Tuesday, January 23, 2007

Cheap Stuff: Damascus House


One of the better area second hand shops is the Damascus House Search and Save on Smith Street in the City of Monroe.


This past weekend, my wife and I stopped in and found a turkey roaster for $3 and a tie for 50 cents. During past visits, I have found a good quality Barcalounger for $10 and a really great stone-topped cabinet for $5. The cabinet matches the kitchen in our new house perfectly and holds my grilling equipment.


The Damascus House has a wide assortment of items. They have books, clothes, household items and electronics. I think that the best part of this place is the furniture. They always seem to have something worth considering and the prices seem lower on the larger items than at other second hand stores in the region. I guess the items are priced to sell given the limited space in the store.


One of the quirky aspects of this store is the fact that the local prison has a work release program at the store. It is almost guaranteed that you'll see someone in a striped uniform moving furniture around. Personally, I think that this is a great thing. And the Damascus House does work to help the poor in the Monroe area. So it is a good place, even if the religious theme of the store might be off-putting to some.


Hours are 10AM to 4PM, Wednesday through Saturday.


Give it a look. Contact Information:


Damascus House Search and Save

212 Smith St.

Monroe, MI 48161

(734) 242-8136

Cheap Stuff: UM Property Disposition


Let's face it, we live in a throwaway society.


Want proof? Just drive down any street on garbage night and you are likely to see hundreds of items and materials that could be reused.


That's why I love second hand shopping. It helps the environment. It often helps a charity fund its operations. And the goods for sale are often sold for a great discount from retail.


The University of Michigan Property Disposition is one of these great second hand spots. This is the place where all of the old furniture, office detritus and computers go when the university community deems it surplus. This place is great for filing cabinets, office chairs and old computers.


Our home office, for instance, sports a $30 five-drawer Steelcase filing cabinet that would probably have cost a couple of hundred bucks if purchased new.


This place is also good for strange objects. My wife and I have seen x-ray machines, oscilliscopes and fake human cadavers during previous visits.


Check out the link below for more information:


Sunday, January 21, 2007

Watch Where You Step: Monroe's Potter's Cemetary


Thousands of people drive past the Monroe County Community College campus on Raisinville Rd. every day without thinking about that little tree-covered hill framed by the road and college parking lots.


But that hill has some history. And it reaches back to the days before the community college began to grow nearby.


Prior to the arrival of MCCC, the site was a potter's farm and field. Those who were bankrupt, poor or otherwise disadvantaged moved here to farm the surrounding land. If they earned enough money to become self-sufficient, they left the farm.


Many, however, died on the site. And the dilemma was, of course, what to do with the body of someone without savings and, often, no family. That's where the hill comes in. Standards were different then, and the dead were placed in a mass grave. That mass gravesite became the hill.


I discovered the hill during regular walks that I used to take on the MCCC campus. I wanted as much terrain as could pack into my walk and the hill provided some. Only after several walks did I read the historical sign at the top of the hill. I had to laugh at my innocent-turned-morbid search for terrain in flatland Monroe.


This spot and sign is worth a look. I snapped a picture that appears above.

Johnny B's...Good!



I am biased when it comes to Johnny B's Pizza and Grinders in downtown Deerfield. John is a very close friend of mine. I remember sleeping on his family's porch on Front Street in Monroe on warm summer nights.


But my bias does not change the fact that Johnny "B" makes some great pizza. My wife and I ate the "Hawaiian Islands Specialty Pizza" on Friday night. And it was a treat. John's hand-tossed crust is soft inside, but with a distinct crispness on the outside. His sauce is a bit less tart than Tiffany's and the rest of his ingredients are fresh and good. The cheese is especially good.


The menu at Johnny B's includes pizzas made with hand-tossed, thin or cheese-layered crusts. He has a wide range of specialty pizzas, from the Hawaiian that we tasted to steak, taco and the multi-itemed "B's Supreme." Other pizza-related items like grinders and cheese sticks are also available.


Johnny' B's also offers several dinner items. You can buy manicotti, tortellini, mosticolli, ravioli and saccotino. And John's Greek, Roman and Buffalo Chicken salads also seem like a good bet.


John's prices are about what you'd expect in a pizza place. Small one-item pizzas range from $5 for a small to $12 for an extra large. Multi-itemed and specialty pizzas are extra.


