(upbeat rock music) (upbeat rock music) - [Tom Daldin] On this frosty edition of "UTR," it's all about Michigan's wonderful winters.

We'll luge like a winner, try Tip Up Town, and hike to the awesome Eben Ice Caves.

We'll even fat tire bike some Traverse City trails.

Get ready to explore the cool people, places, and things that make Michigan winters wonderful.

(upbeat rock music continues) (light upbeat music) - [Announcer] A visit to the Stahls auto collection will take you back to a time when cars were more than just a way to get around.

A fantastic assortment of gas pumps, neon signs, and automated music machines dating back 150 years that must be seen and heard.

Info at stahlsauto.com.

- We've been around the world.

- [Jim Edelman] But there's one place we keep coming back to.

- And the more we explore, the more we realize it's the place to be.

I'm Tom Daldin.

- I'm Jim Edelman.

- And this is.

- [Both] "Under the Radar Michigan."

(upbeat rock music) (hand whooshing) (logo whooshing) - Now we all know that Michigan winters are amazing, but heck, we live here.

So here's a show you can show your friends who live outta state that'll put them in a state of panic trying to plan a trip here, I guarantee it.

(light upbeat music) Yep, Michigan has all the frigid fun and adventures an active family could possibly ask for.

And every winter's got a month of snowy Sundays that will satisfy even the most ardent snow season enthusiast.

So without further ado, let's do what we came here to do, Michigan winter.

(screen whooshing) You know, some people consider themselves to be a winner, which is cool.

That's fine.

But you know me.

I'm a luger.

That's right, I'm a luger and proud of it.

And why?

Well, because luging is one of the most funnest things you can do in the winter, and believe it or not, you can do it right here in Michigan at the Muskegon Winter Sports Complex, a place where you don't have to be a winner to be a luger.

Before I became an official luger, I spent a few minutes with the man that makes it all happen, Jim Rudicil.

I'm gonna use a word I almost never use.

I'm flabbergasted.

When I saw this luge, are you sure we're not in Europe?

- No, you're right here in Michigan.

- How many luge tracks are there in Michigan, or in the country?

There are four tracks in the country, and we're lucky to have two in Michigan.

- [Tom Daldin] And this is the most publicly accessible?

- It is.

This track was designed specifically to introduce the sport of luge to the general public, and this is from eight years old on up to 88 years old.

- [Tom Daldin] Well, how long has this track been here?

- This is our 26th year in operation.

And you know, we've had two different designs to the track.

We rebuilt it 1990.

It was redesigned by three time Olympian, Frank Masley, who's also an engineer, and he designed us a beautiful track here.

- [Tom Daldin] Any famous world lugers come out of this area?

- Absolutely, this track is home to five time Olympian bronze and silver medalist, Mark Grimmette, who is now the US Olympic team coach, started right here.

- Really?

- And we have two athletes currently right out of our junior program.

One is Jay Kerns, who's on the senior national team, and will hopefully make the 2014 Olympic team.

And Riley Stohr, who also started off in our youth program, is on the junior national team, and just took second in the world for the whole season, so he just finished a very strong season.

- That is amazing.

And again, kids, what, from like 10 to, I mean, what age do you have to be to luge?

- Here, eight years old.

You know, the US luge program, you know, and the recruitment of youth, once you hit the age of 14, you're already too old to begin the sport and become internationally competitive.

So they're looking for kids, really the age just keeps getting lower and lower.

In the European nations who dominated the sport, they start the kids off in what they call kinder programs, and they start 'em off at four years old.

- Little lugers.

- Yeah, yeah, exactly.

- I just can't believe this has been here 26 years, I'm just finding out about it now.

Well, that's why I'm doing this show.

Tell me about this whole complex though, 'cause this is incredible.

- We're located in Muskegon State Park right on the shore of Lake Michigan.

We have a great partnership with the Michigan Department of Natural Resources, the parks and rec division, to operate this facility.

We're operated as Muskegon Sports Council.

We're a non-profit, and we have this arrangement where all the fees collected here are reinvested into the improvement of the facility.

So we have the sports of cross country scene, we have snowshoeing, ice skating and luge.

