Dear friends,

Every time I climb on my bike, I remind myself of why I am able to exercise daily on my old Schwinn. Is it because I have iron-determination? No. It's because I am looking forward to the idea of being outside, moving along with other living things, under my own power: feeling the strength in my legs and oxygen in my lungs. I, like many people my age, have had my health problems. So has my wife, Betty. Those problems allowed me to take stock in what is really important to me. Biking is something that Betty and I really enjoy doing. In the next several months, I hope to take you on a journey around the trail. If you haven't tried circumnavigating the Rail Trail, try it, and discover how special our area really is.

This has been quite a summer. On one hand, there have been very few days that you could not go out and hike, bike, run, or skate. But, the lack of rain for so many days has began to affect our things that grow. The temperature has been up there in the '80s and '90s for many days. The results of such a long dry spell are obvious along the trail. Some plants, such as chicory and other low-moisture plants that normally do not show up until late August have been flourishing since mid July.

Tuesday, August 7

Rain. We finally got some rain. It rained all morning. Heavy rain. The weather report said that we had been blessed with 2.62 inches. Our garden was suffering from lack of water. After the rain, life again returned to my wilted squash and melon plants. The ditch in front of our home on State Street Road was really low. Now, the water is flowing free, cleaning out the excess algae and duckweed, leaving it in piles around the concrete ducts that make our driveways.

It's quite interesting; the way nature conserves water. Our apple tree shed half its leaves when the rain didn't come for so many days. An excellent survival strategy I'd say. Much of the mowed grass around our house looked dead; completely lifeless and brown. Then two days after the heavy rain, a green, velvet growth miraculously appeared. I get the feeling that Nature is infinitely wiser than than we can imagine.

I've included some shots of the abundance of Queen Anne's Lace in the field behind our home. We let the one-acre field return to its natural state. For the first eleven years that we lived here on State Street Road, we mowed the field. Then, grass-mowing became expensive with the inflated, bloated gas prices. I had to ask: 'Why am I mowing this field?' I would much rather, give it to the birds and all of the other varieties of life that now seem to flourish there. It has proved to be a wise decision. We have wild thistle growing there now. And an abundance of bird life. Some birds seem to love thistle, and all of the other varieties of wildflowers and their seeds that are produced. Once again nature assumes the responsibility for its own. I could easily sit for hours out in our back yard, just trying to identify birds. I built a small blind out of camo netting so that I could get close the the birds that landed in our mulberry tree to eat the green berries. Betty and I have identified many of the easy ones, like: robins, sparrows, blue jays, etc. We are working on some of the more difficult-to-identify ones now. You should hear the birds in the morning. The mourning doves sit on our roof, near our bathroom vent and mourn away; cooing into the vent. At daybreak it sounds like the Mormon Tabernacle of Birdworld as the birds celebrate the new day.

The Trail

Two weeks ago, in our last letter, we left Tobico Marsh, in Bangor Township. Now we leave the Tobico trail and head south towards Bay City. When we emerge again on State Park Drive, the trail lane is a nice, wide, well-marked path that takes you by the front of Bay Cafe.

On the 7^th of August, I stopped in to the Bay Cafe for lunch and talked to the owner Butch Waibel.

Butch, in the cool shade of his new patio.

I first met Butch in '97, when the former owners of Christine's moved out. Butch says that it was called Patty's before that. Butch is one of those people who never sits still. He always seems eager to start something new. He has been presenting the Fabulous Hubcaps at the Rock'n Wheels Festival in Auburn, Michigan for the last 15 years. We sat on his new patio and talked for a bit. He introduced his son, Jason, who seemed to have the same, out-going and friendly personality that his his dad has. They are currently working on opening a pizza place next to the cafe. Butch admits that the perfect recipe for a great pizza still eludes him.“You can't open a pizza place without a great pizza recipe,” he said. I'm sure he will solve his problem.

Butch and Jason

Butch also sponsors an antique car show on the Bay Cafe site, on the fourth Thursday of every summer month. I have seen the last two shows. It's very hard to drive past Bay Cafe' during the car show without stopping. There's just something about those big, chrome-plated cars, that makes you stop, look, and remember.

I asked Butch what his signature menu item was.

“Fish. Fish and Chips,” he said.

I personally love the chicken and dumpling soup, and the perch dinners. Johnny Hayes is one of the chefs here. I have known John for several years now. John is a hilarious person. Quick to come up with a clever comment. But John gets serious in the kitchen. And, he knows his way around a spatula. If you get John Hayes talking about cooking, he'll keep you going for some time.

Bay Cafe is a comfortable place to visit if you are trying to check the pulse of the area. There is a bike rack out front of the cafe. The dining area isn't large. In fact, it's just about the right size. If you like fresh air you can sit on the new patio. You can tell right away that there are Elvis fans near, from the photos on the walls.  It reminds me of the Walter Cronkite with the News program that was on in the 70's, when he featured a segment called: "On the Road, With Charles Kurault". (I'm not sure about the spelling of the last name.) If Charles had come to Bay City, he would have interviewed Butch. You also get a good cup of coffee at Bay Cafe. I've been seeing some of the same faces here, that I have been seeing since 1997, when Bay Cafe was opened.

Butch actively supports the Rail Trail System. He says that he can definitely see that the trail has been an asset to his business. We wish Butch and his son, Jason the best in their efforts to come up with the ultimate pizza recipe. I'm sure that between Butch, Jason, Johnny Hayes, and the staff, they will come up with a winner.

From Bay Cafe, we move over the bridge, and across the road to Smith Street, then we hit the Bay City loop. There is a long stretch of wooded land on the right and a large field with some wooded areas on the left. We have seen many deer on this stretch. Originally, it was a stretch of the old railway that crossed the Kawkawlin River. You can see what is left of an abutment from the old bridge from the new bridge on State Park Drive. Just the center of the old railroad bridge remains. This part of the Rail Trail appears to be getting ready for development as we look to the east, traveling south, and away from the river. We cross Wheeler Road, near a beautiful log home on the left. It's a modern log cabin, with large, lofty windows, nestled in a grove of large trees. That's my kind of place.

There are areas with the ambiance of a long
tunnel, where the light is dappled and the air is
cooler and the trees close in on both sides.

After crossing Bangor Road, it's not far to Patterson Road. We cross Patterson, just a little bit south of the deer-viewing area, where deer are fed, viewed and photographed daily. We head south, where dense brush on our left provides perfect deer habitat. Near the waterworks we find a Rail Trail rest area. There is a shelter here, with picnic table, fresh water for drinking, (there's a fountain for Fido to,) and a port-a-potty. Betty and I stop here often when we have some of our grandkids with us. The little park is well maintained.

As we move from the park, we pass Yooperville Pasties, and Tri-City RV, on the west side of Patterson Road. (continued in two weeks)

Until next time, I leave you with a favorite quote:

By nature's kindly disposition, most questions which it is beyond man's power to answer do not occur to him at all.                                                                           - George Santayana