorry, but Poirot is not an action star (despite what the out of nowhere novel The Big Four might try to have you believe). Poirot is a thinker, not someone who chases other people on a precariously located bridge.

The play toned down some of Poirot's funnier quirks and took away some of his gravitas. However, I loved the changes and combinations made to the characters who were included. The Princess is a much bigger presence with a louder personality. In this version, it makes sense that she's a friend and confidant to an actress. Mrs. Hubbard gets to show up her show tune side (she's supposed to be a dramatic actress, but a comedic musical theater performer works well with her character). Some of the characters who were written out do get mentioned, so there is acknowledgement that they

My favorite change, in the play adaptation, was to the Countess. Her husband isn't included in the play, so she's already traveling on her own. She's introduced as eye candy, but the audience is quickly put in their place when she slaps the future murder victim after he acts like a total creep to her. She then becomes the doctor character as she volunteered to become a nurse during the first World War (the story takes place in the 1930s). She's awesome in the play...a bit to the determent of other characters like McQueen and the Colonel. 

The play was a lot funnier than any of the movies or even the book. In the 1974 movie, Poirot has some funny moments that are fairly dry. The Suchet adaptation includes the series running joke that Poirot will only eat his boiled eggs if they are exactly the same size. The number of funny moments in the Branagh version, I think are mostly unintentional (good lord who approved that mustache?). I liked the humor that was added to the play. There was some physical comedy between two characters trying to hide their romance, Mrs. Hubbard performed some fun showtunes, and the Princess had some of the best comebacks.

However, the real star of every adaptation must be the Orient Express herself. In the 1974 version, you know the train is a main character, shepherding her passengers through the snowy terrain. The Suchet version doesn't feature her engine as front and center, but the cinematics beautifully show off her interiors and lets her presence be known to all who are trapped onboard while murder investigation takes place. I'll also concede that the Branagh version got this right, too. The play does a decent job of including and acknowledging the Orient Express. Though we only see one part of one car, you can't help but feel the claustrophobia as characters dodge each other while running around or how tiny the compartments are when you have a bunch of people crammed together looking over a dead body.

No adaptation of The Murder on the Orient Express can be complete without the Orient Express and each version shows her beauty in some capacity. My favorite will always be the 1974 version with how the music is perfectly timed to crescendo as the engine's front light illuminates as she begins to pull out of the station

Unfortunately, the play's ending just didn't have the same dramatic feel or impact as any of the other adaptations (yes even the melodrama of the Branagh one). I mentioned earlier that the play lacked the inclusion of the symbolic 12. The murder victim is stabbed 12 times in the book. There are 12 people with direct connections to a pervious murder case (technically 13, but one person doesn't stab the body in the book or movies). There are 12 threatening notes to the murder victim before he is killed. When the Colonel goes on his rant about justice he mentions that 12 jury members deciding the fate of a plaintiff is a solid system. There are 12 occupied compartments in the first class train car. Poirot continues to come back to the number 12 because he's noticing it everywhere. 

The number 8 doesn't have the same symbolism, nor is it repeated as often. It is 12 people needed for a jury to convict a criminal, not 8. And it's 12 people who commit the crime in a symbolic act of justice after the justice system failed them.

Poirot was also not as forceful as other adaptations in the play (not that the actor didn't play him well, I'm fairly certain it was the material). Poirot is a man who takes pride in the justice system. He was a policeman in Brussels prior to fleeing to the United Kingdom during World War 1 and becoming a private detective. In nearly all versions, Poirot is torn as to whether or not he should tell the police what really happened while they were trapped on a train in a snow bank. The Suchet and Branagh versions have Poirot angrily verbalizing this indecision, but eventually allowing the murderer(s) to go free. The play has Poirot more sad than angry. 

I like the 1974 version best, where Poirot leaves the choice up to his friend (who is not involved with the murder). They go with the simple solution, not only because it would the easiest, but because it's what all the characters deserve.

The Murder on the Orient Express has long been one of my favorite mysteries. The 1974 version will also likely always be my favorite adaptation. My recent personal tragedy has nothing to do with the book or play except that it was a story that the person I lost also loved. We frequently watched the 1974 movie and had fun picking apart the Branagh version. I had wanted to take them to see the play, but we never had a chance to talk about it. 