Tell me about the ice skating trail, that's fantastic.

- We have a quarter mile figure eight ice skating trail through the woods, which is growing in popularity every year.

We have two acres of open outdoor ice skating space, and room for both family skating and hockey, you know, pond hockey, the original true form of hockey, and our cross country ski trails.

We have five miles of lighted trails, the longest lighted trail system in the Midwest.

- [Tom Daldin] Oh, at night you can actually- - Yeah, absolutely, yeah.

There are snowshoe trails.

We have miles and miles of snowshoe trails that are marked, the Lake Michigan Snowshoe Trail where you traverse the dunes here in the park.

There's something to do for everybody here.

- What kind of people luge and where do they come from?

- They come from all over the Midwest.

Actually, we've had people from all over the world come here and slide this track.

But typically, it's everything from Boy Scout troops.

We're extremely popular with the scouting programs, your weekend warriors.

We have adult adventure groups.

I mean, it's just really open to everybody.

- Well, describe experience going down the track.

- It's exhilarating, yeah.

For the first time experience, everybody has always got that look of fear in their eyes at the top.

- You're seeing it, aren't you?

- Yeah, you see it, the tremble, but we've worked really hard on safety.

This track is on a sand dune, not on a mountain.

We don't send people down 90 miles an hour.

That's the first thing people think in their mind when they think of luge, 90 miles an hour, you know?

- Yeah, I've seen that on TV, the Olympics, I've seen the agony of defeat.

- Right.

We've seen that, but we don't do that here.

We send you down at 25 miles per hour, but your first time down will feel like 90.

But here, we really want to introduce the sport to people in a safe manner and a fun manner.

But the great part is that look of fear at the top, the laughter and the happiness at the bottom.

- Right, that's the sense of reward that you actually did something.

- Absolutely.

- Well, enough talking.

Time for Tommy to become an official luger.

And after a brief session on equipment, safety and technique, it was time to grab a sled, head up the steps, and let gravity take care of the rest.

And you know me, I went from idiot to expert in the blink of an eye.

This will be easy.

(light smooth music) One, two, three!

Whoa!

Mommy!

(Tom grunting) Left, left, left!

(Tom laughing) So folks, if you wanna be a winner this winter, try luging at the Muskegon Winter Sports Complex.

Heck, once you try it, you'll be a luger like me.

Only probably better.

(Tom grunting) (logo whooshing) - [Director] Houghton Lake Tip Up Town intro, take one.

- Okay, it's cold, the lake's frozen, uh, and.

It's not just about ice fishing.

Of course I've never been ice fishing before, but I suppose if somebody took me out ice fishing, and showed me how to- - [Director] Cut, cut, cut.

- For 60 years now, people from all over the Midwest have come here to, uh.

It's right here in Houghton Lake, and it's called, uh, what's it called?

- [Director] Cut.

(Tom grunting) - Don't worry about it, I'm like a cat.

I think with my hands.

- [Director] All right, action.

- My zipper's stuck.

Oh, there we go.

- [Director] Take 78.

- I got an idea.

Why don't we just go see what's happening over at Tip Up Town, okay?

- [Director] Woo-hoo!

(Tom laughing) - And we're out!

(upbeat music) Okay, so as I just so eloquently stated, we're in Houghton Lake for Tip Up Town, one of the biggest winter festivals in Michigan.

Now, if you're into ice fishing, snowmobiling, or just watching crazy people jump into freezing water, this festival's got your name written all over it.

Houghton Lake is Michigan's largest inland lake, and it's located right in the middle of the northern Lower Peninsula.

I'm here with my two new bestest buddies, George, who's the actual mayor of Tip Up Town.

And Chris here's the Marshall.

Howdy, Marshall.

- How you doing?

- [Tom Daldin] Is this your vehicle?

- [George] This here is the Mayor Marshall Mobile.

- [Tom Daldin] Oh my gosh.

Do you have to provide your own vehicle?

- Oh yeah, yep.

- So why don't you guys me to Shanty Town?

Come on, do it with me.

Take me to Shanty Town!

Why don't you take me to?

Okay, let's go, come on.

(engine sputtering) All right.

(door thudding) All righty, the Mayor Mobile's nice and quiet.

