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From Path to Highway- Evolution of the Ski Trail If I had known beforehand the expense of building good trail, both to body
and pocketbook, I'd have hired a professional trail building company. That said, with each hour I spend, with every new load
of dirt, every clipped branch, (this is still an ongoing process) the fantastic woods I own become more a part of me and I
a part of the consortium of trees and stones and ups and downs. Modest Beginnings
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A little info about the owner/groomer I
used to shovel the balcony at my house so thoroughly that all the exterior green carpeting was shoveled off as well. (This
may not be a bad thing!) Likewise, my father demonstrates quirky/perfectionistic behavior with snow, shoveling 2 tracks for
wheels so they do not compact snow on driveway. At 72, he still shovels at times a 200 foot driveway, although now does have
a snowblower. My belief is that good grooming can only be accomplished by a quirky perfectionist, and I do
possess those traits. I was born in 1969 in Green Bay as my parents at that time had apparently
a slight problem with Sturgeon Bay medical facilities. I was quickly whisked back to Sturgeon Bay. Sturgeon Bay was a good
place for an outdoors oriented kid like me. We lived on the water- I fished, sailed, snorkeled, swam and engaged in other
mischief. My first time skiing was at around age 12, when I thought it was incredibly boring and done only be weird people.
I started skiing consistently at around 15, and skied many days after school with my golden retriever Goldie. Sometimes I'd
head East and ski in the orchards behind the house, but usually I'd ski on the ice. My favorite ski was ax the ice (it was
seldom broken by the Coast Guard) to Potawatomi Park, on snowmobile trails to the ski hill, down the hill and chairlift back
up. When the ice was cut I'd find the biggest pieces, take off my skis and cross in long strides. I still do this 2day. I
actually snowboarded most in college but did do an occasional backcountry ski and telemarked a few times. College classrooms
to me lacked, and in 1992, after a year of kayak instruction and tours for Life Tools of Green Bay, (no longer in business)
started Bay Bikes and Boards, selling bikes and a limited quantity of windsurfers. ..to be continued
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