(upbeat rock music fades) - [Tom] On this awesome episode of "UTR," we're in Oscoda to paddle down a righteous river, explore award-winning trails, and stock up at a store that's got everything from worms to wine.

We'll even have a spot of tea at a place you just gotta see.

Get ready to explore the cool people, places, and things that make Oscoda the place you're supposed to go-da.

(upbeat rock music ends) (upbeat music) (group laughing) (upbeat music continues) (crowd cheering) (upbeat music continues) (water splashing) (upbeat music fades) - [Announcer] The Stahls Motors and Music Experience features a collection of automated music machines, neon signs, gas pumps, and 150 years of automotive history.

More info at stahlsauto.com.

- [Tom] We've been around the world.

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

- [Tom] 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."

(exciting rock music) (exciting rock music fades) - [Tom] Oscoda is one of those classic Michigan towns where the outdoors isn't just something to look at, it's something you jump into.

It's right where the mighty Au Sable River meets Lake Huron.

And its attracted adventurers, anglers, paddlers, hikers, campers, and nature lovers for generations.

But beyond the water, woods, and wildlife, you'll find a wonderful, walkable downtown, tons of friendly faces, a gigantic pier and beautiful beach right in town.

And enough outdoor recreation to keep even the most energetic explorer busy from sunrise to sunset.

Just in case you're wondering, Oscoda is on Michigan's amazing sunrise side.

It's about 90 minutes north of Bay City, about two hours east of Gaylord, and it's surrounded by the Huron-Manistee National Forest.

Bonus!

(logo whooshes) Now, if you're coming up here to enjoy the awesome Au Sable River, you're gonna need some supplies.

So we found a place that's got everything you need.

Actually, it's got everything you're gonna need for anything you do in Oscoda.

The Au Sable River Store is right on the water, and it's one of those places that's almost impossible to describe.

It's part outfitter, part gift shop, part convenience store, part snack shop, and part up-north treasure hunt.

This place has become a favorite stop for locals and visitors alike.

Co-owner, Kelly Hume and her husband, Adam, like to describe it as "worms to wine."

And honestly, that pretty much covers it.

But what makes this place really special is the story behind it.

So I caught up with Kelly to find out how this little store became such a big part of Oscoda.

I am so impressed with this place.

First of all, I love your slogan or your mantra, or whatever it is, "from worms to wine."

That's gotta be on a t-shirt.

You have not put that on a t-shirt yet?

- We have not.

We just came up with that last year, actually.

A lady was in the store and I think it was like a rainy day and we were just, she's like, "You guys have everything in here."

And it just came out.

I was like, "literally everything from worms to wine."

And then she like- - That's gotta be on a t-shirt.

- [Kelly] She was like, "That should be on your building somewhere."

And no, we haven't got it yet, so.

- A lot of times, I mean, I'm so impressed with the depth and the breadth of this place.

A lot of times you go into a place like this and there's some kind of corny merchandise.

There's nothing in here that's corny.

- [Kelly] Thank you.

- Well, everything is tasteful.

The clothing is all amazing and everything is stuff that you need if you're gonna do anything in or around the river or on or in Oscoda or... Whose idea was this?

You used to, you didn't... You used to have a real job, didn't you?

- Yeah, I had a real job.

I was in insurance for 20 years, but my husband and father-in-law have owned the canoe rental right next door for 21 years now I think it is.

And he said people were always looking for merchandise after they went down the river, looking for something that said they went on the river Au Sable River, Oscoda.

And when we bought this, this still wasn't our vision either.

Yeah, we were planning on a few t-shirts, maybe some hoodies, and it's just grown into this beautiful shop.

But thank you for saying how tasteful it is 'cause that really means a lot to us.

That's our goal.

- Oh, everything from the way, even your changing room is nicer than my living room.

I mean, you look at the building, you think, "Oh, it's probably a bait and tackle shop."

And you walk in and everything in here is so cool.

You even have local art like these, the river maps that you have.

Who does those?

- So that is Matt Hunter from for Poor Boy Woodworks out of Saginaw, Michigan.

He put those together for us.

We had a sales rep come in and offer them to me.

We were just working on the new fitting room and I thought that was a perfect place for it.

And we sold a ton of those pieces.

- You even have local products.

Like, we featured them on the show.

We had a Freakin' Pickles on the show.

Every time I drive by there I promise my wife I'll bring her pickles.

