Glen Young

Swimming in the Great Lakes is perhaps the ultimate perk for those who spend time Up North, but some precautions are wise to heed. Your mother might have told you to wait an hour after eating before swimming, and while this is no longer standard advice, there are other precautions to take: Enjoy t...
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Let’s hear a cheer for the rain. Not only will the spring rains wash away winter’s accumulation of dirt and debris, but also with some warmer temperatures followed by more sunshine, we will soon see the season’s first morel mushrooms. Whether you are a first-time hunter or a veteran, it’s t...
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Veteran’s Day is a solemn commemoration in any year, but in 2018 the event carries additional significance.  This year marks 100 years since the armistice to end the war to end all wars. Americans possessing a basic sense of history know how that armistice signalling the end of World War 1, ma...
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A month into the school year and I have plenty of reason to speak to students about what they are reading. A few even ask sincerely for suggestions, and while I recognize the challenges of suggesting or assigning reading, there are just some books that all high school students should read. M...
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I grew up in a haunted house, at least that's what my friends thought.  My mother kept mannequins in our upstairs room with a bank of windows that face the busy Petoskey street.  For the record, I don’t recall the mannequins, or any ghosts or spirits, visiting me over the many years I lived ...
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Sometimes, when I sit on the porch in the summer and look out at the Round Island Lighthouse, which sits on the other side of the Straits of Mackinac, I imagine what it must have been like to be a lighthouse keeper in the days before RADAR. I am fortunate to wonder, and to be so close to one of t...
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I start to hear it as soon as August hits.  “Going back soon,” my well-meaning neighbors ask. I want to choke them, but resist, and instead reply with something like, “Not that soon, but thanks for asking,” a sarcastic tilt to my head. Like it not, however, school starts soon.  So it�...
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If you are like me, your summer has been busy, but never too busy for a few more Northern Michigan adventures before Labor Day arrives.  I have a few favorites. For a casual and quiet beach day, I head about fifteen miles west of St. Ignace along U.S. 2, where the pine and cedar forests open up...
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With National Hammock Day celebrated on July 22, this is the perfect time to think about picking the right hammock.  Having a hammock close by, as well as somewhere to string it from is a great way to enjoy a summer afternoon or watch an Up North sunset. Hammocks of course come in many sizes and ...
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The aurora borealis, or northern lights, visible at night in Northern Michigan from late summer through late winter, is one of the many highlights of stargazing in our region. The beautiful display is created when space particles hit Earth’s atmosphere and is certainly a treat to see. T...
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