Molson Bike Tour

Salute, String Music, Serenity & Thirsty Spurgess'

2012-02-06T20:16:00.000-05:00

Yes, Super Bowl weekend had a little of everything; and yes, we all were a little pooped today at work; however, to trade that much fun for a little tiredness in the cubicle-world, I'd do it again in a heartbeat.

The events started late Friday as '84 graduate and Sons of Liberty member Buddy D. was inducted into the Milford Hall of Fame. There to salute him was what seemed like about a quarter of the '84 graduating class with a sprinkle of '85-ers (the greatest class) mixed in to keep the party lively. Keith had the line of the night when he said "How can a football team that won one game have three guys in the hall?" I was scratching my head on that one also; however, Buddy was also one of the better wrestlers in the state. Kudos to you Buddy!

After the Friday toasting activities, it was out to Hartland on Saturday to see the most dangerous band in SE Michigan. I would call them the Leechbombs but I think they might be evolving into a new name or splitting into two bands (stirring the gossip line today). Who knows as this band is continuously looking for ways to improve. In for a tryout Saturday was Gordie M. Gordie could cut a mean Alice Cooper's "Be My Lover" back in his Milford Lanes/Norton's Landing lounge singing days. The band actually sounded pretty well as Keith's son James brought an element that had been lacking, a drummer. A real drummer. The evolution of my harmonica playing is coming along VERY slowly; however, you can get quite a head rush while trying to play the Romantics.

For about the last ten or so years, Super Bowl Sunday morning has been a time for ice fishing. Yeah, not going to happen this year. I tried to rally the troops to head to the Huron River for a float but could not find any takers. I wasn't going to let a beautiful day go to waste so off to the water I went! I didn't catch or let alone see a fish but no regrets. A utopic float it was.

The weekend was complete of course with the Super Bowl itself. Jeff and Shauna S. put on a great gathering with some good eats. I almost was awake for the entire game this year but come fourth quarter, it was not to be as my bedroom television woke me up at 2 AM. So close. The wagering (not for money, of course - ha) was not good to me as the teams just couldn't get to my square numbers and the poker gods were not with me. I guess I can lay claim to the Foosball and ping pong championships.

Flashing back to Friday afternoon, I had a feeling that the weekend was going to be a good one right from the start. I was fortunate enough to get out of work a bit early and had some time to kill before heading up to the high school. With that, I went to the Comeback Inn for a beverage. Before I walk in, I text Al and Jim, advising that if they are in the area to stop on up. I walk in the door, there is Al and Jim. Crazy.

Trail Head

LOSER!!!!!

Doke doing his Levon tribute

pride of South Hill Rd.

Back To The Plunge

2012-01-29T09:41:00.002-05:00

With no football to be watched yesterday, what better time to head over the border for the something-annual Polar Bear Plunge in Kingsville on Lake Erie. Yes, I did mention last year that I might make an attempt this year, but......no. Maybe next year I'll don the American flag as a cape and fly into the water but it just wasn't in the cards this year. Plunger Shannon of Team Red (Pink?) Hat advised that the waiting was the hardest part and the plunge was actually bearable. Mind over matter, and a little bit of whiskey. If I ever do make the plunge, the speedo will not be in my wardrobe. Some serious shrinkage I would think and the world doesn't need to see the boys that way (ha).

Unfortunately, with this wacky weather we have experienced recently, the ice on Lake Erie wasn't strong enough to hold anyone so the plunger viewing was only along the shoreline. Safety first. I feel for the guy who had to police the area that was off limits because you get a few soda pops in a Canadian, they aren't going to listen much. There were no casualties I am happy to report.

Trail Head

lot of "woo" girls in the house

as the song says, "the waiting is the hardest part"

guy to the left needs the "man-zier"

The Many Faces of Me

2012-01-15T09:12:00.003-05:00

Have you ever "googled" yourself? You know that there are too many people in this wacky life we live to not have someone with the same name.

So with that, I apparently used to be a drummer in a little known 70's group, sing rap-gospel music locally, have an album with Patsy Cline, am a renowned side car racer, CEO of a Pennsylvania company, professor, agricultural geek, adventure sports leader, politician, and firefighter. Not a bad legacy for Team Tim.

And of course there is one more to add to the list and that is this homebody, mountain bike enthusiast, born in the D and happy as a clam fellow.

Trail Head

Letter Jacket Fashion Show

2011-12-26T16:37:00.001-05:00

It wouldn't be the holidays without the letter jacket fashion show. Also known as the "big man in a little coat" show. Rock on Redskin posse!

Trail Head

Dear Santa, thanks for letting me mountain bike today; and also the fishing net!

2011-12-26T16:31:00.001-05:00

Hickory Glen - 12/26

Dear Santa,

It appears you have been reading my letters as you finally gave a good talking to at that bit...(ha) Mother Nature and gave us a "throw back the calendar" day today that allowed me to dust off the mountain bike for a cruise. Finally some payback for that June evening on Skegemog with 40 mph winds while jigging for bass in the Red Rocket! And lastly, the fishing net will come in handy next year on the Badwater bass circuit. Until next year, all the best Santa.

Trail Head

2011 MHS Alumni Hoop Game - oh, the pain!!!

2011-12-18T19:51:00.000-05:00

Does anybody out there know a good chiropractor? My mind was ready for the challenge my 44 year old body was going to endure today at the annual alumni scrimmage versus the varsity team; however, my body had other ideas. I had visions of swatting shots away left and right while driving the lane with a look away pass for two. It was a nice dream. You would think a running clock for five minutes (my group played a total of four sets) would go pretty fast but that initial lung grab was not pretty. I can feel the discs in my back slowly churning as I type this (ha).

The Dream Team of Phil (class of '76), Dan (class of '80), Rick (class of '83) and myself (class of '85) were given honors to play first today. Kind of like when Arnold Palmer and Sam Snead tee off first at Augusta. A little respect for the elders and don't swat their shots into the stands too much. We gave the youngsters all that they could handle but in the end, their ability to chuck better than us, and obviously getting up and down the court were more than we could handle. I am happy to report I poured in four with one air ball to my stat sheet. My mind had me skying for rebounds; however, the film will unfortunately show no vertical. A fun time it was though. It will be worth it for having to walk like Fred Sanford for a couple of days.

Trail Head

Dream Team

had this pose quite a bit

Chip X-mas Party - 4 Yamamoto lures, 3 fifths of Beam, 2 pints of Jack, and a blow up doll in silk underwear...

2011-12-12T12:09:00.002-05:00

Friends gathered Saturday evening at the Gus residence for laughs, beverages, eats, more beverages, gifts, more laughs, more beverages, and yes, more laughs. And yes, we were being responsible as most of us stayed local or had a DD. With that, bring on the jello shots! Thumbs up to Katie for that staple at the annual gathering. With the booze and lure theme that seems to have taken over the dude side of the gift exchange (never any complaints on either), there wasn't any shortage of Beam or pink Yamamoto lures in the house. There was a partial re-gift by yours truly as Jim D. received the blow up doll that Al gave me a few years back. I was cleaning my house a couple weeks ago and that thing was crammed in a closet (no, I did not use the doll!). I'm not really sure who gave the doll to Al but it makes for some good giggles.

The weekend wasn't over for Doke and I after the Saturday celebration was complete. There was one more Lion game in our ticket package so slowly, the train got moving on Sunday morning towards Ford Field. After the Lions got up 21-0 in the first quarter, I was ready to sit back in my seat and enjoy an ass whooping. But, no!!! Our all-world defensive line wasn't looking so all-world. The Vikings should have won that one but we'll take the W. There definitely wasn't a shortage of Viking fans in the house as I saw a skinny Favre, a fat Favre, a female Favre, and a baby Favre. A passionate fan base they are.

A happy holiday to all.

Trail Head

hey, we aren't a curse after all!

2011-11-20T18:57:00.000-05:00

Well, it wasn't pretty but as has been the case this season, the Lions came back in the second half and put the lid on the victory. That is good for the won-loss column but bad for my peak age limit. The tailgate area was at a secret location just north of the RenCen. No neighbors to the left and no neighbors to the right; crazy. Forward down the field!

Trail Head

sweet spiral - look close

most buzz - how did she get in?

Way Back Machine - damn I'm lucky to stumble upon these friends

2011-11-06T18:24:00.002-05:00

I thanked my parents a couple weeks back for moving to our house off of Hickory Ridge Rd. before my 5th grade year. I can't imagine what my life would have been like had I been a Lakeland Eagle as I lived in that district for a bit. I have had many-o-nights waking up in a cold sweat on that visual and it's never pretty. I would probably have some Flock of Seagull haircut while driving a Fiero with white Miami Vice pants. I told you it wasn't pretty. But thankfully, things turned out for the best. With that, I give you the way back machine's tribute to my friends.

Trail Head

1998? (OSU-Toledo)

rare Joe M. sighting

Mark is saying Hi

my mullet years (late 80's)

Al and the mayor of Ontonagon

pump specialist making a sale

band practicing where Doke's living room now resides

working the Filobi

Maybe we are a curse?

2011-10-23T18:47:00.002-05:00

The "D" was embraced this afternoon but unfortunately the Lions decided to stink the joint up. Again, no, this lack of offensive production is not the product of Doke and Tim occupying a place in Ford Field. Oh well. Win or lose, there is nothing more fun than hanging with friends and laughing about silly things.

