Post Holiday Report

Happy 2015!  Hopefully I am another year wiser.

Remember how I mentioned the Winter Wonderfest last time?  Well, I thought it went pretty well.  The weather was warming up, but we still had snow.  And quite a few folks came out.

Folks and crafts at Winter Wonderfest

One of our local artists Donica created and donated this huge wreath for a raffle.  Those are life size doors, people.  What a honker!

Donica's massive wreath

And outside stood the snowmen, tall and proud.  Most of them were made by Staci, the one who decorated her mini golf course with them one year.

These two found the mistletoe

These two know how to party

Donny: the jolliest of them all

The leader of the light brigade

The lighting of the park was also lovely, though I didn't see it first hand.  Lydia took this picture, thankfully.

A pan of the park 2014

And the next day it rained.  I thought, well, there goes all that hard-earned snow.  But I won't lie.  Personally, a little break in the winter was nice considering what we went through last year.

The following day it snowed again anyway, so we were once again fluffy and white.  The trees were absolutely gorgeous.  I mean I stared in awe at them.  I realized that we live in a post card up here.  Everywhere I looked was picture perfect.

If you plan to come up to see this living post card, be aware that the Portage Canal lift bridge will periodically be closed.  The next predicted time for a prolonged closure is January 17th from 9pm to 7am.  I think this is pretty cool, actually (yeah, now watch me get stuck on the side I don't want to be on).  I mean, we live on an island up here.  That bridge is out, and the only option to the other side is a cold swim.

Otherwise you can expect short delays while work is being done on the bridge.  Just be prepared for that!

Since I talked to you last, a few places have reopened: The Pines Resort, Bear Belly Bar and Grill in Lac La Belle and Mount Bohemia Ski Hill.  Winter life has started here with snowmobilers and skiers, so that is promising, I suppose.

Aaron and some of his buddies are out on the east side of the harbor ice fishing for their first time this winter.  I heard there's 4-6" of ice on that side.  And they're actually catching some today!

Braeden needs to get bigger before I can take him out on winter adventures, so just be patient with me on that.  But when he is ready, we are going to have a blast.

I'd like to thank Grandma Mary for being here today, so I can actually get to this computer and focus long enough to write to you.  You should thank her too.  She keeps the little man entertained, that's for sure.

Thanks for your patience while I keep him entertained for all the other hours of his sweet little life.  I'll be with you soon, I hope!

Rock Ice

"Spring is coming!" I announced like Peter crying wolf.  No wolf.  No spring.

In fact, the day after my proclamation, all the slush and puddles froze up solid and jagged like the shores of High Rock Bay.  Unshovelable ice.  I think it did that just to spite me.

I knew winter wasn't over, but that was a quick shift.  And now we're in the middle of our second "winter storm" since then.  More snow is predicted than is actually falling, but that often happens with a south wind.

Did I do anything fun and exciting outside lately?  Not really.  Sorry.  But Aaron and his fishing buddies did.  They've been catching some beasts out of the Harbor.  Here is a picture of one that nearly went viral on facebook.

Aaron and the big pike

This bugger was 44 inches long and weighed 24 pounds.  Photo credit goes to Allan.  Guess they had fun on the ice that day!

I'm kind of, um, waiting for spring now.  Darn it.  I should never do that.  For your benefit, I will make it a point to get out more and embrace what is left of winter.  You deserve that at least.  And so do I.  And so does Duce, but he's ready for spring too.  I can tell.  He likes to lay out in the sunshine and absorb it into his black fur.

Business has slowed way down.  Especially during the week.  There are still some die hard snowmobilers, skiers and ice fishermen, but they don't come up in droves anymore.  We've got two weeks left of operation at the Bear Belly, so if you want a cup of award winning chili or the best reuben around, you better get there quick!  Tell them Amanda sent you!

What else can I say without boring you with life's insignificant details?  My writing is going well.  If you want to check out some of my latest work, you can find it at Actionhub.com.  Just search "Amanda Wais" in the top right search box to see my articles listed.  And hey, if you do that, it gives them more traffic, and my editor is more likely to hire me again.  Win win!

Also, my article about professional mountain bike coach (and awesome person), Lindsey Voreis is in Mountain Flyer Magazine right now.  I guess you have to find a copy of Issue 35 to read it.  I should have my copy soon!

Okay.  You probably don't really care about my writing stuff.  You care about da Harbor.  So do I.  The ice on the big lake is still seiching.  Now you see it.  Now you don't.  Everyday is a surprise.  Just another thing I love about this place!

Actively Waiting for the Big One

I spent the entire month of January begging Lake Superior not to freeze over.  As you know, it did (or as I was corrected, it is over 90% completely frozen).  My worry was this: a frozen Big Lake would have no moisture for snow-making capabilities, and keep us in arctic temperatures.  I was right.  But there is one thing I didn't realize until I lived through it.

