On Mon, 05 Apr 2004 21:29:52 -0400, Jeff Potter
wrote:

J999w wrote:

Prettiest view in the world of XC?

How about from the top of the podium?

Maybe someday. If the right people don't show up, eh Jay? : )

Regarding the 19thC writer, how about Thoreau, who said he "traveled
widely in Concord." : )

I'm someone who's very tempted by 'grass is greener'-itis and have
followed it globally for decades...so the past few years I've worked
hard on screwing my eyes into good enough focus to see that here is
cool, too.

...The minimalls, pavement, pro-sports-fans, TVheads and salesmen don't
make it very easy, though.

...Neither does the frickin lack of hills and decent water.

It takes a lot of squinting to see the beauty in a drainage ditch. But I
did it growing up and am doing it now. A friend wrote a GREAT essay
called "Paddling the Ditches of Meridian Township" on my OYB site years
back. It's still there. I'm not the only one stuck in this boat. But I
do feel weird about forcing my kids to be exposed to it. So we bought
that little lot up in Idlewild. We'll see how that plays out. Next week
I plan to take the nippers down to the local muddy trickle to see if we
can find some crayfish. No trout, but crayfish can be heaven to a kid.



Yep. If a person wants to find the best an urban or suburban area has
to offer follow the kid trails. Every creek and railroad right of way
will be entwined with them. Here in Merrill generations of kids have
bushwhacked through a thicket called the "Indian Trails". While they
are hard for a grownup to negotiate, once inside them you have a good
chance of seeing dozens of different kinds of birds, rabbits (large
and small), squirrels (red, grey and flying) and, since they are next
to a river, mink. Kids need wild places and are lucky enough to be
able to recognize them in areas measured in square yards not square
miles (although having a few measured in square miles helps too).


g.c.