Trail Head

Views from the first loss - no, I am not a curse

2011-10-16T19:25:00.000-05:00

We saw it all today, a thousand runners blocking the way to my rock star free parking spot, the tents in the "Occupy Detroit" demonstration at Grand Circus Park (what exactly are they protesting?), the unofficial Detroit Lion cheerleaders, the ever-so-popular coffee/bagel/doughnut race, the number three floating in the air, and even a Devin Scillian sighting. What we didn't witness unfortunately was a $40 million dollar quarterback earning his paycheck.

Yes, thank you to all the marathon runners this morning for blocking off more or less every street I was trying to go down. As for you marathoners that were walking, cheaters!!!! I'm sorry, that is just my bitterness coming out for having to sit on Jefferson Avenue at Rivard for 10 minutes. All was well in the end, however, with a little help from the People Mover.

For the protesters, good luck to you for whatever you are fighting. I don't think I'm cut out for the protest scene as the many sports this weekend would have me sneaking away from the sit in looking for a television. "I'll be right back everyone."

To the Ford family, enough already on the stance of no cheerleaders. These ladies have earned the right to work the sidelines. For Pete's sake, we could have used some cheering today after seeing that sad display of offense. Let them cheer! Let them cheer!......

As far as our $40 million dollar quarterback, I think the previous Monday Night Football buzz finally wore off. It was ugly but maybe the thing we needed after getting pat on the back by anyone and everyone last week.

Trail Head

"Occupy Detroit" demonstration

yep, that's the number three in the air

yep, that's Devin S.

big victory for the doughnut

thankfully, no need for this today

Northern Utopia

2011-10-09T17:29:00.000-05:00

Well, I guess I picked a good time to dust off my motorcycle this year. It seemed everybody was dusting off their motorcycles as M-22 north out of Manistee was the place to be. I had so much fun riding the route on Friday, I did it again on Saturday after meeting up with Chuck and Tom. So many colors, so many motorcycles, and so many tourists hanging out in Frankfort. We had to work hard to find a cold beverage there but our perseverance paid off at the third establishment we hit.

Ludington was an ideal home base for the festivities. John and Linda O. were gracious enough to let me steal an empty bed Friday night and Saturday's lodging was at the Chuck/Mark C. establishment downtown. Working those connections! I am a low maintenance traveler and supply some hi jinks to the occasion so it's a win-win for all parties I think. Yes, I just used the phrase "hi jinks." What the heck does "hi jinks" mean? But I digress. The Ludington scene mixed in with some great color rides under blue skies, the four day weekend couldn't have been any better.

Trail Head

bridge over Pere Marquette River near Baldwin

Orchard Beach State Park

M-22

farm just north of Ludington

Way Back Machine - High School Dances

2011-10-03T20:21:00.000-05:00

wow, those three are short

In the spirit of the homecoming dances recently in the area, I thought it would be an ideal time to take a trip in the way back machine to the 1980's and my high school dance history.

The early days, my sophomore year, Jim and I double dated with lovely freshmen Diane and Michelle. As you can see in the picture to the right, they were in no danger of being taken advantage of by us two. Take advantage? I had to work myself up in a lather just to get the urge to give a goodbye kiss (I was able to complete the task, thank you). I look like I'm posing for a mug shot as opposed to holding my date's hand. We were rookies in the whole dance/date scene. Heck, we were at the corsage shop an hour before leaving for the dance and no, we hadn't pre-ordered. The ladies at the shop whipped something together for us so all was not lost. Needless to say, there wasn't much Casanova in my dealings with the ladies in high school.

Fast forward another year to my homecoming and prom date, Kelly. She was destined to be a very successful doctor in her professional life (she is); however, she soon learned after high school that it was more fun to play for the other team. Not that there is anything wrong with it. And no, I did not sway her that way (that I know of). I was looking real tough in that lavender sport coat though. Give me a band conductor's baton and call me Lawrence Welk! And a one-a, and a two-a.....

To wrap up the high school dance career, Desiree and I took to the prom in '85. That was right about the time that mullets were in and I had the beginnings of a tough one going. I'm not sure where Desiree is today but if you're reading, your dad's jokes were pretty sad. He needed some new material but I recall doing my best fake laugh in order to flee his household in an efficient manner.

All in all, I think doing the whole dress up thing was okay; no jumping up and down about it. I would rather have gone to the dances in my Adidas t-shirt and a pair of blue jeans but seeing the ladies get all primped up is worth the price of admission I guess so I'd call it a wash in favor of the ladies.
Trail Head

1984

1985

Floating with Friends

2011-09-18T15:23:00.001-05:00

The 5th annual congregation of former Chippewas I guess can be considered a success. Friends gathered, fish were caught, beverages were consumed, stories were told, and most importantly, nobody fell in the river. The sun was out but that was some chilly water.

We thought we were being wise this year and signed up for a shorter float time as we tend to lollygag down the river. With that, we went with the two and a half hour float. How the canoe livery estimates time I don't know because when it was all said and done, their estimate of two and a half hours became six hours of fun for us. Now THAT is some good lollygagging. The weather was ideal, we more or less had the river to ourselves, and the fish were hitting so we kicked it into extreme low gear for the float and fished the many honey holes the river has to offer.

Al would probably get the "Angler of the Day" award as he caught quite a load of fish, including a legal green one. I caught enough to feed my thirst.

There was a surprise appearance Friday night at The Bird Bar. While waiting for Mike to arrive, in walks the pride of Sparta, Michigan, Jim D. Unfortunately, Jim couldn't make the float on Saturday but was able to get free from being a Dad for a night and toast a few beverages with some friends.

The Mount Pleasant experience never disappoints and this weekend was no exception. I have noticed, however, that we don't seem to blend in with the student body like we used to as Father Time has given us some gray accents. We could be the Dads for these kids and that is kind of funny.

Ooh-wah-Chip-ooh-wah
Trail Head

Chippewa River - 9/17

on the board for Tim

Tittabawassee River - 9/16

Tittabawassee River - 9/16 (quite a current, eh?)

Badwater Bass Club - Awards Banquet

2011-09-05T09:43:00.000-05:00

The inaugural Badwater Bass Club season came to a conclusion Sunday as friends gathered to tell their "one that got away" stories once more; this time in the presence of family (great to see everyone). Greg V. took home the granddaddy trophy of them all, the coveted Angler of the Year. Spurge took the Boat Captain of the Year prize while Raj and I pulled up the rear with the trophies you get for making the effort but coming up short, REAL short. As Ricky Bobby says, "if you ain't first, you're last." We were literally last. I'm sorry I didn't have a speech ready (my mouth and brain don't work so well together anyway so it was meant to be). I'd have to believe Raj's award will be admired by one his co-workers tomorrow at the office, one of which owns the same last name that resides on said award.

Again, kudos to the founding fathers of the club for putting it all together and listening to the people for future improvements to the club. Here's looking forward to a successful 2012 season. I will get on the board in '12! I hope.
Fish on.
Trail Head

the club (not pictured: Jim M. and Dave M.)

Angler of the Year

The Mitchell Award

Boat Captain of the Year

Pontiac and Thompson Lake awards for AC

Beauty is in the eye of the beholder, and beer helps

2011-09-01T17:11:00.000-05:00

South Manitou Island - lighthouse view

Nancy, her son Jaime, and myself visited the most beautiful place in America this past Sunday and Monday, the Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore. Good Morning America said it was the most beautiful place, so it must be true, eh? The most beautiful place though? I'll put it in the really cool category, is that okay? People love a good list and a good debate so this campaign by GMA served its purpose I guess. I've seen the dunes area by foot, by two wheels, and by four wheels and have nothing but good things to say. More than just a large sand hill, the area is right in the heart of M-22 which is a great motorcycle route and the hiking/floating/camping options are plentiful.

The main mission of our short stay was to see South Manitou Island. Home base was the Platte River Campground. The rangers there ran a tight ship on the rules and with that, the campground was outstanding. Quiet and clean. Monday morning we headed to Leland and took the ferry over to the island. The place gets a thumbs up for the south end hiking trail over to the 500+ year old cedar trees and a cool viewing of a shipwreck (Wreck of the Morazan - 1960 - all passengers survived, looked it up). There are a handful of buildings, including a school, remaining from the last residents that remained until around the 1950's (a little history in your reading today). The lighthouse, while more or less an ornament these days, offered up a sweet view of the entire dune area from the lookout tower.

So, looping back to the original question, is this the most beautiful place in America? I think people who have taken their motorcycles down the Pacific Coast Highway or stood out on a mountain top on any of the various ranges out there or even someone with a simple trailer on 10 acres in Lovells, Michigan might say otherwise. It's all perspective.

Trail Head

South Manitou Island

Pyramid Point

South Manitou Island - lighthouse view

Wreck of the Morazan - 1960

South Manitou Island

Leland - getting fancy with my camera

bird poop covered lighthouse

500+ year old cedar tree - South Manitou Island

old cedar tree - South Manitou Island

Drinking the Kool-Aid, eating the cornbread...and loving it

2011-08-27T14:10:00.004-05:00

Chicago - Soldier Field

Yes, it's that time of the year again. It's time to drink the Kool-Aid and eat the cornbread as our Detroit Lions are once again embarking on a Super Bowl season. They look so good in Allen Park says the local press so each year, we eat it all up and enjoy it. Even the year of the 0-16 season, there was optimism leading up to the season; serious optimism. Ten minutes into the first game that year, the optimism was down 21-0. One day, we all say. Friends and I have toured the Midwest for the past decade in search of the answer to seeing a good football team.
It started at Soldier Field in Chicago as Joey Harrington stunk up the joint. Great fans and no a-holes at the tailgating scene. And it was Chicago for Pete's sake!