But yeah, that's another neat thing is you're supporting other local businesses.

- Absolutely, yeah.

And we find, like, we got the Better Made licorice.

The the meat sticks are from Michigan.

All the snacks except for, like, the regular old candy bars are from Michigan.

So we love that.

We just love Freakin' Pickles.

And I was like, "Can we please sell your pickles?"

And they worked with us, so it was great.

- That's awesome.

- Our customers are loving them.

- Another great thing about the store is it's right on the river.

- Yeah.

- So you're sitting at... You're buying something, maybe coming here for a little bit of wine or for a hat or for like a rain raincoat or something.

And people are coming down the river, getting out of their canoes.

Sitting out on your deck.

Yeah, there's just... This is so different than other places I've been to like this.

- Yeah, and like you said, people drive by all the time.

They're like, "I would not have expected this inside."

We did have plans to redo the outside.

We plan to still soon, but thank goodness because the flooding, we didn't do that, so.

- Oh yeah, 'cause you're right on the river, so you're gonna get some flooding.

- Yeah.

- Obviously, it has a woman's touch 'cause if Jim and I, if this is Jim is in my store, it would be a bait and tackle with probably with no tackle.

There would just be bait and there'd be some, you know, some raw hide chews, and it would be... But you didn't have, I mean, you've got looking around, you've got even fruity soaps.

- Yeah, right!

Well we open back up at Christmas for, like, basically people to shop locally too.

So some things that you can get for a gift.

We like to think of those kind of things.

- So you guys are seasonal, but like you said, you open up at Christmas, turn this into a Christmas store.

- Yeah, we love that part.

It's really fun.

We get all the Christmas decorations out.

We try putting lights outside, all that good stuff for locals to shop on the long weekends.

We try to do long weekends.

Yeah, like, November and December.

- You know what's great is you've got the big water and you've got this incredibly beautiful river that you can fish.

You can just, you can just float down if you want.

Yeah, there's so many ways to enjoy nature here in the water and yeah.

It's just a great place to raise a family.

- [Kelly] Absolutely, yeah, beautiful.

- [Tom] Your daughter's awesome by the way.

- Thank you.

(chuckles) - Final question, do you think you can get me all geared up to go canoeing on the river?

- Oh, for sure, absolutely!

We've got waterproof phone cases and waterproof bags.

Beverages, snacks, towels, water shoes, sun hats, sun shirts, all the things.

I think we've got you covered.

We have ponchos, we've got fishing lures, worms.

- Let's do it.

- Wine.

Okay.

- Wine.

I'll be ready after this.

That's necessary.

Stop laughing.

(laughs) (Kelly laughs) Well, if you're planning a day on the Au Sable, make The River Store your first stop because Kelly and Adam have just about everything you'll need to enjoy one of Michigan's most beautiful rivers.

And you know me, I took that as a challenge!

(whimsical rag-time music) Well, once I was properly equipped, which took a lot longer than I expected, it was finally time to hit the water.

(whimsical rag-time music fades) (logo whooshes) The Au Sable River isn't just one of Michigan's most beautiful waterways, it's one of the most popular paddles in the entire country.

It's crystal clear, heavily forested, and packed with postcard-worthy views around every bend.

It's almost the kind of place where stress seems to float away right with the current.

So Adam and I headed downstream for an awesome river adventure.

Truth be told, I've actually canoed the Au Sable River a couple of times.

And this, of all the rivers in Michigan that I've canoed, this really is my favorite.

- Yeah, it's an incredible river.

- Oh yeah, I just read that this was dubbed the most popular canoeing river in the entire Midwest.

- Yes, sir.

- Wow.

- Sure was.

- Wow.

(upbeat music) - Not only is it a beautiful river, but the setting with just national forest everywhere.

And we'll be on, there's another six miles of national forest here before we hit a chunk of private ground.

- Well, a lot of the rivers are a lot of work.

Some of 'em I've been on, but this one is just challenging enough.

But it's just, it's relaxing enough.

And the scenery you're never gonna beat on this river.

- Yeah and we're just big enough where we don't get low water.

There is no dragging canoes.

There is no getting out and pulling them across sandbars or gravel bars.

- [Tom] I've done that.

- [Adam] Just enough water to keep us moving.

Just enough current to make it not too challenging.

Just a nice lazy float.

- Yeah, 'cause now I heard you grew up on this river, right?

