Snow Snake Track Testing at Edsel Ford Barn

A snow snake was on the loose at Highland State Recreation Area this last Sunday!

  On Sunday January 22, a team of Friends of Highland Recreation Area (FOHRA) volunteers got together to build the 2012 Snow Snake track at the Edsel Ford Barn in Highland State Recreation Area. Later in the day after the assembly was complete and the track was filled with snow, some “adult FOHRA kids” tested the track by letting a snow snake loose for exercise.

See video below…

Thanks for watching! Come on out to the barn and enjoy the fun on Sunday, January 29th at 1:00 pm. Cold weather permitting of course!

Some Winter Finally Arrives on Haven Hill!

What an odd year for weather in Highland State Recreation Area so far! Not much snow, days of warm air above freezing, and days of short  cold, but not enough to even freeze area lakes 100%. Rough season for ice fishermen. This week the temperatures finally got down to 2 degrees, and 2 to 4 inches of snow fell on Friday night at Haven Hill.

Above: The Carriage House on top of Haven Hill in a fresh blanket of snow on Saturday.

Families enjoyed the sledding hill at the circle lot yesterday. The grass is finally covered with snow. Hopefully it will last for a while.

Above: The Carriage House on Haven Hill

Next weekend, on Sunday the 29th of January, the Chief Pontiac Trail committee will have snow snake races at the Edsel Ford Barn. Bring your pet snake and let him (or her) run free at the Edsel Ford Barn. Google to the Chief Pontiac Trail website for more info.

Above: The Gate House at Haven Hill at the entrance to Highland State Recreation Area.

Will the snow last? Well at the time of the writing of this post, the weather man is already calling for high temperatures back up near 50 degrees tomorrow (1/23/12) and a chance of thunderstorms. Get outside and enjoy the snow while it lasts!

Mild Weather Affecting Snow Snake Arrival?

So far we’ve had no big snows in Highland Recreation Area, Michigan this year… and with temperatures above freezing each day the favorite winter habitat for snow snakes is scarce! But rest assured that this years’ snow snake migration will arrive soon. To hold you over until the season really begins, I’ve assembled some snow snake information from around the web:

Snow Snake Lore – Some Terms and Descriptions:

Snow Snakes and Winter Sports: The nemisis of skiers and boarders in snowy climates the world over, snow snakes sometimes like to warm them shelves on steep snow-covered slopes. Their white color makes them impossible to see while skiing or snow boarding. Often the cause for unxplained wipe outs. - Urban Dictionary

Boot-Stealing Snow Snakes: A snake that travels under deep snow commonly in the area of upper michigan that causes you to loose your boot. The only way to catch one is to go to the deep snow in the middle of a field with a fishing net and six- pack of beer. - Urban Dictionary

“..that snow snake took my boot! Help me dig it out!”

Butt-Biter Snow Snakes: Some folks suggest that you always be very careful using the outdoor latrine while camping in winter. The snow snake is known to sometimes bite when it feels endangered.

“… be careful out there, a snow snake might bite you on the butt.”

2011/2012 Snow Snake Races Information

Information about the 2011/2012 Snow Snake events can be obtained by heading on over to the Chief Pontiac Trail website Here.

Also you can download the information flyer Here.

5 Mile Hike Around Haven Hill Natural Area

See our Haven Hill hike map below… tracked our progress on our cellphone GPS. Amazing.

View Larger Map

 

2011 Haven Hill Festival a Great Success!

Thanks to everyone who helped support the Friends of Highland Recreation Area this year at the annual “Haven Hill Festival”. The event was held on August 27th and was a great day for everyone at Highland State Recreation Area.

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Slithering and Sliding Snow Snakes at Highland State Recreation Area!

Beware of Snow Snakes!

Click on the article title above to view the full-sized post and photos…

The sunny and cold weather was perfect for watching snow snake activity at Highland Recreation Area last Sunday, January 30, 2011.  The creatures were slithering and sliding over the ice behind the Edsel Ford Barn for hours in the bright sunshine. Some of the colorful creatures slid off the ice and headed into a nearby snow bank! Children young and old chased after them before they were lost in the powdery white stuff….

I’m talking or course about the adaptation of Native American snow snake racing by the Chief Pontiac Programs Committee for area children and adults… the sport has its roots in winter recreation of North American Indian tribes for hundreds of years. The sport involves sliding a carved and painted wooden “snake” down a man-made track to be measured for distance. Everyone had a great family time sliding there snakes for distances of over 140 feet!