We went to Cleveland and put up with some of the most vicious fans I have ever encountered. They take the word "passion" to another level. Al and Doke got a minor Budweiser shower at their seats. Both the Browns and Lions blew that year, we won the game, so the chant out of the stadium was "we suck less!" It was all fun at the tailgating scene until the music stopped from the car. Mr. Battery said bye-bye. All was well though when a good Samaritan next to the car gave us a jump.

Doing a 180 from that scene, the posse moved on to the Lambeau Field scene in Green Bay another year and toasted a few soda pops to probably the best fan base ever. Cheeseheads rule! That was one of the Jon Kitna years as I recall. Needless to say, we lost that one.

On to Cincinnati it was sometime after; yep, we lost that one too. Cincinnati gets high marks for the nightlife on the hills of the river valley. Tailgating at a quarry was quite a crazy scene as well.

Most recently, the tour went to the home of the chicken wing against a team, the Bills, just as bad as we were and...yes, we lost. I was overserved that weekend as it was my birthday and I was getting my game on. My game was off on the drive home as I had to request a "pull over" and get something off my chest, and out my mouth. Good times. Why do we do it though? Why do we keep rooting for this team? Heck, we even went to Canton, Ohio to see Barry Sanders get inducted into the Hall of Fame.

This year, the Lions' tour is staying local as we purchased a four game package at Ford Field. Rooting for the Lions is an addiction I guess and I'm not actively looking for a cure. They gave me the Kool-Aid early on in life as Billy Sims, Gary Danielson, Bubba Baker, and Freddie Scott flirted just enough with being good to think that better times were ahead. Barry kicked it up a notch but couldn't do it all. I feel for those poor kids whose first experiences of watching pro football was the Millen era. Imagine what they must think about pro football. All bad and that is no good.

We'll be in section 227, row 7 if anybody wants to say hello.

Go Lions, cornbread is free.

Trail Head

Chicago - Soldier Field

Cleveland

Cleveland - all well until the music stopped

Cleveland

Green Bay

Cincinnati

Cincinnati - tailgating at the quarry

Buffalo

Pro Football Hall of Fame - Doke and Al with Wayne Fontes

Pro Football Hall of Fame - Billy Sims

Pro Football Hall of Fame

Pot of Gold in Hartland

2011-08-14T13:33:00.001-05:00

Nice rainbow visual last night in the Hartland area.

Final Session - Badwater Bass Club - Lake St. Helen

2011-08-07T18:23:00.003-05:00

The scene was St. Helen, Michigan, this weekend as the fight for the Badwater Bass Club's AOY (Angler of the Year) award came down to seven hours Saturday morning on Lake St. Helen. When it was all said and done, the efforts of a guest fisherman, Tommy, had an impact on the final tally. The leech-master had to go artificial on the lure front but adapted quite well to the tune of eight pounds and took top stringer. The session was a major so those double points might have done some serious shakeup to the standings for those striving for the prestigious AOY award. But it was not to be as it appears leader Greg V. is the inaugural Angler of the Year recipient. Congratulations to the vocal ensemble dude.

Yours truly had a solid chance to get on the board this week, but.....(ready yourself for a fish story). There is about an hour or so left in the session and tug goes my line. This was not a weed and was definitely not another 13-inch Dunham Laker. Up to the boat the fish came; it was large and in charge. Does Tim have the patience to wait for the net? Unfortunately, not. The fish did a Fosbury Flop up in the air off the line, a bounce on the interior edge of the boat, and back into the water it went. Oh so close.

Post fishing activities involved plenty of hanging while consuming some delicious beef jerky from the smoker. The cottages, right on the lake, had a nice 1970's feel to them with plenty of fake wood paneling. The guest speaker for the evening was counselor Champ. A fine gathering, and season, it was. Thanks to commissioners Al, Doke, and Slick for putting together the club. It got some old friends to gather and best of all, we were fishing.

Trail Head

3-plus pounder - biggest fish

big fish $ presentation

biggest stringer $ presentation

Badwater sponsors: AMS Oil & Rudy's BBQ

feast

Maybury Recreation Area - The Ambiguously Gay Trio?

2011-08-04T21:43:00.002-05:00

Come on guys, enough with the matching outfits, eh?

That aside, a nice evening it was at Maybury tonight. I got passed a record 22 times but I have accepted the fact I am not a young idiot mountain biker riding down the Porcupine Mountain ski runs anymore (see way back machine pictures below). It was quite a thrill chugging down that hill back in 1994(5?) until a large rock caught my front fork. No broken bones but a nice bit of skin hanging from the chin area. Off E., Rob, and I went to the hospital in Ontonagon for some sewing work on my chin. I was their only patient I recall and they had to call the doctor from his home; presumably interrupting his barbecue that was happening. E. and Rob went off for supplies, I got sewn up, and all was well. The story gets better though. Here I am with a front fork on my bicycle bent real bad. We venture into Marquette, head to the Quick Stop Bike Shop (I didn't even have to google that, they were great). I presented my bent fork and a story. They proceeded to drop everything, set me up with a new fork and off we went.

Maybury Rec

But I digress. Tonight was a nice lead into the final weekend of the Badwater Bass Club tournament. The tour heads to Lake St. Helen near Roscommon tomorrow with a fierce battle for angler of the year. Al C. is only a few points behind the ACappella (spelling?) guy. I'm pulling for the Seadog myself. Stay tuned for the final results Sunday evening.

Trail Head

bent forks - hanging chin skin - good times

U.P. - 199-something (E.and Rob)

Session VI - Badwater Bass Club - Thompson Lake (aka "The Thompson Tumble")

2011-07-19T20:27:00.003-05:00

The Bass Club was off to Howell this past Sunday under outstanding weather conditions. The humidity is quite refreshing at 5:30 in the morning at the boat launch. When it was all said and done, I was witness to the pride of Burwood Lane, Al C., as he narrowly beat out Doke and Gus for biggest stringer and walloped the field for biggest fish (slight exaggeration, nice fish but only 2 lbs). I had a first as Al and I maxed out on fish production. Sound the trumpets! We even had to throw one back late in the game because the pink wacky worm had brought in another. No skunks for anyone out there and that makes for a great day on the water.

Said writer was so close to getting a point this week but it was not to be. I think we should get a side pool going as to when Raj and I will get our first points for the season. With only two sessions left, I think the bets would probably be a "yeah" or "nay" on getting ANY point, eh?. As Raj would say, "we have to keep hitting them over the head." That is fishing 101 right there. Let the wagers begin!

Fish on.
Trail Head

Crazy Chester Captain Al C.

Heading East

2011-07-17T19:59:00.002-05:00

gorge near Ithaca, NY

Two former Redskins jumped in a rental car and took to the east this past week in search of, well, I'm not exactly sure what we searching for but whatever it was, it was all good.

Our trip started in the finger lake region of New York at the Robert H. Treman State Park in Ithaca. The Treman family must have did something in the area is there is also the Allen H. Treman State Marine Park right down the road. With a mix of gorges, waterfalls, and the hilly region where Cornell University resides, the whole viewing experience was outstanding. We did the camping scene there and while the park is nice, it is a bit too kid friendly. With that, it isn't for those campers looking for a little peace and quiet. We had the pleasure of having our camp site next to the Brady Bunch. The parents took control once quiet hours kicked in so it wasn't that bad.

Lake Champlain

From New York, we ventured northeast through the southern portion of the Adirondacks, over to Middlebury, Vermont, and up to Grand Isle State Park on Lake Champlain. This park was one of the nicer ones I have ever been to. Well maintained, the rangers were very helpful, and of course, the views. A majority of the sites were isolated from one another and travel agent of the year Nancy reserved us an area right on the banks of this gargantuan lake. We took in a Greenfield Village-like place in Shelburne, Vermont along with a tour through Burlington; a cool little college town (University of Vermont).

From there, we fired up the rental car (put a few miles on the odometer) for the journey back west. We decided on a stop in Pittsburgh for a few nights as neither of us had been to the three river town and had heard some positive things about it from others. The town didn't disappoint. We took a ride up the Duquesne Incline (pictured below) which takes you up about 800 feet to a viewing area overlooking the rivers and downtown. Quite impressive. I got my sports fix as we took a tour of the Pirates' ball park. While I've only seen a handful of baseball stadiums to date, this one was the best I have ever seen. The skyline overlooks the outfield with the river between the buildings and the stadium. They did it up right in Pittsburgh. We concluded our journey on the trip with some good eats/beverages near the University of Pittsburgh.
Two thumbs up to the east.
Trail Head

Taughannock Falls - Ithaca, NY

Middlebury, VT

Shelburne, VT

Willie Stargell statue - Pittsburgh, PA

Session V - Badwater Bass Club - Pettibone Lake - Dirt Road Magic Continues

2011-07-04T18:44:00.001-05:00

Dirt Road Del and the junior dirts

I've run out of superlatives to use for the pride of Tipsico Lake Rd, the dirt road side. Yesterday morning, under incredibly optimal conditions on Pettibone Lake, brothers Dave and Jim again tore up the tour. This time in tandem on the Red Rocket (Jim's boat). It goes to show that the biggest and baddest boat is not always so when it's all said and done (not that there is anything wrong with Jim's boat; it's just a little more primitive). Get a big boat for show, catch a lot of fish for dough; I'll take the latter. Doke took big fish by a hair over yours truly. So close.

