Peddlerama

As a benefit for the nonprofit organization Top of Michigan Trails Council, this two-day event will feature a Saturday "Paddlerama" where paddlers will participate in a series of events, including: sprints, stand-up paddle boarding (SUP) jousts, SUP yoga, demos, races, and water safety programs on Mullett Lake in Aloha State Park. Following the day on Mullett Lake, paddlers and the public are invited to enjoy a craft beer festival Saturday evening featuring some of the tastiest beers, local eateries, and bands from across Michigan. Sunday will challenge paddlers with a 13-mile paddle from Aloha State Park through the inland waterway to the beach at Cheboygan State Park, including a paddle-through and photo opportunity at the Cheboygan Locks.

This should be a great time. The location has flashed me back to 1973. After the end of my first year at Michigan's Toughest University, Harold Carter and I decided it would be wonderful to ride 10 speeds from Houghton to Hazel Park, his hometown. There were many ups and downs in the 600 mile trip and Aloha State Park was definitely an up. We had a great nights sleep after a long day previous. In the week long trip a night's sleep was a rare indulgence that separated 80 to 100 mile days on a bike.

We made it the first night to Marquette and spent the night at a friends house. It's surprising how sore you can get just peddling a bike but sore we were in many places. The next night was spent in our 2 man tent in a roadside stop in the middle of the Seney Straights. The straights are a stretch of road for 30 miles as strait as an arrow with very little on either side of the road save this stopping area. The next day dawned overcast and was a sign of things to come. It soon started to rain and rain and rain. The cold temps and cold rain were welcome to our sore muscles, but not for long. Five hours of peddling in the rain found us in McMillan cold, wet and arguing with each other about whose idea this was and how stupid the other guy was. The Cobblestone Bar was an oasis in the myriad of emotions and pain from our situation. A boilermaker or two got me back on track and motivated to push on. We found out that Engadine has a laundromat and we could dry off and get warm. The 40 miles at breakneck speed got us to downtown Engadine, two buildings one of which was the much sought after laundromat. Things were looking up and the rain had even slowed to just a drizzle. A sign on the front door said "Closed for Father's Day". When the twitching and swearing subsided we both talked it thru about how we were in the middle of a long trip and needed to maintain our pace and could probably make the bridge that night. Our plastic bag rain gear was now reducing the wind chill and helping to retain body heat so press on we did. We were soon in Naubinway and they had a laundromat!

Same sign, same message. As we were looking in the window at the beautiful dryers a voice shouted out to us. Looking around the source of the voice couldn't be readily seen but there he was waving at us from the steps of his church. Across the parking lot was the pastor asking if we wanted to use the laundromat. This was as close to a sign from heaven that I've ever witnessed. We were allowed to use the facilities for free and got an invitation for supper. Later after a sing-along session an offer was made to sleep on the floor of the living room with no mosquitoes or cold wind. That was the best nights sleep we had on the trip and was a perfect end of the most tumultuous day.

The next day found us at a gas station just before the Mackinac Bridge. Harold's gear box was becoming very hard to peddle and with no tools we asked to borrow some. After the hospitality from the previous night this was a sharp slap in the face. We had to rent the tools for between $10-$20. This would leave us with just enough money for the toll to get across the Mackinac Bridge and a can of noodle-roni, our staple food source. So rent we did and soon were in the bridge pick up truck heading to Mackinaw City. 

After many inquiries in town as to cashing a check we were directed to the sheriff's office for advice. The sheriff heard our story and just shook his head. Why would anyone ride a bike for 600 miles and not have cash instead of a check book? Instead of explaining the economics of the end of the college year finances I just asked if he would cash my check personally. You could cut the tension in the air with a knife but in the end he wanted us out of town more than he didn't want to cash the check. With hand on holster he explained what would happen if the check bounced. With more money in checking than was needed we confidently made our way to Aloha for that nights sleep.

The rest of the trip was much more subdued if 100 mile days on a bike could be considered that. If you ever travel M-33 between Fairview and Atlanta check out the hills. The northern most largest one had a car struggling to get over the top as we approached. At the top of that hill we could see another in the distance looking just as big but there was nothing to stop us now.