Maybe Johnny B's biggest selling point is that he delivers pizza to many areas without any other pizza delivery service. He delivers as far north as Milwaukee Rd. near Britton, east to Wells Rd. in Dundee, south to Yankee Rd. near Ottawa Lake and west to Palmyra. The chart above shows John's delivery area.


If our previous visits to Johnny B's are any indication, Johnny B's does a brisk delivery business.


Johnny B's is open from 11AM until 10PM on Sunday through Thursday and 11AM until Midnight on Friday's and Saturdays.


The number is (517) 447-4000.

Hillary?


I love politics.


And I find the candidacy of Hillary Clinton to be very interesting.


Her position on the War in Iraq is hawkish. She voted to give President Bush authority. And she is in favor of capping troop levels. She is NOT in favor, currently, of withdrawal.


Most of the Democratic Party candidates are under enormous pressure to go "anti-war." And most others, like John Edwards, are moving in that direction.


On the Republican side, there is almost a jailbreak quality to Republican war opposition. Senators like Chuck Hagel are becoming strongly anti-war.


So, it seems to me that almost all of the Democratic candidates and most of the Republicans will be forced into a position advocating an end to the war.


I think that it is at least possible that Hillary Clinton might be the only candidate in the field who could keep the United States in Iraq. She has enough liberal "street cred" to possibly withstand the strong anti-war sentiment in her party. And, as the first legitimate female presidential candidate, she could probably pull the strongly anti-war female electorate with her come general election time.


Before you start throwing invective my way, I want you to know that I am not a Hillary supporter. I don't have a horse in this race yet. But I think that Hillary's positioning is VERY IMPORTANT in terms of our national foreign policy. She could be the "last man standing" for the current Iraq policy.

Saturday, January 20, 2007

Adultery = Life in Prison?


As a happily married man with a wonderful wife, I can think of nothing worse than the idea of adultery.


But, I think that our Michigan court system is taking it a bit far.


Apparently, adultery is still a felony in the state of Michigan. And Michigan also has a law that requires any felony that involves sexual penetration to be classified as first degree criminal sexual conduct.


Add to this the fact that the Michigan State Supreme Court has required lower court judges to follow the literal letter of the law when making decisions and, well, you've got a mess.


Check out this Yahoo article for more information:

Factoid: Spinning Away


My wife and I attended a Peter Mayer concert in Ann Arbor this past Friday.


While Mayer tuned his guitar, he gave the crowd some interesting facts about how quickly we all move.


I checked the facts on the internet and here they are...


...every one of us continually moves at 1,000 miles per hour as the Earth rotates.


...we all move at a rate of 67,000 miles per hour as the Earth revolves around the sun.


...each of us moves 490,000 miles per hour as the Milky Way revolves around the universe.


So, the next time you go running, make sure that you are running in the right direction because you've got a 490,000 mile headwind to overcome.

New Dikes for Monroe Resort Communities?


The resort communities along Monroe's Lake Erie coast have always had to worry about flooding issues. Erie is a mercurial lake.


Dean Cousino wrote an interesting article about potential dike projects between Sterling State Park and Stony Point. It appears in today's Monroe Evening News and on the News' website.


Friday, January 19, 2007

State and Local Environmental News


I love to read about Michigan's parks and natural areas. And I recently came upon a great source for newspaper articles about our state's natural heritage.


It's called "Michigan's Echo." The Knight Center for Environmental Journalism scans most of the state's newspapers and consolidates all of the environmental news onto one website. It's great reading.


Check it out:


Black Gold in Monroe?


It may seem difficult to believe, but there is a small oil and gas industry present in Monroe County.


Most of it is centered on the northern and western sections of the county.


I decided to investigate some of these fields one Saturday afternoon and I came up with the picture that accompanies this blog.


I also have attached a link to an old article from the Tecumseh Herald that describes some of the early wells in the West County area.


FYI, the well pictured is found near the intersection of Lenawee Rd. and Brewer Rd. in Dundee Township.


If you squint, you can almost get yourself to believe that you are in Texas.


Thursday, January 18, 2007

Great Maps!


If you can't tell already, I love maps.


A map is the key to finding cool new places.


One of the best sources of maps in this area is the University of Michigan Map Library, located in the Graduate Library on Central Campus.