And that's okay.

If you enjoyed this post (or it really pissed you off) please like, share, and/or leave a comment. I love hearing from my readers and I hope y'all like hearing from me. 

Welcome to All the Fall Things

 Yes, that is a misquoted blink-182 song title.

No, I will not follow all the lyrics in this post.

Fall is still technically a couple of weeks away. However, that hasn't stopped me from excitedly starting my celebration of the best season (don't argue with me on this - I'll ignore you). This past week, it was in the high 90s, nearly 100 degrees F (or around 28 - 30 degrees C). That did not stop me from picking up a pumpkin spice cold brew from Starbucks...or a bag of witches brew KitKat bars from Target.

But it was my trip to Trader Joe's where I finally caved and just bought all the fall (and pumpkin) flavored goodness. I admit that I have no shame. Though, I will need self control to not eat everything in one sitting. Pacing myself is key - especially since a lot of this fall themed merchandise is either sold out by mid-October or replaced with Thanksgiving or (ugh!) Christmas nonsense before Halloween has passed.

Today, I added to my fall festivities by going apple picking with a friend. We each left with a huge bag of apples and a quart of apple cider (the non-alcoholic verity). I also grabbed a six pack of apple cider donuts...and may have already eaten three.

Aren't apple blossoms so pretty?

Don't judge me, you know you'd do the same.

And you know what, I don't feel bad about starting my fall celebrations. Despite the heat, the leaves are already starting to change. Plus, this was the last week for peaches at the farmer's market. Once the peaches are done for the year, it's officially fall.

Peaches are the unofficial fruit of summer. Apples are the fruit of fall. (Please note: oranges are for winter and berries are for Spring). This is just my personal feelings on seasonal fruit, technically blue berries, blackberries, and raspberries can be gotten locally throughout summer in my area. 

I'm super excited to try my hand at butternut squash soup this year. My first batch of apple sauce will likely be made tomorrow night (or Tuesday, I'm not picky).

And let's not forget EVERYTHING PUMPKIN!

This is from a Kusama exhibit

I promise to not go too overboard this year (you can't see my fingers crossed behind my back....not at all).

My friends and I are already planning on going to a few farms for corn mazes, hay rides, and other fall goodness. No haunted houses for me, but I will appreciate other people's creepy decorations. I'm still not a fan of jump scares. 

My first big horror movie of the season was the 2021 Resident Evil movie and while it wasn't anything spectacular (critics panned it), you can tell it was made as a labor of love. There are some scenes straight out of the first two games. They even get a Jill's sandwiches joke in.

What are you excited about for fall? Is it the cooler weather? The pumpkin flavored nonsense? Apple cider donuts? Do you go out and visit farms or celebrate Mabon? Is Halloween your favorite holiday? Any haunted houses to recommend (sorry I'm too chicken)? Please leave a comment below.

Until next week. 

If you enjoyed this post (or it really pissed you off) please like, share, and/or leave a comment. I love hearing from my readers and I hope y'all like hearing from me.

Welcome to 10 Years of Blog Posts

 Yes, it's been 10 long years since I started this blog. I think my first one was published on (or around) the 4th of August, 2013.

In those years I've lived in three different states, changed jobs four times, had one serious relationship and breakup, made a lot of friends, published poems and short stories, got a cat, and done a bunch of other things that I don't feel like listing out.

A lot has changed, though that doesn't mean I've progressed towards anything.

My earliest blog posts (on this site at least) were under an email addressed affiliated with my undergrad university. That email address went away earlier this month and with it, all the pictures linked into those early posts. I could go back and "fix" this, but part of me wants to keep moving forward and not look back at those old posts. 

I first started writing this blog because the adult world felt like Wonderland - nonsensical and crazy. 

Occasionally, it still does. Though, I like to think that I've gotten the hang of a few things in the decade I've been posting about my life lessons, opinions, and musings. I may have started with the intention of providing advice and lists of things of "what not to do", but it has changed along with myself.

I like to think that I've changed for the better and will continue to do so. I'm fairly positive that I've grown as a person and that I will continue do so. Kind of like the song "For Good" from Wicked. This blog has seen me through a lot of things.