What can you say about Pettibone Lake? Well, there is the north side and the south side that run a couple hundred yards or so and that is about it. To accentuate the positives though, it is part of Highland Recreation Area, is surrounded by some gargantuan trees and has no water skiers/jet skis/speed boats. It has the vegetation to produce large bass but that vegetation (i.e. seaweed) can be a bugger sometimes; although there were a good number of fish caught so only a minor whimper there. We caught fish, had ideal weather, again, we we fishing so a great day it was. It's good to be, as Steve Miller says, living in the U.S.A. Happy Independence Day to all.
Trail Head

Session IV - Badwater Bass Club - Lake Orion (aka "The Oakland Challenge")

2011-06-26T18:48:00.000-05:00

Well, the summer of Jim M. was on a break this past weekend on the fishing tour as he had a prior commitment as guest speaker at the Gary Yamamoto wacky worm convention. Jim must have channeled his mojo into his brother Dave as he took the prize money for biggest fish and total poundage for the session with the help from boat captain Spurge putting him over the goods. Dirt Road Del would be proud as Jim, Dave, and Spurge all hail from the dirt road side of Tipsico Lake Rd. (the good side I hear). There must be something in the water there. With the victory, Dave climbed into 2nd place in the overall standings with Greg V. still leading.

Me, I'm still looking to get on the board. The fish are coming in the boat; they just aren't big enough. I think I'm going to move to bigger hooks because of course, the bigger the hook, the bigger the fish. Right? It has to work. I was under suspicion Friday for preventing Slick and Greg V. from catching fish. It wasn't intentional but damn I could have swore I knew the way to this honey hole on the far west side of the lake. I know it wasn't a mirage because I had been there multiple times. I just couldn't find the branch of the lake (many branches) that had it. In my defense, I did put my two fishing mates on a pretty productive area; but let the conspiracy talk begin! Look out July 3rd at Pettibone Lake!

Trail Head

No, this is not the Molson Fish Tour - I do ride a bike from time to time

2011-06-24T13:04:00.002-05:00

1st mile - Hanson Hills

The forecast called for rain this week so with that, I put aside plans for my motorcycle joy ride and threw the mountain bike in the truck and headed north. A little rain while pedaling is manageable; a little rain on the motorcycle sucks the big wanker. For all the rain that was in the area, I am happy to report that it stayed away from my vicinity for the four trails I hit; three of which were new to the tour. All things considered, the trails were in pretty good shape.

The first ride on the docket was Tuesday at Hanson Hills in Grayling. I read some positive reports on the trail and it did not disappoint. The hills were there but they weren't ridiculous like the ones I experienced the next day. A gold star to whomever created and maintains the trail. The evening ride was at the VASA Single Track in Traverse City. I have no idea what VASA stands for but the doctor couldn't have ordered up a better wind down ride than this one. It was roughly ten miles with little or no hills in a vast forest area. I sweated out the late lunch ~~beers~~ beverages in the first couple of miles and it was all utopia after that with my iPod helping me along. Love those flat trails. I'll let the hardcore riders tackle the hills. I'm not ready for the defibrillator just yet.

Wednesday's ride was back to Boyne Mountain; a trail that I wasn't too impressed with a few years back but was willing to give it a second chance. Well, fool me once.... The hills are just ridiculous. Just plain ridiculous. What were the idiots thinking when they designed this? "Hey, let's send the trail up these ridiculously large hills that no human can ever make it up on a bike, let alone on foot." The only positive I can take from the experience is once you get up there after the 15th or so climb, you get a nice view from atop the ski hills and a downhill cool down. The trail has so much potential but it needs some work. I doubt I'll be back to these parts anytime soon though.

The last day's ride was near the Thompsonville area at the Betsie River Pathway. As with the VASA trail, it wasn't too hilly and was quite scenic. While there weren't any wipe outs to report for the week, I did manage to chip my tooth on my handlebars while ducking under some fallen branches there. The chip is only minor and didn't impair my post ride beverage intake so no blood, no foul. While my fear on these northern rides is that a black bear will jump out at me, the only wildlife seen was one deer and a bunch of birds. A great soul cleansing week it was.

Trail Head

VASA Single Track

Session III - Badwater Bass Club - Lake Chemung (aka "The Brighton Brawl")

2011-06-18T10:36:00.002-05:00

We had a little of everything last night at the third session of the Badwater Bass Club at Lake Chemung in Brighton. We had hot air balloons, motorized parachutes, a new sponsor, and another bass club who had to make up for the fact that they all have small penises by gunning their four or five boats right up the gut of the lake at 8 pm (guess whose kayak was right in the gut of the lake at 8 pm?).

The monster fish was not to be found though as the biggest catch of the night was by Greg V. that came in a little over two pounds. The old saying "you never get skunked on Chemung" proved true as everybody caught something; just not enough "legals" to be chest bumping each other. But still, we were fishing and that is a good thing.

Trail Head

Al and Eric in the background being picture whores

Mother Cup 2011 - Munson Massacre

2011-06-12T17:30:00.002-05:00

Sometimes the fishing gods make you work a bit more for your take. This weekend at the Mother Cup on Lake Skegemog was one of those weekends. In place of blue skies and sun block of previous years, we had every layer on in the duffel bag and then some. It was just plain raw out there. Even the golf outing was a fight. The weather, however, didn't stop the 2010 boat captain of the year, Jim M., from a repeat performance. Jim's 35 total pounds for the tournament were second most since Tommy's 38 back in 2009. Better yet, he was on the defending champion Seadog team. I could tell a nice story of how it was a back and forth battle between the teams but the Dogs took a three pound lead after the first session and never looked back for the victory. Some laughed at Jim's floating/jigging technique early on but once Sunday morning rolled around, there we all were floating right alongside him. Jim's boat took three of the four sessions (of course, I was with him when he missed the fourth). With that, I think we can safely say his captain of the year label will carry over into 2011.

All the Jim domination aside, we can't forget to give a shout out to Tom H. for his big fish award (4+ pound pike) and the golf trio of Champ, Tom, and Tommy for taking the scramble in the rain.

As always, thanks go out to Judy and Dave for their hospitality. A great time it was.

Trail Head

Session II - Badwater Bass Club - Woodland Lake (aka "The Woodie")

2011-06-05T18:17:00.005-05:00

One week after catching what seemed like every fish being better than the first on Lake St. Clair, it was a battle for anything legal Friday night in the second session of the Badwater Bass Club tournament on Woodland Lake in Brighton. There were no excuses on the weather as blues skies were around us with a southerly breeze. After it was all said and done, the guy who put the "pella" into "A Cappella", Greg V., showed the others what it took to catch fish while surrounded by jet skies with a total take of a little over eight pounds. Spurge managed to take big fish for the outing with a nice pike just a bit over four pounds.

As mentioned, the jet skies and power boats that had no reason to be on such a narrow lake made for an interesting evening. While a productive fishing lake overall, the commissioners might consider making Woodland a Saturday or Sunday morning fish next year as our fishing boats appeared invisible to the screaming youngsters on the tubes/jet skies and the speed boat anchored right in front of our honey hole made the task a bit tougher. Overall, no complaints though as we were fishing!

Spurge also gets extra points for a fine post fish spread at the "Thirsty Spurgess" man cave within his mansion off of Old 23. Good coney dogs!

Trail Head

End of the world? Nice way to go out - Session I - Badwater Bass Club

2011-05-22T16:20:00.002-05:00

7 AM - Lake St. Clair

Word on the street was that the world was going to end yesterday evening. Well, if it did (it didn’t), Jim M. would have had a heck of a story to tell at the pearly gates. The pride of the dirt road side of Tipsico Lake Rd. made a mockery of the other fisherman and dominated the first session of the Badwater Bass Club tournament on Lake St. Clair Saturday morning. Working from the rear of Rob S’s Shake-n-Bake boat, he brought in five keepers for a total poundage of 14.05 (measurements converted to pounds) with the largest being 21 inches.

With it being catch and release right now in the bass season, we had to resort to measuring each catch, taking a digital picture of the measurement, and throwing them back. Thankfully, the measuring process is a one time deal for the tournament and the live wells will be in use at Woodland Lake on June 3rd. Bring on the fat bass!

winning fish

Boats-a-plenty there were on the lake as the fishing gods gave us clear skies and a light breeze. There were ten fisherman total for the session with Rob taking a break from Team Hawkeye to compete for the day. Everyone had their “one that got away” story, including yours truly with one I lollygagged around with too much and lost near the boat. I refrained from cussing as a father/child fish outing was nearby; but f###!!!. It is all good as long as you have more “one that you caught” stories than “got away” ones. Besides a minor boat mechanical error that was quickly fixed and a flat (destroyed) tire for

one of the trailers on the ride home, the opening day of the tournament matched all the hype and then some. An exciting fishing season it will be.

Trail Head

stat sheet says it all for Jim

certificate and prize $ presentation

No-Mo Kayak Fishing Tournament - No-Mo and No-Fish

2011-05-16T20:47:00.003-05:00

On a cloudy, yet calm morning, I took to Newburgh Lake in Livonia last Saturday in hopes of taking the gold at the 2nd annual (my first) No-Mo (no motor) tourney in my kayak. The rules are pretty simple, you are allowed to hit any public body of water in Monroe or Wayne County. It doesn't have to have a public launch; it just can't be Grandpa Frank's pond on the back 40 acres that only you can get to. You are allowed to claim (via your digital camera) one fish in each category; bass, teeth (walleye, pike), and wild card (perch, carp, catfish, etc...). Winner is by length, not by girth. No live bait is allowed. More or less, you are on the honor system. The entry fees went to charity and I don't believe anybody had the scam going. It was just a bunch of people who enjoy their kayaks and the fishing scene. First prize was a pretty cool kayak though and competition is, well, exciting!!

