A Continuing, Monthly Journal
of People and Places
Along Bay County, Michigan's Rail Trail System

Enhance your health, stretch your mind, embrace your community; hit the Trail. 

by Dave Goss
8-15-08

Dear friends,

What a fantastic summer this has been. I don't recall ever having a green, lush lawn in August. The rains have arrived at just the right time. Though the humidity has been quite high at times, this is Michigan at it's finest.

Our grapes are bountiful this year. I sprayed the plants this spring with an organic fungicide. As a result the grapes are much bigger and healthier.

Grape arbor

The high price of oil has been a blessing in disguise. The fact that it is so costly to drive our automobiles has forced Americans to become more conservative; to drive less, to exercise more. Historically we have not given much thought to conserving our resources until we are forced into the situation. In 1973, the U.S. faced an oil embargo. I remember all the rhetoric about conserving; about the waste in the packaging of hamburgers and convenience meals. Four cylinder engines became trendy. Once the embargo was lifted, we returned to our old ways of gas-guzzling and wasteful consumption. This time around, conservation must become the focus of all people in all countries of the world. There is too much at stake to go back to our old ways.

A fawn along the Rail Trail on Patterson Road

Here are some upcoming trail events to mark on your activity calender:

Pedal to the Park Trail Ride
Saturday, September 23, 8:00 am. to 10:30 am.

A delightful and scenic ride from Veteran's Memorial Park to Bay City State Recreation Area's Tobico Marsh. You will discover Bangor Township's newly-paved trail which links the Bay City Riverwalk to the Park's Andersen Nature Trail. You can take the guided 15-mile tour, or make the ride on your own. Free refreshments will be served at each Adventure Sag Station. Each station is designed to help make you familiar with the unique natural resources of our area. Participants can earn a free Jr. Ranger patch by having their Pedal Passport stamped at five sag station, where they will also receive a free souvenir water bottle.

Register the day of the event under the Friends of Bay City State Recreation Area's blue canopy at Veteran's Memorial Park's tennis court parking area. Guided trail rides leave at 8:30am, 9:00am,9:30am, 10:00am, and 10:30am. Self-guided tours must begin before 10:30. For more info, call Valerie Blaschka at 989-667-0717.

Valerie Blaschka at Saginaw Bay Visitor Center

3 Trails 3 Days Tour

This event takes place at 3 of our local trail systems.

Friday, September 19 ^- Experience the Saginaw Rail Trail- 3:00 to 8:00 pm, and 9:00 to noon on Sunday. Check-in station on trail at Van Wormer Rd.

Saturday, September 20 - Experience the Pere Marquette Rail Trail- 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.Check in at the Tridge / Farmers Market.

Sunday, September 21 - Experience the Bay County Rail Trail / River Walk. 9:00 a.m. to 4:p.m. Check in at the Bay County Community Center, located at 800 J.F.Kennedy Drive.

There will be a participant picnic on September 21^st at the St. Charles Village Park.

Participants can register in advance or the days of the event. Advance registration fee of $25.00 per person for adults (or $30.00 a person the day of the event). The first 150 participants will receive a special back pack and water bottle. Everyone who participates will be able to enjoy the refreshments on the trail and are invited to attend the picnic at St. Charles Park.

Registration forms are available at: www.saginawvalleyrailtrailfriends.com and www.saginawcounty.com/parks

Monarch butterfly at Saginaw Bay Visitor Center

Our incredible Rail Trail system is in need of volunteers for many chores that are required to keep our area beautiful. If you would like to be a volunteer, please call Cathy Wasabaugh at 989-686-2463.

This recipe is one of my all-time favorites. We got this one from my mother-in-law; Wilma Knight, of Fort Walton Beach, Florida. It is surprisingly delicious.

Summer Squash Casserole

Ingredients

2 pounds summer squash, sliced or cubed
1 medium onion, chopped
1 cup sour cream
¾ packet of saltine crackers, crushed
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
1-14 ½ ounce can of creamed corn

Cook squash and onion until tender-crisp, drain.
Add sour cream, crackers, half of cheddar cheese (reserve half for topping,) and corn.
Mix together and pour into a baking dish.
Sprinkle remaining cheese on top.

Bake at 400 degrees for 30 minutes, or until tender, or microwave for 10 minutes until bubbly.

The Enchanting Mystique of the Campfire

I didn't start camping in earnest until I married my wife- Betty. As a child, I never really had the opportunity to camp. My only real experiences with camping was when I went to the YMCA summer campground on Sand Lake: Camp Iraquois and a Church Camp on Lake Cadillac.

Betty's family moved around a lot more in her growing years, and camped frequently. I had never been camping with an actual camp fire until I was in my later twenties.

Our kids grew up with the freedom of having the run of our favorite camping spot on the backwaters of the Manistee. We started with a tent, then a pop-up, another, larger tent, and finally we purchased our first travel-trailer.

At the end of the day; after the sun had set on the lake, there was always the campfire. The kids had the traditional marshmallows, I would grab a beer, and Betty her hot tea, and we spent a wind-down period before the crackling fire. It was a time to tell stories. A time to laugh and a time to luxuriate in the orange glow of the fire. A time to slow down and actually talk to each other.

