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Upper Peninsula Trip

Hoppslover

Hoppslover

New member
So I made my trip up North over the weekend. Had hoped to see some Northern Red Bellied and Smooth Green Snakes while I was up there. Saw both last year but didnt have my camera with me. I did however see this guy.
 

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Its about an hour north of the bridge. 10 miles south of Whitefish Bay. Close to the little town of Eckerman.
 
My family and I use to go to Seney to camp and then take day trips from there. We use to drive to these areas locally known as "the plains". They were old areas that were logged over 100 years ago and pretty muvch just have the leftover stumps. Anyway we use to find redbellies in the stumps all the time. Even took one home one year and it had babies while we had it. Returned it once we figured out what it needed to survive.
Love herping in the UP. Hope to see more pics of your travels up there.
 
Funny thing I made a bench out of a log and put it next to the fire pit. They stay under there. So every time I move the log to mow there is one or two under it.
 
I'll be heading up to MI, both peninsulas, next month. Hope to see some herps again, like last year. I have a brother that lives in Dickinson County. I prefer seeing the fox snakes; but here's a couple others from previous trips...
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I used to live in Upper Michigan when I was younger, and remember fondly finding those snakes when I was little. Congrats on your finds :)
 
I'm originally from MI and most of my family still lives there. My aunt and uncle have a bunch of wooded acres behind their house and its always a great place to spot wildlife. I remember when I was younger, a giant snapping turtle came into the yard, dug a big hole and laid about 50 eggs. It was so interesting. I've also seen my fair share of snakes, frogs, turtles, etc. up there.
 
I lived in Cheboygan County, 30 miles south of the bridge, for twenty years. We had a 20 acre mini-farm. I loved that place...
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:spinner:
 
I lived out in the middle of nowhere when I lived in Upper Michigan. We had a pond with a lot of beaver lodges in it just a mile away...and our property was right on lake superior. We also had no neighbors for the most part...it was an awesome place to grow up. You know you're really out in the woods when you go to bed at night, and it wasn't uncommon to hear a wolf howling nearby. Awesome...I miss it.
 
I never lived in Michigan myself, but most of my family on my mothers side are yoopers (my mom was born and raised in the UP, about 30 minutes northeast of Escanaba (near Rapid River). I went to NMU up in Marquette for my first 2 years. Beautiful place. I don't think I ever had the privalege of finding any snakes anywhere though (though my cousins apparently find them all the time)

I've only been below the bridge a couple times. When i was really young my aunt lived in Ann Arbor and we visited once, I only vaguely remember that trip. I also went to a family reunion once down in Gaylord, and we camped in Mackinaw City (and visited Mackinac island). We also ventured down to Cheboygan...I can't remember what for. The only reason I remember that part is we have a Sheboygan in Wisconsin...and I always hear crazy stories out of Sheboygan :laugh:
 
I know what you mean...surrounded by nature, wildlife, no cities, hardly any neighbors...we learned to appreciate what nature gave us...
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It’s a completely different world up there compared to what I am used too. That’s probably why I fell in love with it and bought a place up there. Don’t make it up there enough though. It’s like a magnetic pull that I feel all the time to get back up there.
 
I think it's a great place to visit, but I could never live up there for extended periods of time (which is why I eventually transferred out of NMU, and down to UW)
 
I like it too, but mostly in the summertime, May thru September. Winters just got too long for me, so I headed south when I retired.

BTW, I've spent a little time in IN and I think that's a pretty good state for herping, in certain places. My father was from IN.

Terry
 
ratsnakehaven said:
I lived in Cheboygan County, 30 miles south of the bridge, for twenty years. We had a 20 acre mini-farm. I loved that place...
7LakeHuronWetlandsPosen50608a2_TC.jpg


:spinner:
Click to expand...

Ah Cheboygan. We have a cottage in Cheboygan on the river down from Mullett Lake. Opposite from the Hack-ma-tac. Where abouts were you up there?
 
Winter is what is difficult for me about living in Upper Michigan. I've since been turned into a pacific northwest guy, which is where my heart is. But I do miss some things about the U.P....especially the fishing.
 
I would like to give a winter a go up there just to see what an average of 120" of snow a year is like. I love the quiet and lack of people up there, and all of the nature. Its great.
 
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