Review - 100 Things to Do in the Upper Peninsula Before You Die

100 Things to Do in the Upper Peninsula - Photo by Frank Nemecek

I have made several trips to Michigan's Upper Peninsula over the years and those experiences have made me a huge fan of the new book 100 Things to Do in the Upper Peninsula Before You Die. It was written by Kath Usitalo, who authors the Great Lakes Gazette.

One of the things that I really like about this book is that not only does it cover some of the more famous destinations in Michigan's Upper Peninsula such as Mackinac Island, it also discusses the quirky, fun, and obscure. A few of my favorite items include the Junkyard Art Park in Lakenenland that I've never visited but of which hundreds of people have raved about on TripAdvisor as well as:

• Seney National Wildlife Refuge, which is a 95,000-acre sanctuary where one can pick wild berries and mushrooms;
• Copper Peak in Ironwood, which is the world's largest artificial ski jump;
• Museum of Ojibwa Culture in St. Ignace; and
• Riverside Pizzeria in Ironwood.

The one thing that I have to take issue with is that, on page 4, Usitalo discussed how there is a friendly debate among residents as to whether a pasty, the unofficial dish of Michigan's Upper Peninsula, should be topped with gravy, ketchup, or butter. Quite frankly, I cannot believe that there is even a debate on this one. Obviously, a pasty should be topped with gravy.

Obviously.

Anyway, it's almost impossible not to plan another trip to Michigan's Upper Peninsula after reading this book. I highly recommend it and think it would make a great Christmas gift this holiday season.

100 Things to Do in the Upper Peninsula Before You Die by Kath Usitalo is published by Reedy Press. It's available in bookstores everyone as well as on Amazon.