West of Traverse City the county fills with water — Long Lake and its islands, Bass Lake, Fern Lake, and the roads threading between them. Long Lake Township Hall handles snow out in that country: plowing, clearing walks and entries, and keeping ice off the surfaces people cross on foot. The lakes hold their heat into December and then give it up, and what follows off the big water is exactly what the west side is known for. An open, gritted path during a hard week is a plain good thing. Winter here is long, and it gets met one storm at a time.