(steady intro music) - [Tom] On this cinematic edition of UTR, it's "Steve the RV II - The Movie," where we wander into Woodland Shores, cook campfire cuisine, look, Jim has made fire, and find a hidden book nook.

We'll even soar into an Eagle's Hideaway and conquer some Klavon's pizza.

So pop your popcorn and settle into your seat because you're about to find out why exploring in a recreational vehicle is an Oscar-winning adventure.

(gentle upbeat music) - [Promoter] 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.

- [Promoter 2] Brought to you by Frankenmuth, a Great Lakes Bay region community.

Visit gogreat.com for more info.

- I've been around the world, but there's one place I keep coming back to.

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

I'm Tom Dalton and this is "Under The Radar Michigan."

(upbeat music) - In a world where Michigan needs to be explored, we bring you "Steve the RV II - The Movie."

Starring Jim Edelman, driver and chef extraordinaire.

Tom Dalton, the man who knew too little.

And playing the part of our mystery cameraman, the Cannon C100 Mark 2.

Oh, and of course, our star and parkable protagonist, Steve The RV.

Now, if you remember from UTR episode 803, the original Steve The RV took us on a Michigan adventure of epic proportions.

We stopped at Seashell City, and said it right, crossed the might Mackinac Bridge, wow, paused for provisions at Gustafson's, smoked fish that is, had a burger at Clyde's in Manistique, yes please, slept at Historic Fayette State Park, look history, and had a great meal at Bergs Landing in Menomenni.

Heck, we even drove down through Wisconsin, don't tell anybody, had a bad dream at Lambo Field, how do I get this thing off?

And sailed back to Michigan on the historic SS Badger, ahoy matie.

Well, now a new and improved Steve The RV, along with the UTR crew, are back to show you more reasons why seeing the world in an RV is downright righteous.

So strap in, commission your cupholder, and hang on tight for adventure 'cause this RV movie is about to get movin'.

Well First things first, we had to pick up our new and improved Steve The RV from Terrytown RV Parts & Service in Grand Rapids.

Oh, and FYI, they have an amazing car museum there called Grand Rapids Classics.

It's open to the public and will absolutely blow your motorized mind.

It's totally worth checking out.

Anyway, it was time to prep for our RV adventure.

Where's the ejector seat button for when Jim says something extra silly?

- I think that's behind the screen there.

- Ah.

- So down here we have the gray water holding tank and the black holding tank and the slide valves that drain those two tanks.

On the left side view... - Well, after all was said, explained and done.

Oh, and after I ignored almost everything Matt said about the different colored waters, we were ready for yet another UTR RV adventure.

Now, this is where I have to say that recreational vehicles are one of the best ways to have fun with friends and family.

Whether you rent it or buy it, RVs come in all shapes and sizes and they're a great way to get up close and personal with a plethora of people, places, and things we have here in Michigan.

So hop on board 'cause here we go.

Now, since Jim was planning to prepare a comprehensive campfire feast for us that first night, our first order of business was to stop and shop for some savory sustainables, and a shopping Jim did go.

Yep, Jim returned with enough stuff to quell all of our carnivorous cravings.

Oh, and enough treats and snacks to supply a month of Superbowl sundaes.

Yep, we were loaded for bear.

Gee, I hope that's not what Jim's cooking tonight.

Well, since we picked up Steve in the afternoon and the day was getting away from us, our next order of business was to find a suitable yet sensational place to bed down Steve for the night.

And in no time at all, we pulled into wonderful Woodland Shores RV Resort in Mears.

And speaking of Mears, Woodland Shores is mere moments away from Silver Lake, one of the best places on the planet to stay and play in the sand.

Whether you wanna hike, ride or go with a guide, you can totally pick how you wanna do these magnificent dunes.

We were there a few seasons back and had as much fun as I got sand in my shoes.

And trust me, I got a lot of sand in my shoes.

Anyway, back to settling in with Steve.

It was time to check in at Woodland Shores, so we found out all about this awesome resort with Christine Bailey.

First I have to say, Christine, is what's it like running a place that where you have multiple generations, where you've got, you know, somebody's grandfather or great-grandfather may have brought their family here that many years ago.

That must be cool.

- It is.

It's special.

It is something special.

You get to meet families and you get to meet, you know, multiple members of the family and it's a big community.