As a side note I didn't own the bike just borrowed it with a $100 check as collateral. When we returned the bike the day after the trip my bike renter had  just cashed the check thinking the bike wouldn't be returned. Thank God for snail mail, with a phone call and stop payment the touchy situation with the sheriff was avoided.

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Wyandotte Leather

This isn't a baseball post. Nor a noir article. Just another step in the journey to try and get my granddaughter interested and good at shooting a bow. Back in December she was introduced to archery at Oakwoods Metropark. Chase had set up a target with prizes hanging on it. Stella was one of the first ones to shoot and said she wanted the bag of jerky nailed to the board.

Sure enough she was the first to arrow anything and had her interest sparked in the sport.

Santa was asked to help with a bow and came thru xmas morn. Well she had a bow anyway. It didn't really shoot well so i tried to set it up for more accuracy. While searching for accessories I came upon a website offering many archery products from Wyandotte Leather. What a coincidence I thought but little did I know about this hidden gem in Wyandotte. Crossing the tracks on Northline in Wyandotte I've seen the white building with the big stenciled letters Wyandotte Leather.

The business has been in the same spot for over 50 years. Jerry Kaufman is the owner taking over from his father Gay who was a Chemist at Wyandotte Chemicals back in the 50's. He was able to combine work and pleasure to create a business that has lasted till now. Jerry's dedicated seamstress Taryn sews all the different products and can do so while carrying on a conversation.

Taryn and her namesake Taryn Asher from Fox 2 both got their names because of the fact their mothers adored Tyrone Powers of movie fame. This was verified when Taryn's mother called Fox 2's Taryn and ask her about how she got her name. Sure enough Tyrone had a big affect on both mothers.

Jerry's operation is very diverse covering any type of leather accessory for bow hunting.

The quality is very high and the accessories come in different colors and even camo. Stella got an arm guard.

Thanks Jerry. Keep up the good work. As we were leaving Jerry asked Stella if she was interested in hunting. Stella said definately not. Then she was asked about shooting fish... maybe. Pointe Mouillee here we come!

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Try Camping for $20.

The Department of Natural Resources and The North Face are teaming up to offer Camping 101 at Michigan state parks to educate first-time campers on the basics of camping. The Camping 101 experience includes a two-night stay with all the gear, guides and good times included for just $20. It begins with a First-Timers Welcome Kit filled with details on what to pack, what to expect and what to wear. Then, when visitors check in at their campsite, park staff members will walk them through the process of setting up camp and settling in for a great Michigan adventure. As part of their Camping 101 stay, visitors will receive a prime camping location, tent, tarp, flashlight, lantern, camp stove and four hot dog/marshmallow cookers. All equipment is provided courtesy of The North Face and must be returned at the end of the camping trip. You will also need a Recreation Passport to get access to state parks, recreation areas, state forest campgrounds, non-motorized state trailhead parking and state boat launches. You also will be able to access Passport Perks shopping discounts, visit www.michigan.gov/passportperks to view them. The closest parks are Pinckney Recreation Area (Washtenaw County): 734-426-4913 (Sunday-Thursday nights only) and Sterling State Park (Monroe County): 734-289-2715. Each park has it's own activity go to the DNR website to see the calendar of events for each. To make a reservation online, visit www.midnrreservations.com, or call 1-800-447-2757. Get Outdoors Downriver.

First and Last License

The Michigan Department of Natural Resources reminds hunters to purchase their fall turkey applications by the deadline of Aug. 1.



Hunters can apply online at www.michigan.gov/huntdrawings, at any authorized license agent or at a DNR Customer Service Center. A nonrefundable $4 fee is charged at the time of application. Hunters may purchase only one application. All applicants are reminded to keep their application receipt in case they need it when checking drawing success later.


Drawing results may be checked online at www.michigan.gov/huntdrawings beginning Aug. 15.


For more information on the application process or turkey hunting, check the 2013 Fall Turkey Hunting Digest. All hunting digests can be found online at www.michigan.gov/dnrdigests, at local DNR Customer Service Centers or at license agents.


Also Wolf hunting licenses go on sale for the first time starting Aug. 3, reminds the Michigan Department of Natural Resources.