Anyone can go there are look at the maps. In the past, I have gone there to explore plat books for all of the surrounding counties. It sure beats driving to ten different places.


Again, if you are looking for a map, this is the place to go.


Birders Rule!


One of my funniest nature moments happened on an Audubon Society bird hike. I was an undergrad. student at the time and I linked up with some Ann Arbor birders. The plan was to hike around the dikes at Pointe Mouillee State Game Area.


Well, it turns out that I was hiking with the 4th and 6th best birders in the state. Don't quote me on the rankings. How do they know? Well, birders keep lists. Lots and lots of lists. They are the most organized people I have ever seen.


As we hiked a little farther down the path, a hush suddenly came upon our little group. It turns out that the #1 birder in the state was on a nearby dike. It was as if the Pope was walking by.


The great thing about the birders, however, is that they share their lists with all of us. If you want to know good places to hike or experience nature, there is almost nothing better than finding a local birding website, group or bulletin board.


Want proof? I have attached a list that the birding community has made of natural areas in the region. They get almost everything. Use this list the next time you want someplace new to explore.


Favorite Place: Woodtick Peninsula


It is not easy to find wild places in Monroe County. Monroe is certainly not the most developed county in the state. But most of its open space is dedicated to farming. This is a great thing, but every once in a while, you need to get lost.


One of my favorite places to do this in Monroe County is on the Woodtick Peninsula in the Erie State Game Area.


Take I-75 to the Erie Rd. exit. Head east towards the Consumer's Energy Erie Power Plant.


As you drive, you will see several interesting things. On the south side of the road, you will see a small DNR parking area. The DNR owns a small right-of-way that heads back into some deep brush. I have never found that this path leads anywhere interesting.


You will also see a Consumer's Energy wildflower area. This is quite nice to look at in the warmer months.


But the good stuff is at the dead end of the street. Park at the very end of the street and walk straight out to the beach. Consumer's Energy asks that you stay along the shore. From here, you can walk as far south along the shore as you are able.


From the parking area you can actually walk about four miles to the tip of the peninsula. This is not always possible. The peninsula has been eroded over the years and often it is a series of islands.


There are several ways around this difficulty if you choose. One is to wait until the dead of winter and walk across absolutely frozen ice. This has some dangers, but during a very cold January it is possible and reasonably safe. The better option is to wait until the warmer months and find the offshore sandbars. If you wear waterproof boots, watershoes or sandals, you can usually find a sandbar that connects to the next island.


I like this place because it is just mile after mile of beach. You can see the Toledo Harbor Light and the old Turtle Island Lighthouse. And once you get out of sight of the Erie Power Plant, you might as well be in the middle of a wilderness somewhere.


I have had some interesting interactions in this natural area. Once a man in a small boat pulled up near me. He yelled out, "Are you shipwrecked?" "No, just hiking," I answered. That was beautiful! I also ran into some boaters from Ohio who asked where they were. I told them that they were in Michigan and they were kind of surprised.


Another area of note is the power plant warm water discharge. This area almost always has open water in the winter. So, this is a good place to see eagles and other birds in the winter. I also see many people fishing this area, mostly immigrant families. Be aware that the currents in this area are extremely dangerous. Also, be aware that power plant people have been extremely nice to outdoorspeople who access the shore here. Try not to tresspass on Consumer's Energy land.


This peninsula, coincidentally, serves as a protective barrier for the Nature Conservancy's Erie Marsh Preserve. Together, this is a dynamic natural area that is home to bald eagles, hawks and all manner of small mammals.


It is a special place.
Erie State Game Area Map:
Directions from the birding community:
Cool aerial photo:
Here's a blog post about the "Lady of the Lake" camp that was once found at the base of the peninsula:
Here are some of my old hike reports:
Here is another old hike report:

Wednesday, January 17, 2007

Go See the Cat Mummies!


The University of Michigan is a great place of learning. But it's also this region's cool attic. There are things in that place that are just amazing and cool.


Some of my favorite oddball items at the U of M are the cat mummies at the Kelsey Museum of Archaelogy. The Kelsey is a small museum on State Street between the Michigan Union and William St. It contains various items of ancient antiquity. They have much from Egypt and the Middle East.