- Yeah, it's funny 'cause when we first pulled in here today, this place is so iconic up North Michigan.

Just the drive in alone sold me on the place.

It's so beautiful, it's so green, it's like a little neighborhood back in here.

And you've got how many sites?

- It is.

A little bit over 350.

- It's like a small city.

(chuckles) - It is.

- It's beautiful.

But yeah, everything here from the sites you've got and you have now explain, you've got regular sites and you have camping as well?

- Mm-hmm.

We have nightly camping.

They can come in, stay up to 14 days, so we do allow that.

We have weekend campers, we do have three night minimal on the weekends.

So, but we have quite a bit of options.

They can do the cabins, we have RVs for them to rent, so lots of different options.

- Yes.

The cabins are really cute.

I thought that that's a nice option if you don't have an RV or a tent or you just wanted something a little nicer.

Yeah, the cabins are very cool.

- They are, yeah.

- But what really sold me when we got here was when you took us down to the beach.

- [Christine] Yeah.

- [Tom] To have a beach like that.

I mean, how many resorts like this have beaches like that right on Lake Michigan?

- [Christine] None.

(chuckles) - I mean, yeah, you've gotta be the only one.

And it's just, - Yeah.

- It's a beautiful pristine beach.

To the north, you can see the sand dunes.

I mean, people must, their jaws must drop when they come here and see that.

- They do.

That is definitely a highlight of this park.

Especially sunsets.

- [Tom] Oh, yeah.

Oh, that's right.

The face is best and bonus.

- Yes.

Yes.

- Well, aside from having one of the most beautiful beaches I've seen in Michigan, you guys are so close to Silver Lake as well.

I mean, and that's gotta be a big draw.

- It is.

It's nice 'cause if people wanna come up and if they're here for the sand dunes, we're only three miles away.

So it's easy to get there.

It's just one road.

So we have that, but we also have Pentwater that's only five miles north.

- We featured Pentwater on the show and I love that town.

- It's beautiful.

- Love that town.

It's a great little resort town.

- Mm-hmm.

- Actually, anytime of year, it's a great town to go to.

- It is.

- But we even featured the local grocery store here, your Hansen's Market.

- Yep.

- 'Cause you've got the sausage king there.

- Oh yeah.

- I made sausage with him.

I mean, yeah, there's so many little hidden treasures in this area that people don't know about.

- There is, - And that's another thing I love about RVing is you sort of park yourself in an area for like a week or so and then you become kinda like a quasi local.

- [Christine] Yeah.

- And you explore the area, and I don't know, and then you end up moving there.

That's probably what's gonna happen but... - A lot of the time, yeah.

(chuckles) - Yep.

- Yep.

Quite a few people.

So they'll end up moving up here.

- And I should mention, you guys are only... You are open from when to when?

- May 1st through November 1st.

- Oh that's still, that's a good, that's a pretty big season.

- It is.

You get best of both.

You get the summer and the fall, so.

- Well, I'd like to talk more, but right about now, Jim's got to start making us a gourmet campfire feast, so.

- That sounds fun.

- Yeah.

He's actually a pretty good cook.

- Is he?

- Well, with Steve's perfect place procured, we set up our stuff and commenced to relaxing.

And as I sat there deep in thought, well as deep as I can go, I couldn't help but wonder if Jim had the right stuff to prepare a magnificent meal under the stars.

It was just then that chef ordinaire, Chez Jim, emerged from Steve looking determined and dare I say possessed.

Not only did he have the right stuff, he brought all the right stuff to conjure up some pretty creative concoctions.

And in the blink of an eye, Jim prepared copious amounts of caramelized campfire cuisine fit for, well, us.

He chopped mixed and conjured up fantastic fixings that only a true campfire connoisseur could create.

Not only did Jim bring it, he cooked it, served it up and we savored every bite.

Yep.

This is living large.

Nice job, Chez Jim, whatever that means.

Oh, and you'll never guess who drew the short straw when it came to cleaning up the large amount of mess we made.

That's right.

Me.

Well, with our first evening and meal under our belts, which of course we had to loosen, it was time to rejuvenate.

So we set a good night and drifted off to dream about our next day's adventures.

Here come the meat sweats.

Goodnight, Jim.

- [Jim] Goodnight, Tom.

- [Jim & Tom] Goodnight, Steve.

