Yes! M!ch!gan

This is the marketing campaign I most relate to, saying Yes to Michigan, even though it was winding down by the time we moved to Michigan in 1993. The current marketing campaign, Pure Michigan, began in 2008, after we had moved away and although Tim Allen lent his voice to promote this slogan I still am stuck on Yes! M!ch!gan. But honestly, no matter how it’s said, Yes Michigan or Pure Michigan or anything in between, You had me at MICHIGAN. Only one of our immediate family was born here, but we all consider Michigan our adopted state. We lived in Michigan from 1993-2004. I will not deny the winters are L.O.N.G.! But I think that is why the summers are savored. Our years living in Midland were great, but it’s because we learned, with the help of friends, to embrace winter activities such as sledding, skiing and anything indoors. Neighborhood group meals and church potlucks & euchre nights were excellent ways to pass the long dark months. It resulted in making great life-long friendships. Once winter broke the shorts and T-shirts were out and the lake was the destination! Somehow we all fell in love with Michigan! So, the long trips north are easy actually because we know what awaits.

Summer is approaching and we are in prep mode now; clearing the garage of stacked lawn furniture & outdoor toys, as well as getting the flower beds weeded and mulched. Always lots to do, but I have frequently said, no better place to do chores. The season is short, so we make the best of every day. We’ve always liked finding new places to explore and I look forward to visiting them and finding new ones to blog about this summer. When the chores subside we will begin including daytrips. Being so close to two Great Lakes, Lake Michigan and Lake Huron, and in addition the Straits of Mackinaw, finding a new place to head for an adventure is never difficult. That’s my heads up to expect to hear a lot about Michigan the next several months. Although right now the ick factor is in full swing. Ticks are everywhere and one finally found me last week! It was my first ever tick and I’m still fighting off the shudders. I’m not convinced there’s a can of DEET large enough for me at the moment. I’m sure this feeling will pass and I will hit the trails again. All that aside, let’s jump into this week’s hiking adventures.

Our first hike was unconventional, as it included throwing discs at chained basket targets. There is a nearby, recently improved, disc golf course that winds its way through woods. Actually it’s the same woods that we were in on the opposite side last week while hiking along the shoreline of Marl Lake. This disc golf course is part of a much larger township park that includes pavilions, multiple playground structures, ball fields, and a dog park that Teddy has really enjoyed. P. was up to Higgins on the weekend so he actually gave us the idea to hit the “links.” It wasn’t a long hike in the woods, about a mile, but it was fun having some unique direction and who knew a hike could be competitive. The improvements are continuing on the course. There are 10 targets currently with indications that the course will be enlarged over time.

We have taken Teddy to the Dog Park several times, each time he’s had the park to himself. I suspect as more folks start to visit the area this summer he may eventually find a friend to romp with.

A new Meijer has opened about 30 mins. southeast from our home and in this neck of the woods that’s BIG. The next closest Meijer is 45 mins. north and includes fighting a lot of traffic gridlock of RVs and boats. So this Meijer destination is a welcome shopping experience. We decided to include a new hiking experience after hitting the Meijer this week. We found Ogemaw Hills Pathway, located in the hills north of West Branch, MI. It is located within the AuSable State Forest which is 728,000 acres in size. There are 13 miles of trails, and in the winter they are groomed for cross country skiing. According to their website this area was formed “about 16,000 years ago when the ‘Saginaw Lobe’ part of a larger retreating glacial front thousands of feet thick, formed these recessional moraines, (a land form left by receding glaciers) along with others during the course of an interval that may have taken several hundred years.”

This forest has various areas: densely wooded with very narrow paths lined with grass, open fields, tall rows of pine trees and rows of cut stumps, the ground being pine needle covered. Also noted on the website is that fact that the area used to include farm fields that have been abandoned because the sandy soil did not support crop growth well so now old fence lines, orchards and abandoned building foundations can be spotted along the trails. A new addition to the trails is benches that we found amusing. They are curiously tall. Even G.’s legs could swing when sitting on them. We deduced that once snow accumulates these tall benches give a cross country skier a resting area the height that would be reasonable. It’s not so reasonable now and looks pretty funny currently. As noted above, winter is long in Michigan lots of time to fill. Michigan DNR and municipal parks do a lot to provide cold weather outdoor activities. These trails are very well marked and easy to follow. Eliminating any worry of getting lost. The only worry was running into a bear. Upon preparing for this hike we searched for the bear spray and couldn’t locate it. We are hopeful it shows up soon otherwise we will be ordering more. I keep seeing stories of how the bear population in Michigan is growing. Matter of fact, at a favorite place we enjoy grabbing dinner occasionally down in the Houghton Lake area, we were told by the owner that just the morning before our visit last week, a bear visited the outside seating area just a couple feet from where our table was. Just as I’ve gotten my first ever tick, I wouldn’t be surprised, with the bears coming closer to populated areas, that I spot my first bear this summer. I hope my camera is handy in that moment but more importantly, Gotta Find That Spray!