The cat mummies come from Egypt. They were so prized by the pharaohs that the Egyptians had them mummied and buried with their deceased leaders.


The Kelsey Museum is currently under construction, but the galleries are open. I would recommend a visit. And I can't wait until the construction is done. This is one of the overlooked museums in Southeast Michigan. And the BEST part - it's free.


Did You Know?: The River Raisin Flows Backwards


I like to dig into the back rooms at libraries because they often have surprising little secrets.


One of the more interesting Monroe finds was the fact that the Detroit Edison plant at the mouth of the River Raisin takes in so much water that the River Raisin actually flows backwards except during times of very heavy rain.


This was reported in a 1998 DNR document about the state of the River Raisin. It is interesting reading and I'd recommend it to anyone who cares about the river. I've posted a link to it at the bottom of the excerpt.


Kenneth E. Dodge is the author.


Potamodromous Fisheries Management-Barriers


"The Detroit Edison Power Plant at the mouth of the River Raisin presents a formidable obstacle to both upstream and downstream migration of potamodromous fish species (Figure 22). The Monroe Power Plant is one of the largest fossil-fueled power plants in the United States, and the heat produced during power generation is tremendous. The plant’s cooling water requirement of up to 3,000 cfs greatly exceeds the annual mean flow of the River Raisin of 741 cfs (Blumer et al. 1996). Therefore, during all but the high flow periods of the year, virtually the entire flow of the River Raisin is drawn through the intake canal and processed through the power plant as cooling water. In addition, Lake Erie water is drawn upstream to the plant through the river channel essentially reversing the flow of the river. This processed cooling water is then returned to Lake Erie at an increased temperature through a separate outlet canal to Plum Creek Bay. This feature, part of the plant’s normal operation, certainly deters upstream runs of adult potamodromous fishes. Also, survival of wild downstream migrants and potamodromous fish stocked upstream from the power plant is jeopardized as the fish migrate downstream to Lake Erie. One plant of coho salmon in the River Raisin in 1977 produced virtually no return. Spring walleye and white bass spawning runs are insignificant in the River Raisin, whereas these runs have increased dramatically in other major tributaries to the Western Basin of Lake Erie. The absence of substantial walleye and white bass spawning runs in the River Raisin is probably caused by hydrologic disruptions due to the Monroe Power Plant cooling water intake (W. McCracken, MDNR, Water Quality Division (now MDEQ, SWQD), personal communication). Walleye spawning habitat is good between Monroe and Dundee and a substantial potamodromous spawning run of walleyes could develop. Nursery habitat appears
to be good along the western shore of Lake Erie."


Trail Route: Munson Park to Sterling State Park

Monroe has done a very good job of developing its trail and sidewalk systems.

It is now possible to start walking at Sterling State Park and follow the marsh trail to a secret connection to East Elm. This connects to the Riverwalk Downtown if you take the bridge across the River Raisin. Take the Riverwalk to the MLK bridge and cross back over. Follow Elm Street and N. Custer Road on the sidewalks to Veteran's Park. Connect to the path along Cranbrook Park. Cross over N. Custer to connect to the Munson Park system of trails. I'm not sure of the complete mileage, but this is a very nice and lengthy urban walk. I think that the highlight is the system of wooded trails in the back of Munson.

If you did the whole thing, you'd pass by areas frequented by bald eagles. You could see the War of 1812 battlefield sites on the east side of town and several war memorials on the west side. You'd see a Great Lake and spend lots of time along the "crookedest river in the world" as claimed by Ripley's Believe it or Not.

You could stop at several ice cream shops and Vince's, the site of Monroe's best chili dog.

Here are some links to check out:

The Michigan Mountain Bike Association spearheaded the building of the trail. I helped to cut brush a few times. It was very cool. They have a trail status page with maps, directions and trail conditions:

http://www.mmba.org/trails.php?trail=29

This is an article from the Monroe Evening News that updates some of the grants needed to complete the trail. Basically, it can already be hiked. But you must cross railroad tracks. This grant will help to make the route much more user friendly and legal.

http://www.monroenews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20061027/NEWS01/110270022

I can imagine a day in which this trail system is connected to the SE Michigan Greenways system. The I-275 Bikeway is being rehabilitated and its southern terminus is not too far from this trail. Also, a sidewalk system up Dixie Highway and U.S. Turnpike could connect this to the Downriver Greenways that currently extend to Lake Erie Metropark.