- [Steve] Goodnight fellas.

- The next morning we took off for parts unknown, as far as you know, and it wasn't long before I started to suffer from a classic case of highway hypnosis.

That's right, sometimes when you've got a long stretch of road in front of you, you can experience a bit of boredom.

And nothing fixes a mind full of motorized monotony better than a good book.

So, we said woe to Steve and pulled into Grayling.

Now if you've never been to Grayling before, this is a classic Michigan town you need to hang around.

There's great history, unique little shops and some awesome eateries here.

And just so you know, they've even got some of the world's best barbecue at Ray's BBQ Brews & Blues right behind the historic Old AuSable Fly Shop.

Kind of a surf and turf twofer for you.

But I digress.

I was looking for a good book, and for that I went to Hidden Nook Book Sellers right in town.

This place is magical and I'm sure would be Harry Potter approved.

It's a cozy little cove chock full of printed adventures for you to peruse.

Rae Gosling is the pleasant proprietor who personifies the passion so many of us have for a comfy chair and a good book.

So we're riding along in the RV, and I got really bored.

So I Googled, you know, the Weber net, the connect... - Yeah.

- The tubes in the sky.

- I love the inter webs.

- Well yeah, I googled, I said really cool, awesome, mystical, magical bookstore.

- Ooh.

- And your place came up.

♪ Right here.

- And it is.

This is one of the most magical awesome little bookstores I've ever been in before.

- I'm really glad you came here 'cause I also think it is magical and awesome.

- There's a whole world here to explore and discover.

- There's actually a lot of them, a whole bunch of worlds here to explore and discover.

- Exactly.

Whose idea was it to build the desk, the front counter here?

The books?

- Oh, that was all me.

- Explain how that happened because that looks like something out of Harry Potter.

- So we were like looking at furniture and how to like prepare for the bookstore and like, and talked about wanting to have like a statement piece or like an element that really kind of stood out.

- [Tom] I was gonna ask you how many books are in there, but you probably don't even know.

- I actually do know.

- How many books?

- There are 461 books in there.

- In the front.

That counter that you mean.

- Mm-hmm.

- Well, another magical thing about this little bookstore is the little dioramas that are in all... Tell me about all of those.

- The little book nooks.

I love them so much.

(chuckles) They are super cute.

So we are Hidden Nook, and we thought that it would be really cute to have little book nooks that kind of hide in our books.

And I was just gonna make 'em up and stash 'em in a few places and everyone loves them.

And then we finally were able to find a distributor that we could have them now.

And so they're one of our most popular items are the book nooks so people can build them themselves.

- So you guys have even games here?

- We do.

We have board games and books.

That's like, that's our life.

It like our personal lives.

We've been doing that all the time.

So among the books here, you'll also find some really great board games.

We try to stock some stuff that you wouldn't find like at your average big box store, some smaller independent producers and some interesting games.

We've got a whole table set up back there if you wanna try one out.

- Are there any books you specialize in specifically?

- We do not.

We like to keep it nice and broad here so that when someone walks through our door, they're gonna find something that they wanna read.

It is really important for us to be accessible to our whole community.

So even if it's not something that I'm gonna dig, there's bound to be someone out there who is going to dig it.

And I want everyone to know that they can come in here and find something cool.

I really love history and nonfiction, like that's my jam.

My husband loves, loves, loves fantasy.

So we do lean a little heavy into fantasy, but we have something for everyone in here.

Every age, every reader.

- Well, anyway, I'm gonna shop for a book.

- Sure.

- So, and then I'm gonna leave it a whole bunch because your store rocks.

- Thanks.

Try to have a good time here, so.

- Like, I can't.

(Rae chuckles) What a wonderful and welcoming place this little bookstore is?

And talk about travel, between all these covers are thousands of characters, stories and places all around the world for you to explore.

It's the whole human experience right at your eyeballs and fingertips.

Hidden Nook Book Sellers turned out to be a great place where you can discover yourself, the world and the awesome little town of Grayling.

So with my hidden nook book bag ripe with readables, we boarded Steve and set sail, as it were, to experience yet another pure Michigan place.

Only this time I had lots of good books to block my boredom.

And as I put words in my head, wow, this guy's brilliant.

Jim headed south on 127 for... Well, you'll see, right after the snazzy official UTR transition.

