#us-2 — Public Fediverse posts
Live and recent posts from across the Fediverse tagged #us-2, aggregated by home.social.
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Update: I90 and US2 both now open both ways. Still non-ideal conditions but passable. (3/11 @ 10PM)
Stevens Pass is closed both directions just west of Leavenworth. Sadly, this isn't reflected in the official website (which shows all clear). You have to look at the road cams or see the updates on X.
Disappointing to see such critical info only on the X place. -
Top of the Lake Snowmobile Museum: Naubinway, Michigan
The Top of the Lake Snowmobile Museum is situated in the village of Naubinway, the northernmost community on the Upper Peninsula’s Lake Michigan shoreline. With an active snowmobiling community and close to 200 snowmobiles on display, it’s a great year-round attraction for travelers.
What’s in the Top of the Lake Snowmobile Museum?
The Top of the Lake Snowmobile Museum has a collection of around 200 machines. Time-wise, the collection spans the period from the first car-track conversion snow machines of the early 1900s, through to the early 2000s. But that’s not all!
The museum’s collection also includes lots of memorabilia, gear, signs, owners manuals, and more.
One of the great things about this snowmobile museum attraction is the signage.
Snowmobiles in the Top of the Lake Snowmobile Museum in Naubinway, Michigan. Photo by Linda Aksomitis.There’s lots of information on the history of the brands and the specific sleds on the floor. The volunteers who’ve put this together have shared magazine and newspaper clippings, details on ownership where available, and historical insights.
There are, of course, a number of sleds from the history of today’s brands: Ski-Doo, Arctic Cat, Polaris, and Yamaha, in the collection. However, they’ve also got lots of snow machines manufactured by companies that have long since hung up their skis.
Some of them include:
- Home made snow machines like the 1936 Westendorf built by local machinist, Fred Westendorf, to go ice fishing
- 1969 Snow Ghia first produced by Ghia Industries, Torino, Italy, with a move to US New Jersey Headquarters in 1968, with a low profile for better vision and tracking
- 1969 Wheel Horse from the Wheel Horse, Inc. company in South Bend, Indiana, which offered riders the choice of an electric start or dash mounted recoil
- 1971 Big Boss manufactured in Ovid, MI, for the 1970-71 season, however 20 were built but only 8 sold, and the rest destroyed as part of bankruptcy proceedings
- 1973 Polar Bear, originally produced one machine at a time and only sold in Connecticut
Linda’s Pick of the Displays
Of course, I’ve been snowmobiling for … well not quite since the beginning of the industry, but close, so I have a lot of favorites. However, my pick here was the 1968 Sno-Bunny manufactured by the Jac-Trac Company of Marshfield, WI, for distribution through the midwest and by J.C. Penney.
Sno Bunny snowmobile and accessories. Photo by Linda Aksomitis.I love the name — snobunny or snow bunny. The history of the term goes back to the 1950s as a slang term for a novice skier or snowmobiler (usually female). Also, of course, it’s been a slang word used to describe an attractive woman since the 1700s.
While I don’t know how much weight the manufacturer meant to put into the name it picked, advertisements of the time did describe it as one of the lightest, quickest machines on the market. And that’s exactly what we ladies wanted!
Linda’s Road Trip Tips
Most of this trip we spent on U.S. Route #2, which goes from coast to coast just below the Canadian border. So, we headed to Escanaba, a port city on Lake Michigan around 100 miles away from Naubinway.
We stayed at the Hiawatha Motel, which provided a comfortable night for a good price. Our favorite part of Escanaba, however, was Hudson’s Classic Grill where we went for dinner. I especially enjoyed the pumpkin pie and whipped cream!
Pin me!Who Should Visit the Top of the Lake Snowmobile Museum?
The Top of the Lake Snowmobile Museum is a must see for anyone interested in winter sports, especially its history. Many of the snowmobiles in the museum were mainly used in Michigan’s UP and down the east coast, so for westerners, there are lots of different models to check out.
The museum is open year round, so you can get your “snowmobile fix” in August if you like, as we did!
How Long Does It Take To Visit The Museum?
Going through the museum can take half a day if you’re reading all the information cards! It’s also a fun way to introduce young snowmobilers or non-snowmobilers to the sport, so is great for all ages.
How Do You Visit the Top of the Lake Snowmobile Museum?
Pin me!The Top of the Lake Snowmobile Museum is located at W11660 US-2 Naubinway, Michigan.
Visit the museum at its website for a virtual tour, admission costs, and upcoming snowmobile events:
Follow the Top of the Lake Snowmobile Museum Facebook page to keep up to date on all the happenings.
Take a virtual tour with YouTube and the excellent video, Tour a collection of RARE and Vintage Snowmobiles with an Expert Guide.
Plan your visit with Google Maps!
Discover More Snowmobile Museums
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Vilas Historical Museum: Snowmobiles to Paul Bunyan in a Wisconsin Museum
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World Snowmobile Headquarters Museum: Eagle River, Wisconsin
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Polaris Experience Center: Polaris Snowmobile Museum in Roseau, Minnesota
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Museum of Ingenuity: Ski-Doo Snowmobile Museum in Valcourt, Quebec
#2 #history #Michigan #museums #snowmobiles #travel #US #US2