I believe my fellow fisherman (26 total boats) worked the Lake Erie/Detroit River area as it was a lesson learned for this rookie. While Newburgh Lake was calm for most of the morning, I think there was a reason I was the only individual out there. From a little after 6 AM to a little before noon, I worked the wacky worm (pink and green pumpkin), the beetle spin, the lipless shad, and even trolled for awhile with a rubber worm. It was all for naught as besides a few minnow nibblers, it was skunk-a-roon-ee for yours truly. They gave us these fancy rulers to use when we measure our catches but my ruler didn't even come out of the bag. Tough love there. I attached the results below and it appears I would have needed a career day regardless to take the big prizes. I have my work cut out for me but I will not be denied.

On to Lake St. Clair this upcoming Saturday for the Badwater Bass Club opener. It should be fun.

Trail Head

Milford Trail - First Blood

2011-05-13T13:14:00.001-05:00

The Molson Bike Tour has been the nature tour recently. Last week we had the duck combo and this week we had the doe in Milford that had to have wandered over from Kensington. I could have fed it hand to mouth this deer was so tame. With the deer, there were about 20 chipmunks, one of which bit it on a kamikaze run across the trail, 10 or so squirrels, a couple rabbits, and a partridge in a pear tree (ha, ha).

First blood was drawn Thursday as I shifted gears up a hill and my chain showed its age. It slipped and my shin kissed the pedals; not in a good way. Waaaaaa.....

Trail Head

Highland Recreation Area - Ambiguously Gay Duo - Part II

2011-05-05T22:20:00.001-05:00

A few years back, we witnessed the matching rider outfits; spandex no less. Unfortunately, there was a repeat performance tonight. Don't get me wrong, the bike tour has shirts/hoodies but they are more or less clothes to hang out in; not something we call each other to wear the same outfit for a ride. Somebody please take me out if you ever see the bike tour riding in matching spandex outfits. Again, not that there is anything wrong with it.

With my fellow riders engulfed in little league fever, I was left to look outside the box for action shots during the ride tonight. I didn't draw any blood so I guess the action shot of the night were these two ducks walking through the parking lot oblivious to everything around them.

Happy Mother's Day Mothers

Trail Head

Bucket List - Spring Football (glad I never had it on my list)

2011-05-01T15:27:00.002-05:00

Sparty in on the action

If someone asks you to go watch a spring football scrimmage, politely decline. I indulged in the scene Saturday afternoon in East Lansing. Watching was pretty cool for a bit; however, after checking out a few plays, seeing Sparty and the cheerleaders go at it, you realize you are watching two teams and don't care who wins. Needless to say, I didn't stay long and took a joy ride around campus, including a drive-by of the bunker I called home my last year there (pictured below). The place did the trick, barely, for six dudes back in the day. Mark had to flee his bedroom due to leaks, the carpet was bogue (not a word), and the only thing the washer/dryer accomplished was to push up the gas bill because they sure didn't clean/dry clothes. Character it had though.

A nice day for a ride down memory lane. I was just happy to dust off my cycle for a back road tour; although said back road has a four mile dirt road detour this year which put a minor damper on an otherwise great day.

Sparty on!

Trail Head

the bunker

Yes, the sun does eventually come out

2011-04-21T21:40:00.003-05:00

cool bird - no idea exact make and model

Hey, the sun was out today. Woo woo! The riding tour was in Brighton tonight. My fellow riders are on their little league baseball hiatus right now and that is a pretty darn good thing. As long as they are teaching their kids the "do as I say, not as I do" approach. We don't want to repeat history (ha, ha).

For those of you keeping score at home, the trails were great tonight. Not a leaf on one tree so you could see for miles on some hills. The post ride consisted of some form of bird (hawk?) hovering around the parking lot. One rider drove up from Toledo because there aren't many choices down there. Bummer. Also in the house was the van down by the river with most bumper stickers ever!

Happy Easter

Trail Head

van down by the river - most stickers ever

nice sunset over Bishop Lake but cold as hell five minutes later - waaa

Badwater Pledge Drive - Night Of A Thousand Gifts

2011-04-17T17:17:00.000-05:00

In celebration of the upcoming fishing season and for no other reason than to celebrate, the founding fathers of the Badwater Bass Club gathered with prospective members of the club for cards, beverages, fish talk, and a handful of raffles throughout the night for some lovely parting gifts. The cards were treating yours truly quite well early in the evening as the winnings paid for most of my club dues. Unfortunately, the focus on the cards wavered as the night wore on. The tequila was good though.

Kudos go out to club organizers Al, Doke, and Keith for keeping the boat afloat (no pun intended) while outsiders were questioning the structure of the fishing tournament and it's rules. A fine fishing year it's going to be.

Trail Head

sweet SWAG

big bucks

cooler/iPod player - gift of the night

Love thy neighbor?

2011-04-10T10:46:00.000-05:00

Love thy neighbor. That was written or said by someone who obviously lives on a 600 acre farm in Wyoming with the next house on the road being two miles down. Don't get me wrong, I have good neighbors; they keep their houses up and aren't members of a band so I have no complaints. I do get a chuckle; however, with viewing their intricacies (using fancy words today). I know, we all have our own little quirks. I have the "check for wallet" compulsion when on trips and many (many many) other oddities that my friends and family I'm sure scratch their head over sometimes.

The first picture here was taken a few days ago. Yes, it is April in the D and this family still has their Christmas lights up. I was thinking maybe they just liked the view of the lights each night but they haven't been turned on since early January. They are also king of the "garage door must be closed at all times" fad. You open it up for a walk to the mailbox, come back, door down. Great people though. If I could only remember their names as my Dale Carnegie class seems to have failed me. The "Hi Tim" greetings from them are returned with a "How you doing?" reply from yours truly. Maybe I'll catch a break and overhear them talking to other neighbors and pick up the name. I wouldn't revert to such sneaky tactics but it's way too late in the game for "What were your names again?"

The other picture here is a family looking to get a spot on the A&E show Hoarders. That is quite a lot of shi....stuff. Each year comes the subdivision garage sale and each year out comes the shi....stuff in hopes that this is the year that they can park one of their cars in the garage. Give the shi....stuff to charity you say? Not going to happen. The garage sale is usually sometime in May just in case you see something you like in the picture. Again though, great people.

"Love" thy neighbor though? I don't see me inviting them over for dinner and vice-versa I'm sure so I think I'll leave it at "admiring" thy neighbor.

Trail Head

Poser

2011-04-03T14:30:00.002-05:00

I missed this lay up, seriously

Way back in the day, D. Mitchell used to whine (Mitch whine? That is rare, huh?) that he was doing all the work on the field and on the court (you have to admit it, he was a good athlete) and I somehow got more pictures in the paper than him. I must say, twenty-something years later, it makes the lying that much easier. My long field goal (of course a school record) is up to 52 yards this year. R. Crouse, my promotion manager, and Mitchell (who probably has the school record in real life) hater, will confirm it. That real life eight point, 10 turnover game against Lakeland is now up to 30 points, no turnovers, and free throws with no time remaining to win it.

That payoff to the Milford Times and Spinal Column photographers was worth it I guess.

Trail Head

this was the worst charging call ever

outstanding block AC

Crouse/Munson/Schmitt best field goal team ever

Dave getting ready for a face wash - blocking?

don't recall posing on this one but what the eff????

Schimmel is on his tip toes, seriously

Can this be any more cheesy?

I guess it can be more cheesy

2011 Molson Bike Tour Riding Schedule

2011-03-27T10:33:00.002-05:00

Thawing has commenced, broken bones have healed, the little league schedule looks promising(hopefully...yeah, right), and it's time to ride. The 2011 riding schedule:

April 7   - rider's choice depending on conditions
April 14 - Island Lake
April 21 - Brighton
April 28 - Pontiac Lake
May 5   - Highland
May 12 - Milford
May 19 - Island Lake
May 26 - Brighton
June 2 - Pontiac Lake
June 9   - Highland
June 16 - Maybury
June 23 - Island Lake
June 30 - Brighton
July 7    - Lakeshore Park
July 14 - Highland
July 21 - Pontiac Lake (combo with Badwater Bass Fishing Club)
July 28 - Island Lake
August 4 - Brighton
August 11 - Pontiac Lake
August 18 - Highland
August 25 - Hickory Glen
September 1 - Island Lake
September 8 - Brighton
September 15 - Pontiac Lake
September 22 - Highland

September 29 - Milford
October 6 - banquet, location TBD

Trailhead meeting time is 6 pm. Times, dates, and locations are subject to change. Non-riders are, as always, welcome to join in for post ride hanging. Sunday morning riding (the Church of Tim) will again commence this year at various locations throughout the area.

Hope to see you all out there on the trails or in the parking lot.

Trail Head

Springasm

2011-03-20T16:15:00.000-05:00

Yes, I just made up that word. The somewhat sense of accomplishment of surviving another winter and knowing the warmer days are coming. We did it! In celebration of the occasion, I dipped the kayak in at Central Park in Milford Saturday. It was just me and the many, many birds. There is still some ice to the west of the park near the dam. I tried to get cocky and float up on the ice as it wasn't even a centimeter thick. I had visions of me tipping in so I wisely backed off the ice portion ever so slowly. No fish were to be had but that's okay.

Hello Spring!

Trail Head

sweet Fiero!!

These are the Leechbombs....and this is what they do

2011-02-27T20:19:00.000-05:00

The band that put the "Monkey" into "Monkey Man" was working their craft at Crouse Studios in Hartland Friday night. While guitarist Tom wasn't able to attend and Roger wouldn't comment on record on the absence of drummer Jim M. (good run Jimmy), he and Keith were doing their best Lennon and McCartney impressions to the song catalog for their upcoming studio recordings. I do recall hearing a few songs that actually had ends to them.

