2018

Friday July 27th, 2018

Greetings and welcome!

We have a nice cool day going today thanks to the weather pattern that will influence our weekend weather. There is an upper level low pressure area camped over the east end on Lake Superior. The counter-clockwise flow will be bringing cool air into the area from up north. This will have a couple of effects that matter to us.

The first one is the cooler weather. Looking at the TV weather channel I am seeing a high of 73 today, 78 Saturday, and 80 Sunday. Lows are expected to be in the mid-50s, ideal for a campfire. It will be nice to do some physical stuff outside without profusely sweating in the 90+ weather of recent weeks.

The other effect that we are expecting are spotty showers and storms. Don’t panic, they will be minor. What they are expecting to have happen is the sun warms the cool air in the afternoon and convection will set off some spotty showers and storms.

We had that going on yesterday too, and I have to tell you that it was beautiful. There were big majestic thunder clouds in the distance that were really a sight to behold. I was wishing for my old 35mm cameras that could capture the fine details and color gradients better than my digital stuff. Anyway, when it did rain it was about enough to make the road wet and it was gone, and only that small area under the cloud got it. Driving in the car it would be a mile or three with a wet road and then it was dry again. Could it form a big line of storms? I suppose so, but it didn’t happen yesterday, and the atmosphere isn’t unstable enough to support really big storms.

At that point be ready for an occasional shower or downpour, but don’t change plans because of a chance of a brief shower. I would also expect scenic cloud views and the potential for an epic sunset.

Critter sightings this week included a couple of porkipines, a bear, and a monarch butterfly. As usual work kept me from spending as much time as I would have liked to in the great outdoors, but my time was well enjoyed wen I got a little.

We had a little rain this week so whitewater rafting and tubing by Kosir’s is an option. Both the Peshtigo and Menominee Rivers are running at typical summer levels. On the Pesh I call 300cfs or above the fun zone. We are running at 293cfs, close enough. On the bridge gauge that is about a zero, which was established as a typical summer flow many years ago.

We also have some events this weekend.

In Lakewood we have Weinerfest North. No that is not just a typical night in an area bar. It is a big gathering of good eats and military equipment, and they always have the Happy Schnaps Combo (The second week of deer camp song and others..)  and Homer the Clown.

There is also the Crivitz Rescue Squad Ride For Rescue fundraiser, a big motorcycle ride. Here is a link to an article in the paper, and here is a cool route map.

There is also a car show up in Crandon, see the poster on the right..

This is the last weekend in July and it looks like a nice one. It won’t be long until Labor Day is here and summer is over. Get out there and enjoy a nice weekend.

Have a good weekend and thank you for visiting!

RJB

Friday 7-20-18

Greetings and welcome!
We have a cool and rainy day today. Both are a relief. I have had enough hot weather for a while, and we needed the rain badly.

The rain is an off and on affair, and more of the same is expected tomorrow. As the main area of the storm heads off to the southeast we will still get occasional showers that circulate around it.

I have a saying.. The forecast is usually worse than the weather. That is what I think that we have here. Looking at the radar in western WI and eastern MN they are getting showers but they are a lot lighter and more occasional that we are seeing right near the storm. It could go either way, but I am expecting a decent day tomorrow with only some occasional rain.

Tomorrow is the big hog wrestling event at the Caldron Falls Bar. Steve is back and the fun continues just like in years past. For once it won’t be 90+ degrees and sunny. I did the video there a few years and really got bleached and overheated up on the roof. At that point I always associated this weekend with hot weather. This year should be much more comfortable.

Locals know that hog wrestling means a big law enforcement presence in the area. Bring your designated driver or use one of the many taxis or shuttles available.

For additional events happening this weekend I will refer you to last week’s poster pictures. There are 4 or 5 events happening this weekend.

I have been working a lot and haven’t had much time to spend outside this week. I know that I have a mountain of stuff that I want to tackle outside once it cools off, not the least of which is starting on the year’s firewood. I just don’t do that when it is 85 or 90 and sunny out. I am ready for cooler weather, and it looks like this week will go my way. The warmest that I see is the low 80s early week.

That same busy work schedule has limited my critter sightings a little. The big two this week were both spiders. One was in the center of her masterfully spun web and was pretty neat to see. The other one was a big one on the ground that made the mistake of coming toward me.. That didn’t go well for her.

I am hoping that I will get to spend a lot more time outside this coming week. In the meantime it is time for me to get back to work. Have a good weekend and thank you for visiting!

RJB

Friday 7-13-18

Greetings and welcome!

I had another crazy busy week but I am not going to miss a second update. My apologies about missing last week.

Anyway.. It is a lot like summer around here. There were a lot of people around last week and it is only a little quieter this week. It is great to see people out enjoying the nice hot weather.

The critters are active. I have seen a lot of deer fawns and Momma deer too. Yesterday on the road I also saw two foxes, a couple of fawns, a skunk, and what looked like a mink or a weasel. The deer have been running into the roads on occasion, someone suggested that the bugs were responsible. I could see that.. when I was working in the woods this week the gnats and mosquitoes were ample.

We have a nice weekend coming up with Saturday close to 90 and sunny and Sunday a few degrees cooler. The only chances for rain are this afternoon and later Sunday afternoon.

When it is hot is it time to call Kosirs. They have lazy river tubing for $5 (cheap!). The river was getting a little low for it this week but yesterday’s thunderstorms put us right back into the fun zone. There is also whitewater rafting, and the Menominee River would be a good pick for that.

We have some events coming up this weekend with the big two being the Athelstane VFD Picnic and the Lakewood Mardi Gras.

Next weekend is the Hog Wrestling at the Caldron Falls Bar, and Steve is back running it. Yes they are open.

Here are some more events that I found in my travels this week.

One last item.. I saw in the paper that the storm that hit up by Parkway and Hwy X two weeks ago also hit Crooked Lake pretty hard. The article said that they had a lot of trees down. While people spotted funnel clouds the experts said no it was not a tornado, it was straight line winds. Does it really matter?

Summer is going fast get out there and have some fun before it is gone.

Have a great weekend and thank you for visiting!

RJB

Monday 7-2-18 storm damage update

Greetings and welcome!

I took a ride down Parkway Rd this afternoon. The storm hit Hilltop Resort and Tall Oaks General Store area pretty hard. There was a little damage across from Parkway Inn and the forest between Ranch Rd and the entrance to Twin Bridge Park had a lot of trees down. There were a few trees down immediately north of Parkway and X too. The damage area was concentrated in those spots. Even a short distance away there was no damage.

I had planned on some pictures but the road was very busy. It seems that a lot of people had today off and were going to the beaches and boat landings for some summer fun. It is good to see the area so busy.

Have a good week and thank you for visiting!

RJB