A Yooper's Summer on Isle Royale

by Dan Kemp

They checked the weather reports, and everything looked clear. Everything had to be clear before the boys could traverse dangerous Lake Superior. Confident in their decision, Digger and Wayne take to the water in a fourteen-foot rowboat, and following a harrowing adventure across deep, blue waters, they make it to the incomparable Isle Royale, off Michigan’s Upper Peninsula. Residents of the UP, known as Yoopers, these boys are ready for trouble, and trouble finds them right away when National Park Ranger Robert Davies, whom the boys call “Dudley,” after Dudley Dooright, decides to keep a close watch. Even so, the ranger’s careful observations can’t stop the boys from bootlegging, getting cozy with local gals, and helping travelers in need. By the end of the summer, these best pals have broken every rule in the book, and forced Dudley to write a few new ones. Digger and Wayne will never be the same, but neither will the little island that feels just like paradise.

138 pages, Kindle Edition

First published April 24, 2013

Reviews

[Eric · Rating 3 out of 5]

The description of the harrowing trip over to the island and the memories it evoked from my many visits there were the best part of this book for me. In the recklessness of youth I, too, survived some things that could have gone either way. However, this guy deliberately courted disaster on multiple occasions and some of his tricks were just plain mean spirited. He must have had a good side that wasn't as interesting to show in the book, or he would not have lasted the entire summer.

[Joe Holman · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a fun book to read. Maybe only a Yooper can fully appreciate the humor as this Yooper really enjoyed it. There is a lot of good Isle Royale history and geography embedded in the book and it definitely adds to the quality of the yarns Dan spins.

[Teri]

meh.....

[Nick Goffard · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a great read. Dan sure knows how to keep you laughing, all while wanting to see what happens next.

[Stavroula Kyriakopoulos · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good short stories of a college kids summer working on the island

[Heidi · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was so funny. Highly recommend it for some laughs.

[Donna Kaysserian · Rating 4 out of 5]

Light reading. A funny book.