The darkness of the campground ads to the drama. There was no light pollution from the cities. When total darkness came, the show would begin. Sometimes there were meteor showers- blazing though the vastness. Sometimes it was the magical wonder of looking at the millions of stars in our own Milky Way through binoculars. The beauty of the late-night sky is breath-taking.

The campfire is an ageless thing. As long as humans have walked the Earth, there were campfires. The assembly at the evening fire was where important decisions were made; where stories were passed on to following generation; where myths and legends became a part of each and every culture. The bright red coals are as a visual mantra. Transforming energy- mesmerizing and eternal.

The ancient campfire kept the wild predators at bay and made meat more edible. The darkness of the night forest fueled the imagination.

It is amazing where a conversation can take you on a clear, cool, and dark night spent with family or friends around the glow of a warm fire.

We now have a campfire pit in our back yard. It is a favorite place to relax and contemplate the wonders of nature.

 The poem that follows was written about my experiences while sailing with a good friend; Frank Davis who died thirteen years ago. He was a union boss and a WW11 veteran. Though our backgrounds and demeanors were vastly different, we found a common ground in the love of sailing. The poem and the story that surrounds it, are part of my(hopefully,) forthcoming book; Snake and Morning Star, which is a sequel to my first book: Danny. The story is true, but it is written in the fictional book as part of the life of Danny Pratt.

Old Snake and Morning Star

One steamy night in August
We started on our way.
Old Snake Davis and myself
In his twenty seven foot O'Day.

A sturdy ship, a seasoned vet
Through many storms had sailed.
Stood high and proud through raging seas
And scarcely wet her rails.

Their toughest test was yet to come
The toughest test by far
By two men far away from shore
in a ship called Morning Star.

If good winds blew, away we'd sail
We'd sail all through the night.
Then, sometime in late morning
The Tawas pier we'd site.

We motored out the Saginaw
The dinghy brought in tow.
We passed the buoy at Seagull Isle
Where off-shore breezes blow.

Prepared (we thought,) for anything
Come rain, come wind, come sleet.
Snake turned our bow into the wind
While I pulled in the sheets.

The twelve-knot wind we'd hoped for
We simply could not find.
The jib -the main flopped listlessly
Of wind, there was no sign.

While Saginaw Bay lay tranquil
Our glasses we did raise.
Snake told of South-Sea battles
And bygone union days.

Time was at a stand-still
Good friends with time to spare.
We sat there for an hour or more.
Life held not a care.

A setting sun sent golden clouds
Cascading in the west.
When the sun sank from our sight
T'was then began the test.

Many a tale there has been told
Of deadly, angry gale
From Huron waters, mountains grow
That cause stout hearts to wail.

A chilling breeze filled all the sails
And sent us on our way.
Where placid, mirrored seas had been
A towering torrent swayed.

Then blackness fell upon the Earth.
A billion stars shone out.
The wind kept building up in strength
And battered us about.

The knot meter we buried
While surfing down the swell.
Snake pulled the jib
Then reefed the main
And faced the winds of hell.

We flew wearily into the night
'Til passing Gravelly Shoal
Who's siren song in mournful horn
Can shake the bravest soul.

“How can it be, we've come this far?”
Snake yelled above the blast.
“We've been gone but three short hours
“Now Gravelly Shoals we've passed.”

'Twas then I felt the fervor
Of sailors long-since dead.
Who caught the wind and challenged seas
With grandeur in their head.

Who wandered far from safety's shore
The heaven for their guide.
Who's tattered, wind-blown faces
From danger would not hide.

The fear of what we faced that night
Suddenly was gone.
Courage welled within the breast
A sailor I'd become.

We sailed on and on with zeal that night
'Til Tawas lights grew near
'Twas then that Snake yelled from the bow
“We're going to hit the pier!”

I guess 'twas purely instinct
That took control just then.
We came about with lightning speed
And turned into the wind.

The boom shot by just overhead
With deadly, cannon force.
We tacked beyond the breakwater
Again we changed our course.

We sailed 'round the protective wall
A citadel against the blow.
We moored a distance from the dock
Our dinghy yet in tow.

Then, exhausted, fell asleep
Awoke with morning glare.
When upon the deck we stood
We could do naught but stare.

The many ships surrounding us
Most' the ships we saw
Had left Port Huron night before
And raced towards Mackinaw.

Several ships had lost their masts
Some had lost much more.
One racing ship while being towed
Sank quite near the shore.

Tales were told about that night
When waves as big as masts
Had sent the veteran sailor
Retreating from the blast.

Old Snake and I were proud that day
Proud we'd come so far
And braved the raging seas one night
In a ship called Morning Star.

Quotable Quotes

It is the mind which creates the world around us, and even though we stand side by side in the same meadow, my eyes will never see what is beheld by yours, my heart will never stir to the emotions with which yours is touched. George Gissing

We shall not cease from exploration
And in the end of our exploring
Will be to arrive where we started
And know the place for the first time. T.S. Elliot

Whoever envies another confesses his superiority. Samuel Johnson

It is not only our fate but our business to lose innocence, and once we have lost that, it is futile to attempt a picnic in Eden. Elizabeth Bowen

Our hope for immortality does not come from any religions, but nearly all religions come from that hope. Robert G. Ingersoll

Drinking when we are not thirsty and making love all year round, madam; that is all there is to distinguish us from other animals. Pierre- Augustin Caron De Beaumarchais

Until next month; Happy trails to you!