- [George] The Mayor Mobile runs like a champ, you know?

- [Tom Daldin] I just noticed if I look down, then I can see the ground through the bottom of the car.

- [George] Isn't that nice?

(George laughing) - [Tom Daldin] Are you supposed to be able to see through the bottom of the Jeep?

- [George] That's how you know you're from Houghton Lake right there.

- [Tom Daldin] Remind me not to drop anything.

- [George] Yeah, that's right.

That gives it good ventilation right there.

- [Tom Daldin] Then this is safe to go on the ice?

- [George] Yep, this is perfectly safe out here.

- [Tom Daldin] All right, I'll take your word for it, since you're the mayor.

It's just amazing to me how big this lake is.

This lake is absolutely- - [George] It's massive.

- [Tom Daldin] It's like a little city out here.

It's like a little village.

- [George] It is, yep.

People just come out, they have a good time.

They're friendly out there.

It's a great festival.

Bring the kids, there's parades, there's lots of kids games down when we get to the site.

But we're going to Shanty Towns first.

- So we made our way out there, and I got to check out firsthand what shanty living is all about.

For those of you who've never been ice fishing before, and never been in a shanty, let's find out what they're really like in here.

(smooth upbeat music) Whoa!

It's a lot nicer than I thought in there.

I could live in here.

Okay, you've seen how nice the shanties are, and now you're ready to give this ice fishing thing a try.

Your next stop has gotta be Lyman's On The Lake.

It's ice fishing headquarters up here, and Lyman can teach you everything you need to know to become a real tipper upper-er.

I gotta be honest with you, Lyman.

When I go fishing, the fish I catch usually has a barcode on it, and usually has cellophane wrapped around it, so I'm not much of a fisherman.

If people are coming here to go fishing, how come you're giving 'em fish?

- Well, this is their main bait for setting tip ups and jigging here, so it'll all depend on what type of fish they're looking for.

- So what kind of bait do you sell here?

- We sell walleye bait, pike bait, trout bait, perch bait, bluegill bait.

- So I couldn't just buy some of these and make a sandwich?

- Uh, not very tasty.

This is a good pike and walleye size here.

- [Tom Daldin] They're getting me wet.

Oh my gosh, one of 'em fell on the floor.

I'll save you!

Bait, check.

Now it's time to find out what the heck a tip-up is.

- This is how it all started here, your basic wooden tip-up.

- Right.

- You set it up, put it down in the hole, set your flag up for adjustment.

- And when a fish catches the- - When the fish catches on the reel, the flag goes up and everybody goes running.

- [Tom Daldin] Even if you're not a seasoned ice fisherman, like I am now, don't worry, because Tip Up Town is no longer about ice fishing.

This 60-year-old festival has become so much more.

- This is a giant input for the whole community.

This is our get us through the Winter program.

We have two weeks, two weekends where the town's full.

The cash registers are ringing, the people are all having a good time, the snowmobile trails are all groomed.

So we've got something for everybody to do.

- And that got me thinking.

As much as I'd like to hang out in a cold shanty waiting for what's called a crappy to bite, I'd probably have better luck catching a corn dog over at the fair.

(logo rattling) The main Tip Up Town Carnival takes place right on the shores of Houghton Lake, and has everything a family needs to have fun in, on and over the snow.

But if regular family fun, like fishing, snowmobiling, carnivals, and helicopter rides aren't quite satisfying enough for you, you might want to check out the polar bear exhibit.

Now here you'll find some of the toughest, bravest, and completely insane people in Michigan.

These people line up for like an hour and a half, and stand in the cold in their bathing suits to do this on purpose.

I mean, look at 'em over there.

And strangely, look how happy they all are.

(people cheering) - Yeah, baby!

- Honestly, come on.

Why are you doing this?

- I have no idea, I'm kinda crazy.

I don't know.

- [Tom Daldin] You know, you're crazy.

- It sounded good for two weeks and got here, and I don't know about now.

- Right, and you're really crazy.

You'll have to remove your sweater first, sir.

- I can't take it off.

- Oh, sorry.

- It's too tight.

(people laughing) You should know better than doing something like this.

