Oh, Those Pine River Hot Dogs

On each camping trip to our property we never had hot dogs at our main campsite.  They were largely reserved for our outing to the Pine River at Wellston which had an area where the boys could walk down a wooden staircase with water coming from a natural source cascading down beneath them. 

Once at the bottom a sandy trail led under M-55 to a campsite with grills and picnic tables.  The Pine River was in full view of this area and many canonists and kayakers would pass by often.  It is here where we broke out the hotdogs and condiments and grilled them up for the boys.  On this particular trip with the Salesian Boys Club you can observe young Ken munching down on one of our efforts. 

After lunch we had a rest and relaxation period as most of the boys draped themselves over the picnic tables and watched  those that passed them by on the river.  After their lunch had settled we set off on a brief hike along the shoreline of the Pine River for about a mile before coming back on an alternate trail. 

The boys always liked our outing to the Pine River for they knew hot dogs would be the order of the day.  And they never spared the ketchup or mustard!

Supplies for Pine River Bridge Sidetrip

During our rainy trip to our property with the Salesian Boys Club, on a sidetrip to the Pine River area, we stopped at the Dublin General Store to pick up some supplies for our picnic.  This store has an abundance of products so we not only purchased hot dogs and buns with condiments, but also Mike Myers bought a poncho to keep out the rain even though on that day it was just a light mist.

The boys shopped around for a good half-hour exploring all that this general store had to offer.  Comments were made as to how superior it was to the Big Bass Lake store which had a limited product line.  From Dublin, it was less than five miles to the Pine River Bridge where our we planned to explore and have our picnic there.

The boys also purchased a lot of post cards with scenes of the area on them and also comic books which were a staple for them wherever they could find them.  I think any shopping was good for the boys after several days of tent camping as it got them back to their real world for a time.  Thus, this general store was used on all my trips to the area for supplies prior to going to the Pine River Bridge.

Hiking or Canoeing the Pine River

Just outside Wellston lies the Pine River and i don’t think that there’s any other place on God’s green Earth that is just like it.  I enjoy taking my golden retriever, Scout, with me either to hike the trails alongside the river or to canoe its waters. 

If I hike the trail alongside the river I take in the fresh scent of pine as I walk along.  I take in with my eyes a passing canonist or kayaker that is making their way down river.  On hot days I wish I were them as I prefer canoeing over hiking.  Scout enjoys canoeing more too as all he does is lay back and enjoy the ride. 

Each bend of the river brings forth more spectacular scenery than the last as you can tell by these photographs.  It literally takes away my breath each time my eyes take in what you see here.

As I canoe this great river, I sometimes like to just drift along using my paddle more for steering than anything else and drink in all that my eyes observe.  I would recommend this river to anyone on either foot o canoe to enjoy it to their fill for they just can’t get scenery like this anywhere else.  You might also try hiking or canoeing in the fall to get an even greater sight!  Why not next weekend?

An Afternoon at Pine River

After a stop at the Dublin General Store (mentioned a few days ago), the Salesian Boys Club kids and I set out for the Pine River Bridge near Wellston for an afternoon of hiking and dining.  Our gourmet special for the afternoon was hot dogs and potato salad.  First, though, the kids descended down a spiral wooden staircase that was situated over a spring that gently flowed down beneath their feet. 

Once at the bottom, there was a sandy trail that led under the spacious Pine River Bridge and into the picnic ground.  While one of the boys and I began to prepare lunch, my older member, Jughead, took the rest of the boys on a hike along the river where they could observe both canoes and kayaks floating by.  They walked to where they could easily observe the island (above) and then returned back to the picnic area.

By then delicious hot dogs awaited them along with several condiments plus potato salad and soft drinks.  Then the kids played Frisbee or just took it easy before our return walk under he bridge and back up that spiral staircase to our car above.  You know, come to think of it, I never took the kids over that bridge by way of the car as our destination was in the opposite direction back to Big Bass Lake. 

Even so the kids were always impressed with our Pine River side trips that gave them an afternoon away from our campsite at Big Bass Lake.

The “Wal-Mart” of the Manistee National Forest

In the small town of Dublin, Michigan, is the Dublin General Store and of all these kinds of stores in the area, this one is a classic.  On a trip to the Pine River Bridge near Wellston, the Salesian Boys Club kids and I stopped at this store to pick up supplies for our picnic.  However, Whitey Meier found the right size battery for his larger than life flashlight, Timmy Flannery purchased long shoelaces for his hiking boots, and Mike Myers found a particular brand of cookies that he had not found at other general stores in the area.

The Dublin General Store is a kind of Wal-Mart in the middle of the Manistee National Forest.  The Big Bass Lake Store, on the other hand, had limited items and often one had to go to Scottville for a full shopping trip.  At the Dublin General Store you could also have a full shopping experience and then even more than that with all the specialty items they carried. 

I know that the Salesian Boys Club kids appreciated them.  They came out of that general store beaming with their unique purchases.  And I got all the things I needed for a great cookout at the Pine River that day.  Don Clodfelter took a great picture of this store.

Wellston’s High Bridge

Here is the historic High Bridge near Wellston, Michigan, that goes over the Manistee River. In its day it was something to see as its primary function was to take out all the lumber being downed within the Manistee National Forest. Some areas were stripped clean.

The High Bridge railroad bridge was originally constructed in 1889 over the Manistee River Connecting Kaleva and Baldwin. At the time High Bridge was the tallest railroad bridge in Michigan. The wooden structure bridge was removed in 1947 and replaced with a metal structure bridge.

The bridge at the time was the only crossing at this section of the river so on a daily basis you would see people walking the bridge. In 1955 they removed the railroad bridge. But to this day if walked the North Country Trail along the river you can still see the trusses to the railroad bridge.

In this last photograph you can observe one of the great locomotives crossing the bridge. It was really something to see don’t you agree?

The Wellston Pine River Bridge

One of the more enjoyable non-swimming side trips our boys club kids took while in Michigan was to the Wellston Pine River Bridge. We usually took a lunch and made it an afternoon event. On one side of the bridge was a windy set of stairs that many times curved over a stream of water gushing from a natural spring at the top. Once at the bottom you could take a path under the Pine River Bridge to the other side where a picnic area was located as well as many hiking trails.

Cooking grills made hot dogs taste even better but we also had cold cut sandwiches for those that preferred them. The kids would also watch the occassional canoe or kayak pass on by but the majority preferred taking hikes down the river trail. Then we would retrace our steps back to the natural spring and up those wooden steps. A refreshing drink of pure spring water would come before we would head back to Big Bass Lake.