While in Marquette last week they posted several videos of themselves exploring the city, including one at Marquette Harbor Lighthouse where Jase can be heard saying “It’s like the real-life North Pole!”

Their Facebook page describes them as “two Brits experiencing America one state at a time,” and they have been doing just that. Michigan is only the latest stop on a multi-part adventure which has taken them to Louisiana, Texas, New Mexico, West Virginia and more. Their content is focused largely on poking fun at the differences between American and British culture.

After a reported eight months of saving money, planning and sorting legalities with the embassy, Josh and Jase landed in Michigan on Jan. 10.

The duo first visited South Haven, followed by Saugatuck, Holland, Grand Rapids, Boyne Mountain and Petsokey before reaching the U.P. The stops they make in each place — to sights, eateries and more — are chosen based on recommendations by their followers.

Greg "Ponzie" Pond of Munising, center, poses with internet stars Joshua Cauldwell-Clarke, left, and Jason Riley, right. The visitors from England have been touring Michigan, and Pond got to meet them at a Northern Michigan University hockey game on Saturday. (Courtesy photo)

Stops in Marquette included the Delft Bistro for a meal and Walmart to gear up.

The pair has met and interacted with many of their fans along the way.

While in Grand Rapids, they met a group of women who were fans, got to chatting, and learned they worked with Mel Trotter Ministries, which provides shelter and assistance to people experiencing homelessness. After Josh and Jase visited the mission, were humbled by the efforts and shared information about the nonprofit, Mel Trotter collected about $37,000 of donations within one day.

“All the money that has been raised, I can’t even tell you what that’s going to do for our guests,” Mel Trotter Ministries shared afterwards, thanking the young men.

Most of the pair’s travels are more lighthearted. They comedically marvel at that which Michiganders hold dear but which are foreign to Josh and Jase — the weather, the scale of the Great Lakes, the monumental Mackinac Bridge, and various slices of Americana.

From "Josh & Jase" on Facebook. This British duo has been exploring Michigan for the last two week.

“They’re not lakes, they’re inland oceans with fake ID,” Jase declared about the Great Lakes in a video before leaving the U.K., after having seen some clips that Michiganders shared. “The people that live around the lakes — they’re a different breed. You live next to freshwater seas, have to deal with weather that they personally manufacture, and just talk about it like it’s normal. …I think people that live around (the lakes) are underplaying how hardcore it actually is.”

They’ve learned — and shared — more about the region since experiencing it up close.

Josh and Jase post video content to several different social media platforms, including Youtube, Facebook, Instagram and Tiktok. They have millions of followers across their accounts, and get hundreds of thousands of views on each video.

It hasn’t all been fun and games, though. A few days into the Michigan trip, Josh landed in the hospital with severe pain in his back — possibly from sledding or shoveling. He experienced American healthcare, strong pain medicine and the associated side effects. The men assured fans that they had travel insurance, though, and did not need any financial assistance.

After a few days of recovery, the beloved pair decided to continue onwards into the U.P.

Driving across the grates of the Mackinac Bridge on Wednesday, Jase quipped, “Why is the bridge see-through? Did they run out of tarmac?”

During the past five days, the young men have been mingling with Yoopers.

After Marquette, another U.P. stop for the Englishmen was to attend a Michigan Technological University vs. Northern Michigan University hockey game on Saturday.

They also tried to see Pictured Rocks — unsuccessfully. Snowdrifts kept them from seeing the cliffs.

On Sunday, Josh and Jase ventured farther north and posted about their incredulity at the Keweenaw Snow Thermometer.

It’s uncertain where the Brits will wind up next, but lots of people are throwing suggestions their way.

Josh and Jase shared in a video that they had some difficulty obtaining visas for this trip, and that the first application was denied. After hiring a lawyer and making further attempts, the cost of getting approved to come to the USA for this particular journey was around $60,000 USD, they said.

– – –

Annie Lippert from the Mining Journal in Marquette and R. R. Branstrom from the Daily Press in Escanaba contributed to this report.