- Oh, I know.

- That's the township supervisor?

- Yeah.

- He should know better than to do something like this.

Call me a coward if you must, but this is one event I think I'll try in my next lifetime.

Maybe.

Who'd do it again?

(crowd cheering) Okay, now why would you do it again?

- 'Cause we're idiots!

- There ya go.

That's a "UTR" exclusive, that's a "UTR" exclusive.

They're idiots.

When all was said and done, not only did I have a totally different perception of what this is really all about, the crew and I had a blast.

(people yelling) Tip Up Town truly does have something for everyone, and that by the way, includes you.

(flag boinging) Oh, a fish, marvelous.

I'll get you in a minute.

Dear "UTR," you guys rock.

Send.

(Tom laughing) (screen whooshing) For the next leg of our awesome UP winter adventure, we headed about 45 minutes southeast of Marquette to the tiny town of Eben Junction.

It's here where you'll find a trailhead that takes you about a mile and a half back to the world famous Eben Ice Caves.

People from all over the world make this trip to witness one of the most finest frozen phenomenon you'll find in Michigan.

(screen rattling) Now since we're hiking deep into the Hiawatha National Forest, I thought it'd be a good idea to have a guide with us today.

And look who I got, Tasha Stielstra.

Well, you may remember Tasha from such TV shows as "Under the Radar," episode 808.

She and her husband Ed own and operate Nature's Kennel, where they took us on an absolutely incredible dog sled ride across the frozen tundra.

Well, it turns out she also occasionally conducts tours of the Eben Ice Caves.

What are the chances?

First of all, thank you, Tasha for joining us today, and putting aside your dog sledding duties.

Why is it every time we get together it's below zero outside?

- It does seem to be that way.

We shouldn't keep doing that.

- Yeah, thanks for bringing your assistant, Nate.

- [Tasha] You're welcome.

- Thank you, Nate.

You'll come in handy, I'm sure.

Our equipment is heavy.

So now this little parking area that we found, and it's in the town of Eben Junction, right?

- [Tasha] Yes.

- Okay, this is private property.

- This is private property.

So this first section of field here that we walk through is private property.

The ice caves are accessible to the public, because the landowner has not gated something and put up no trespassing signs, and allows the public every day of the winter to walk across and get into the Hiawatha National Forest.

- People coming in here should be prepared, correct?

You can't just come in here in your tennis shoes and walk in, because it's quite a ways.

- Yeah, it's about a mile round trip, but I find it's a hard mile, and you'll see as we go.

It's kind of up and down, and you need to be able to be pretty mobile through deep snow.

- [Tom Daldin] Right.

- And you know, we have our little ice grippers on our feet here, and you don't need snow shoes.

You know, you definitely don't wanna go on skis, 'cause the trail's gonna get pretty narrow.

But you do need something on your feet for it.

It'll get slippery as we go.

- [Tom Daldin] Gotcha, so thanks for bringing these.

- You're welcome.

- [Tom Daldin] So shall we start the truck?

- We should go.

- Well, since we had all of our gear and Tasha was here, we shed our fear and hit the trail.

Now, Matt had the foresight to bring a sled, which at first I thought was for me, but turns out it was for the equipment.

And young Nate made sure I pulled my fair share.

Oh.

Now, even with the two feet of fresh snow from the blizzard, the trek across the field wasn't too far or too bad.

And the first part of the walk through the woods was even a thick piece of snowy cake.

But then things got a bit more challenging, and a ton more beautiful.

This truly was an unbelievable winter wonderland.

Heck, the white stuff was so deep, parts of the trail even turned into snowy slides.

There's a lot of up and down on the trail, but this kind of down I can do.

This will be easy.

(light upbeat music) (Tom laughing) Oh, oh, oh!

Ah, see?

And then just as we thought we might've taken a wrong turn, it happened.

Look, the ice caves.

Dun, dun, dun.

There they were tucked away in a little canyon where only hardy adventure seekers could find them.

And when you first set eyes on 'em, suddenly the whole arduous endeavor becomes totally worth it.

I'll be honest, that was a healthy hike in here.

- It's a challenging hike.

- Yeah, especially the end, a lot of ups and downs.

