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Living in Chicagoland for most of my life, my Michigan experiences consisted of weekends visiting Grandma or going to the beach.Recently, I was finally able to have one of the true Michigan experiences – going “up north.”Since moving to Michigan to attend Michigan State University, I have been hearing stories about this mysterious “up north” that everyone takes family trips to visit a few times a year.So, I took a camping trip to North Higgins Lake State Park in Roscommon County with my Michigan Department of Natural Resources colleague, Lydia Taylor.The experience for two newbie campers involved going through a roll of duct tape, my dinner catching fire and gaining a whole new perspective.The drive to Roscommon was filled with beautiful tree-lined roads and plenty of wildlife, including bald eagles sitting high in the trees.Our first stop was the DNR’s Roscommon Equipment Center and Forest Fire Experiment Station, as well as the Michigan State Firemen’s Memorial.The Roscommon Equipment Center is where DNR staffers think up new types of firefighting equipment and devise ways to modify existing equipment to work better.Engineering manager Dave Stockoski and the rest of the team led us through the office and their workshop, teaching us about the new improvements to fire trucks to make things safer and easier for the people using them.

The Josh Ramses Band performed in Au Gres on July 3, during the city’s annual Summer Concert Series.Weekly concerts continue in Standish and Au Gres, with Au Gres’ Summer Concert Series held Wednesdays at 6:30 p.m.

Photos by Andrew Kent