The sun shines every day.

Perhaps we have had a couple partial snowy/cloudy days in February.  Otherwise we get sun-to-the-shizine daily.  I had to find my sunglasses and actually wear them so I can see!  That lake.  She never ceases to amaze me.

This weekend I got to spend some time on Wisconsin's largest lake: Lake Winnebago near Fond du Lac, Wisconsin.  I was invited by the fine folks from the area's Convention and Visitor's Bureau to attend the festivities for opening day of their big Sturgeon Spearing event with other Women of Wilderness (WOW).  Wow, is right.  That was a new experience for this girl.

Lake Winnebago was, in essence, the "fairgrounds" for all the events that were happening.  This lake is 131,939 acres with a maximum depth of 21 feet.  That's 190 Lake Medoras in surface area!  Lake Winnebago was covered in miles and miles of plowed roads for vehicles to access different parts of the lake to get to their shanty.  It was a slow-moving highway on 32 inches of ice.

On Friday I got to watch the ice kiters.  I put a little video together for you.

CLICK HERE TO WATCH THE ICE KITING VIDEO ON LAKE WINNEBAGO

The next morning, dark and early, we drove out with the convoy of other hopeful fish-spearers across the ice.  Getting out before dawn meant we got to watch the sunrise.

A shanty sunrise on Lake Winnebago

The next 6 hours were spent, by anyone with a spearing license, looking into the glowing rectangle in a dark shanty.  Something like this.

Kristine watches for the big one

When I say "big one," I mean big.  The largest recorded Sturgeon caught last year was 176 pounds.  I got to witness one of our shanty neighbors flop out one of these monsters.  He was beaming.  Here's a link to more news on this year's event.

The shanty neighbor and his prize

I hear they are good eating, but I didn't get to try.  From the females, the caviar is often exported and sold at ridiculously high prices.  

I've heard people call these fish "dinosaurs" because they are an ancient species without teeth or a spine.  I was shocked when I heard that, but watching it flop around in shanty neighbor's grasp, I believed it.

Back to the glowing hole.  Let me tell you what's going on there.  I dubbed it "active waiting" because every person in our group (and probably every other person in the 4,000-something shanties) actively waited for a fish to swim under their hole.  They couldn't read a book.  They couldn't play games on their iphone.  Some people wouldn't even step out to pee.  No.  Instead, like Kristine, they sat there, staring into the abyss and uttered, "Come to Mama."

In Kristine's picture, she was lucky to have an arm and chin rest.  More than just a relaxation bar, it made us both feel a bit safer while sitting in front of a 3-foot wide by 6-foot long hole.

That long pole you see extending from the bottom center of the shot into the water is the spear: 6 feet long and at least 10 pounds of a sharp, 5-pronged, barb-ended death device.  When the sea monster meanders through, the spear is quickly lifted off its hook and thrusted into the fish.  Not shown here, is the gaff, a stick with a large hook to jab into the gills after the Sturgeon has been speared.

In the top right of this picture, you'll see what looks like a fish on a string.  That's the decoy, used to cause curiosity in the larger species.  The Sturgeon sways over to see what is going on, then WHAM! they are hit with a spear.

The white X in the bottom of the picture provides a reference point, marking the depth, which was about 15 feet here.  It also proves for contrast when a dark object swims over it.  Hopefully the Sturgeon.

To my surprise, I actively waited for the big one to saunter through Kristine's hole for hours.  But we saw nothing with life of its own.  

While visiting a couple shanties, I was delighted to see how long people can sit in silence and wait.  It was inspiring.  And I actually learned to like it myself.  Maybe I'll become an ice fisherwoman after all....

The Big Lake Taught Me about Geology and Death

Don't let the word "Geology" make you think this post is going to be anything short of a near-death experience.

It only took a week for the rest of Lake Superior to freeze over.  This NOAA link shows you lots of graphics about ice thickness and even more things that I really don't understand.  But after venturing out to Porter's Island a couple days ago, I now understand a bit more about how land formations form and shift.

I don't know why I didn't think of snowshoeing out to Porter's Island before.  I mean, I even skated to it this winter.  As I beelined from the Harbor Haus ramp past a couple shanties, over the uneven snow, a couple patches of clear black ice caught my eye.  Because I didn't have an auger myself, the only way to see how thick the ice was was to look at the cracks in the clear ice.  This is what I saw.

Thick ice on the Harbor

Well, it was so deep, that I couldn't really see how far it went.  I suddenly felt sorry for those ice fishermen because I knew they had a looooooong way to drill.  As I took this picture, I heard Her Majesty stirring.