But when you come upon this, it's breathtaking.

- [Tasha] It's kind of a gift at the end of the workout.

- Yeah, totally.

It's like you're going, "Oh, I can't believe we're doing this.

I can't believe this, the equipment's heavy, and oh my gosh, look."

And this is not a waterfall?

- [Tasha] No, so this is a sandstone outcropping.

You can see the sandstone above us.

- [Tom Daldin] Yeah.

- So sandstone is fairly porous, so it's just a seepage dripping through the sandstone cliffs.

- And it happens every winter?

- It happens every winter.

- [Tom Daldin] Amazing.

- And this is the Rock River Valley, and there's more formations like this through the valley.

This is the largest one.

But there's some a pretty good size as well, as you creep up the valley and explore on each side.

- And this lasts how long throughout the winter?

- I've been here in late March, and it's still pretty good.

It'll start to get just dripping more wet.

You know, if we get a big thaw, and you have to be careful when these new sheets do melt at some point, so this comes off, crashing down and they do fall.

- [Tom Daldin] I doubt that'll happen today, since it's 11 billion degrees below zero.

- [Tasha] Yes, yes.

- [Tom Daldin] Like I said, the trek in here was harder than I thought, but when you see this, it is so absolutely worth it.

Do you ever get tired of seeing it?

- No, and the neat thing that I find about places like this in the winter, it changes every time.

I was here about three weeks ago and it was much more open.

So we call these curtains, the curtains of ice.

And there wasn't nearly this curtain coverage that there is now.

It was a lot more.

It just changes every time, yeah.

- Well, that was the time when you send for one of your dog sleds, right, and take us back?

- I don't think they'd like coming down that trail.

- [Tom Daldin] No, no, they wouldn't, I wouldn't.

Yeah, if you're gonna come back here, make sure you do a couple of squat thrusts before you get in here.

- [Tasha] Yeah, and you're walking through deep snow, you know, walk along the beach a bunch if you need to get some sand work out or something, 'cause it is, you know you're in here, there's no cell coverage, there's no cell service.

So if you do have problems, you're at the liberty of other hikers helping you get out, which I've helped a few people out before.

- You may be helping us out.

- The day is still young, right?

(Tom and Tasha laughing) - [Tom Daldin] This was an awesome experience, and we had the entire place to ourselves.

So we took our time, had some fun, explored the caves, and soaked in all of the beauty and serenity.

In the meantime, Nate turned the whole place into his own personal snow park.

He had an absolute blast exploring, slipping and sliding.

And speaking of slipping and sliding, without our ice cleats, I don't think I would've even attempted this trip.

Actually, to be honest, if you're not surefooted or in relatively good shape, you should probably let us do the hiking for you, and see the caves right here on your trusty "UTR."

But just remember, if you do plan to make the hike in, be careful and be respectful.

That way, the folks who own the surrounding land will keep letting all of us into enjoy these cool caves.

Did I say cool?

I meant cold.

This is Tom Daldin signing off from the Eben Ice Caves.

Whoa!

Mommy!

(screen whooshing) (smooth upbeat music) Hey folks, we're back in Traverse City, and why Traverse City?

We love Traverse City.

What's there not to love about Traverse City?

It's Traverse City.

Traverse City really is one of those Michigan cities that has everything.

They've got an exploding food culture, thriving business climate, an international wine and beer scene, and it's surrounded on all sides by an incredible natural paradise.

And as Goldilocks would say, "It's not too big and not too small, it's just right."

Traverse City is located in the northwest part of Michigan's lower peninsula.

When we got to town, we dropped anchor at the Grand Traverse Resort and Spa.

And why?

'Cause you know what they say.

When you're in a nice place, it's nice to stay in a place that's nice.

And this place is well, nice.

Now for those of you who embrace winter, and aren't afraid to get out and have some fun in the snow, have we got a new sport for you.

It's called fat head biking, and it's catching on all over Northern Michigan.

- [Director] Fat tire.

- Fat tire biking?

- [Director] Yeah.

- Can I still do it?

- [Director] Of course.

- Yes!

Fat tire bikes are just what they say they are.

They're bikes with fat tires.

