Greetings and welcome!
It is a cold and windy 30 degree morning in the northwoods today. Apparently spring is in quarantine too. I do not see any big warm ups in the 16 day GFS forecast model. There are several chances for snow between now and next Wednesday and again in about a week.
We had some rain recently that even included some thunderstorms and hail Tuesday. That rain pretty much finished off the snow on the ground in all but the most sheltered areas.
When I was at Caldron Falls Flowage Tuesday there was still a lot of ice on the big bay by the dam. It was rotten and on the way out, but there was a lot of ice. On the other side of it when I drove past Deer Lake (the one south of Hwy C in Athelstane) yesterday it was free of ice except for right on the south shore where the sun couldn’t hit it.
Last weekend the area was really busy. Apparently the gov’s safer at home order meant safer up north. It was like a Memorial Day weekend or something. The stores were busy, the highways were busy and the internet and cell service was miserable. There were people outside enjoying the warm days and doing yard work. It usually is a very quiet time for the area, but it was like a holiday weekend with everyone off of work. I can’t say that I wouldn’t have done the same thing.
The Peshtigo River has been running at record levels since the ice went out. The virus thing has all of the rafting companies closed, and we are missing out bigtime. Over the weekend the Pesh hit about +36″, a really wild ride. There were private boaters kayaking it, but the folks that would see it by raft missed out. It came down a little since its peak, but Tuesday’s rain will give it another boost.
People are missing going out and being social at the bars. We still go and get carry-out food once or twice a week, but there is no sticking around for happy hour. Rapids Resort was closed for the first couple of weeks while they cleaned and refinished stuff. Now they are open daily from noon until 7pm. Other nearby carry-out spots include Firelane and Lakeside.
We are all looking forward to warm weather and our freedom. Neither looks apparent in the short term.
Have a good week and thank you for visiting!
RJB