That afternoon, we pulled into Mount Pleasant.

A city alive with tons of energy from Central Michigan University, an incredible and inclusive art community, tons of great restaurants and shops to share, and a rich and vibrant Native American culture.

Mount Pleasant also happens to be the home of Soaring Eagle, a world-class casino and entertainment complex, offering more fun than the weight of the sun.

And to show their love and appreciation for RVers far and wide, they opened Soaring Eagle Hideaway RV Park.

And since we needed a nice place to park and explore more, we pulled in and I sat down with Pam Murphy.

I have one word for you.

Wow.

When we first pull down Airport Road, I'm thinking, "Well there's an airport.

What possibly could be down this road that would be worth any..." Oh my gosh.

And then you pull in, the drive-in is beautiful, and then you come upon this lake, you could be somewhere in the upper peninsula on this lake.

- [Pam] Yes.

Yes.

- You drive by the clubhouse, and at first glance it looks like a clubhouse, and then you drive around the side.

And tell me about, Alden B. Dow designed this building?

- [Pam] Yes, he did.

- [Tom] Describe the inside for me.

- [Pam] Well we have, when you first walk in, you have the registration and a camp store.

And we also have a game room, got pool table, foosball, basketball, you can borrow cornhole games.

- [Tom] But the architecture in there is absolutely astounding, 'cause I'm a huge Alden B. Dow, Frank Lloyd Wright fan.

And for people to be able to come here see a historic home like that.

- Yep.

- I mean, you park your RV, you walk over, and thinking you're gonna go into a little clubhouse.

- [Pam] Yep.

And it's nothing but windows.

- [Tom] Oh yeah, and you go into this beautiful piece of architecture where you can sit and read.

- Yep.

- You can just relax.

There's a deck on the back overlooking this beautiful lake.

- [Pam] Yeah.

We have tables out there.

You can have your coffee in the morning and do nothing but view the water and sunrise, so.

- And, apparently, you can fish in this lake as well?

- Yes.

We have bluegill, we have bass, pike.

Occasionally, you may catch walleye in the late fall season, but the biggest pike we caught out of there, it has been 36 inches so far, so.

- That's a fish.

that's a bigger fish than I'd ever wanted to try.

- It's a big one, yeah.

- And you've got, how many units do you have here?

- We have 67 lots.

- And you also have a brand new property called The Hills?

- Yep, we just took over The Hill Campground, which is located on the Saginaw Chippewa Indian Tribe that has 44 lots and five tent sites.

- But to have this in such close proximity to the casino... (chuckles) - Yeah.

Yep.

- Is that's pretty special.

- Yeah.

We're a mile from the casino.

We have a shuttle service that runs to the casino 24 hours.

- Oh, thanks, like I need that.

(both laughing) - Yeah.

24 Hours.

We run out canoes and kayaks so people can actually enjoy the lake and...

But you know, we have people that stay here, you know, all season long so.

- [Tom] Well, so you're open year round?

- [Pam] No, we're not opening year round.

We do close at the end of October.

- Gotcha.

- Yep.

And we open April 1st, so - I also love the fact that you guys go out of your way to tie yourselves into the a Native American heritage here.

- Well, we have our clan symbols and all the signs around, like the fire pit, the walking trails.

We use it when we speak to the guest.

Aaniin.

Hello.

Miigwetch.

Thank you.

Boozhoo.

Hello.

I've been working for the tribe for going on 17 years now.

And they treat you... We're a family.

We're a family, you know?

It's hard to pass that up.

You don't see that everywhere so.

- Well, with Steve getting sleepy, we slid into our selected slot and settled in for a sensational night of fun and games.

I think Jim must have brought every board game known to man.

He even let me win a couple times, bonus.

And with all dice thrown and every card laid down, it was time for us to do the same.

So once again, we bid sweet dreams to each other, and our flying machine, Steve.

Goodnight, Jim.

- Goodnight Tom.

- [Tom & Jim] Goodnight, Steve.

- Steve?

You think he went to the casino?

Well, it was day three and we were back on the road.

And to be honest, all this awesome RVing gave me a powerful appetite.

And as we all know, pizza is the perfect road food.

It's great for when you wanna get out, stretch your appetite and eat in, and great to take out for when you've still got some miles to log.

So with a powerful preference for this most popular pie, we made our way to Mason to quell our cravings at Klavon's.

