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Monroe is underserved by walking and hiking trails.  So, it is a long-term mission of mine to find any super-secret spots that might exist within the county.  This means I visit many parks just to see if I’ve missed something.

So, I didn’t expect much in terms of hiking during a recent visit to Heck Park in Monroe.  I’m actually not quite sure who has jurisdiction over this park - the county or the city.  Most people who visit the park are there for the war memorials.  Heck Park boasts a quite unique museum dedicated to Monroe’s veterans, especially those of the Vietnam War era.  It’s quite moving, really.

Heck Park 

Through great efforts of local veterans groups, two Vietnam-era helicopters grace the location.  And an impressive monument to Monroe’s Vietnam War dead is placed in a prominent position.

Besides the veteran’s monuments, the park boasts a very nice basketball court and playground area.  This playground even contains a small climbing wall for children.  I thought that was a nice and unique touch.

In terms of hiking, there really isn’t much here.  There is a paved circle that extends to the northern reaches of the property.  All told, the path is roughly a half-mile in length.  This makes it suitable for families who are already at the park for picnics or other reasons.  But for hiking purposes, this park is mostly worth passing by.

That said, there are some interesting geographic features that could make this park rather nice if the park ever expanded.  First, the park contains a very nice sledding hill.  This allows for some nice elevated views of the surrounding area.  Given the lack of any terrain at all in Monroe County, this is worth a mention.

I also have to mention the old quarry area that exists just to the north of the park.  It has historically been a renegade - an very much illegal - swimming hole for the more adventurous youth of Monroe.  The area is posted against trespassing, so don’t go there.  However, the area seems to have returned to something of a semi-natural marsh.  Several additional ponds also seem to create additional wetland and open water areas.

Given the lack of lake areas in Monroe, it would be nice to see these areas eventually incorporated into Heck Park.  It sure would make the area a much nicer walking spot.

It would also be nice to see this area connected to the proposed River Raisin National Battlefield Park in some way.  Given its military focus, this would seem a natural.  And from a hiker’s perspective, this would create a much longer walking route possibility with the growing River Raisin Trail system.

Again, this is not a recommended spot for a walk.  But I mention it because of the possibility that it holds for the future.

Several local blogs have been covering the controversy related to long-term plans to dredge the Ottawa River in the City of Toledo and Monroe County’s Erie Township.  Here are the links:

http://glasscityjungle.com/wordpress/?p=4541

http://swampbubbles.com/20081123/councilwoman-webb-proposes-ottawa-river-dredging-summit

I would be remiss if I didn’t post about one of the traditional scenic locations along Monroe County’s Lake Erie shoreline.  It’s called Bolles Harbor and it has a proud history.  This was the location at which thousands of early settlers entered Michigan following a journey on the Erie Canal and Lake Erie.

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Stagecoaches and trains would take these settlers west to Tecumseh, Cambridge Junction and, eventually, Chicago.  Bolles Harbor was initially called La Plaisance Bay, or “The Pleasant Bay” by the earliest French settlers.

As ships grew in size, the commercial use of the bay decreased.  Now, it is used by charters and sport fishermen as an access point to the big lake.  For those tied to the land, a short U.S. Army Corps of Engineers pier allows for a short walk into the water.

There is no real hiking at Bolles Harbor.  It is possible to make an interesting walk through some of the marinas that follow the water upstream.  But this can be quite a busy area on a warm summer day.  Most visitors will simply drive to the pier, take the short walk and then return to their cars.

The Toledo Blade has an interesting story about a political controversy related to proposed dredging of the Ottawa River along the Michigan/Ohio state line along Maumee Bay in Point Place.  It seems to be a classic case of economics vs. the environment with a little bit of cross-state disagreement thrown in.  Excerpt and link:

Since 2001, the city has been setting aside money for dredging the river. Now Toledo officials are considering using some or all of the $1.3 million that’s been reserved for the project to help address the deficit, said David Welch, the city’s commissioner of streets, bridges, and harbor.

The 4.5-mile stretch of the river and Maumee Bay that is proposed for dredging - between the Summit Street Bridge and Toledo Harbor Channel - includes a small portion in Michigan.

The state has refused to give its consent for the project, saying it poses threats to migrating bluebill ducks, spawning fish, and bottomland micro-invertebrates. The state also objected to a portion of the plan that called for one-third of the removed sedimentation to be dumped on the lake bottom.

In a letter to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers in 2005, Michigan environmental officials said “dredging and the subsequent increase in boating traffic in this area will cause a substantial loss of critical fisheries and wildlife habitat.”

The department called the area “one of the last, natural, coastal wetland systems in western Lake Erie.”