Keep on rocking Bombs.

Trail Head

storytelling in the roadie area

Way Back Machine - The Mio Years

2011-02-17T18:40:00.009-05:00

Mio, Michigan - sometime in the 1990's

The way back machine today takes us back to the late 80's and into the 90's to a small Amish town about two hours due north from the Saginaw area, Mio, Michigan. The place was home to Matt and Tim V's cabin purchase. How were these young lads able to get the funds for the purchase? Let's just say they played the game...and won. Which was awesome! A place for all to gather and gather we did.

It was pure warfare some weekends as your trip started with a mean bladder burst fight while waiting for the M-33 exit (Rob is a limited stop driver, which I can respect). There were some close calls there. After surviving that, on any given weekend you might get firecrackers thrown under your lawn chair, might get pushed out of said chair while having your "tennis anyone?" shirt ripped off your chest, an arrow might fly near the outhouse while you are in it, a whiskey bottle might slide off the roof and get your noggin, a man with a vat of oil might throw it all on a 10 foot high fire pit stacking and light it (that's a fire!!!), you might trip while trying to jump a lit fire pit, you might sleep in said fire pit (the pit was a meteor crater), you might almost light your entire tent on fire while having a gas lantern in said tent, you might go walking buck naked through a park, past a group of locals and into the water at Smith Lake (Mr. Natural!), you might be sleeping in the top bunk while the wood burning stove is peaking at 100+ degrees and decide that you will fix it by putting a block of ice into said stove which makes for a cold morning, you might be hurling in the back of a vending machine supply van while someone gives you the Heimlich, you might get beat playing euchre to two fellas wearing snowmobile helmets (lids down) the entire game, your vehicle might get stuck in the "suck hole," you might miss the softball tournament because you went for a joy ride into Fairview, a turkey might dive into your car grill, you might fall for the oldest trick in the book as a bowl of water is spilled upon you from above as you open the front door, you might get to hitchhike back to the cabin after boogeying (sp?) from an Au Sable canoe trip mid stream, and last (I honestly could list forever), but definitely not least, you might fall asleep in the presence of people drinking whiskey and have some serious furniture laid upon you.

No, the list you have just read is not all me. Are you kidding? Yes, a few of them are my own.

tough pool cue

What can you say about the cabin? As they might say on a Sunday, it was a blessing. The place had character and was pretty darn solid in terms of construction. Situated on about 10 (?) acres, the structure was probably 20 by 20 feet (30?) with two sets of bunks, a couch, sink (no running water), wood burning stove, outdoor crapper, and of course, the pool table. The quarter mile two track entering the place was always an exciting journey. Matt and Tim's property neighbors, while quite a group they were, rarely were up so you could get the Ozzie cranked up pretty loud without worry while gazing up at the many stars (love those northern Michigan skies). As noted above, the stove did not mess around warming the place in the winter. With that, you had quite a booger factory in the morning so you had something to do while at Town and Country Restaurant for breakfast.

But, oh the times that were had at the cabin. Those parties were something to behold. Just a great place to get silly. You always hear people say "looking back, you never knew you had it so good" but I think we all knew it was good.

Thanks for the lodging Matt and Tim.

Trail Head

unidentified person in the crapper

Super Bowl Fishing Sunday

2011-02-06T17:07:00.003-05:00

I've lost count on what the annual Super Bowl fish outing was this year but I guess it doesn't matter as it's all about the people anyway. Eric "von catchem" put on a clinic this year on how to work the tip-up production as he took two pike from the lake. Lee and Rich had the fish viewer stuffed with fish looking to get their picture on the big screen but none seemed too interested in grabbing the bate (typical Dunham fish....divas). My tip-up threw the flag (makeshift bandanna flag for me) up twice but unfortunately there were no fish at the end on both occurrences.

On the food/grill front, we had a mix of venison, bacon, and hot peppers along with some chicken wings. Good stuff. On the celebrity angle, we had a rare cameo from "dirt road" Del this year as that was a treat. An hour later, we witnessed his offspring as 3-3-Dave came walking across the lake. Rock on 777 Tipsico!

Happy Super Sunday!

Trail Head

Anyone for a swim?

2011-01-30T14:41:00.002-05:00

calm before the swim at Lake Erie

Me neither. I did get to witness a couple hundred others, though, who were up for it yesterday afternoon at the 11th annual Kingsville Polar Bear Dip. The event took place at Cedar Beach on Lake Erie, about a quarter mile from my old place in Canada. The event raises funds for the ChildCan and the Youth and Family Resource Network organizations.

I met up with my former neighbor Tom and Judy beforehand not knowing exactly what to expect as this was my first viewing of a winter swim. Tom and I got a great spot in seeing the spectacle go down. I came away from the experience ready to do the task next year and represent the States. Yes, I'm sure there will be some "significant shrinkage" after submersion of "the boys" but they'll eventually come back out of the shell, I hope. I whole event was a great time and got the locals off the couch to raise some funds for a cause and get some laughs while doing so.

The post event hanging was over at friends of Tom and Judy. Greg (who participated in the dip) and Shannon were great hosts. I did get a chuckle when they were all talking about a friend of theirs who was legend in being able to "drink like a fish." I came back with "Don't all Canadians drink like fishes?" Nobody seemed to disagree with me.

Swim on Canada!

Trail Head

as Seinfeld said, I think I see a....nipple

nothing but a thing for the elders

quickest to submerge...brrrr!!!

that LOOKS cold

true polar bear, this guy was in no hurry to get out

Way Back Machine - Saying Goodbye to Stadiums

2011-01-16T20:39:00.006-05:00

The way back machine today takes us back to the end of the 20th century and the beginning of the 21st. Saying goodbye to Tiger Stadium in 1999 and saying sayonara to the Lions from the Silverdome in 2001.

The Silverdome wasn't the prettiest stadium but it had character, I should says characters. There was nothing more exciting than seeing an entire section stand up; not because the Lions did something good, it was because of a fight. A few fights there were, eh? Sad, but true. It's just a game folks.

I remember seeing O.J. (now that's a character) run for 250+ yards in a Thanksgiving game with my Dad and Uncle Joe. I think the thing I most recall from that game is we had two tickets that sat in one place and one that sat in another. We spent pretty much the first half being seat whores. We eventually settled in and I got to see the Juice run wild; a start for things to come for him. A good time it was that day.

Being able to see Billy, Barry, or even the last loss that lead to the dreaded Millen regime. Emotions going all over the place on the latter game. We had the win, but....Paul Edinger destroyed it all.

I'd be remiss if I didn't thank D.Kehoe for the sweet seats at the Main Event Restaurant/Bar for a few games there. There is nothing like feasting on a breakfast buffet that is 20 feet away from your seats along the glass. I was the Dos Equis guy for a bit ("Stay thirsty my friends!"). Lion announcer "Brandy" could sure put a dent in that breakfast bar.

The final year the Lions were at the Silverdome, I bought three tickets for the September 16th game; an early season game. That way, if they sucked, you really didn't know it yet. Well, 9/11 happened and my game was moved to the last one of the year. It just kind of fell into place. Al, Doke, and I were going to see the Lions' last visit to Pontiac. Yes, it was confirmed that they sucked that year; however, the home team took the victory that final game.

We can't forget that the Pistons and Panthers also used the "dome" for a time there. The Pistons had some excitement and the tickets were inexpensive; however, I hated the blue curtain. Just didn't have the basketball feel. The Panthers? Loved the Panthers. I think they were only there for two years and probably only averaged around 40,000 fans but those 40,000 got pretty loud. E, Jim, Joe, and Rob even had season tickets the year after they took the USFL Championship. I good time was had by all in that foursome. I wonder what John Corker is doing these days? He was one bad mother effer at defensive end.

What can you say about Tiger Stadium? Each time you went there and walked out from the concourse and see that field for the first time, there was nothing like it. I remember my Dad talking to the fellas outside the stadium working the shopping carts (they literally had their own shopping cart) for tickets so we could see The Bird.

There was the time when I was living in Wixom in the early 90's. I get a call from Tim V. at about 10 one night. He and some buddies went to a game; came out and Tim's Jimmy (Blazer?) was, as Ernie Harwell used to say, "lonnnnnggggggg gonnnnnne!!!!!" I drove down and met them at Nemo's next to the park. I was expecting to see four somber souls when I arrived; but no, a grin was upon them all. I think they realized after few minutes (and a few sodas) that there was nothing they could do about it and to make the best of the night. A fun night it was.

Al, Doke and I got a final view in the last month of the '99 season. We took in every angle throughout the park. The ushers were being pretty cool and letting people wander throughout the game. I only wish that my old school film camera had a little better focus on those outfield shots. A great send off it was nonetheless.

Trail Head

hijinks in the open concourse area

Doke and Al toast the stadium one last time

the "porch"

Way Back Machine - 1976 Astros - Hi-White Baseball - Junior League

2011-01-09T16:30:00.003-05:00

I got a picture scanner for x-mas and with that, we get to go in the "way back machine" on this site now (isn't that exciting?). Today's adventure takes us back to 1976 as a bunch of third graders took it to the diamond in their first year of non-tee baseball. The Astros; a motley crew we were. We paid our dues that year and went to the Hi-White Junior League final game in '77, but lost. What do I remember from those years? I recall getting beaned by a curly blonde-haired pitcher playing for the hated Tiger team (you know who you are Tim V.). I recall getting a few inside the park homers; which meant you hit it out of the infield. You can only hide those right fielders for so long. The Astros had a tough catcher-pitcher battery consisting of myself and B. DeMerrell. I think I maybe threw out one runner stealing in two years behind the plate. I'll blame it on S. Furman and B. Cox for not making the tag. All was forgiven, though, at the Dairy Been victory celebration each Thursday night. Good slurpies. What a thrill it was back then on finally "getting" baseball while adding to your baseball card collection each week (got it, got it, got it, don't got it, got it). The Topps' baseball card gum was the worst ever; yet it was the best ever.

