Sandusky Bay is a wonderful place to observe wildlife through out the year. It is a particularly good place for bird watchers, if you read my blog you already know how I love the eagles we have in the area. This winter however, I started observing some of the gull population that resides all year here. During the Christmas Season while entertaining some of our MarkerMan Productions friends it was Billy Florence, up from the deep south, that commented about the large diverse winter population of gulls and other water fowl here.

Herring gulls have formed a large colony in the Sandusky Bay area. Many ringbilled gulls are also present. Look for great blackbacked gulls in winter, as well as other ocean coast gulls. Large rafts of waterfowl including many mergansers, stop on the bay during migration. Egrets and nightherons breed in the area, and mute swans can be seen in a marsh west of town.

I am looking forward to pointing this out to my buddies Steve and Joe the next time they visit here this winter.

I have had so much fun blogging I have invited my sons Steve and Joe to join me. It is so much fun when a father sees his sons follow in his foot steps.

Steve Victor's blog can be found at http://stevevictor.blogcreek.com. Steve's blog is about health matters, always athletic, a former high school and college football player, Steve is interested in everyone living fit so he named his blog "Fit for Life".

Joe Victor's blog is about the fun he is having with his new Hummer H2. Joe likes this vehicle so much it has become nearly a hobby. If you like Hummers you will find a home at Joe's blog "On the Road with Joe". You will find Joe's blog at http://joevictor.blogcreek.com.

I invite all of our MarkerMan Production buddies to click in and visit Steve and Joe's Internet homes.

~ Jody Victor

Fred Harteis my good friend and adventurous outdoorsman is considering ice fishing near our Sandusky Bay home. I hope Fred considers the 9 degree temperature we are experiencing today before he heads out. He can be assured all of MarkerMan Productions will be thinking of him if he ventures out on the ice!

Various areas of Sandusky Bay can be good ice fishing. Depending on weather conditions ice fishing can start as early as December and last into March. January and February are usually the peak months, but some years don’t produce enough ice for any fishing. Catawba Island starting just west and continuing to just east of the reef complex, is another area that can be hot (no pun intended). Just west of South Bass Island, the area between Green and Rattlesnake Islands is usually a good spot that has some protection from wind and currents. Remember there is no such thing as "safe ice", be careful every time you venture onto the ice. Be safe Fred and create warm memories.

~ Jody Victor

My good friend Orrin Woodward committed today to ride the Millennium Force™ as soon as Cedar Point opens this spring. Orrin said, "Jody Victor, I'll ride if you ride!" To which I said "Orrin Woodward, you are on! You, me and my MMP buddies will ride until we drop!" Here are a few facts Orrin should think about this Winter about the Millennium Force™.

At a skyscraping 310 feet tall, Millennium Force™ is taller than the Statue of Liberty (305 feet tall) and taller than the Capitol Building in Washington, DC (287 feet tall)!! Yikes! 

If you stacked 744 cans of Pepsi -- one by one -- on top of one another, you would have the soaring 310-foot height of Millennium Force™.

At 92 mph, Millennium Force™ breaks the legal speed limit of 65 mph (in most states) by a whopping 27 mph!

More than 400 steel support columns were used to build the mighty Millennium Force™.

Consider this: Millennium Force™'s first drop is angled at a daring 80 degrees, which is only 10 degrees off from being STRAIGHT DOWN!

When Cedar Point introduced the world-renowned Magnum XL-200 roller coaster in 1989 it was the first coaster to break the 200-foot-high barrier. In 2000, Cedar Point again set new standards in scream machine height as Millennium Force™ was the first roller coaster in the world to tower above 300 feet! 

~ Jody Victor

Cedar Point is spending $10 million on improvements. Get Ready a new attraction will be Open in May 2005!! They have named it "maXair" and it is a sensory overload machine packaged with thrills and chills.

Construction has begun and it is expected to be flinging us and the whole MarkerMan Productions gang around by opening day set for May 7th. Mark your calendars.

Imagine here is the perfect ride since Billy Florence loves weightlessness and yours truly,  Jody Victor loves the dizziness. This ride provides both. The ride towers 140 feet in the air.

Stroll through the gates and stop for that latte with me. This new ride will be just off to the right near Kiddy Kingdom and Space Spiral.

I think Steve and Joe Victor should take Kayla for a ride while I sip on my latte.

See you there May 7th.

~ Jody Victor