Now this place is big, bold, and as they like to say at Klavon's, "We know pizza."

So to figure out what style and how high I wanna pile my pizza boxes, I got to know Justin Klavon.

As I'm sure you know, Americans have a love affair with pizza.

I have a love affair with pizza, but your love affair...

I mean, I love your story.

You started when you were a kid, right?

- Yes.

Yep.

I was 16 years old when I got a job at Trackside Pizza in Grass Lake.

And that's, you know, potentially changed my life forever.

- Oh, yeah, obviously, look what you have now.

You have two locations, correct?

- Two locations, yep, yep.

Here at Mason and Jackson.

- What I love about this place is it's modern new world, but you can still get handcrafted artisan old world style pizza in this amazing atmosphere.

- Absolutely, we have four different styles of pizza.

It's fun for us to experiment new styles, it offers great options for the guest, for people that do want a Neapolitan light pizza, you know, not a heavy pizza.

- Yes, please.

- That's we do.

Or you know, we're actually started with the Chicago style stuffed pizza when we first opened Klavon's, that's what we were known for.

And then we just kind of piggybacked off and worked with other styles, and it helps us perfect our craft within all of the styles.

You learn one new one, it helps you maybe tweak something on another one, so.

- Well, speaking of, when you said the right word craft, I mean it really is a craft, an artisan craft to make really good pizza.

And I know if you're a wine expert, you're a sommelier.

If you're a coffee expert, you're a barista.

But if you can work that oven, that amazing oven behind me, what do they call pizzaiolo?

- Yeah, you're a true pizzaiolo.

- Pizzaiolo.

- Yes.

They call you in Italy, you know, true pizza maker.

- Right.

- Yep.

- Because, I mean, that oven was a showpiece, and that came from Naples, correct?

- Oh, yeah.

This oven came from Naples and made by Stefano Ferrara, 90 seconds it cooks 900 degrees.

And the Neapolitan, I went, and worked with some pizzaiolo from Italy over in San Francisco, Los Angeles, and I just really wanted to understand it.

And that it's a really cool to kind of, to learn the craft of how it started.

And so I went through the training, so I'm certified through the Association of True Pizza Napoletana, the restaurant's not certified because we have all their styles and it's confusing.

- But you are, sir.

- But I am, so these are, this is actually a true Neapolitan margarita, marinara, and we have some other flavors that we brought on, but it's, I mean, it is really, if you go to Naples, this is the pizza you're gonna get.

- Obviously, you've been doing this for years now, and you're still a young guy.

That's the amazing thing because you started so young.

- Right.

- What's the most rewarding thing for you?

- Pizza, you know, makes people happy.

And that's what I even enjoyed about when I worked at Trackside Pizza and delivering to all these people.

They were always happy to see me and it was great.

So the accomplishments, seeing people young like Andrea, you know, be with me and so loyal, you know, coming up through the ranks and seeing them develop into adults and what they become is really something special.

And that's, to me very rewarding.

- Well, we should probably try all four styles, right, Matt?

He said right, in the fish tank.

Last but not least, I gotta bring up the fish tank.

That's what a show piece to come in here and be able to sit by that.

The kids must love it.

And I'm assuming that's where I go to get the anchovies for my pizza, correct?

- Absolutely, yeah, that's where your fish come from.

(both laughing) - Well, you can only talk about pizza so long before your inner Italian starts ordering with or without you.

So I got almost every kind of pizza they plated.

And to say my palate was pleased is a huge understatement.

Turns out Klavon's really does know pizza, and now you know Klavon's.

So after enjoying a slice or seven inside, I ordered up some road rations to take with.

And with that, I stepped back into Steve, and we were on our way to our next eyeable, audible or eatable adventure.

Yep, as the one and only Willie Nelson would say "Were on the road again.

Goin' places we've never been.

Seein' things that we may never see again."

And to be honest, we were having so much fun RVing with Steve, we may never even return him.

- [Steve] What?

- [Tom] I'm just kidding.

- [Steve] Whew.

That was close.

- [Tom] Who's hungry?

(bright music) - [Promoter] A visit to the Stalls 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.

- [Promoter 2] Brought to you by Frankenmuth, a Great Lakes Bay region community.

Visit gogreat.com for more info.

(upbeat music) (light music)