Greetings and welcome!
It is 40 degrees at 9am this morning, warming off of a low temperature of 22 degrees.
Our great spring awakening that happened during the week of 70 and 80 degree temperatures has slowed to a crawl. The grass is a little greener and the early trees and bushes have progressed a little with their catkins. The maples are starting to get their little red flowers, but that is about it. I am not seeing the daily changes that we have when it is warmer out.
Our normal high temperature right now is in the upper 50s. Someone needs to mention this to the weather guy. Yesterday we got up to 46, and it wasn’t that warm the whole day. It was coming off of a low of 20. We are stuck in a cold and rainy pattern that isn’t much fun for a guy like me that is dying to get outside and work on the house, cars, boats, and all of the other stuff that has waited all winter to be done. I’d love to clean out my gutters abut I’m not going to do it in snowmobile boots at 42 degrees. Likewise I have a new to me RV that I’d love to get started putting into top shape for upcoming camping trips. GRRR.
The whitewater rafting and paddling last weekend was outstanding. It was a busy time on the river as paddlers came from near and far to paddle the unusually high water and participate in the Pesh-Fest activities at Kosir’s and Rapids Resort. The water level has fallen considerably from its peak of 52″ down to a more normal 24″. Don’t get me wrong, +24 is an outstanding level and a great fun level for playing in the whitewater, it just isn’t at a once in 20 years level any more. Likewise small rivers and trout streams remain swollen, but they are down quite a bit from last week.
The deer are still crazy up by the roads. With the reduced velocity of the great greening of the land, roadside grass is still their favorite food. A lot of the stupid ones have been eliminated and the rest are a little more wary, but they are still right there and still running out in front of cars.
We can add turkeys to that list. They have become much more active in the past week. I hit a turkey once at 60+. It totaled that minivan. It might as well have been a cannonball as hard as it hit. Trust me you don’t want to hit a turkey. Anyway, it looks like they are coming into a breeding season and they are up by the roads too. We saw this group of toms displaying up on the road yesterday.
Saturday night we had a very active display of northern lights. According to internet reports they could be seen as far south as Oklahoma. There are tons of pictures on the Facebook group Crivitz Area Talk. I don’t want to pilfer anyone’s photos so go there and take a look at all of them. We are in an active period for the sun and will be for the next year or two. That bodes well for people that love seeing our billions of stars around the campfire, you might get a little bonus. There are phone apps that will alert you when the northern lights are active.
The ground has continued to dry up and is on a pretty normal trajectory. I might try to run the forest roads up to Lake X and my secret camping and fishing spot. The one in the really deep woods I won’t attempt just yet. I could probably get in there in my big 4×4 truck with the big mud tires, but that would only rut it up for future visits.
Along that same line the ATV trails are coming along but aren’t quite there yet. I have not heard anything about a reopening date for trails, but we seem to be on a pretty normal schedule for those.
The Marinette County powers that be opened most of our county roads to ATV in action taken over the winter. There are some exceptions, including Hwy C between the C & F intersection and the Forest County line and most of Parkway Rd north (Hwy I). Here is a Facebook post from the Southern Marinette Co ATV Club.
Southern Marinette Co. ATV & UTV Club
There has been some confusion on what roads are open and when they are open.
In Marinette County (Year Round) (24/7), you can ride on ALL city, town, and village roads, WITH THE EXCEPTION OF…
1) City of Marinette.
In Marinette County (from May 1 to December 1) (daylight only) you can ride on ALL Highways (lettered roads) WITH THE EXCEPTION OF…
1) County Highway C beginning at County Highway F and ending at the Forest County line all in the Town of Silver Cliff.
2) County Highway I…
a) beginning a Wolfe Lane and ending at Homestead Lake Road all in the Town of Silver Cliff.
b) beginning at Camp 5 Lane and ending at a point 3,480 feet south of USH 8 in the Towns of Silver Cliff and Goodman.
c) beginning at a point 2,220 feet south of USH 8 and ending at USH8 all in the Town of Goodman.
3) County Highway N beginning at the City of Niagara limits and ending at the Florence County line all in the Town of Niagara.
4) County Highway T beginning at State Highway 64 and ending at County Highway B all in the Town of Peshtigo and City of Marinette.
5) County Highway U beginning at USH 8 and ending at the Florence County line in the Town of Dunbar.
One final thought.. The black bears are out and foraging. There are no berries or grubs for them to eat and they are hungry after hibernation. Mind your bird feeders, garbage, and food if you are camping.
That’s it for today. Have a good week and thank you for visiting!
RJB