Tuesday, January 16, 2007

Mystery Solved

I've been posting on the Monroe Evening News blogs and forum lately.

And I thought I'd try to get a little mystery solved at the same time.

So, I posted the following message:

"When I was in high school, I was a little bit bored. So, I bought a Monroe County plat book at the extension office on Raisinville and tried to figure out where I could go for legal walks in the county.

And that's when I came upon a little mystery.

In Exeter Township, there is a 70.7 acre piece of land that is, or at least was, owned by the federal government.

It is unusual for the U.S. to own property in Monroe, so I drove past the place a few times and tried to figure out what it was. It's in section 14 of Exeter near the corner of Martinsville and Scofield-Carleton Rd. At the time there was a little utilitarian structure at the center of a farmer's field.

So, my little mystery. What is on that land? And why does the federal government own it?

I came up with all sorts of fun little theories, most involving Monroe's history as a Nike missile base, but I never found an answer.

So, if you know, please post."

Well, inside of a day a fine poster named Nathan Harmon had my answer. He wrote that it was a VORTAC. This means that it a navigational aid for airplanes as they travel through the sky. Very interesting.

Here's a satellite map that Nathan was able to send to me.
http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&hl=en&q=Scofield-Carleton+Rd.,+Carleton,+MI&ie=UTF8&z=16&ll=42.046982,-83.458264&spn=0.006979,0.019333&t=h&om=1

He also sent a helpful tutorial on the subject.
http://url.rexroof.com/7456

American Lotus Plant Preserve

This is a scanned image from an old book of Michigan Nature Association nature preserves. This one is of lotus beds near the Fermi plant in Monroe. My 1998 county plat book says that they still own it. Public access, however, seems like an occasional thing. The preserve is actually behind fences.

Click on the image for a more detailed look at the document.

Monroe County Community College Events Page


The Monroe County Community College has some good events coming up.


I would recommend "The Acoustic Big Gig" on Feb. 3. Every year, the Monroe County Library System runs a superb and FREE blues festival. This promises to be a great event.


Check below for the MCCC Events site:


New Kalamazoo Trail?

One of the best places to hike in extreme southern Michigan is the Fort Custer State Recreation area near Battle Creek. It has 25+ miles of great, great trail. You can see a waterfall. There are hills and a large lake. It's just beautiful. And it gets abundant snow in the winter. So snowshoers and cross country skiers, as well as dog sledders, are happy.

So, I was happy to see that there are plans to connect Fort Custer to other Battle Creek and Kalamazoo area parks and trails with a new 40 mile trail.

http://www.mlive.com/news/kzgazette/index.ssf?/base/news-21/116861880641800.xml&coll=7

Bald Eagles: Steinen Wildlife Area


One of the coolest things to do in Monroe and the Lake Erie West region is to watch the bald eagles as they raise their young.


Many of these areas are closed off to viewing because the eagles need some privacy.


But the Toledo Blade had an article about a new spot near Sandusky where they can be viewed.


I would encourage anyone with this interest to check the lakeshore in Monroe and, again, be respectful.

Sun After the Ice


I just walked outside and the sun is just beautiful the way it glints through the icy trees.
I know this picture doesn't do it justice, but here it is.

Walks with Dad

My mom passed away in the year 2000. Soon After, I wrote a piece that captured "some" of my thoughts. Here it is...

Walks with Dad

As far as wilderness treks go, this one wasn’t much. Our feet never left cement as we walked along Lake Erie at Sterling State Park. But this was no ordinary hike. As the pinks and oranges of the late-fall sky soared above our heads, our thoughts were with my mom – several miles away. “How long do you think think she has?” I asked. “Not long,” my dad whispered.

It had been a tough couple of months for my father. In May, my mother had been diagnosed with cancer. It was an experience that played to the best and worst aspects of my father’s character. His best was complete devotion to his wife. He never left her side. If she wanted a drink, my dad jumped from his usual spot on the sofa and did his best to assist her. He helped her walk, eat and sleep. If my mom couldn’t keep the food down, my dad was there to clean up. If the usual bad news arrived from another doctor, he was there to pick her up.

