Today's hike through the Recreation Area found me photographing an unusual site - a fungus adhering to a tree in winter.
I wonder if they're dead or dormant or what? They were on a dead tree... near the arched beauty below.
Spring will be here soon and a whole new crop of fungi will sprout in the park. Come out and enjoy the crisp clean air and the wonderful wintry sites in Highland Recreation Area! You might even find a fungus on a tree in the winter.
A new thing for the blog... video! [youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LbiVgjbXbx4&rel=0&fmt=18]
Just a test for now.
The Highland Recreation Area is a wonderful place to get outdoors in the winter! Beauty abounds in the form of amazing sites and sounds. The clean snow and skies left after the last few days of snow afforded me a great hike today.
The entrance road into the park this morning only had the tracks of one or two vehicles ahead of me before I made the westerly turn. It looked like maybe 3 - 4 inches of snow had accumulated the past night.
Looking west from the dam out over Haven Hill Lake (above) a snowy flat landscape caught my shadow in the morning sun...
The limbs of this large old oak tree stretched from right to left and formed an interesting pattern (above). The snow today was light and flaky. It glistened in the sun.
I think we're often guilty of looking "out" and "over" and "ahead" too much. Today I tried to look down more and found this neat scene of a tree stump covered with snow. If you look closely it has the appearance of a mountain scene I thought.
For my hike today I wore 2 pairs of socks in my boots, long underwear, jeans, and a warm shirt all covered by my set of winter coveralls. Ear muffs and a beanie hat are my favorite to cover my head. This out fit allows me to "layer up" or "layer down" and adjust my body temperature as I hike. I was warm and comfy all morning. Dress appropriately and take a winter hike in the fresh air at Highland Recreation Area this winter. You'll get hooked as I am.
Monthly meetings of the Friends of Highland Recreation Area continue in 2009 on the first Wednesday of every month. That'll be January 7, February 4, and March 4 for the first quarter. Open to the interested public. NOTE: The January FOHRA meeting is being held at the Proud Lake Recreation Area River Hawk Annex building on Wixom Road due to a scheduling conflict with the White Lake facility.
Meetings are held at the White Lake Community Hall on M-59 (Highland Rd.) across from the Township offices next to the fire department.
Come on out and support the Highland Recreation Area!
Snow snakes were seen slithering in the snow inside Highland Recreation Area on Saturday, December 20th. Have you ever heard of a "snow snake"? Do you think maybe it's a unique reptile that survives Michigan winters slithering in the snow? Have you ever seen one? Maybe you should watch out for them when "Cow Tipping" or "Snipe Hunting" in the Winter. I think maybe their skin is white and camouflages them so that they are rarely seen when a wintry blanket covers the ground...
Well those are some of the thoughts that I had when I was first presented with the concept of a Snow Snake. Mr. Dick Russell from the Clinton Valley Council of the Boy Scouts of America (Waterford, Michigan), and Chairman of the Chief Pontiac Trail Committee, explained to me that the snow snake is actually the main object in a Native American Indian winter game, wherein a wooden "snake" is sent hurtling down a track in the snow for maximum distance.
Being originally from sunny Los Angeles, California, all I had never heard of this before, but I liken it to the "craft and skill"-oriented activity of "Pinewood Derby cars" that I modeled and painted in Boy Scouts when I was young. The small wooden cars were raced down a sloped track to see which one was the fastest. But snow snakes can travel even faster and for great distances.
In preparation for the HRA practice and the big event in January, the Boy Scouts held a Snow Snake Fabrication Day on December 13 at the Proud Lake Recreation Area, River Hawk Cafe dining hall. About 40 Snow Snake kits were sold to excited participants. Each kit contained supplies to carve a custom-made Snow Snake for the practice races which were held at Highland Recreation Area on Saturday, December 20th.
The Scouts held their practice on a cold but beautiful day in the park near the Edsel Ford barn. The actual Race Day for the Snow Snakes will be Saturday, January 31st, at the Proud Lake Recreation area on top of the hill across from the River Hawk Annex building.
More information about the 2008/2009 Snow Snaking activities is available by reading or downloading the PDF file HERE.
Here's a great link to an old Sports Illustrated article about snow snaking... "professional" Indian snakes, seven feet long, that travel over a mile! SI Snow Snake Article. And type "snake snake" into the search engine HERE to see pictures of original snow snakes from our continents' native American Indian tribes.
Come out to the Highland Recreation Area this winter to enjoy the season. Annual motor vehicle permits are $24.00 and are on sale at the MDNR website HERE or at the park entrance for the 2009 season. They make great gifts! Day permits are $6.00.
Jay Fitzgerald
Secretary
Friends of Highland Recreation Area
The recent snow storm has blanketed the Edsel Ford Barn and carpeted the Highland Recreation Area with a dreamy fresh powdered layer of "the frozen stuff" for outdoor enthusiasts.
7 - 10 inches of snow fell this last couple of days to the delight of skiers, snow shoers, and winter lovers of all kinds. The Haven Hill complex's historic barn (above), which was damaged by a June storm, stands as a gathering place for the parks' visitors in Winter and all seasons. The barn was covered with protective tarps by the Friends of Highland Recreation Area in the Fall in order to stave off winter moisture.
