I will never Tire of this scenery. This picture is so magnificent I made a copy of it for my bedroom wall. Again this is where the Sauble River enters Lake Michigan. It is right next to the Ludington State Park. Over the years I’ve been able to capture some fantastic pictures at this location. This time I got this picture when Mike and I traveled back to Michigan this last summer for 2 weeks. Mike was fishing just before the dam and I was taking pictures here. Of the night this was my best shot.
Day: October 19, 2018
Kayaking Big Bass Lake
Through some friends on Big Bass Lake, I was able to secure two kayaks for one day for the Salesian Boys Club to use for some fun. The boys on that trip had never used a kayak before and only Mike Myers seemed at home in that conveyance. The other boys struggled greatly and some turned over in shallow water where instruction was held.
Mike used his kayak to explore the shoreline of our property still not to far from shore with me running behind him in a rowboat. At least he got some fun out of that one day. And, yes, as with every day of that trip, it was raining the full-time Mike used that kayak. However it was only a light rain at that time.
No other boys club trip ever utilized kayaks again as they preferred rowboats and canoes.
Hoffman Estates Boys Club Trojans Football Team
The Trojans was our football team for the youngest members of the Hoffman Estates Boys Club. They were also the most successful record-wise as the older boys teams of the Titans and Lancers unfortunately usually got slaughtered. The Trojans, on the other hand, had competitive boys and were well coached by Bob Seibert. Bob took a greater interest in the boys club itself than any other coach of the football program. He also served as coach of our traveling basketball team and I’ll never forget the day they came back from Cicero Boys Club with a 31-26 victory. They were so excited that night and so was Bob. I want to thank Bob Seibert for being a great coach in both football and basketball and a person that had a great interest in the overall aspect of the boys club. Bob, you made a difference in the lives of countless boys.
The Wolf Lake Motel
About 4 miles north Baldwin was Wolf Lake. Besides the Motel there was a small restaurant across the street. It was one of your blink towns as you were out of it before you knew you were in it. The motel also had an area of cottages on the shores of Wolf Lake. There was a road completely around the lake. To my knowledge Wolf Lake wasn’t very deep at any place in the lake. The motel itself used to have a swimming pool in the front and the lake in the back. It is used year round as many snowmobilers use the motel as their base in the winter. If you want a nicer place to eat there is a Club 37 about 3 miles north of Wolf Lake.
The Wellston Cooley River Bridge
One of the more enjoyable non-swimming side trips our boys club kids took while in Michigan was to the Wellston Cooley 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 Cooley 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.
Big Bass Lake & Beyond 