- Yes, sir, right down the road from it.

- Wow.

- Spent most of my childhood along it.

- That must have been so cool 'cause weren't you canoeing on this river, like, when you were just a little kid?

- Yeah, been down it.

Fished about all of it, I think.

- Yeah, well, speaking of fishing, this is, you see tons of anglers out here.

What kind of fish can you catch out here?

- This is a great river because of how diverse it is with the angling opportunities.

There's a ton of steelhead and atlantic salmon from the fall time through the winter into the spring.

And then in the summer we kind of transition to more of a warm water fishery and walleyes and small mouth bass and some actual big northern pike that are overlooked in it.

But... - So you grew up on the river and now here you are doing canoe trips on the river.

Yeah, did you ever think that you would stay here that long?

- You know, I... Yeah, I always wanted to.

Tough area to make a living when you're younger.

And this is my 26th year driving people up the river and dropping 'em off in canoes.

And started for the previous owner, Then our family purchased it and... - Yeah, you know what though?

Your job doesn't suck.

You've gotta, this is like your office.

This is your office!

- (chuckles) Yeah.

- I mean, think about it.

I mean, this is just so breathtaking, this river.

And you guys do like two hour trips, four hour trips.

How does that work?

- Yeah, we mainly have two different trips.

We have a 12 mile, four hour casual paddle and a six mile, two hour casual paddle.

I say two hour casual paddle, most people take a lot longer just floating or stopping on the beaches, number of nice sandy areas.

You can stop and hang out, have lunch, drink a beer.

- Well, I was gonna, I forgot to say that even if you're not gonna canoe, tons of people float down this river in all kinds of floatables, right?

- Oh yeah, and we've seen it all.

Picnic tables with 55 gallon barrels tied on.

A lot of really bad ideas have floated down the river.

A lot of people head to the west side of the state.

It's like a knee jerk reaction, and it's wonderful over there.

But they don't realize that just a couple hours up on Lake Huron.

It's like you said, it's not as crowded.

It's less expensive.

There's not as many people, there's so much natural beauty and great things to do that they forget.

They forget this is here.

- Absolutely.

- It's like how we say on the show, you're supposed to go-da Oscoda.

Whether you're floating for a few hours, fishing for the one that got away or simply soaking up the scenery, The Au Sable River reminds you that sometimes the best adventures happen when you slow down and ride the river.

So if you get a chance, stop by the Au Sable River Store, stock up on supplies and slip into the right canoe for you.

Because whether you're floating for a few hours, fishing for the one that got away, or simply soaking up the scenery, the Au Sable River reminds you that sometimes the best adventures happen when you slow down and ride the river.

(gentle music fades) (logo whooshes) - Well, after all that fresh air, exercise, and outdoor adventure, there's only one thing left to do.

Have a spot of tea!

Nestled in Oscoda, you'll find Bimble and Be, a charming little destination that's part tea experience, part gathering place, and part trip back in time.

From afternoon teas and themed events to bridal showers, book clubs, mahjong groups, and special celebrations, this vintage inspired spot has become a favorite place for friends and family to slow down, reconnect, and make memories.

With the 1940s jazz soundtrack filling the air and teacups replacing trail maps, it doesn't take long to feel like you've stepped into a completely different world.

So with a scrumptious scone nearby and my pinky finger working overtime, I sat down with the woman in charge, Cindy Andrews.

There is a quiet calm that happens when you walk in here and I don't know where it comes from.

Where do you think it comes from?

- Well, I think in some ways it's the tea.

Because tea traditionally we use it to slow down.

Like coffee we use to get us going, we think we're gonna start our day.

But tea, a lot of times it's like a break.

You take a break in what you're doing, you slow down.

And I think a lot of times it's the tea and people set a lot of things aside when they come in.

- What's the fun part about picking out teas?

- Well, the fun part about tea is when you hear people say, "Oh, I don't like tea."

They haven't tried enough teas.

Because there's true tea, which comes from the tea plant itself.

So yeah, you might not like that taste.

That might not be for you.

But herbal teas, things like that, that are just mainly dried fruits, berries, there are different leaves, there's different flowers, there's too many choices to choose from, honestly.

- Where do you see this going?

I mean, how do you see your place in Oscoda?

- Well, it's really interesting because when we moved up here, we moved up here to slow down.

