Remembering, forgetting, celebrating

Well, it is here - the official opening of tourism season in northern Michigan, especially around Michigan's Other Great Lakes. Whether you are here to set sail on the water, or sail around the lake shore looking for that perfect sale, welcome! There are about as many yard sales going on as there will be boats in the water.

Our scenery is lush, air is fresh, sun is shining, and temperatures are warm. Fish are biting, flowers are blooming, and ice cream parlors are serving. Amusement parks and attractions are opening. Our guests are arriving. Enjoy your stay!

Are you going to your cabin? Camping? Or, enjoying a stay at our hospitable hotels? This is the best place to be for an extended weekend.

There will be solemn Memorial Day observances on Monday, a small parade or two, to remind us of the significance of this traditional holiday. But a second tradition has evolved for families and friends as they gather around their campfires, drop a line in the water, hike in the woods or just bathe in the sun. Winter is forgotten and the season of fun in the sun has begun.

So, if you are kayaking or canoeing, hiking or biking, or exploring in your ATV or vehicle, please have a very safe holiday with us. We are so glad you are here.

The Lilac Almanac

Since 1818 the Farmer's Almanac has been giving us long range weather predictions. We look to the woolly caterpillar to tell us how harsh winter will be, and to Punxsutawney Phil to see when spring will come. Now, we can add a tree to our list of forecasters.
Did you know that when the leaves of the lilac are the size of a mouse's ear, it is time to pick mushrooms? News to me.
Or, how about this one: When the lilacs are in bloom, the walleye are biting?

Now, both those sayings came from a couple of my favorite area anglers, and we know fishermen always tell the truth....
How about finding out for yourself in Roscommon County. Come up for some springtime fishing on Michigan's Other Great Lakes (Houghton Lake, Higgins Lake and Lake St. Helen). Visit area bait stores who can tell you where and when the fish are hitting. Since the opening of walleye season less than a month ago, there have been some great catches.
And, an added bonus this weekend, a full moon (the Flower Moon). We all know that a full moon is a walleye angler's dream. That's when walleye fishing is at its best.

Twilight Zone Day #michigansothergreatlakes

That explains it. We are living in the Twilight Zone. Nothing else can explain a forecast for weather down in the 30s in this merry month of May. Have you noticed the trees? They are just waiting to pop. I am waiting to wake up and not hear my furnace running.
Here I go again - I have been raised in Michigan so it is in my blood to complain about the weather. But realistically, in perspective, it is not all that bad. No raging fire destroying homes and lives, no tornadoes or flooding rains. Snow melts. It is just my personal desire for the beautiful days we have had to keep coming.
Have you made your plans to visit Michigan's Other Great Lakes yet? Our ATV friends have.
The trails around St. Helen have certainly come to life.

With two wheelers, side by sides, four wheelers and jeeps, the town and trails are a-buzz. The nearly 60 miles of recreational trails in and around St. Helen attract visitors from miles away and all walks of life.  Those 60 miles connect to the rest of the 200 miles of trails in Roscommon County, and those connect to the more than 6000 miles of trails in Michigan. So, in honor of Twilight Zone Day let me almost quote Rod Serling:
"You are traveling through another dimension, a dimension not only of sight and sound but of mind. A journey into a wondrous land of imagination. Next stop, the..." FUN Zone - Michigan's Other Great Lakes.

'Fishing is always good'

I stopped at the DNR boat launch on the West Shore of Houghton Lake today and asked an area angler how his day of fishing was. He had been out all day and was heading for home. When I asked him if he was successful, he just smiled and said, "If you love fishing, fishing is always good." He was happy with the 17" walleye he got today, and really happy about the  21-incher he landed yesterday. 

This may be considered blasphemy to true anglers but I am going to compare fishing at Michigan's Other Great Lakes to Nascar tracks. You have the "big one" like Talledaga, the "exhilarating" Bristol Race Track, and the "prestigious" Daytona International Speedway.

Houghton Lake is our "big one." The largest inland lake in Michigan, anglers come for walleye, pike, bass, perch, and more. 

Exhilarating fishing is in store at Lake St. Helen. Crappie, blue gill, perch, bass and walleye are right there for the taking.

Higgins Lake, one of the most beautiful lakes in the state, is prestigious in that it is the deepest and adds Lake Trout to the species of fish mentioned above.

Thinking back to the fishing sage I met today, I get it. It is the experience. Fishing is always good - and it is never rained out.