But when it comes to riding in the winter, they make all the difference in the world.

And when it comes to hooking yourself up with a fat tire bike in Traverse City, Jason Lowitz at Einstein Cycles is the man to see.

Well, now I know why they call these fat tire bikes, 'cause obviously the tires are fat.

But where did this sport come from?

- I believe it started in Alaska.

- [Tom Daldin] Makes sense.

- [Jason] A lot of snow, really cold, and they needed wider tires for the snow.

- [Tom Daldin] Well how did you get into it?

- [Jason] It's snowy here too.

- [Tom Daldin] Oh yeah, it snows in Traverse City.

- [Jason] Yeah, yeah, yeah.

- [Tom Daldin] What does a bike like this feel like when you're on it?

- In the snow, it actually goes on hard packed snow, and it just smooth floats.

Fun to ride in the sand too.

- Oh, so it's not just a winter sport?

- No.

- [Tom Daldin] Who is into this sport?

Is it growing right now?

- [Jason] Anyone that can peddle.

It's definitely growing.

- This is one sport I was dying to try.

And being an avid cyclist fan and all around cool dude, I could tell that Jason couldn't wait to hit the trail with me.

And speaking of the trail, it was only a short seven minute car ride from Einstein's.

How come I'm all dressed to the nine?

- It's warm out, it's 29.

I might even go T-shirt for this one.

You have Northern Michigan blood.

I have Southern Michigan blood.

Wow, it's beautiful up here in the winter.

- Yeah, where we're going, it's really, really nice.

We're going to the Vasa trailhead.

- Is this a hilly trail?

- No, well, where we're going is a three kilometer loop, and we'll see what the snow conditions are for it.

- Awesome.

- We're there.

- Let's get her done.

- Do it.

(upbeat rock music) - Once we got out on the trail and in the deep snow, I was simply amazed.

Well, I'll be honest with you.

I knew this would be cool, but I didn't think it'd be this cool.

And it's cool.

It's cool.

The nicest thing about this too, is if I do fall, it's snow.

- Yeah, exactly.

- What a difference it would make hitting snow.

That's where we're staying tonight, the Grand Traverse Resort.

I can see my room from here.

Woo-hoo!

- There's a big hill now.

- I can do it!

We came far now, Eric.

We're breathing, no time for talking.

- You really punched it at the base of that climb there, and now you're gonna pay for it.

- I know.

I'm out of steam.

How much more hill?

- A couple miles.

(Tom laughing) - Okay, I'll see you back at the shop.

So if you're looking for a new winter sport, fat tire bikes are a blast, and believe me, you'll pick it up quick.

After all, it's just like riding a bike.

(screen whooshing) Well I hope you and your family enjoyed following our fun frosty adventures.

And remember now, if you've got friends who live outside of Michigan, send them this show and ask 'em how their winter's going.

(Tom laughing) Unless you're watching this in the spring or summer or something, then I'd probably wait.

(screen whooshing) Ready?

I've been a, sorry.

We've been around the world.

- But there's one place we keep coming back to.

- Did he step on me?

- I think I did.

- Okay.

- [Director] We are rolling.

- We've been around the world.

- I was just cleaning my teeth, sorry.

(Tom and Jim laughing) - I'm Tom Daldin.

- And I'm Jim Edelman.

- And this, no, just no and.

- That's right, that was the problem with Traverse City.

- We are like in sync on the "Under The Radar Michigan."

You want one more or are you good?

- Bye, bye, bye.

- I'm Tom Daldin.

- I'm Jim Edelman.

- And this is.

- [Both] "Under The Radar Michigan."

Cha!

(light upbeat music) - You ready?

We've been around.

And this is.

- [Both] "Under The Radar Michigan."

(light upbeat music continues) - Michigan.

- Yeah, that's good.

(upbeat music) (upbeat music continues) - [Announcer] A visit to the Stahls auto collection will take you back to a time when cars were more than just a way to get around.

A fantastic assortment of gas pumps, neon signs and automated music machines dating back 150 years that must be seen and heard.

Info at stahlsauto.com.

(upbeat rock music) (upbeat rock music continues) (upbeat rock music continues) (light upbeat music)