But this devotion to duty also was, in some ways, his worst trait. He never gave himself a break. He rarely slept and he hardly left the house. My brother, sister and I did what we could to help out, but our attempts invariably ended with my father’s words: “This is the promise that I made to your mom thirty years ago. I gave her my word that I’d be there for her through everything.”

I couldn’t argue with my father on this point. But I could find ways to help him break the stress. So, I began to take him on walks. I’d take him slogging through the mud of my favorite rugged hike. And he’d laugh as he asked, “What are you trying to do to me?” We’d breathe hard up and down the trails and I’d catch my father trying to mask his obvious exertion. We’d catch spray from our favorite Lake Erie hikes and watch the waves crash before us. For a moment, at least, we were not in that terrible world of sickness.

Of course, we also talked about other things as we walked. My father talked about his childhood memories of Belgium during WWII. “The night sky would glow with explosions,” he’d reveal. I tried to comprehend this far-away world. “We’d pick up the unexploded grenades and detonate them in the fields,” he would say. And I felt admiration for a man who had lived such an epic life. I’d laugh as he told about his papa’s attempts to steal coal from the nearby German headquarters. And I’d feel the depth of emotion as he described the loss of two infant brothers during bombing raids.

“Why haven’t you ever gone back?” I’d ask him. “That was a long time ago,” he’d say in his thick Flemish accent. None of his brothers or sisters ever returned, either. Once a decision was made in my family, there was no looking back. My father knew no English when he stepped off the boat into New Jersey, but he scratched out a life for himself. He helped start an auto repair shop, became a Catholic deacon and built the house I grew up in. He lived in a time of great struggles and had met them all head on.

While not so momentous, I also uncovered my struggles during these walks. I’d talk about the difficulty of inspiring the students in my English classes to learn their grammar. I’d grumble about the growing piles of leaves taking control of my house. And I’d bellow about the frustration of the daily chemo and radiation treatments that I drove my mother to.

But a funny thing happens when you take a walk in the woods with someone special. You begin to forget about the bad things. We’d watch an owl soar above our heads and dive to a nearby ridge in search of a mouse. We’d watch the bald eagle’s nest ahead for any sign of movement. We’d freeze in delight as a deer stealthily crossed our path. Sometimes we would lapse into the silent meditation that always seems to happen on a good hike: one foot, two foot, one foot, two foot…

Our trance, of course, would break with another good story. Often the outdoor memories of our past overshadowed the natural wonders arrayed before us. We’d talk about a family trip we had taken to Yellowstone National Park. I spent my birthday that summer in the geyser basin. “That was the best chocolate cake I’ve every tasted,” I remarked. “Who cares about the cake?” he’d respond. My dad spoke with amusement about the time that I had taken my non-athletic mom on a challenging hike. “Tell me again, Michael, how did she end up in that ravine?” With a sheepish grin, I repeated the story of how I had lost her deep in the woods. We both wondered in admiration about my mother’s will to find her bearings.
But hikes do end, and we would return to my mom’s side. In July, surgeons did their best to remove the cancer. But the mass was too large. “It doesn’t look good, does it?” asked my mom. We were honest enough with her to agree. But we also didn’t want to give up hope. I remember walking down the corridors of the University of Michigan hospital that day – standing tall with pride as I pushed an incredible woman to her room.

After the operation, I drove four hours a day to get my mom to her chemotherapy and radiation treatments. It was physically and mentally exhausting. This was especially true as it became clear that she would not get better. How does a person get up in the morning when everything seems so hopeless? I still can’t answer this completely. But I do know that one way I was able to face these wrenching days was the knowledge that a hike through the woods with my dad also awaited me.

Which brings me to that wonderful and terrible day at Sterling State Park. As night fell, we passed a handful of fishermen casting silently into the surf. Each was a shadow against the bleak horizon. There was little conversation that night. Each of the fishermen stood alone with his thoughts. And my father and I did the same. But it was enough just to walk together. As a duck quacked overhead and a lighthouse shined offshore, the sun set and we returned to our car.

Four days later, while teaching my social studies class at Addison High School, I received a message to come home. I drove without panic. I knew what lay ahead. My family gathered around my mom’s bed in her home and waited. At 6:30 PM on November 8th, she passed away. On this last day of my mother’s life, I told her that she would be with us during the walks that we took. She smiled and nodded. And so she is.