This is not a "goodbye" post. I'm not ready to stop posting - maybe not weekly, but close enough. Sometimes I think I'm a little too attached to this blog than I meant to be.

Fun fact, though the overall name of the blog is a nod to Lewis Carrol's Alice in Wonderland, the reason each post starts with "Welcome to..." is from the anime Welcome to the NHK. I saw this anime my final semester of university in a class on Japanese Manga, Anime, and Pop Culture. It was about three young adults trying to navigate the challenges of adulthood while dealing with mental health problems, societal demands, and change in general. It really stuck with me and I've used it for every post on this blog.

So, here's to the next ten years. 

Will I still be writing this blog then? I don't know (part of me hopes I've moved on to bigger and better things or finally ran out of thoughts to put on the Internet).

I do know that I won't be the same then as I am today.

And I'm sure you'll be different too.

Until next week.

If you enjoyed this post (or it really pissed you off) please like, share, and/or leave a comment. I love hearing from my readers and I hope y'all like getting updates from me.

Welcome to Disney's Latest Haunted Mansion Movie

 Didn't I already have a post about a Haunted Mansion adaptation? Yes, yes, I did. You can find it here.

In that post, I wrote about the Muppet's take on the Haunted Mansion. While it was cute and had some fun nods to the many rides, it fell short of anything truly magnificent. 

The 2023 (wow it's been 20 years since the first movie came out) version was a lot better than any other screen adaptation so far. Granted the bar was already set fairly low. 

The 2003 Eddy Murphy Haunted Mansion movie is something of a guilty pleasure - though I feel no guilt what so ever when I go back to enjoy the parts I do like. You can tell that it was made with love for the original ride with some scenes being fully lifted from the attraction - especially in the graveyard. I also really liked the practical effects in the crypt scenes. The opening to the 2003 movie shows that the movie had a lot of potential, but it fell way short of its overall story and message. 

For one thing, the 2003 version of the movie forgot one important fact about the ghosts: they're happy haunts.

The ghosts in the 2003 movie want to escape the mansion and are happy to no longer be trapped. Also there's no explanation as to why all the ghosts are there. In the Disneyland and Disney World attractions, Mr. Disney set up the story so that the mansions were a home for ghosts to enjoy their afterlives - a sort of retirement home for ghosts. The ghosts are described as "happy haunts" and that's why there are ghosts from all over the world.

The 2016 Marvel Haunted Mansion comics vol. #1-5 get this detail right. The story even opens with a reproduced image of the notice Disney placed outside the mansion in New Orleans Square in Disneyland. However, the playful ghosts are slowly being taken over by an evil spirit whose motivations are to make all of the ghosts "hurtful and mean" - look this is a very child oriented story that's all the motivation an evil ghost needs. Madame Leota tricks a young kid into coming into the mansion (he's looking for his grandfather's ghost) to help free her and the nice ghosts who want to spend eternity partying. This story is more of an adventure rather than anything too deep. There are some scary elements, but overall its a solid middle grade read. Though the ending is a little anti-climatic.

The 2023 Haunted Mansion movie also acknowledges that the ghosts in the mansion are supposed to be happy. The explanation for why the ghosts are in the mansion is a little different from the rides' version, but for the most part, the ghosts love the mansion and don't want to leave or be "set free" at the end. 

The theme picked for the 2023 story is universal - grief - and chose to show a healthy way to process it. Multiple characters go through some type of loss. The main character, Ben, lost his wife before the main events of the movie (we see her in flashbacks and in a brief scene early in the story) which mirrors the first owner of the mansion's, Gracey, who lost his wife and held séance after séance to try to contact her. It was all of those seances that invited the ghosts into the mansion.

Unfortunately, not all of the ghosts who arrived were friendly. 

Much like the 2016 comics, one of the ghosts has taken over the free will of the other ghosts and is trying to something horribly (and vaguely) evil. The evil ghost is different (and somewhat acknowledges the Haunted Mansion creepy pasta "Grad Night at the Haunted Mansion") than the comic, but it's clear that some inspiration was taken from it. In fact I'd argue that the creators of the movie referenced as much Haunted Mansion media and lore as they could find. The YouTube channel Offhand Disney recently posted a video looking at many of the Easter eggs - though one commenter noted that the host missed the evil looking trees being from the Disneyland Singalong VHS. 