Beginning Saturday, Aug. 3 at noon EDT until Oct. 31, or until the license quota is met, 1,200 licenses will be available for purchase . Please remember that a spot in line before noon on Aug. 3 does not guarantee a license.se purchases are first-come, first-served. Wolf licenses cost $100 for Michigan residents and $500 for nonresidents.

Correction XXXXX Correction XXXXX Correction XXXXX Correction

The Department of Natural Resources today announced that it has postponed the sale of wolf hunting licenses – originally scheduled to begin Aug. 3 – until Sept. 28 to ensure that license-sales technology is able to handle the expected high demand.


"We anticipate that there will be a lot of people trying to buy a very limited number of licenses in a short time frame," said Adam Bump, DNR bear and fur bearer specialist. "This is a first-come, first-served purchase, unlike other limited-license hunts that require an application and drawing process, so it presents a new challenge for our retail sales system. We want to make sure the system is equipped for the high volume so sales go smoothly and everyone has an equal chance to get a wolf license."

Does anyone know how to use the super fast bidding software on Ebay and would that work here?

Bump said that, in addition to ensuring that technology is up to speed, the DNR is working to put adequate Saturday staffing in place to make the license-buying process as fair and efficient as possible.


A total of 1,200 wolf licenses will be available for purchase beginning Sept. 28 at noon EDT (11 a.m. CDT) until Oct. 31, or until the license quota is met. Wolf licenses cost $100 for residents and $500 for nonresidents.


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Think Cool Thoughts

Looking thru my photos I discovered some pics that I had forgot about. These are from early spring when the maple sap was just starting to run and Chase from Oakwood Nature Center did a program on how to make maple syrup and how the techniques have changed over the years.

Ahhh, think snow and the 90 degrees with 100% humidity can become bearable. Don't think about how much labor it takes to drill tap holes in a thousand trees. The taps look simple but are specialized sap collectors.

Then getting the sap to a boiling pot takes more effort to not consider. Of course now sappers use a system of tubing to collect the ambrosia. Think cool sweet liquid. To make syrup though it takes a boiling pot.

As long as you don't get too close to the fire you can stay cool. I wish I had some more of the handouts of syrup Chase handed out. Think cool....

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Fun Fishing Derby

Bishop Park was filled with little fishermen and fisherwomen Saturday June 1st for the 26th Annual City of Wyandotte Fishing Derby.

More than 150 kids competed in two age groups. Each participant received a gift bag. Winners received medals.

Ronnie Eason, Jack Hirsch, Caleb Ave-Lallemant, Dion Steward, Emerson Miciura, Natalie Lesko, Jayda Bissell and Luke Lawrence took home top medals.

Local businesses included Al Petri & Sons, Biddle Bowl, Downriver Real Estate, McDonalds, MJR Theater, The Candy Store, Wyandotte Shores Golf Course, Domino’s Pizza, Jimmy Johns of Wyandotte, Mancinos, Wendy’s and Wyandotte Dollar Depot.

People and organizations included the Wyandotte Historical Society, Mr. and Mrs. Thiede, The Roy Helminski Memorial and the Groat Brothers Coffee Club. Prizes included bikes, gift certificates, fishing poles and tackle boxes--to name a few.

All the local bait shops (see bait shop link) donated to the cause and need your business to continue to do so. Make sure to thank them for helping out at the derby.

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Deer Hunting Abscession Explains It All

Finally there a study that sheds light on the reason the hunters from our camp up north don't get the big deer. The usual take is a few sightings and every 4 to 5 years 1 in 10 will get a spike. My 7 pointer is the only multi-point deer in 25 years of hunting there.

As reported by Dr. Dave Samuel a bacterial disease called intracranial abscessation is killing our older mature bucks. The buck deer fight to determine a pecking order in the herd. When the rut is on, bucks fight and
even though those fights look bad, it’s pretty unusual for bucks to actually kill each other. One gives up and high tails it out of the county. Now a study done by Gabrial Karns, a graduate student from North Carolina State University, and Dr. Mark Conners, manager and wildlife biologist at Chesapeake Farms on the eastern shore of Maryland, shows that some fights involving mature bucks do lead to a slow death.


The bacterial disease known as intracranial abscessation (basically a bad infection) affects the brain, deteriorates the skull and leads to the death of some older bucks.