Hillsdale College: Center for Constructive Alternatives


This might be a little bit of a drive for some Monroe and even Lenawee county people, but Hillsdale College sponsors some very interesting lectures and events. The college has enough weight within conservative circles to get some of the more prominent thinkers on the campus.


For those of us interested in learning what some very smart people are thinking about, consider attending:




Borders Events


One of the best ways to meet interesting people in our culture is to visit them when they are on a book tour.

I've met John McCain, Ray Bradbury, Hillary Clinton and many local authors when they've come to visit the Borders in Ann Arbor.

Of course, it's not just about famous people. The Borders stores have reading clubs and knitting groups as well.

Check the link below for more details:

http://www.bordersstores.com/mystores/mystores.jsp?msgNum=0

Free and Cheap Classical Music and Theater


Residents of both Monroe and Lenawee Counties have an incredible cultural resource within an hour's drive.


The University of Michigan has many free and low cost concerts within its Schools of Music, Dance and Theater.


My wife and I have attended several top notch symphony and choir concerts. I've also seen several very good plays at low cost.


Check below for the calendar and directions.


Review: Monroe's Skyline Chili


I went to visit my dad last weekend and took him to the Skyline Chili place in the Farmer Jack complex on the corner of M-50 and Telegraph in Monroe.

The place is essentially a coney-type lunch counter. The seating is roomy and the booths are ample and comfortable.

The food ranges from coney dogs, chilis and burgers to some higher end selections. Prices seem reasonable for the kind of food served.

I decided to buy the advertised whitefish dinner for $8.99.

It was okay, but nothing more. The whitefish was a bit on the rubbery side and some portions were little more than breading and skin. The accompanying fries were crisp, but nothing spectacular. The restaurant gives a baked potato as an alternative option and a side of cole slaw is provided.

The whitefish dinner comes in a one-piece $4.99 variety, $6.99 two-piece and $8.99 three piece.
My recommendation: If you want a whitefish dinner on the cheap with lots of room to talk, come here and buy the $4.99 deal. Given the ample coney dog options in Monroe, I’m not sure that this is a place that needs frequent return trips.

Monday, January 15, 2007

Monroe's "Hot Hole"

It's always fun to find a secret little spot in a place that you though you knew well.

A few years ago, I was researching the Lake Erie shore in Monroe, MI and I came across the link below:

http://www-personal.umich.edu/~mshlafer/hot_hole.html

Apparently, boaters and fisherman hang out on a little beach area near the Detroit Edison hot water release in western Lake Erie.

Weird Spot

Favorite Place: Pointe Mouillee




I love to hike and I grew up in Monroe, MI. So, one of my favorite places is Pointe Mouillee State Game Area.

Pointe Mouillee means "wet point" in French. And that's what it was during the time of the French settlers. It was a big, marshy point of land that pushed out into Lake Erie.

Pointe Mouillee sits at a very interesting spot in Southeast Michigan's geography. It marks the southern mouth of the Huron River and also touches the extreme southern sections of the Detroit River. Lake Erie spreads out to the east.

The current version of Pointe Mouillee was actually constructed by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. The Corps constructed a "banana" shaped barrier island to protect the interior marshes. It's really quite amazing when you walk on top of it. It's miles and miles of man-made dike. Some of the material for this dike system came from the frequent dredging of the Detroit River and Lake Erie shipping channels.

Pointe Mouillee is a beautiful place. From its shoreline, you can see freighters, the Detroit River Light, the Renaissance Center in Detroit, Canada and the old Boblo Needle. It is definitely worth a visit.

See below for maps of this neat State Game Area:

http://www-personal.umich.edu/~bbowman/birds/se_mich/moumaps-a.html
http://www-personal.umich.edu/~bbowman/birds/se_mich/moumaps-b.html
http://www.michigandnr.com/publications/pdfs/huntingwildlifehabitat/sga/ptmouillee_airphoto.pdf
http://www.michigandnr.com/publications/pdfs/huntingwildlifehabitat/sga/ptmouillee.pdf
Awesome Photos:
Additional blog postings:
Here are some older hike reports that I originally posted on several internet bulletin boards:

Welcome!

Hello!

This is my little corner of the internet. If you like what you see, read more. If not, move on. Feedback is always appreciated.

Thanks,
Mike