Directions

It has been awhile - hope you all had a wonderful summer. This month is an anniversary for me - 10 years in Roscommon County. I have the enviable job of telling people how wonderful a place this is to live and visit.
But 10 years is causing me some trouble. I have been here long enough to forget the names of roads and when people ask me for directions my mind automatically goes to the visual.
I saw an old deed one time that included in the description of the property line "by the tree where the bear was shot." That was acurate enough for those days, but when all that pops in my head today is "down the road a bit, around the second curve, make a left, and it is just past the doggie park" I get the strangest look.
Even GPS coordinates are almost passe. Navigation on our smart phones or in our vehicle make it nearly impossible to get lost, but that still doesn't answer the question where can I go swimming or fishing or hiking or biking.
Another challenge coming up is our newly-established AuSable Birding Trail. One of the best sites to see birds is to take the trail just past the tree with the sneakers hanging on it. Oh, there I go again...take M18 to just north of the short road, no, I mean take M18  to just north of M157 and there is a seasonal road to the east, follow that (keeping to your left and watching for the signs) and you will come to the flooding and dam
But now you see my quandry - so many wonderful sights are to be found on our back roads, seasonal roads. There is a solution, though. Maps! Be sure to stop in the office, ask for our snowmobile/orv trail map, and I can point you anywhere!
It is such an exciting month for us here in Roscommon County. The Firemen's Memorial is this weekend and if you have never attended I really encourage you to come - free entrance and parking! There is so much to do for the entire family.

Monday and Tuesday following that we are very privilleged to host Michigan Cares for Tourism. This wonderful group of tourism people are actually paying to come do a clean up and restoration of the RAM Center and CCC Museum. I am sure I will have a blog next week about that event.
Today is bright and sunny and I am about to jump ship - it is too beautiful to sit here in the office and not be outside with my camera, hiking through the woods.

Wouldn't you like to join me? Be sure to visit this fall and enjoy our trails, migrating birds, and fishing at Michigan's Other Great Lakes.

Sunny thoughts for a grey day

Winter 2016-17 mainly has been described as "weird." Now that it is officially over and spring is trying to arrive, it is time to look forward and spring ahead to all that it is in store for our area. I hope you find these newsworthy and noteworthy events as exciting as I do!

Tuesday Roscommon County received great news - +Michigan Cares for Tourism has chosen Roscommon for its 2017 #MC4T volunteer clean-up event.  They will be joined September 18-19 at the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) Museum and R. A. MacMullan Conference Center (RAM Center) in Roscommon by nearly 200 tourism professionals volunteering their time for the project. More details will follow, but what an opportunity for us to be gracious hosts and let them see what Roscommon County has to offer.

Earlier this month we received notice that Roscommon County was awarded an Iron Belle Trail feasibility grant. Biking is becoming ever more popular in the area and eventually be tied in with the State's Iron Belle Trail could mean a boost to our economy as well as give local residents a great bike path. What do you think about it?

Local chambers of commerce are busy setting up their summer events - we are looking forward to the summer kick off in St. Helen and its Blue Gill Festival; the Roscommon Art Show; and Houghton Lake Chamber business expo. Please be sure to visit the tourism bureau event calendar for all the events and details.

It is exciting to see new restaurants, a distillery, and more trails (including a birding trail) being developed. Fishing reports have been fantastic.

SAVE THE DATE - April 23 is the Catch Us If You Can drawing at Spicer's Boat City. FOURTEEN tagged fish were caught in all three lakes this year - will 7  year old Marisa be the one to walk away with $100,000 and a new boat? Or will it be Marianne whose husband caught a tagged fish a few years ago? So many stories to tell with this year's winners. Come share them with us on the 23rd.

On a personal note, it is great to open the windows in the morning and hear birds singing. So far I have seen geese, ducks, and red wing blackbirds return. Have you seen a red robin in Roscommon County yet? 

Ice is HOT!

There is a ragtime song from the 1890s - "A Hot Time in the Old Town Tonight." At Michigan's Other Great Lakes the title should be changed to "A Hot Time in Shanty Town Tonight."

I say that after spending some quality time with ice anglers and outdoor writers this week. Mark Martin has brought his Vacation Ice Fishing School to Houghton Lake for the second year in a row. Knowing he was coming a few weeks ago I spent a lot of time nervous about ice. No worries. And just to put the seal on it we have been suffering single digit temps and below zero wind chill for a few days.

Does that stop the guys from going out on the ice? H*** No! If yesterday was any indication, a day on Houghton Lake ice fishing is worth any frostbite. In all reality, these guys know what they are doing. They have proper attire, transportation, shanties and equipment. Their success tells the rest of the story.

During the pre-school fishing Martin said "(We are) starting the Mark Martin's ice fishing vacation school out right Walleye's Northern Pike, panfish."

When asking anglers what they like about ice fishing one said - "It's fishing." Another added it is a lot more than that. "When you are ice fishing, you really get to interact with the fish."

I am having such a good time with this great bunch of guys. Not on the ice, of course, I leave that up to the true sportsmen. But joining them after their day on the ice is giving me real pleasure. The stories they share, the pictures shown. The banter and cajoling. And I have not heard one fish tale I do not believe.

What is really impressive, too, is how much they love Houghton Lake. The fishing. The community. Well done all who have been hosting them for their stay and meals. 

It is not just Houghton Lake ready for ice anglers - since the wind died down Higgins Lake is reportedly iced over and Lake St. Helen has been welcoming tip-ups and jiggers for a while now.

You are all invited to have a "hot time" at Michigan's Other Great Lakes this winter. Stay warm. Stay safe. Visit Houghton Lake Fishermen, Higgins Lake Angler  and Lake St. Helen Fishing facebook pages for updates on ice and where the fish are biting. Find a list of bait shops on our website who will have the latest on ice conditions http://www.visithoughtonlake.com/fish.shtml#ice.