These researchers found the disease in 35 percent of the older bucks they autopsied that died a natural death. That doesn’t mean that the disease killed all of those bucks, it just means that 35 percent had the infection. No one can be sure what killed them. It's highly probable that the older bucks are infecting one another when they fight during the rut.   With this new knowledge everyone in camp can feel better about themselves. We can't help it that we hunt in an area with an epidemic amount of deer with this disease. I just hope it doesn't cause the number of hunt hours to plummet. Plus with the new Lower Peninsula Deer Management Initiative (LPDMI) that has proposed a four-point APR for all of Zone 3 in southern Michigan things could get worse throughout the state.

 Atta Boy to the researchers working at Chesapeake Farms — a great cooperative effort that might just lead to lowering the mortality caused by this nasty disease.

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Fish For Free Before The Price Goes Up

Just a reminder that all Michigan residents and non-residents can fish without a license this Saturday, June 8 and Sunday, June 9. Please note all other fishing regulations still apply.

Do you still need a muskie tag?

Saturday and Sunday make up the Summer Free Fishing Weekend, an annual effort to promote Michigan’s numerous fishing opportunities. While many individuals and families will head out to fish for free on their own, there are also numerous organized events scheduled throughout the state to celebrate the weekend as well.

Don't know where to go? Try the DNR's family fishing page. http://www.michigan.gov/dnr/0,4570,7-153-10364-299046--,00.html

You could even make money fishing!

As if on cue along comes Michigan's first significant increase in hunting and fishing license fees since 1997, passed by the House on Wednesday, a move that has the blessing of outdoor groups.


Legislation approved 77-32 by the Republican-led chamber would raise about $20 million more for wildlife, fisheries and habitat programs, a 40 percent boost. The fee hikes, which legislators recently built into the next state budget at the request of Gov. Rick Snyder, would begin in March 2014.

Michigan has 227 different types of hunting and fishing license fees. The bill headed to the GOP-controlled Senate would leave the state with approximately 40, according to a House Fiscal Agency analysis.

For the average fisher or hunter the fees will be lower. Great news in these financially challenged times.

So Get Outdoors Downriver.

Last Chance

Last chance to purchase 2013 bear and elk hunting applications

The Department of Natural Resources reminds hunters that the application period to purchase a bear or elk hunting application ends June 1.

Hunters can apply online at www.michigan.gov/huntdrawings, at any authorized license agent or at a DNR Customer Service Center. A nonrefundable $4 fee is charged at the time of application. Hunters may purchase only one application for each species.

Drawing results may be checked online at www.michigan.gov/huntdrawings beginning June 24 for both species.

For more information on the application process and hunting of bear or elk, check the 2013 Michigan Bear Hunting Digest, the 2013 Michigan Elk Hunting Digest, or online at www.michigan.gov/hunting. All hunting digests can be found online at www.michigan.gov/dnrdigests, at local DNR Customer Service Centers, or at a license agent.
Want another chance at a bear and elk license? Hunters can increase their odds by applying for the Pure Michigan Hunt. Applications are $4 and can be purchased at any license agent or online at www.mdnr-elicense.com. Applicants can buy as many applications as they want. Three lucky winners will win prize packages that include elk (Michigan residents only), bear and turkey licenses; first pick at a managed waterfowl hunt area; plus firearms, crossbows and much more – worth more than $4,200! For additional information, visit www.michigan.gov/puremichiganhunt or check out this short Pure Michigan Hunt video.


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Time to Remember

Thank you to the families that lost loved ones and the people that served. The price of freedom is very high and hard to comprehend to those whom haven't contributed. If you make it to a cemetery this weekend try to count the flags flown at grave sites. Only then can you come to realize how many paid a price for our freedom. If you agree thank a vet, they'll appreciate it.

This is also the start of traditional summer activities, bbqs, swimming pools and bon fires. The action also picks up at the Metro Parks. Experience how the Native Americans and first explorers lived in and around this area at Oakwoods Nature Center. You can even get a ride in a large canoe that they once used. At Lake Erie Metro Park take a "Park Wander" with one of the guides. Take a walk on the elevated boardwalk thru their wetlands, always something different in there.

Peruse the summer newsletter to find an activity that'll suit you.
http://issuu.com/hcmetroparks/docs/hcma_2013_summer_newsletter

Get Outdoors Downriver.