Blub blub.  Blub.  Blub.

(Take an old gallon milk jug, fill it with water and turn it perfectly upside down.  The sound the jug makes as it retracts back to it's normal shape is similar to the Blub sounds the lake made.)   

What the heck? I laid there bewildered.  How can I hear the water move when the ice is so thick and the lake is frozen over?  How can it still move?

I had a couple answers at the moment.  

1) The ice fishing holes create an area for pressure to be released.  If the fishermen were throwing bait and catching fish, the volume of the lake would fluctuate -- only slightly -- but if enough people were doing this all over Lake Superior, this transferring of matter could create a shift enough to make those blubbing air bubble sounds.

2) We may not always realize it, but the earth we live on is constantly shifting.  Someone digs a mine, the earth rebalances to accommodate this loss of density.    A company blows up mountains on one part of the world to build Dubai in another part of the world, the earth recalculates so it can still spin on its access without us noticing the giant offset.

Lake Superior covers a significant area where volcanoes erupted, fault lines shifted and glaciers passed.  Any trepidations in the surrounding land will lead to continuing vibrations through the water -- even if it's covered in ice.  And, I did see recent cracks in the ice along the shoreline, so these reverberations are big enough to crack the ice of a solidly frozen lake around the edges.  Especially the edges because that is where different elements meet: ice meets rock.

I could ramble on, but back to the adventure!

I wasn't quite ready for the splendor I saw on the north side of Porter's Island.  The ice cliffs were so big that I had to search for a spot where I could get down without dropping from a foolish height, unable to climb back up.

Ice cliffs on Porter's Island

I found a spot to drop down because I absolutely had to check out this terrain I saw in the distance, perhaps 200 yards north of the island.  It looked like a pristine ice rink.  Aha!  More proof that the ice is pulling and shifting.

The hiking was not easy.  Broken and refrozen ice chunks composed the ground.  Here are some examples.

Blue ice chunks looking toward East Bluff

Modified sheet ice looking toward Brockway Mountain

Now here's where it gets sketchy.

I really wanted to check out that ice rink spot.  Really, really bad.  And you know me, my curiosity usually gets the best of me.  But I have been studying the ice for eight winters here.  I learn from my mistakes, and I know what to look for.

I was out by myself, so I couldn't screw up.

I found a patch of clear ice, and realized it was only two inches thick.  When I heard the fissure next to me crackle, I pounced like a cat on prey to a thicker section.  Whew.  

By this time I began having visions of all the people who would be let down if I never came back.  Aaron wouldn't even know who to call to cancel all my meetings and assignments.  Who would publish my next book waiting on the computer???  

And since this is the terrain I would have had to cross, I decided not to go.

The death trap before the rink... see that rink?

Defeated, but still alive, I walked back across the harbor.  This reminded me of another story of how the Lake moves without us knowing.

"Aaron, isn't your shanty going to be stuck in the ice out there?  It's been there for weeks!"

"No.  It'll be fine."  Such a man.

So he went out there with our friend Cody.  They hopped in the shanty and drilled a hole through the trap door in the floor.  

"Holy $#!*" I'm sure they exclaimed as the water began flooding out of the lake and toward the shanty floor.  Their outside wind flaps were stuck in the ice, so all the water that was pouring out was actually penned in and on its way up the door and into their posh little shanty.

They worked to move that thing as fast as they could, as the drink engulfed them up to their shins.  They finally removed the shanty from its sunken location, but the wind flaps are still in the ice.  I really wish I could have recorded that, but if I was there, I know I would have been forced to help instead of document.

Aaron moves his shanty more often now.

Anatomy of an Ice Cave

Oh, there you are!

I mentioned that I was going on a ski trip.  Yup.  Five resorts in three days.  I scheduled myself for quite a busy adventure.  During my research, I got to have a little fun.  My friends Barb and Tom Buchkoe took me to the Eben Ice Cave.  Since I saw a picture of it, I wanted to go.

Here are the pictures.  If you want to go, here are the directions!

A pan looking in

A pan looking out

Looking up from the bottom

Inside looking lengthwise

Me in front

Barb and the pup

Tom doing what he does

It was cool.  I'd recommend it.

Yesterday we got a shot of sunshine.  Three hours to be more precise.  I made sure to get out between projects to enjoy some rays.  

The ice fishermen were out too.  In droves.  Notice the ones all the way by Porter's Island.  And they were catching fish!

Shanty town

Did you notice that this is the same spot I was ice skating on the week before???  How quickly it changes.  

The funny thing about that is while I was walking around town, a lady asked me, "Do you know where there's a good place to ice skate around here?  I heard there was a smooth spot somewhere."