I am going on memory on who is who in this picture. I do know one dude in the picture lost his life a few years back and another got struck by lightning playing baseball about a year or so after this picture was taken. It's just too bad technology can't take us back in the "way back machine." Going back to bicentennial 1976 would be an exciting journey.

Trail Head

Top Row: Mr. Forester and Mr. Ewer

Middle Row: S. Furman, T. Reeves, unknown, Phil something, Brian something, S. Murphy, B. DeMerrell, Randy something,

Front Row: L. Dick, D. Ewer, Todd something, F. Baker, B. Cox, unknown, T. Forester

Holla, Holla, Holla-days

2011-01-02T11:50:00.004-05:00

Another jolly holiday season it was. I went from cross country skiing in a foot of snow during the Christmas weekend to jogging in shorts and a t-shirt the following. Wacky.

Manistee and Bear Lake was the location for Christmas as I got to hang with the Nielsen family. While they might not be the tallest in terms of physical stature (banged my head more than once on the low ceiling fixtures), the Nielsen's hover above others in terms of togetherness. Love that game time. I dominated in Apples to Apples but got my rear kicked in Kings Corners and Rummy. Nothing beats trash talking your elders in the holiday season after a victory (you, you, you, you, you!!!!!).

Nancy and I got in some cross country skiing at the Big M within the Manistee National Forest. I bit it three times with one being a serious lung grabber. The trails were in great condition and we had the place to ourselves so even with the lack of oxygen after my fall, all was good.

New Year's Eve was a great time at the Gus household. You've heard of the Real Housewives of Orange County and Real Housewives of New Jersey on television; we had the Real Housewives of Oakland County Friday night. The energy these ladies possess is second to none. They all made for a very happy New Year's Eve celebration.

The finale to the season was the official unveiling of Al's man cave yesterday for poker, pool, and watching the Big Ten get their asses kicked in the bowl games. Kudos to Gus and Lee for the work they did on the basement. Very impressive, as were the chicken wings that Al prepared. Greg was the big winner in the final, grandaddy Hold 'Em game as Rick came close but had to settle for the second place prize money. My apologies to Jim for the shove out the door wall. For some reason, I was thinking (maybe not thinking) you would slide right out there. I'll grant you one slug at my melon as needed.

Happy New Year

Trail Head

Redskin gear didn't bring me luck in cards

winner, winner, chicken dinner

Jolly Christmas at Dunham

2010-12-19T14:55:00.000-05:00

Not a frown was found last night at the Schmitt household. Maybe it was the spirit of the season, maybe it was the egg nog (bogue). Regardless, getting to see the "big man in a little coat" fashion show is worth the price of admission.

Ho, ho, ho.

Trail Head

Christmas in Dexter

2010-12-12T18:49:00.000-05:00

A merry time is was last night at the twenty-something annual CMU Christmas party. The Diskin's were the hosts this year at their country home in Dexter. A sweet setting they have. Kudos to Mary for the Christmas spirit throughout the house; that is a whole lot of Santas (sorry Brian, I know she did it all). The usual cast of characters were in attendance and a great cast they are. I managed to get first spill of the night within the first hour. Thank you. The gift exchange had a minor hiccup this year as Mike got left with his own gift. All was not lost though as others did a little trading and everybody was happy. Being happy; that is what it's all about.

Happy holidays to all the Chippewas out there.

Trail Head

hat brothers

best present of the night

Rob singing "Hail to the Victors"

nice smile Doke

Mike getting his own present

Band Practice - A Plethora of Songs in One

2010-12-05T18:04:00.001-05:00

Last night I got to witness the band that put the song "Mitchell sucks at fishing" on the map, The Leechbombs. I might have to classify them as the hardest working band in America as they were going at it from about three in the afternoon until past my bedtime. Work hard they did in trying to create actual, entire, full length songs. They did accomplish that a few times, however, I mostly recall more of a collage of music. More music for your dollar I guess. You could be hearing "What I like about you" and it would drift into "La Bamba," over to the "Whipping Post," into "Sweet Home Alabama," and finishing up with one of Tom's guitar solos, all in about 20 seconds. Amazing mix of styles there for the bombs. If they can all get on one page and one style, let's get the Oxbow Lake Roadhouse back together and let this band unleash the fury.

Keep on rocking Leechbombs.

Trail Head

grilling outside of the studio

some Tom Petty song being wrapped up

Alive in '85

2010-11-28T17:11:00.000-05:00

It was a meeting of former classmates last night at 59 West. Some who were easily recognizable, some not so much. Some who changed their first and last name entirely. There was even one who had a short tenure in the big house. Although the cold prevented him from arriving on his motorcycle, D. McGovern was in the house. It's probably best that it was too cold. All in all, it was a great start to the holiday season, having a toast (or two) to the things we are thankful for and to the future.

Trail Head

Buffalo Soldiers

2010-11-16T19:42:00.004-05:00

Four brave souls converged upon the chicken wing capital of the world, Buffalo, to see our Detroit Lions conquer the 0-8 Buffalo Bills this past weekend. They were 0-8, come on, this should be an easy victory as this is not the same old Lions, correct? Well….

After arriving late Friday night we converged upon Chippewa St. which had a few watering holes to say the least. You have no excuse if you leave the area parched. The bars are open until 4 AM (no, we didn’t make it up that late – are you serious?). Our first stop was a recommendation by the bell hop, Bada Bing Bar and Grill. I have no idea the name of the band that was playing but they did a pretty sweet Chicago set (25 or 6 to 4, Make Me Smile, etc...) with the horns and all. Jerry arrived a bit later while we were at our second stop, Jack Devines Irish Pub a few doors down. He was coming from a work trip from Germany so he gets a gold star for making the trek. We ended the short evening with a stop at the Century Grill across the street from our hotel. The Century gets high marks for the wood fixtures throughout. The Buffalo scene seems very similar to the Detroit area; hard working, blue collar folks with no chips on their shoulder.

We got into tourist mode Saturday morning and drove out to Niagara Falls. It was my first time at the falls. We went into the information area and this guy starts giving us the sales pitch on the lookout tower, the Maid of the Mist boat ride, and other “special” viewing locations. After his pitch was done, I cut to the chase and asked the way to the falls. We just wanted to take a look and move on to our afternoon of chicken wing consumption; not get married. On the latter subject, I’m still scratching my head on the Niagara Falls/marriage combination that seems to be so trendy. I think it’s a beautiful natural wonder but it doesn’t get the wedding bells going for me.

The lunch outing Saturday was at the birth of the chicken wing, The Anchor Bar. I would have thought the chicken wing was around longer than 1964 but that was when Teressa Bellissimo (looked it up) first fried some up, added some sauce, and wah-lah!! We got there around 1 PM thinking that most people would be doing the dinner thing and it wouldn’t be too crowded. It was packed. The host sat us at a table of four, looked us over, picked up the menus, and said “this table is too small for you fellas.” We ended up getting a larger table which was key. You need room to spread out when you have 50 wings in front of you. No, we didn’t finish them all. They were very tasty with some good meat on them.

After some rest back at the room, we ventured back to the Century Grill. On the elevator down, there was a guy who looked very much like the president of the Lions. It was! He is a short one. It turns out we were staying in the same hotel as the team. Al and Greg claim to have seen a player but couldn’t match the name with the face. While at the Century, we ran into a former Red Wing (Maltby) and a Channel 2 sportscaster (The Hammer). The Hammer has some work to do on her pool playing. The place definitely had a Detroit feel to it. While I don’t follow boxing too much, that fight on Saturday night was a good one. I don’t know who Manny Pacquiao or Antonio Margarito are but Margarito sure can take a licking.

Unitards Rule!!

We woke Sunday morning to gray skies as we ventured to the game in Orchard Park. My apologies to the residents of Orchard Park but the stadium is situated in the middle of nowhere. It reminded me a bit of the Silverdome tailgating days with the parking lots all surrounding the stadium. Getting in and out was pretty quick. There were quite a cast of characters doing the tailgate scene. Pictured on here, we have the Bills version of the Unitard. If there is a Lion version, I’m not interested; a little too much disclosure for me. We also had the chicken wing hat wearers. The Heineken baby keg made an appearance to go along with some tasty burgers and sausage. The stadium itself was pretty simple. It holds about 60,000 and doesn’t have the mass of luxury boxes that other stadiums have. With that, everyone had a pretty good view. All was glorious until the kickoff. Then the Lions stunk up the joint. All I have to say is; I’ll give Schwartz the remainder of this year to get his poop in a group. Next year, no excuses. I hate the “same old Lions” talk but they lived up to that billing on Sunday. Every single offensive lineman had a penalty. We can’t point the finger at Peterman this time; they all stunk. Twelve fricken points! Sad. In addition, we had a nice surprise for us when we got back to the car. My official Molson Bike Tour/tailgating grill was gone, along with the post game chicken legs we were going to eat. I left it next to the car as you don’t want the burger/sausage/chicken smell permeating the upholstery while in the game. It isn’t the cost as the grill probably runs about $20; it’s just plain tailgating courtesy that you don’t swipe another man’s grill. So many experiences with that grill (cue the Karen Carpenter “Memories” tune). The people of Buffalo were great so I won’t let one bad apple spoil the bunch.

