Sandi's Morel Camp

Sandi's family morel camp was on Cadilac's TV 9&10.
Shown on a Sunday evening in May, 2001.
It was featured on the Hook and Hunting Show hosted by Dave Barrons and Dan Boss.

Photo's and story submitted and copyrighted by Sandi K.  © 2001 from southern Michigan.

I saw a story on TV 9 & 10's Hook and Hunting Show that made me think of an e-mail I had received two or three weeks before. It featured a morel hunting camp over near Mesick. A lady told a story about why they all were carrying whistles. When I heard her describe the story, I thought someone had read my mail box! She used the same words and phrases as was used in that e-mail to me. So I wrote Sandi and asked her... "Would you please satisfy my curiosity so I can sleep." "Was that you?"    --- Frank

Sandi relaxes at end of day with Dale and Dale's son Chad.

Hi Frank.  How wonderful to find somebody else on the net that is as crazy as I am about hunting those crazy elusive morels. I live in very southern Michigan (about 3 miles from the Indiana line) and have been hunting spring morels since I was five years old!

My Grandfather taught me to hunt morels.
That has been a good many years ago let me tell you!  The morel fever has bitten most of my family!  For every year for the last 27 years we have trekked north to Mesick, MI. We camp and hunt morels for a week in May.  We hunt in Indiana and Southern Michigan until its "time to go North"and ... "Oh what fun we have"!

Earnie is the only brother of eight sisters  (We spoiled him rotten).

The last few years have not been so good for Mushrooming. And like we all say, too many people in favorite spots.  We have managed to scout new areas though for the last two years and have done fairly well.  It was one GREAT morel season this year!  We found a morel this year that had one stem and 12 tops!  What a thrill!  I think that is the most we ever found on one stem. We have started our children out early in learning to hunt, and in doing so made the kids carry whistles in case we got separated in the woods. This led the kids to "blow the whistle" every time they found a 'roon.  Well, needless to say, now everybody carries whistles and blows to let others in the hunt know they have found roonies. We have the most fun!  So if you run into a crazy family in the woods, tooting whistles and having more fun than you'd believe, that's us!

An email from Ernie: I read with delight the humor section and the aleged craziness of the Morel Hunters. Feel free to use this, if you like.

My crazed whistle blowing sister, Inez, as seen on tv, can move faster than any of us through the woods. Once I spotted a patch of yellow sponge across a gulley. I was sitting on a stump at the time and made the unforgivable mistake of saying "Oh my gosh"! Old eagle ears and eyes, spotted them too and she took off running as to beat me to the patch. However, she failed to spot an old spike tooth drag and a roll of fence down in the grass. We met as a group and decided whether to cut her out, or go get the mushrooms. But we could not stand the screams of pain. she was skinned up real good,and a badly sprained ankle. Chuck asked if she had learned anything. She said she would skirt the weed patches as she ran, and would "we carry her across the gulley to HER mushroom patch"...... It is a jungle out their in Morel land!

I have never been up as far as Boyne City to hunt but have heard it is great hunting there also. Now that I am retired we may just have to continue to follow the morels north. There is about one week difference in the morel season from where I live, to the season at Mesick which is 200 miles north. If you would like to visit my web site and see some of my pictures go to Sandi's Quilting and Mushroom Hunting Page.  There's a place there to view some of my favorite pictures.

After morel hunting, we relax and enjoy an evening meal with morels. Clockwise: starting with my sister Inez (standing) is
Inez's son-in-law, Steve, Jim, empty chair is for me, Sandi. Next is Inez's husband Chuck. Inez's daughter Deb, and Edith (Our oldest sister.  Called De De).

Fresh morels! Mmm!
Don't these look Great?

My sister Inez:  (the idiot whistle blower in the TV video)
   

"I would be willing to walk ten miles to find just one Morel!" But if I was starving when I got there,
I still wouldn't eat it for a million dollars!" LOL

Inez and Chuck's son, Dale surveys the sacks full of fresh morels of 2nd. days picking.

No morel outing could possibly
be complete without these beauties.