And like it was the middle of August, I replied, "The harbor was awesome before it snowed and all the ice fishermen drilled holes in it."  Bahahaha.

I really need to get away from the computer for a while.  I wanted to show you these pictures, but my brain is like a melting snowball from writing articles.  I suppose that's a good problem for a writer to have!

It's Snowing Again (We Say Everyday)

It's officially been eight years since Aaron and I moved to Copper Harbor.  Only eight?  It seems like longer to me.  And you know what?  In all those eight years, not one moment has gone by when I regretted that impulsive move.  Did you know I had only been to Copper Harbor two or three times in the winter before I moved here?  I hadn't even seen it in the summer!

Speaking of summer, I can hardly fathom that time right now.  The calendar does not say it's winter yet, but everywhere a person can look, it is winter.  Here is just a little comparison for you. 

The back porch on Thanksgiving Day

The back porch this morning...

that table is in there somewhere!

Yeah, so it's winter.  Sorry calendar.  

But it's winter like it's supposed to be winter!  Mount Bohemia opened yesterday, and I got to go snowboarding in some thick snow on mogul-less terrain.  Lots of other people came for the event as well, but I found some freshies to glide through.

I was so excited to carve the hill up that I didn't bring my camera.  No time for frozen fingers pushing buttons on a powder day.  That's just a rule.  But I do have other pictures from throughout the week! 

This is how I knew it was time to put the cruiser bike away.

The shivering Swhinn

And see what's leaning up against that tree?  My snowshoes!  That was the day of my first snowshoe.  It was grand.  And here are some shots from my second snowshoe.  Aaron and Johnny went out to Lake Medora to do some kiteboarding, so I went with.  I always wanted to venture to those islands out there anyway.

Snowy trees on a Medora Island

Icicles on a Medora Island

They kites in action on Lake Medora

Though the wind was really whipping, it was awesome being out there.  And though I have never been to Isle Royale in the winter, exploring those islands reminded me of exploring Isle Royale.  Probably because it was some place new, it was gorgeous and I knew I wasn't going to meet another soul.  

So Aaron and Allan have already been ice fishing at the west end of the harbor.  No catching, but the ice was thick enough to stand on and fish.  Here are some shots of ice on other parts of the harbor that day... Friday.

Looking west from the Isle Royale Queen IV dock

Looking east next to the Harbor Haus dock

And when I looked down at the lake from my house today, I didn't see any ice in the middle of the harbor.  The current 40 mph gusts probably had something to do with that.  But those gusts also make me want to get out to Hunter's Point to check out the waves.  

But before I do that, I wanted to point out one thing.  Scroll through those pictures again.    What colors do you see a lot of?  White, gray, some wood colors... oh, the kites have colors!  Thanks goodness!  What do you not see?  Shadows.  Okay, maybe under that little table on my back porch.

So imagine.  A week without shadows.  A week without a sparkle in the snow.  A week seeing white and gray for color in the natural landscape.  It makes for an interesting perspective on life.  Thanks goodness for Vitamin D supplements and snow sports!  See you next week!

Ice Fishing and Snowmobiling

Wait a minute.  Ice fishing and snowmobiling?  Those are not my usual activities!  Maybe this is someone else's blog!

Nope.  It's mine.

Tuesday was gorgeous.  Aaron and I got up early to celebrate his birthday with some ice fishing.  I have never gone ice fishing to ice fish before, so I thought it would be Aaron's gift.  (What?  We are cheap!)  Here are the pictures from the day.

Sunshine!!!

Aaron checking the ice... how does it look to you???

Setting up the whip-ups

A Coho Salmon: first catch of the morning

Shadows of love

We caught one more salmon before the day was through.  I tell you, if the weather wasn't 30 degrees, sunny and calm, I don't think I could do that very often.  I mean, I know I can go in the shanty, but it's warm in there, and I fall asleep!  Bartending and ice fishing are not on the same schedule.  But we had lovely time!

Aaron is in charge of panking a part of the trail for the CopperDog this weekend, so yesterday I went with him for an adventure.  Here is a video of the highlights in less than two minutes.

Today the winds have really picked up.  Now it's cold again.  Today I finally psyched myself up for a run (you know how I love to run), but when I opened the door, the wind nearly blew it back in my face!  Heck no!  I'll stay home and write a blog!  There's so much going on this week that I figured I'd better stay ahead of the game.

Here are a few notes about optimizing your time on this blog:

- You can click anywhere on the pictures to see them bigger

- You can click on the videos to see them bigger (bottom right corner)

- You can click on the youtube icon on the videos to watch them on Youtube

- You can click on any words that are brown and underlined  -- it's a link.  

You might be computer savvy and know all this, but I just figured some of it out myself!  Happy clicking!