We made one last bar push when we got back to the hotel until I was sleeping in mid conversation. My internal gas tank was on empty.

People of Buffalo, thank you.

Trail Head

chicken wing hats - don't know these guys

Double Unitards!!

tickle, tickle

umm...

mayor of buzztown

tourist mode

weak keg stand (no, we did not partake)

nice O.J. tribute behind the fellas

Century Grill

last visual of my grill (they even stole the chicken! - good chicken)

Malts and The Hammer

Last Thirsty Thursday Ride For 2010

2010-10-28T20:50:00.001-05:00

I'm not closing the book on riding for this year but I think the thirsty Thursday evening rides are done for 2010. I was able to get out to Lakeshore Park around 5:30 tonight but even so, by the time the last mile was upon me, I was having flashbacks to a few years back when Mark's chain broke at Highland Rec and the trail was barely legible on our way out. Lack of light towards the end aside, it was amazing that there was still a good chunk of trees with their leaves still on with the way the winds have kicked up the last couple of days. Mother Nature is a crazy lady.

Happy Halloween to all!

Trail Head

Floating Dexter

2010-10-22T18:52:00.005-05:00

For anyone wondering if the Huron River current is stronger towards the Ann Arbor area than Milford, it is. While a good portion was manageable, there were about four or five areas from the Dexter-Huron Metropark headed northwest towards Hudson Mills Metropark that had me paddling in place and it wasn't pretty. I was paddling upstream towards the bridge where downtown Dexter comes into play (love that bakery smell) and I literally could not move forward. After about 10 minutes of going nowhere, I moved to shore, picked up the kayak and moved it west by land. A lesson learned; bring a buddy or pack the bicycle and head down stream the entire way next time. The trout were abundant in the view but unfortunately none were brought aboard. Paddle and lack of fish crying aside, a beautiful day and float it was today.

Trail Head

Color Ride

2010-10-14T19:47:00.002-05:00

Well, we've got about 20 days before Daylight Saving Time is done for the year and all the leaves are brown (think I heard that in a song) or have left the trees. At that point, work days become a ride in dark going in and a ride in the dark coming home. How bleak! All is not lost though as we must enjoy every moment. That I did tonight at Island Lake with some cool colors throughout. The night riders were just getting ready to ride as I left the parking lot a little after seven. I have to try that very soon as I have the riding light waiting to be used. No excuses.

Hail hail to the Chilean miners. What a great story. Being underground for three months, I would have to guess they know each other's lives pretty well by now. The conversations at one point I am assuming became, "So, in the third grade..."

Trail Head

Molson Bike Tour - Season In Review

2010-10-07T21:42:00.001-05:00

Well, tonight was banquet night on the bike tour. A chance for us to reflect on the season of riding. The season I think can be summed up in the pictures below. I'm sorry I didn't get a chance to do my speech at the banquet but there really wasn't much to say without cussing at people going to pumpkin carving parties on Saturday instead of watching the MSU-UM game (it's true). I guess their man cards have expired, which is pretty sad. All venting aside, I am happy to reward the rider of the year award to Jim M. as he has had a fine year and has a man card that has no expiration date. Congrats Jimbo.

Trail Head

Class of '85, Unite

2010-10-02T09:08:00.000-05:00

While it doesn't appear that the class of 1985 is going to have an official 25 year class reunion as the task of planning a reunion is a thankless job I've been told, we came pretty close to having one at the Milford (formerly known as Redskins) Maverick game last night. The home team came out on the short end of the stick on this homecoming Friday night, losing by a touchdown to Howell; however, it was good to see some old friends. After 25 years (holy crap, 25 years!), maybe "old" is not a good word to use.

Trail Head

Lion Home Opener - Good Eats - Yep, They Still Suck

2010-09-19T16:48:00.001-05:00

The cornbread was there for the taking as I woke up this morning with eternal optimism for the team I am hoping gets to a Super Bowl before the clutching of the chest thing happens for me where my friends are gathered to talk about my life without a Lion's world championship. Thoughts of death aside, the food was delicious at the Ochs' compound as we had a chance to compare homemade, deep fried wings versus the franchise, cookie cutter items from BW-3. Well, I must say, besides having the homemade ones coming straight from the fryer, there really wasn't much of a difference. They were both delicious (the halftime cookies were a treat as well Laura). Oh yes, there was some football today, and yeah, the Lions still blow. By the third quarter, we were already talking draft strategy for 2011 (need a stud linebacker, defensive back or left tackle) and it was only the second game of the year. That is pretty sad.

Trail Head

Holdridge Lakes - Holly Rec Area - Gruber's Grinder

2010-09-17T16:46:00.005-05:00

I have no idea who Gruber is but apparently he decided to make a path in woods and was on some kind of five hour energy kick and kept making the trail longer and longer. After 15 or so miles, I am guessing Gruber got tired and decided to call it a day. The mountain biking gods were so inspired that they named the trail after him. That is my theory. Did he have to make the first three miles feel like ten? I honestly was ready to utilize the shortcuts at one point. The hills just kept coming and coming. My man boobs have been sagging lately so I decided to see the whole trail. I did have a nice wipe out at about mile 13 that sucked some air out of my lungs. Besides a nice abrasion on my knee and shoulder, all was well. I was Hans Solo out there as I had the day off and my riding brethren were either rehabbing on the injured reserve list or out in the woods hunting anything that was moving. Next year might see some more Reeves' blood on the trails as my nephew Jackson has been asking to come on the tour. If my fellow riders are absent, the J-man is going to come aboard. He is more than welcome as long as he keeps his Facebook postings away from the tour. I like the whole picture posting portion of Facebook but get nauseous when people are telling the world what they are eating for breakfast, doing their homework, po'd about their job, hate the government, are mad at their boyfriend/girlfriend, etc... The people reading it could either care less about how you feel or are happy that you are having it bad. With that, keep it happy or keep it to yourself. (a little commentary today I guess)

Trail Head

4th Annual Chip Float

2010-09-12T12:18:00.004-05:00

Five former Chippewas converged upon the Oil Capital of Michigan this weekend for the 4th annual Chippewa River float. We met up at the Bird Bar & Grill on Friday night and from there, set out to soak in the college atmosphere. The college atmosphere, however, has changed since the late 80's. We walked down Main and University streets expecting to hear loud music and parties everywhere. Besides a few hangers on the porches, there was not a party in sight. It seemed like every house had a 60 something inch screen television and people were just sitting there. What's with that? The youtube/facebook/xbox youth need to get off their rear ends and talk to their neighbors. We ventured over to Al, Eddie, Greg, and Mike's old house, the Peace House. The front door was literally open so Al walked in and chatted it up with the current residents. I think they were a little freaked at first that these old dudes were in their front room but once I asked if the throne in the basement was still standing (elevated toilet in Al and Mike's area of the house), they knew we weren't just talking trash that the fellas used to live there. We were invited back for the Central/Western game. We felt our age later in the evening at the Blackstone Bar. We had the jukebox playing the Seger, Zeppelin, Allman Brothers, Blues Traveler, etc.. tunes while playing pool (Eddie P. was putting on a clinic). Once our music choices stopped, the tunes for the others in the place took over. I didn't recognize one song. Sad.

The forecast for Saturday called for a chance of showers for the river float. While the doppler had a long green line of rain over Lake Michigan at about 9 AM, we felt confident that we'd be down the river before it reached us. Well, that long green line must have moved pretty fast. The float started dry but after about an hour, it started spitting a bit. No problem as the spotty rain didn't affect us too bad plus the fishing was going well (nice catch by Al). The spotty rain, however, became steady rain and the steady rain became a serious downpour. We were soaked. The casual, nature watching float became a sprint at that point.

The rain didn't melt us and after drying out along with some fresh clothes, we got our second wind and enjoyed some cold beverages and many, many chicken wings. The day even brought about an Elvis sighting at the Bird later in the evening.

Good time; good people.

Trail Head

Elvis in the house!

Soul Cleansing On The Potawatomi

2010-09-04T09:07:00.001-05:00

What better way to spend a well earned day off from work than pedaling roughly 18 miles through the woods at Pinckney Recreation Area on the Potawatomi Trail. The "hills of hell" are still present on the trail as I did walk up a fair share of them (hell isn't supposed to be pleasant) and the last two miles were a chore but the views and serenity of the ride made it worthwhile. There is nothing better than blocking everything out, listening to the iPod, and zooming through the woods. Pure, 100% utopia. There are no thoughts of work, the oil spill in the gulf, the war in the east, the upcoming Lions' season, Oprah, crappy summer television, laundry, my 401K performance (or lack there of), chores; the only thoughts are "that's a cool leaf color." Thanks to the DNR and the Boy Scouts for creating this great trail back in 1964. I wonder if the BMX-ers were riding the trail back then on their Sting-Ray cycles?

Trail Head

Floating The Huron

2010-08-29T14:32:00.002-05:00

The Huron River was a popular place to be Saturday as everyone seemed to have the same idea we had, embracing these precious summer days before the kids go back to school, the football season starts, and the leaves fall from the trees. We must have passed 30 canoes/kayaks when it was all said and done. Al got the only catch of the day as the fish were being finicky. After the float, we all converged at the Gus household for some good eats (goooood brats) and fire watching. Hanging with friends is a great thing. I am lucky to have them.

Trail Head