Jim Gilligan's blog

One of the appealing things about being outdoors in the winter is the lack of bugs. But there are times when finding a bug in January is a good thing. One of those times is during the annual Stonefly Search conducted by the Huron River Watershed Council's Adopt-A-Stream program. The HRWC has been active in "Protecting the River Since 1965", according to their website.

It was gray, damp and not so frosty for the inaugural REI Frosty 5/15k Freestyle cross-country ski race hosted by Huron Meadows Metropark on Saturday, January 16. Undeterred by the mid-winter thaw, Metropark trail groomers were able to skillfully move enough snow around to give the racers a fast track. 

"Just don't tip your canoe!"

Whenever I told someone I was going to compete in my first adventure race, in December, this is invariably how they responded. After asking me what an adventure race was, of course.

"Rain, rain, go away!" That was the mantra voiced by members of the Howell Rotary Club during the wet week leading up to last Saturday's Tour de Livingston bicycle tour. Last year, the inaugural year of the Tour, 315 cyclists rode under sunny skies with record temperatures above 80 degrees. Of that number, nearly half registered the day of the event, no doubt after checking the weather report. Not only did the rain cause concerns about rider participation, it made marking over 100 miles of roads with directional arrows very challenging.