Milford Ride---Countdown to 40

There wasn’t a soul in sight Thursday evening at the Carrie Janowski Memorial Athletic Park, home of the Milford mountain bike trail. A little information on the park as I’m sure you are as curious as I was on who Carrie Janowski is and why they named a park after her. The park was originally named the Peters Road Ball Field but was changed in June 1986. The Milford Youth Athletic Association requested the name change in memory of one of their baseball players who was killed in a car accident. So now you know the rest of the story as Paul Harvey would say.

A nice evening it was. That full moon was looking pretty fierce. I either saw two deer or one deer twice. He/she was cruising pretty well after I was sniffed out. It was a very enjoyable ride. If I fell again, I was ready to torch my bike right then and there, ala San Diego style (pictured).
I met up with Rob and his boys, Jake and Curtis, at Dukes after the ride for a meal. Those Schmitt boys sure do have great manners. Do you think they got it from their father who cusses like a sailor? I think not. Kudos to Wendy for a great job (okay Rob, you have the troops in line also).

Well…..the countdown has begun. I have 21 days until I turn 40. Besides aches hanging around longer that I need, I honestly don’t feel like a person coming up on the big four oh. My brother and I had a bet going when we were younger; he said I’d be bald by now. I won but I don’t think I’ll be collecting in the near future. I’m honestly not sure how I’m going to celebrate on November 15th. I might be up north sipping out of Rob’s whiskey boot glasses. I just hope I don’t have a replay of the Mio experience about fifteen or so years ago when I showered the back of Scott Templeton’s work van with some kind of red liquor. Matt B. was giving me the Heimlich maneuver even though I didn’t need it (it did generate more red liquid, however). Another bad replay that I hope not to reproduce would be my 21st birthday while a student at MSU. Hank G. and I indulged in one too many whiskey and lemonade mixers. I was all ready for the East Lansing 21st birthday free shot tour but had my first shot at Dooley’s and it was all over after that. I made it to the bathroom but my aim was off a bit. Good times. I’m open for any suggestions.

Trail Head

Weekend Journeys

An enjoyable three day weekend it was. I wish every work week lasted four days but I guess we can’t all be pump salesmen (Hi Rob). On a breezy, VERY breezy Friday, I took the motorcycle over to Kingsville, Ontario and visited the cottage my family and I used to own (pictured). It seems like only yesterday that I was falling down the stairs there after too many soda pops (those Molson XXX sure kick you in the behind). The place hadn’t changed much and the fire pit area on the beach looks just about how I left it. I sure miss that place. I stopped in for a visit with my old neighbor, Colin, and caught up on the news in the area. I guess you could call Colin a junk collector with artistic ability. His house is filled with various trinkets that at one time may have been considered junk that he has turned into what some might call art. I told him he should charge admission for tours of the house. It has some pretty cool stuff throughout. Attached is a sunflower that he carved.

I hadn’t ridden my mountain bike much since THE FALL late last month but couldn’t let a beautiful fall day like Saturday go by without a ride in the woods. The colors were pretty close to peak at Maybury Recreation Area. It was a casual ride to say the least but I wasn’t in any hurry and the scenery was quite enjoyable.

What better way to close the weekend than an afternoon at Ford Field watching the Lions. Rather than the tailgate scene, Doke and I took in the rooftop view at Cheli’s Chili Bar for the pregame

entertainment. It’s a pretty cool setup there with some mini bleachers placed on the roof with great views of the area. To top things off, the Lions won! I’m still not a fan of the black home jerseys. I don't think Jeff Garcia can throw the ball ten yards. He was trying to be too much like Brett Favre with all the underhand throws he was attempting. Sad.

That is all for now.

Trail Head

Leelanau Peninsula-Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore

With autumn in the air, it was up to the Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore in the beautiful Leelanau Peninsula for Amy and me. While the dunes themselves are pretty cool to explore, there are quite a few day hikes away from the sand within the park. We got in late Friday and stayed at the Sylvan Inn in Glen Arbor. It is a pretty nice old place with all the antique looking stuff for those that appreciate it. It also has a spa which made for some nice rest and relaxation on Saturday morning before we ventured out on the trails.

We started out on the Pierce Stocking Scenic Drive which offered some beautiful views of the Glen Lakes and Lake Michigan. On one lookout area, a lady was painting a portrait of the Glen Lakes and from what I saw (see picture), she was doing a fine job. Within the scenic drive is the Cottonwood Trail which we walked. The trail runs through the sand with some nice views of the Manitou Islands and Lake Michigan.