Most importantly, the movie understands that the house itself is a character. 

And they show both the Disneyland New Orleans Square house (the main one) and the Disney World Liberty Square one (it's related to the evil ghost). 

I enjoyed the 2023 Haunted Mansion. It's not a squeal to the 2003 version. It's its own thing. The critics also panned it - they didn't like the movie at all. Which is a shame because it's good family fun and an introduction to fun horror (much like the haunted mansion rides).

However, I will admit that there are some weak points. The evil ghost is really good at chewing the scenery and the CGI is hard to look at in places. I felt that they could have done more with the Constance Hatchaway character (she has always terrified me in the ride with her ax and bleeding heart). I wasn't fond of the last minute character development for Father Kent (Owen Wilson's character), it felt very shoehorned in. I also thought that the twist wasn't developed enough, though it was hinted at. 

Despite it's minor flaws, the movie overall is worth seeing. Sadly it's no longer in theaters in my area (I caught one of the last showings), but there's a chance it'll gain a cult following (if streaming services and studios will allow that to happen).

The characters are wonderful and well acted. LaKeith Stanfield was excellent as the lead and had nice chemistry with Rosario Dawson. I already mentioned Owen Wilson's character, Father Kent, had flaws, but he did a good job with the material he was given. Danny DaVito is simply a treasure in this film and I hope nothing happens to him in the near future. Jamie Lee Curtis and Tiffany Haddish were a lot of fun in every scene they were in. I even liked the kid, Chase W. Dillon, as Travis.

Jared Leto needs a hobby - preferably one where he doesn't start a cult.

One cool element that this movie implemented was how the story kept all the characters at the mansion. Basically, there are multiple hitchhiking ghosts who will follow anyone who steps into the mansion home. The main character, Ben, has the old sea captain follow him home and ends up with a flooded house before he returns to the mansion. It seems appropriate since the rides tell you to "beware of hitchhiking ghosts" who might follow you home. I screamed my head off at this part of the ride the first time I went on it (I was also about 1 years old at the time).

I'd give the 2023 Haunted Mansion a solid 7 out of 10. Much better than the 2003 movie with plenty of Easter eggs for the fans and call outs for them to find.

Did you see the movie? Let me know your thoughts on all things Haunted Mansion related.

Until next week. 

If you enjoyed this post (or it pissed you off) please like, share, and/or leave a comment. I love hearing from my readers and I hope you guys like hearing from me.

Welcome to Michigan’s U.P. Adventures

 At the end of the last Ice Age, the glacier that covered the current state of Michigan scraped across the landscape, leaving behind a very flat piece of land. The few hills and mountains that do dot the landscape (mostly in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula or U.P. for short) are mere pimples compared to even the wise old Appalachian Mountains.

That doesn’t mean the few mountains Michigan does have are unimpressive. They’re just smaller than what most people think of as mountains.

The mineral rich land known as the U.P. is filled with National Forests, National Lake Shores, State Parks, and wilderness. There’s tons of opportunity to see wild animals (that deer population was a lot bigger this year than what I remember as a kid), take long hikes, see beautiful waterfalls (and maybe climb around or go down one or two - if it’s safe enough), and enjoy jumping into Lake Michigan, Lake Huron, or Lake Superior. That last one might be a bit cold.

It took me eight years, but I finally got up to the land of Yoopers (the name given to U.P. locals) a couple of weeks ago. 

My mom bought a tent for us to go camping and made reservations in the Porcupine Mountains for a site. Camping is a popular pastime in Michigan and has only increased in popularity since the 2020 pandemic began. If you’d like to camp anywhere in Michigan, you may need to make reservations 6 months to a year in advance.

Our campsite was in the western most area of the large state park (also known affectionately known as the Porkies) with some great waterfall trails near the site. There was also a beautiful, rocky beach to watch the sunset over Lake Superior. The camp didn’t have cell service, which was fine. However, there was some confusion when we did get a signal and our phones switched from Eastern Time to Central. There was also no running water in the camp (unless you counted the water pumps - which I don’t). 

