2018

Friday 5-25-18

Greetings and welcome!

We have a hot weekend ahead, perfect for getting wet at your favorite lake or river. The rain forecast has mellowed a lot too.

Right now it looks like the majority of rain chances are between now and Saturday night. We are looking at about a 50% chance of rain both days and a 70% chance tonight. Again I am not expecting an all day rain, but rather a couple of lines of thunderstorms when the atmosphere gets stirred up. Sunday and Monday look hot and dry.

I verified that the local legion post’s memorial service and picnic is on Sunday the 27th at the Silver Cliff picnic grounds. The sevice starts at 10am and the picnic starts at 11.

The McCaslin Lioness Faire is also Sunday in Lakewood, and there is a meat raffle and picnic in Crooked Lake Sunday.

Here are a couple of pictures from my ride in the forest Wednesday night, except the bear. Him I saw a couple of weeks ago up in the Nicolet.

The whitewater rafting will be a little better than average this weekend. Even though we haven’t had much rain we still have slightly above normal water levels on the Peshtigo River. Going rafting or tubing with Kosir’s is a great way to cool off.

I have a crazy busy weekend ahead, but if you can catch up with me by Kosir’s or Rapids Resort I have a few flashlights and lanterns to sell at my very low prices. Prices start at $10.

One last passing thought.. Gas prices were still under $3 a gallon when I was out driving Wednesday. Get it while you can. I remember paying 4 & 5 a gallon not too long ago.

I have a really full day ahead so I have to run. Have a great weekend and thank you for visiting!

RJB

Wed 5-22-18

Greetings and welcome!

My apologies that I did not update last week. I really wanted to but it was a crazy busy week and I was either working or recovering from it. It has only gotten crazier this week.

Anyway.. this weekend is Memorial day weekend. The first question is how will the weather be. The short answer is unsettled summer weather. I am seeing humid days in the 80s, which naturally could lead to a shower or storm.

The scenario is that we will be on the west side of a slow moving high pressure system. The clockwise circulation of that high pressure area will be bringing warm moist air to the region. There is no organized storm to watch. It is more of an unstable atmosphere where small disturbances could set off some showers or a line of storms. It is impossible to say when or where. I am not visualizing a washout, but rather lines of storms here and there.

Right now my guidance is showing the best rain chances between Thursday afternoon and about 10pm Saturday. Saturday our CAPE values get above 2,000 J/kg, a pretty unstable atmosphere. Showers and storms, possibly intense, are likely.

After Saturday rain chances still exist, but in a much more stable atmosphere, so storms are a lot less likely.

If I were still living near Milwaukee and camping at Kosir’s I would not change my plans, but I would be ready for rain, especially Friday and Saturday.

There is a lot happening with spring springing. Right now the trillium are littering the forest floor almost everywhere. The choke cherry and other fruit trees are in bloom. The ferns are just starting to unroll their fiddleheads. The marsh marigolds are in bloom. The trees have a lot of delicate shades of green with their new growth, and it is especially stark with a cloudy sky. It is time to cut the grass.

We have been pretty dry this month and are behind on our rain. Fire danger was high today. With the increased humidity and possible rain, fire danger should be low this weekend.

I have been working outside a lot lately and the bugs have not been bad yet. I have had two ticks on me so far, and no mosquitoes that I was aware of.

Every spring I joke about the breeding population of pesky insects getting frozen out. I don’t believe it happened, but our funky late spring winter weather seems to have delayed them a little.

I did bump into a monarch butterfly today with the van. More accurately, she bumped into me. Thankfully I was at a stop sign at the time and she fluttered off.

The only event that I have so far for this weekend is a Memorial Day service at the Silver Cliff picnic grounds. I believe that it is Sunday morning, but I will have to track that down along with any other events that I find.

I will be back later in the week. Have a good week and thank you for visiting!

RJB

Thursday 5-10-18

Greetings and welcome!

The ATV trails open tomorrow in Marinette, Forest, and Oconto Counties. They have dried up nicely since last weekend. We had about 0.7″ of rain this week, not enough to make a lot of mud or puddles, so it is all systems go for the ATV trails.

A lot more grass has greened up this week. I will probably need to cut it next week. The maples are getting heavy with helicopters. The first choke cherries are in bloom, and I saw my first fern fiddle heads of the year yesterday.

The bugs still are not bad at all, though I am expecting them any day now. Hopefully a lot got frozen out by our mini-spring and return to winter in April. We are going to frost again tonight with a low of about 30.

This Sunday is Mother’s Day. First on the list is the Kosir’s special where Mom rafts free with a paid trip. The water level is fun but not enormous, and it should be a nice weekend for weather. Like I said on their blog, give Mom the gift of an exciting day.

There are also dining options. Mother’s Day is one of the biggest days in the restaurant industry.  Rapids Resort is having a chicken dinner special Sunday, and I am a fan of their Sat night prime rib. Hilltop Resort also has a Mother’s Day buffet in grand style Sunday.

Fire danger is down a little this week with the greening and little bit of rain. I am still in super-caution mode around here, there is a lot of dry field grass that would love to burn.

There is some rain expected downstate Friday. All of my guidance says that it will stay south of Hwy 64. The NWS put a 20% chance in the forecast for Friday afternoon and Friday night. For temps we are looking at low 50s Friday, low 60s Saturday, and low 70s Sunday. Be ready for chilly nights though, the NWS forecast is for 33 Friday night and 38 Saturday night.

That’s news from here. Have a great weekend and thank you for visiting!

RJB

Monday 5-7-18

Greetings and welcome!
The big news today is that the ATV trails will open this weekend in Forest, Oconto, and Marinette Counties. People have been anxiously waiting and it is finally here. Friday May 11th is opening day.

Next up on the list is fire danger. Fire danger is always high in the spring when last year’s vegetation dries out. That is the case again this year. Tuesday will have high fie danger with low humidity and a little wind. The fire danger will be reduced after rain Wednesday and Friday/Friday night. Both systems look like they could give us meaningful rain but nothing abnormal.

The whitewater rafting is still excellent on the Peshtigo River. Water levels have dropped a little since it peaked, but as mentioned, we have two chances for rain this week. The special this week is Moms raft free for Mother’s Day weekend with another paid trip. Call Kosirs to make your reservations.

From what I saw on Facebook the fishing was excellent last weekend. It could be that I am only seeing the monsters, but I saw pictures of some really nice bass and walleyes.

The grass is greening up and growing fast. Some of the more meticulous folks are already working on their first cut. Around here only the cut down field grass is that far along. I would give it another week or so and I will be chasing the lawn mower again.

So far the bugs are not bad at all. I am still waiting for the typical massive gnat invasion of spring as well as the first tick or mosquito bite.That should come any day now.

The frogs in the pond are very loud now.

This guy was seen in my driveway the other day. I wasn’t sure what he was eating, but closer examination of the pic shows that it was eating a little green snake. I am glad that he was distracted enough that I got a quick picture of him.

That is news for today. Have a good week and thank you for visiting!

RJB