You know, we had both retired from our full-time careers and we're like, "We're just gonna get a little house on the lake and just calm down.

But you know, when this happened, the merge between Gretchen and I, and then onto the next chapter, it was something that seemed almost automatic.

And so it was a huge pivot in my life that I wasn't expecting.

So to answer that, I'm like, I don't know.

But I didn't expect for it to almost explode the way that it did.

So I'm riding it out one day at a time.

But what we see and what we wanna be is we wanna be here for Oscoda.

That the best people that you could ever surround yourself with are the people who walk through these doors.

We get hugs daily.

We're told we are loved daily.

We have people making us soup, offering to make us home cooked meals, knitting us scarves.

I mean, it's just unreal what the people of this town will do.

And we love that this is a spot for that.

- Now it's not just about come in and have a tea experience.

You host parties and events.

- Sure.

- So what do those look like?

- Well, we have different kinds.

You know, so you can rent our back space there.

We have a back room that you can rent for smaller parties, birthday parties, bridal showers, anything.

Birthday parties.

You can also rent out the entire shop.

So we've done that.

We close it down, of course it has to be on a Sunday, but we've hosted full showers where you can have 20 to 25 people in here and we'll serve tea, those types of things.

But we also do things like, we host book club in the fall, we do crochet club.

We have my friend Belinda that does her business through here with her Craft Cafe.

And we'll do painting and different resins, and crushed glass classes, and things like that in the afternoon tea.

So we have a lot of different events and activities, especially in the winter when people get bored.

You would never be bored here 'cause we always try to find something to do.

- That's the hard thing about filling a small space is that you could, you know, walk through places that we've been in those stores.

You walk through it once and you've seen everything.

You know what they're about.

We know what you're about, in that walkthrough, we just haven't seen a fraction of what you have here.

I mean dog treats and 3D printed dragons- - Yes!

- From local artists and local photographers.

You have Scott from the Northeastern Academy of Dance who we featured on the show, who does painting on your doors.

I mean, you know, that's a community coming together.

- It makes it very community driven and it also connects us as people.

And we do have a Meet the Artist event every year in the fall where we showcase a lot of the local artists.

But you'll see it in here on the walls.

We have Konnie Spenceley, who does beautiful artwork.

She's a photographer here in Oscoda area.

Like you said, Scott, he's got a lot of his artwork through here.

Drew is the one who does the 3D printing.

We have multiple artists.

We actually have an author also, Olga Tomaszewski, and she writes beautiful books.

And so we do try to showcase our local people so that way when tourists do come in, they can see what you know, we are about.

- Right, right.

Well I came to Bimble and Be expecting tea, but I left feeling like I'd wandered into the set of a black and white movie.

And now I'm seriously considering adding "professional tea drinker" to my resume.

Or maybe professional scone devourer.

Ah, that's a tough call.

(bright music fades) (logo whooshes) Now if you think Oscoda's beauty is all about the river, think again.

In 2024, Oscoda earned the designation as a Pure Michigan Trail Town.

And for good reason.

Surrounded by the Huron-Manistee National Forest, the area offers some of the most scenic hiking, biking, and wildlife viewing opportunities anywhere in Michigan.

From the dramatic views along the Highbanks Trail to the winding Corsair Trail System, to wildlife watching at Tuttle Marsh, there are miles upon miles of opportunities to explore.

And the best part?

No traffic jams.

Unless you count a family of deer crossing the trail.

Now trails don't earn special recognition by accident.

So to find out what makes Oscoda's trail system stand out from the crowd, I met up with someone who knows these woods pretty darn well.

Andrew Kenyon of the Huron-Manistee National Forest.

So how big is, well gimme the basic stats.

- Yeah, so basic stats.

The entire Huron-Manistee National Forest is just a shade under a million acres.

So we're in the, you know, 990-some thousand acres.

And then this area over here, the Huron side of the forest, we're roughly half of that.

So roughly 1/4 million acres.

- That's an amazing management.

So managing something of that size, how many of you are out here?

- We have a staff in the recreation program, about seven people and then across the district then we have biologists and foresters and ecologists, and administrative staff and things like that.

And so we're sitting right around 20 to 25 permanent, you know, full-time employees.

- So let's talk about the jewel of trails here.

It's the Highbanks Trail, which has just gotten Oscoda named as a Pure Michigan Trail Town.

Huge feather in the cap of Oscoda.