Full story:

http://toledoblade.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20081123/NEWS16/811230322/-1/NEWS

I know.  I know.  It’s no longer that big of a deal to see a bald eagle flying around Monroe County.  I saw one several weeks ago flying over Ellis Library.  And my sister swears that she saw one swoop low over Barack Obama when he was in Monroe on Labor Day.

But I still think that a blogger who gets a picture of one of these majestic birds deserves a link.  So, click below to see Margot’s bald eagle pic taken while walking her dog along the beach:

http://24kgsd.com/blog/2008/11/22/a-most-excellent-adventure/

I’m a couple of days late with this post, but the Monroe Evening News has a report on a new pocket park in Bedford Township.  Excerpt and link:

Former Bedford Township Supervisor Pearl Albert-Green was overcome with emotion Saturday morning when the new pocket park in Lambertville was dedicated in her honor.

Members of the Downtown Development Authority and township officials hosted the dedication the new nature park, which designers and DDA members believe will be a model for future “green” projects in the area.

Construction on the park began in July. The park currently features a bridge, pond and a windmill. In the spring, benches and a gazebo will be installed to complete the facility, Mr. Wilburn said.

Full story:

http://www.monroenews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20081118/NEWS01/111189966/-1/NEWS_RSS

The fine folks at the Michigan Sportsman forums are having an interesting discussion about whether it is legal to fish in and around Monroe County’s marinas on Lake Erie.  It’s worth a look:

http://www.michigan-sportsman.com/forum/showthread.php?t=260377

This is just a reminder.  Jack’s Bicycle and Fitness is hosting a bike race this Sunday morning/afternoon at Munson Park.  Here’s an excerpt and link to Paula Wethington’s event page at the Monroe Evening News:

The 2008 Tailwind Cyclo-Cross Race Series will have bicycle race competitions with various divisions competiting from 10 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Sunday Nov. 16 at Munson Park, 2700 N. Custer Rd., Monroe. This is part of a race series held at several locations in Michigan.

The public is invited to watch the bikes in action. Jack’s Bicycle is the local sponsor.

Registration forms and directions are at www.tailwind.net; or register on line at www.bikereg.com.

A free kids’ race will begin at noon.

http://www.monroetalks.com/events/events/index.php?com=detail&eID=112492

Additional links:

http://www.tailwind.net/

http://www.jacksbikes.com/

Note: I am currently in Port Huron and unable to attend.  If anyone gets pics, I’d love to post ‘em.

Monroe County’s lakefront is a maze of dikes, seawalls, dredge disposal sites and marshes.  It is poorly understood, even among longtime county residents.  But I think that anyone hoping for renewed Lake Erie shore should keep a watch on how these lakefront structures are developed.

Dean Cousino at the Monroe Evening News has a story about dike restoration in the Frenchtown Township Resort District.  Excerpt and link:

Construction began three weeks ago on restoring clay berms in three different sections of the district: State Park Subdivision, Brest Bay Grove and Pointe aux Peaux Rd. near the woods, Superior St., Ave. F and Shady Lane.

“They’re tearing out all the old crib diking” that has deteriorated, Mr. Spas said Friday. “They’ll put new topsoil down and work as long as they can this winter and then finish in the spring with the seeding.”

Full story:

http://www.monroenews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20081115/NEWS01/111159988/-1/NEWS_RSS

Did you see it?  The USS Freedom made a quick pass by NE Monroe County this morning on its way to Cleveland.  It must have been something to see as it left the Detroit River shipping channels and ramped up its engines for the open water crossing to Lake Erie.  Excerpt from Phil Ewing’s excellent blog at the Navy Times:

To get away from the pier in Port Huron, the ship reversed the maneuver it used to dock. The Freedom angled its stern out from the dock and into the Saint Claire River, where the downstream current from Lake Huron grabbed the ship. It pirouetted with the flow of the river until the bow pointed south, then started down the channel.

I missed the river transit and Detroit, having worked feverishly and then collapsed into the rack. When I walked onto the bridge this morning the ship was entering western Lake Erie in the channel as part of a column of merchant vessels, with big cargo carriers ahead and astern of us. The captain came on the 1MC a few minutes later to announce that we’d be firing up the turbines and making another “full CODAG” run across the lake to get to Cleveland.

The whine of the turbines filled the ship. The crew of the Freedom is still experimenting with the water depths at which it can enter high speed, because they affect how well the ship’s bow can plane up. So after the ship chopped a few times on our existing course towards the Cleveland, it turned into the wind, like a carrier, to get a slight boost for the semi-planing hull. The trick worked and the Freedom took off like a rocket.

As I write this the ship is making a right turn from running at 44 knots – over 50 miles per hour – with a 75-knot wind over the forecastle. We expect to make it to Cleveland within the hour.

Full post:

http://www.militarytimes.com/blogs/notebook/?p=169