After the scenic drive and hike, we hooked up with a ranger-led hike on the Dunes-Sleeping Bear Point Trail that the folks at the Sylvan Inn recommended. Our ranger, Peg, knew her stuff pretty well. A wealth of information we received about how the dunes have changed the area’s landscape and what effect they have on the vegetation. We were in the company of some sixty or seventy somethings so it was pretty funny when Peg would talk about heading up one hill or another and you would hear a groan from the group.

After a bite to eat at Boondocks in Glen Arbor, we headed up to the Pyramid Point Trail on the north edge of the park. There is a section of the trail called “the meadow” which runs obviously through a meadow but before coming into and leaving there, it takes you through a very thick forest. No bear sightings to report but a great trail altogether.

We called it a day and headed to our accommodations for the night, D.H. Day campground in Glen Arbor; a very rustic setting (no showers, no electricity) right on the shores of Lake Michigan/Sleeping Bear Bay. With a nice camp fire and the stars dotting the sky, you couldn’t ask for a better setting. My only error was while heading out for an early morning Mother Nature call, I accidentally let the air nozzle to the air mattress out. I came back to a dead mattress. Sorry about that Amy!

After breakfast at Art’s Tavern in Glen Arbor, we took our final hike of the weekend at Alligator Hill. You couldn’t ask for a better morning with blue skies and crisp air. While the colors in some parts of the area had reached peak and were quite amazing, the majority of this forest area was still spring green. Crazy, but a great walk it was.

We took the long way home through the heart of the Leelanau Peninsula and up to the Old Mission Lighthouse. The colors were quite a view. A great weekend it was and I didn’t even watch football!

Trail Head

Magic Bus to East Lansing

In celebration of Mike Adams’ 40th birthday, it was off to East Lansing this past Saturday to see the collegiate version of the Detroit Lions, the Spartans of Michigan State (that is not a compliment by the way). Mike’s wife gave him a great present for the occasion, a bus/limo that took us to the game. My birthday is in November if anybody reading this wants to do the same for me. What a great setup it was. There were ten of us and the vehicle had ample room for everyone to sit back and enjoy their cold beverage(s). Kudos to the driver who took us pretty much anywhere we wanted to go and had to put up with a bunch of backseat drivers (“turn here…no…go back…sorry, can you turn around?”). We did a joy ride around campus and ended up at Harrison Roadhouse before the game for a few cold ones. The driver dropped us off in front of the stadium before the game and picked us up pretty much at the same spot. It was first class all the way.

The game itself was exciting (and quite hot) but the Spartans’ defense must have frequented too many house parties the night before. They definitely did not show up. Needless to say, State lost to the woeful Northwestern Wildcats. Same old Spartans I guess. As Trig Bennett once said when our high school football coaches asked us in practice what was the problem, “bad coaching.” I think the coaches gave this one away. Not to worry, however, because we had our ride waiting for us outside the stadium with a large cooler full of liquid pork chops. The pain of the loss quickly went away. A great time it was. Happy 40th Mike.

Trail Head

Northern Michigan Utopia

It was off to the northwest portion of Michigan on the motorcycles this past weekend. What a beautiful weekend it was. Bruce, Ken, Rob, and I met up in Cadillac Friday morning for a joy ride north out of the Manistee area and up around the Leelanau peninsula. I was the minority in the group as those three all rode BMW’s and I was on my Yamaha. While I kidded them that I couldn’t tell if their bikes were on or not as they didn’t sound like a motorcycle, they silenced me pretty quickly when we took off at any stop. We might have had the same cc’s but those BMW’s can sure take off like a rocket. Wow! They explained to me later on how the bikes can do what they do but my limited mechanical knowledge just had me nodding my head like I knew what they were talking about. “The cams can really do that? That is incredible.” They could have made up words (maybe they were) and it wouldn’t have mattered.

I must say M-22 up around the Leelanau peninsula is one of the more enjoyable joy rides in Michigan. Many turns, many lakes, and many beautiful sights. The fall colors weren’t quite at peak but they are getting there. We spent the night at Rob’s place in Irons, Big Whiskey, and enjoyed some brats and beer while discussing and trying to fix the issues of the world.


Bruce and Ken took off towards home on Saturday morning so Rob and I went for a short ride around the area and took in the sights of the Manistee River and the many (read: whole lotta) fishermen trying to bring home a salmon that were abundant in the river. There had to have been sixty or so people along the shoreline with lines in the water. We were up on a bluff and could see fish everywhere. I like to fish but not in that big of a crowd. It kind of ruins the serenity of the experience.

We hooked up with Greg back at Rob’s place around noon . He was up to fish the area for the next five or so days. After some unsuccessful peer pressure from them (a fine effort it was guys), I left shortly thereafter for some plans I had in Lansing that afternoon.

A great weekend it was.

Trail Head