Come on out and enjoy the park this winter season. It truly is beautiful! 2009 Park Passes are for sale now. They make great holiday gifts, and the funds support the park system.
Happy Holidays everyone! Winter has returned to Michigan and beauty abounds at the Highland Recreation Area.
2008 park passes are now on sale and make a great gift for the Holidays. The Highland Recreation Area has many of its own "gifts" to offer the winter enthusiast. Hiking trails, magnificent vistas, wildlife - just a few of the many things to do during the winter months.
WINTER PARK SAFETY
Watch out for snow plows as the DNR keeps the roads clear after each winter snowstorm. Drive safely, and at a safe speed, especially when rounding some of the tight turns in the park.
Be alert and wary of deer and animals crossing the roads. Use all forms of ice safety if you venture out onto Teeple or Haven Hill Lake.
Look out for FOHRA members - give us a wave if you see us in the park. Better yet, join our group to help the Highland Recreation Area and Haven Hill!
Digitizing of some fantastic photos and newspaper articles that were collected by Marge Sawruk of the Friends of Highland Recreation is underway. This wonderful old photo of the lodge (below) from the October 31, 1962 edition of the Pontiac Press shows its magnificent sloping roofs and two of the six giant chimneys. For those of you who didn't know, the Pontiac Press became the Oakland Press in 1972.
Click on the photo to see and read the text. Use your "back button" to return to this page.
Marge Sawruk is the Secretary of the White Lake Historical Society and a long-standing member of the Friends of Highland Recreation Area. Our sincere appreciation goes out to Marge for saving and collecting such wonderful historical records.
REQUEST for OLD PHOTOS and DOCUMENTS:
The FOHRA would like to extend a formal request for any and all old photographs that reflect the natural and man-made hsitory of the Highland Recreation Area and Haven Hill. We'll carefully scan your pictures of the park and return them to you unaffected. In retun, the FOHRA will send along with a free computer disk containing all of the preserved images. Please contact Jay Fitzgerald (FOHRA group Secretary) at (248) 494-8919 or write a email to jayman@friendsofhighlandrec.org. Thanks ahead of time!
The members and guest volunteers of the Friends of Highland Recreation Area (FOHRA) worked feverishly on Saturday and Sunday, November first and second, to stabilize and "winterize" the Edsel Ford Barn inside of the Recreation Area. The volunteers worked in the cool Fall weather and Sunday rain these last two days to clear the huge mass of debris that fell around the historic barn during the severe storms in June of this year.
An outdoor extended-reach forklift was used to perform the heavy lifting of debris from the south side of the barn, and to clear a safe path around the remaining "cube" section of the structure. Volunteers sorted debris into designated areas for recycling. 
Volunteers cleared the southern side of the remaining structure in order to provide easy access to the barn for installation of tarpaulins in preparation for the oncoming winter. Members of the FOHRA wore hard hats, safety glasses, and safety shoes to minimize the possibility of job-site injuries.
Above: The Edsel Ford Barn at the beginning of the weekend winterization effort.
Below: The historic Edsel Ford Barn at the end of the day today.
The Friends of Highland Recreation area would like to sincerely thank the Michigan Department of Natural Resources for the opportunity to assist in the preservation efforts put forth towards this important natural historic resource. Special thanks are also sincerely extended to the Michigan Barn Preservation Network without whom our efforts would never have been realized this weekend.
More to come as the progress continues! Please come out and enjoy the special resources that the Highland Recreation Area has to offer. And make sure to consider joining the FOHRA in our effort to preserve and protect the things that the Highland Recreation Area has to offer. See our website at www.friendsofhighlandrec.org.
In a cooperative effort with the Michigan DNR, the Friends of Highland Recreation Area have started a significant project at the park this weekend. The damaged and ailing Edsel Ford Barn is being stabilized, cleaned, and wrapped for winter!
Above: FOHRA members survey the Edsel Ford barn the morning of Saturday, November 1 in preparation for the day's work.
The barn was damaged by a severe storm in June of this year after languishing for many years without major repairs or significant maintenance. The weakened structure's livestock portion (the southern 3/4 of the barn) collapsed in on itself after being hit broadside by the high winds that accompanied the severe weather.
Above: Dean Sutton, a contractor volunteer from Efficient Builders, surveys the straightness of the barn with a lansit (theodolite).
Highland Recreation Area Friends group members were excited to get started on the project of getting the old barn ready for winter. A lot of personal time and manual labor is being donated by the group to sort debris, conserve salvageable components, and prep the barn for the Michigan winter. Safety is priority number one on the job site, and paying special attention to salvaging and re-use of the barns components is a close second.
The 2-day project will culminate Sunday with some exterior "wrapping" of the structure with tarpaulins to ward off the winter rain and snow.
Friends of Highland Recreation Area
PO Box 800, Highland, Michigan, 48357
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Within one of the most picturesque, fascinating, and historically significant state parks in southeast lower Michigan, our goal is to combine the former Haven Hill estate history with Highland Recreation Area’s existing amenities, wilderness, and recreation.
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