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The days’ event was organized by the Chief Pontiac Programs Committee.  The Committee is a volunteer group of scouters operating a hiking trail and other programs with outdoor experiences for all age groups. These programs are available for all school age groups and although primarily focused to groups related to the Boy Scouts of America (Tiger Cubs, Cubs, Webelos, Boy Scouts, Venturers and Explorers), all youth groups are welcome to participate. The Chief Pontiac Trail Program is administered through the Great Lakes Council of the Boy Scouts of America. located in Pontiac, Michigan.

Below can be seen a colorful example of one of this years’ snakes. This one’s decorated as a Coral King Snake.

The Friends of Highland Recreation Area helped to build and maintain the snow snake track, and supported the event day with staff, snacks, and supplies behind the Edsel Ford Barn. Make your plans for Snow Snaking next year!

Oh Deer!

The deer in the park are in full winter coats. Beautiful.

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This nice young buck ran across the road at Goose Meadow. Handsome fella!

Sometimes they’re invisible, other times they jump right out in front of you! Always drive slowly and be alert for these wonderful creatures in Highland State Recreation Area.

2010 FOHRA Blog in Review

The stats helper monkeys at WordPress.com mulled over how this blog did in 2010, and here’s a high level summary of its overall blog health:

Crunchy numbers

A Boeing 747-400 passenger jet can hold 416 passengers. This blog was viewed about 5,400 times in 2010. That’s about 13 full 747s.

In 2010, there were 18 new posts, growing the total archive of this blog to 90 posts. There were 94 pictures uploaded, taking up a total of 44mb. That’s about 2 pictures per week.

The busiest day of the year was January 25th with 213 views. The most popular post that day was HRA Edsel Ford Barn Winterization Weekend A Success!.

Where did they come from?

The top referring sites in 2010 were mail.yahoo.com, en.wordpress.com, search.aol.com, mail.live.com, and tips-tools-tutorials.com.

Some visitors came searching, mostly for snow snake, turtle, snow snakes, henry ford model a, and haven hill ford.

Attractions in 2010

These are the posts and pages that got the most views in 2010.

1

HRA Edsel Ford Barn Winterization Weekend A Success! November 2008

2

Snow Snake Population Growing in Highland Recreation Area December 2008

3

Haven Hill Lodge Ruins February 2008
7 comments

4

The Ford Model A in the Park! July 2009

5

The Turtle and the Hair August 2008

Snow Snakes Flying at Edsel Ford Barn

The snow snakes were flying in the cold and yet wonderful winter weather at the Edsel Ford Barn today.

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FOHRA vounteers helped the Chief Pontiac Programs Committee to build the 2010 snow snake track and sold hot chocolate and snacks for the Scouts’ practice day.

“The Chief Pontiac Programs Committee is a volunteer group of scouters operating a hiking trail and other programs with outdoor experiences for all age groups. These programs are available for all school age groups and although primarily focused to groups related to the Boy Scouts of America (Tiger Cubs, Cubs, Webelos, Boy Scouts, Venturers and Explorers), all youth groups are welcome to participate. The Chief Pontiac Trail Program is administered through the Great Lakes Council of the Boy Scouts of America. located in Pontiac, Michigan.”

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?

The snow snake is actually the main object in a traditional Native American Indian winter game, wherein a wooden “snake” is sent hurtling down a track in the snow for maximum distance. Scout families from around the area participate in making their own “snake” and then running it down the snowy track.

Snow Snake Race Day; Highland State Recreation Area, 5200 Highland Rd, White Lake, MI 48383 – near the Edsel Ford Barn; Sun., January 30, 2011; 1pm—3 pm.

Come on out on January 30 and see the snakes!

Snow Flying at Haven Hill!

The snow was (and still is) flying at Haven Hill as the Friends of Highland Recreation Area worked at the Edsel Ford Barn and the Gate House today.

Above: Snowy day at the Edsel and Eleanor Ford Gate House of Haven Hill in Highland State Recreation Area, Michigan.

Preparations are underway for the Chief Pontiac Trail scouts Snow Snake races to be held next Saturday, December 18th.

Above: Snow snake track assembled for December 18 races. Snow will be added for the slick course.

Highland State Recreation Area is a wonderful place for winter activities. Snow shoeing, skiing, hiking, and more.

Visit www.fohra.org for more information.