[oldforester]

Congrats, and welcome to the neighborhood.

 

[CrawlerHarness]

Congratulations. I am definitely jealous as well. Make sure you get out and walk a ton every day. That will help the blood pressure even more!

 

[NATTY BUMPO]

Congrats to you and yours on the move. Your wife had a job where working from home permanently was possible. We are seeing a whole lot of this happening Up North this year. And the RE market is crazy HOT because of it. Lucky you found a place to buy this fall. It was meant to be.......

 

[perchjerker]

Congrats!

We have a place north of Cadillac we could retire to in the next few years. Problem for us is the kids and grandkids are all in the Detroit area.

I could live with that, but not my wife. She has to be near the kids....

 

[PerchPatrol]

Wonder if the Wagon Wheel is still open?

 

[Jimbos]

It's a different life for sure. Once this area(Petoskey) is out of the completely insane tourist season which was the worst I've ever seen this year it turns into every other northern Michigan area.
I've chilled out except for driving which I really try to work on. It's been 21/2 years and haven't been back downstate since.

 

[jimbo]

congrats DB.
with 57 likes already, looks as if theres a bunch of us wishing we were you

 

[birdhntr]

Congrats. That is my northern Michigan stomping grounds.
There is a state land parcel up towards Alpena on partridge point and a public beach in ossineke.The sunrises are a sight to see!!
Enjoy!

 

[-db-]

Wonder if the Wagon Wheel is still open?

It is.

 

[oldforester]

Wonder if the Wagon Wheel is still open?

Yes, but like most every where, with limited hours and capacity.

 

[brushbuster]

Roll your window down, put your elbow in the opening, set the cruise to 45 and enjoy!.

 

[Spartan88]

Congrats on the big decision! I moved north after the Army, I cant imagine being in the city. I just purchased property to build on in 5 to 7 years, hunting it also.

 

[Dubllung4]

The Mountain and Connie's. It doesn't get much better.

Congrats on the move!

 

[Petronius]

Ever since I was a young kid in the '70s visiting my grandparents' cabin in Atlanta, which was unfortunately sold off outside the family before I reached my teenage years, I've always wanted to be up north. However, I didn't always realize this. Growing up Downriver, going off to college, a stint in the Marine Corps, various factory jobs, marriage and modern life had thoughts of up north forgotten for much of my adult life.

Then I had a stroke a couple years ago which temporarily blinded me. In my mid-40s. High blood pressure I wasn't aware of struck. A thing like this, very scary, makes you reexamine your life. What you're doing, where you're at, what's stressing you and perhaps most importantly, what you may be missing. Upon regaining my sight after a few weeks, I told the wife we needed to take a vacation somewhere, something we'd never done. She's originally from Out West so we decided it was time for her to see northern Michigan, which I myself hadn't seen since I was a kid.

The Atlanta area, Montmorency County, will always be the up north ideal I remember from back then, so a visit there was obvious. The old family cabin was not an option so I'd like to thank the Atlanta River Cabins for an affordable last-minute place to stay that first trip back. Went by the old family place that no longer looks like how I remembered it, but Crooked Creek where it crosses S. Airport Road, down the street from the cabin and where I spent a lot of time fishing and goofing off as young boys do, looked exactly the same. I got out of the car, looked at it and wept. I was home.

Did a lot of traveling around the entire northeastern lower that trip and both the wife and I decided we really like Presque Isle County, too. For subsequent trips over the past couple years we stayed at NettieBay Lodge, near Hawks, another great place. We also realized we liked the Alpena area, too, after a lot more miles everywhere around the region.

Now, one of the first things we noticed on the first trip and each trip after, my blood pressure dropped greatly while up there. Then it hit me last year, I need to be up north. Like right now. Permanently. For my health (and sanity!). Unfortunately, wife's work, one of the big health insurance companies, had nowhere up north for her to transfer. Traverse City was the only option and we aren't interested in the sunset side at all.

And then the China virus happened. After her being put on work from home for the first couple months, with no end in sight, I began seeing opportunity where most others were seeing doom and gloom. I told her to inquire as to how permament the working from home situation was looking and if it was possible they'd consider letting her move to northern Michigan, assuming a hi-speed internet connection. We didn't get a straight answer for awhile but were told permanent work from home status for some employees was definitely something the company was looking at and they'd let us know. Well, we got the green light in late summer and began the search for a new home.

After being outbid on homes in/near Hillman and Alpena (the market is crazy right now), we found the perfect place in Ossineke and got it. Doing closing and getting the keys next week. The plan is to move up permanently next Spring, while visiting often over the winter.

And then I'm up north. For good. Where I belong.

Since you have had some critical medical issues, how are the medical facilities near the new homestead? Any hospitals in the area?

 

[BulldogOutlander]

congrats! If I could leave the GR area for up north I would. The wife is on board with me as well, but we have ties to this area that we cannot leave behind for another 13 years (if you catch my drift lol)..

I noticed the same thing you did when i was in my 20s (just turned 37). Something about waking up in northern michigan, away from everything, is just darn good for the mind, body, and soul. Maybe it's the cleaner air, maybe its the pace of everything up there, or maybe its because people up there aren't a-holes like they are near the city lol.

Wish you and the wife MANY years of happiness, good health, and relaxation

 

[kingfisher 11]

I am from NW MI, really miss it. Moved to Charlevoix for a while with the family but ended up moving back south for the kids and wife. Now my two boys have moved north and both have our first grandchildren. Since my wife has told me they come first over me:lol:. Maybe I can now persuade her to make the move north closer to them.

 

[-db-]

Since you have had some critical medical issues, how are the medical facilities near the new homestead? Any hospitals in the area?

The blood pressure is under control and I've lost weight and so on, docs don't foresee any real problems at this point. There are hospitals in Alpena if needed.

 

[Kevin Hughes]

I grew up in the Chicago area and worked downtown. 23 years ago I had enough and moved here to Michigan. Although down here in the SW, it still felt like a different world. Now, as I get closer to retirement, I am looking forward to moving north.

 

[PerchPatrol]

My retirement home will be in presque isle County, if everything goes right.

 

[Oldgrandman]

My mothers family is from Petoskey and my fathers from Detroit. I guess I wouldn't be here if they hadn't migrated to Kalamazoo at some point. Give me Petoskey any time. Have a street named after my mothers family there. Moms family also put some roots in Mesick.

I want to move North, but not sure I can get an agreement with my wife on it. Divorce after 37 years is an option though!