We had my mom’s two fluffy huskies with us and they took to the great out doors like a duck to water (though we always kept them on a leash). Dog hair and muddy paw prints might have decorated everything by the end of the trip, but it was great having them.

Highlights from this stop included the waterfall trail near the camp, the rocky beach, a history trail of an old copper mine, and (most importantly) The Lake In the Clouds. The Lake in the Clouds is 133 acres of 12 feet (or about 4 meter) water high up between two ridges in the Porcupines. It’s very pretty.

Mom really wanted to go to the Stormy Kromer factory in Ironwood. Most famous for its hats, Stormy Kromer was established in 1903 and remains an American made brand committed to their life time warranty. Naturally, they have a pet section and somehow mom and I got the huskies to wear their really cute pet hats (with varying degrees of success).

And because we were in Ironwood, we also took a quick side trip to Hurley, WI. I only wanted to so I could finally cross Wisconsin off my states-I-have-visited list and mom wanted to show me where her college friends used to go for beer runs (Wisconsin’s drinking age was still 18 when my mom was in college - Michigan’s was not). Hurley might not be the best the state has to offer (so many bars), but at least I’ve been there.

My favorite part of the trip was a tour of a Copper Mine about 12 miles from Ontonagon. This mine I was actually able to go into…and they allowed us to take the dogs with us. There are several tours available (including one 6 hour tour that includes a hot pastie (rhymes with nasty) lunch and some repelling and rock climbing. It was really cool and started with a rollercoaster like ride in Swiss Army 3-axel Trucks. A (very) low budget fantasy movie, The Dwarves of Dragon Mountain, had been filmed in the mines with old props on display along with old relics from the minting days and junk from teenage parties. 

Today, the copper mine is only assessable by the taking a tour with the Underground Mine Tours - Adventure Mining Company - so named because that was the name of the first mining company to occupy the area. We had a very good guide and everyone loved having the dogs with us (though I’m not sure how happy the dogs were to be underground). If you go, be sure to were closed toe shoes and bring a jacket or sweatshirt - the caves are around 48F or 9C year round. Some of the kids on the tour had open toed shoes and were very cold (and wet as rain water filters into the area like natural caverns). We all wore hard hats with lights - something the miners back in the day didn’t have (they worked by candle light in the 1800s, which was terrifying when demonstrated).

Copper and other minerals are still abundant in the U.P. with copper being some of the best up there. Most recently a Sulfur mine was opened about a decade ago near Big Bay, Michigan. However, it’s unlikely that copper mining will ever really start back up again in the area like it had in the mid 1800s to the early 1900s (there’s a variety of reasons for this, none of which I feel like getting into).

By the way, if you are ever in a situation without any source of light, sit down. Without a light source, your brain starts to go a little crazy and you will experience vertigo-like symptoms. If you aren’t already sitting down, you will fall. This is a disturbing “fun fact” from the tour.

The last leg of our trip was in Big Bay Michigan - where the (critically acclaimed) film Anatomy of a Murder was filmed. We actually stayed at the same park where the murder took place (the book and movie are based off real events). I spent many summers in Big Bay. We would rent a cabin right on the banks of Lake Independence (a much warmer, though tinier lake compared to neighboring Lake Superior), visit the beaches of Lake Superior (possibly go in depending on the temperature), hike to waterfalls (and either go fishing off of or slide down said waterfalls), and go for Fish Fry Fridays at the historic Thunder Bay Inn (also in the movie). Mom and I also took one quick trip to Marquette, but we weren’t there very long.

There are plenty of adventures to do in the U.P. This is just what I did this trip. In years past we’ve gone to Tahquamenon Falls, St. Ignace, Sue Saint Marie, White Fish Point (and saw the bell of the Edmund Fitzgerald), and Pictured Rocks (which have become a popular place for Instagram influences - don’t be like those people). Though I don’t think it counts as part of the U.P., Mackinac Island is also a fun side trip that I’ve made a few times.

If you like adventure and don’t mind the bugs (beware July with her mosquitos and black flies), Michigan’s Upper Peninsula may be the perfect trip for you.

But be sure to be wary of bears…and wolves. 

Also coyotes.

Deer can also be a nuisance.

Oh and moose. They aren’t an animal you want to meet in the wild.

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Until next week.