But what's the stats on that trail?

- Yeah, so that trail, it's roughly, you know, 7 miles.

West to east, it would start at Iargo Springs, which is a popular destination that a lot of folks enjoy.

And then it ends closer to Cook Dam and there's a Highbanks Trailhead at that location as well.

And you know, the great thing about the Highbanks Trail is that not only do you get those views of the Au Sable River that everybody loves, but it's just a, there isn't a lot of topography and a lot of elevation change.

So it makes it a great place for families to go.

You know, people that maybe just want a short hike, your avid long distance hikers, there's something there for everybody.

And so it connects several of our scenic overlooks and recreation sites along the River Road National Scenic Byway.

And it just, yeah, there's just a lot of opportunities for longer hikes or just shorter, you know, segmented day trips as well.

- Yeah, I'm really excited to get out on the Wildcat Trail today.

You know, to do some riding.

It's a seven mile loop?

Is that what that is set up as?

- Roughly, so if you do... So the whole trail system in general is roughly 14 miles.

And so there are a couple loops adjacent to our location right now.

Or you know, there's the long, it's kinda a long out and back that that you can do.

So there's, there's some different options there depending on, you know, people's time or skill level, or you know, whatever they wanna take on.

- Anything in the park, you know, the forest service that, you know, we're missing out on from the general public?

Is there some place you think we need to get to?

I'm talking about we being all the people out there.

- For sure, yeah, I mean I think one thing is just, you know, River Road.

River Road National Scenic Byway, I mean it has everything.

It starts in downtown Oscoda, it ends west of town out on M65.

It's got, you know, river access, it's got scenic overlooks.

We have a visitor center, the Wildcat Mountain Bike Trail, obviously we're here today.

Iargo Springs is a huge destination.

So there's something for everybody.

I recommend, yeah, any visitors or anybody that hasn't been to Northeast Michigan or the Oscoda area specifically, it's definitely worth the trip and I feel like you need to come and check it out.

- Yeah, I mean we were talking before the cameras rolled, just about how much that we've featured in this area over the years and I think that's really exciting to get into another level of this, and let mountain bikers know that there is a trail out here.

Especially for beginning and intermediate riders.

You know, you don't have to be a pro to get on this stuff.

- Certainly, yeah.

I mean oftentimes when we're out here doing trail work or other maintenance activities, things like that, but we're seeing like families, you know, children out here riding and then we're seeing everything.

Yeah, everything from those beginner cyclists on up to the avid, you know, avid mountain bikers.

And everybody raves about the quality of the trail.

- Yeah, excellent, excellent.

Well I wanna get out there.

We've got a little break in the rain.

Let's hit it!

Then Danny Gallagher and I hit the Wildcat for a few miles of off-road riding.

Well, between the river views, towering forests, and miles of trails to explore, it's easy to see why people keep coming back to Oscoda.

Just be warned what starts off as "let's go for a quick walk," has a funny way of turning into "one more trail can't hurt."

You know, some places try real hard to entertain you, but Oscoda doesn't have to.

It's simply puts you in a canoe, points you up a trail, feeds you great food, and lets nature do the rest.

And honestly, that's exactly what makes this place so special and keeps so many of us coming back.

'Cause remember, as Tom always says, "you're supposed to go-da Oscoda."

- Now if you're coming up here to enjoy the awesome Au Sable River, you're gonna need some supply.

You're gonna need some Mr.

Douglas, I guarantee!

(chuckles) One more?

Now wait, but wait a little bit.

Just wait and come up and then just wait a second and go... (upbeat music) Point right at really close, okay, great.

(upbeat music) - Well, after all that exercise, fresh air, and outdoor adventure, there's only one thing left to do.

- (posh British accent) I say, do you have a spot of tea?

- (laughs) Oh, yeah.

(upbeat music) (door hinges creaking) - [Kelly] Oh, you're back!

- He was wonderful.

- Was he?

- Oh, was such a wonderful relax- (upbeat music) - How's that wind?

That's a bad wind.

(upbeat music) (group laughing) (upbeat music continues) (crowd cheering) (upbeat music continues) (water splashing) (upbeat music fades) - [Announcer] The Stahls Motors and Music Experience features a collection of automated music machines, neon signs, gas pumps, and 150 years of automotive history.

More info at stahlsauto.com.

(upbeat rock music) (upbeat rock music fades) (bright piano music)