Jack: One of the reasons Michigan is so much fun is the water. We have rivers and lakes everywhere, a whole more than Colorado. And Michigan is literally surrounded by three Great Lakes: Superior, Huron and Michigan. And that’s the reason clouds hover over the state quite frequently. The huge expanses of open water result in lots of moisture evaporating into the air. And when you get enough moisture in the air, you get clouds. Add the fact that large reservoirs of water like the Great Lakes tend to stabilize temperature, and you end up with really moist air interacting with a giant heat sink, and you end up with rain. Or snow, if it’s winter.

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Northern Michigan is simply gorgeous when the weather cooperates. In the summer, that’s most of the time. Sure, there are days when it rains. One of Michigan’s unoffiicial slogans is “If you don’t like the weather, wait a minute and it will change.” The reverse, sadly, also is true, If you do like the weather, like I do at the moment, it is guaranteed to change soon.

Now, don’t get me wrong, changing weather is a good thing. (Though I do have occasional wistful thoughts about Tahiti, where the temperature always seems to hover between 70 and 90 and it always seems to be sunny.) A freshening rainstorm or shower is usually a great change, helping to green our local world and fill our many lakes and rivers.

I’ve lived in a couple of places where rain came with amazing regularity. Central Florida seems to have a 15-minute shower every morning from September through April. But then the sun breaks through and dries your clothes within another 15 minutes.

On the peaks of the mountains of Colorado, at least on the western slope, a crashing thunderstorm seems to roll in every day around noon. Experienced climbers start their treks very early in the morning (think well before dawn) so they can reach the peak and be on their way back down before the daily lightning show begins.

In summer, Michigan lacks that kind of regularity. We can have two or three weeks of beautiful sunny days, then a brief shower to reduce fire danger. Or we can see a week of rainy days, then one of sun. Mother Nature likes to keep us hopping here in Michigan.

On the whole, summers are grand in Traverse City. We’re far enough north that the temperature rarely reaches the depressingly oppressive heat that I’ve experienced in Iowa and Illinois and Alabama. And when the heat here does get up in the 90s, there’s always a beach nearby to help you cool off.

Anyway, this morning is unbelievably perfect here on our patio. Though the forecast called for a good chance of rain, the sky is an intense field of deep blue with just a wisp of cloud floating by. Maybe a bit too cool for a tubing trip down the Boardman River today, but I’m thinking about maybe a long bicycle ride on the Leelanau Trail. Of just a walk in the woods. Some kind of summer experience that I can recall and savor this coming winter.

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The North American VASA cross-country ski race will be held February 13-15 in 2009. It will be the 33rd annual running of the 50-kilometer backwoods race. Shorter versions of the race are held for those not up to the long haul. All events are held on the VASA Trail, a beautiful loop through woods just east of Traverse City.

To read more, visit the official site at http://www.vasa.org There you can peruse race results for the past seven years, learn about the pasta dinner held in conjunction with the race, and view photos of past races.

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Sure, the driving has been a bit dicey now and then, but it hasn’t been unreasonable.

Monday, I parked about half a mile from the office and walked the rest of the way downtown. It was probably the windiest day of the season so far, and the wind chill was well below zero. I bundled up, but hadn’t thought to bring a scarf, so after two blocks my cheeks and nose were icy. I stopped for a few seconds break from the wind behind a handy building.

I started back up the ice-covered sidewalk. The wind was directly in my face, and a heavy gust blew up. I kept my balance, but the gust blew me straight backward about two feet before one of my boots caught some traction in some snow.

Most days, though have been very pleasant, with some sunshine alternating with gray skies.

Downtown is fairly busy, though the nationwide economic slowdown is visible here, too.

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