I was there. Where were (all) YOU (Yoopers)?!

Spent a week in Marquette, Michigan. 90% of my waking time in the ICU and ICU waiting room at Marquette General Hospital with my closest friend and his wife. He was hit with a heart attack and multiple strokes on August 1st while there on vacation. Still there and a good chance I will be returning there sometime soon.

If you've HAD the unfortunate experince...you know that you need occasional SANITY breaks from that environment.

So...AFTER my "airport slumming" experience at Sawyer International...with all the standard airport security...fences...razor wire etc...


A couple of days later, for my next "sanity break", I got a sectional for the Upper Peninsula so I could find a LOCAL airfield. You know...a small, LITTLE aerodrome I could wander around freely...see some REAL airsheens. Maybe "hangar fly" for an hour or two with the Yoopers ya' know?!
Got excited when I saw a 4,000 foot strip with a Unicom frequency listed.Drove FIFTY MILES! Sure enough. There it was! Big ol' GRASS strip! Little old wooden terminal building! Windsock!
Only ONE problem! NO HANGARS or AIRPLANES or PILOTS. (Sigh) Still was WORTH THE TRIP just to be there and out of the hospital for a few hours.

Oh. And one other thing. Those dang Upper Peninsula people are sum'a the best darn friendliest and caring peeps I've ever met! Good ON yuz!


CloudDancer

P.S. Pix from my Sawyer International excursion (B-52, FB-111, F-102 and F-106) on my OFFICIOUS "CloudDancer's Alaskan Chronicles" FB page here:

https://www.facebook.com/pages/CloudDancers-Alaskan-Chronicles/91677493837

went to Sawyer to a banner they didn't know what that was. and tower man did not think there was enough space . want a joke. one man landed his cub on taxiway into wind they went nuts. want a wasit of our money.

Sorry about your friend, I hope him a speedy recovery. About the same even at the airport where I keep my airplanes here at Cadillac in the lower peninsula of Michigan. Unfortunately you won't find much going on unless you walk into one of the maintenance shops. Even fewer airplanes and less going on in the upper peninsula. Now my recommendation for your next break up there is go back to Munising (that is where the grass strip was) and take the Pictured Rocks National Lake Shore boat ride. More than worth the 30 bucks and the 2 to 3 hours it will take along the cliffs of Lake Superior. Spectacular colors and arches along the lake you will find no where else. Also make sure you eat some fresh Whitefish while you are there.

Tim

Call me next time....my cub is at m61 (EFJohnson Airport) just south of Ishpeming,...only airplane drivers at sawyer (tail wheel on wrong end). I work in Ishpeming all week and go home to iron River weekends where I keep my 90 hp TCraft on floats. Email djgervae@uppco.com I'll introduce you to our little band of misfit taildraggers pilots

Hey Cloudy.....next time you are up there, drop me a note. I have some good friends in Marquette that would be happy to show you around.

They also have a cabin near Munising. I fly in there often. Here is a picture from 2007.

And Cloudy, not meaning to be pedantic here, but in da U.P. the correct plural of "you" is "yous". But close enough, some great people up 'dere. Da dialect doesn't translate to da written word near as well as your stories...

Tanks, eh? cubscout

If you make it to CMX on the Keweenaw peninsula there's a little grass strip three miles north of that not on any charts yet worth checking out. I'm still based out of CMX until my hangers finished but the strip is recently finished, just waiting for the grass to grow. I fly a pa12 there and would've gladly showed you around this area. It's about two hours from Marquette driving. I'd stay away from those misfits at Johnson. If you're around this area and need a break I go up a few times a week. I'm kidding about Johnson for those who don't know. They're my favorite group of pilots.

Glad you're looking out for Don...!

Be careful with with that language up there...!