Category: Uncategorized

Not too much to talk about this week. Our weather was a little back and forth, but overall, it seems like we are in pretty much the same boat that we were in a week ago. Still plenty of snow on the ground and on the trails. We did pick up some healthy snows the middle of this week. A sneaky little surprise in the amounts. It looked to be a pretty innocent 2-4″ to fall Tuesday and Wednesday, but the mostly open Lake Superior decided to join in on the party and boosted totals. It did depend on where you were as to how much fell, but I know I measured 10 1/2″ as an event total. It was a pretty light and fluffy snow, but still plenty enough to have to move around. Here is a shot of the front of the house Wednesday morning before I had gotten a chance to clear the snow.

It did not take too long to clear the snow, especially given the fact that sunshine took its toll on the ice rink and it is done for the season, so no need to head over there to clear. Otherwise, the weather was fairly quiet this week, with no major melting going on, just a bit here and there. The snows texture is still fluffy, we have not developed the spring crust yet- especially in the woods. However, I cannot see that situation lasting for too much longer. Things like that just seem to happen this time of the year, no  matter what kind of a winter or spring we are having.

It was a pretty busy week with activities, mostly revolving around the Calumet Figure Skating Club’s annual spring skating show. Back in October, Gracie joined their trial period, which is a low-cost program that lasts for 4-6 weeks and gives girls a chance to try out the club and see if they want to be part of things for the whole season. Gracie will pretty much flock to anything that allows some socializing with others, so it was not a surprise that she told Nora and I she wanted to stay in for the season. She actually progressed quiet well and it has been a joy for Nora and I to watch her develop and improve. Practices are every Tuesday and Friday. The lessons are 30 minutes long, but the club has the ice for 90 minutes, so the girls that are not in a lesson can skate on their own. I think Nora and I only missed a handful of practices all season. I am not lying when I say it will be nice to have those hours back on Tuesday’s and Friday’s, but I can also say it was not a drudge to go to the rink and I will miss it a bit too. The main thing is the Calumet Coliseum is not heated, so in the dead of winter, it gets pretty cold in the arena! They do have radiant heaters over the seats, but do not turn them on for the practices. Only events where there is going to be an audience. So many a skating session was attended in full outdoor winter garb. I never did resort to snowmobile pants, but there were plenty of times where I was wearing as much or more on my feet, hands, upper body and head then I might snowmobiling!

The final 4 weeks or so were spent solely on working on their routines. It was fun to watch them learn the movements, become proficient in the moves and get the routine memorized to the point they could do it by memory. It was really fun to see the rehearsals go on and especially the dress rehearsal. There were several dozen girls in the show, but they were broken up into skill levels and each level had their own costume. Some of the girls had several costume changes because they were in several routines. The Theme of the show was “Under the Big Top”, a circus them. Graces group were the tigers and here is a shot of her posing in her costume before heading to the show today. I had to chuckle to myself, as I did not ask her to pose in any special manner for the picture, she just struck a pose all on her own. My little girl is growing up!

The instructors and other board members design the entire show, but then the parents of the skaters help with set up and take down of the show and Nora and I also volunteered to run the curtains. Meaning we opened them and closed them for each set of performers. Before the show, the skating color guard from the Calumet Jr ROTC presented the colors for the national anthem. They are the ONLY skating color guard in the nation and very proud of it too!

The shows were last night and this afternoon and a few bugs had to be worked out during the show yesterday, nothing major and the show was still very enjoyable. Today’s show went off without a hitch. Even working the curtains was much easier and stress free the second time around. I have a few ideas for next year and am going to shoot them by the club to see if they would be interested in having me do them. Most notably would be some temporary racks that the skaters could hang a jacket or coat on while they are waiting to go out. They do spend most of the show cuddled up with each other under blankets in the stands, but do have to get onto the ice two performances before theirs and many of these poor girls had very open costumes and were shivering pretty good while waiting!

Gracie’s group was the 16th performance in the show, with a total of 24 performances in all. Nora and I did get relief from working the curtains so that we could head out and watch her group skate. Here is a shot of them taking the ice for their session. Nora’s Aunt drove 4 hours today so that she could see the show, so she actually spent the entire show in the stands with her and they watched together. It was actually really fun to be part of the show by helping out with the curtains. All of that energy that the girls had before going on stage was special to be around. Some had game faces, others were bouncing around and chatterboxes (Grace), while others seemed to just stare out onto the ice, perhaps going through their routine in their head before stepping onto the stage. I sure hope I get the opportunity to be part of it in some way next year too!

One final bit of business before I go. The winning ticket for the Keweenaw Snowmobile Club’s Sauna Raffle was drawn last night and congratulations go out to a local boy…Joe Serotzke from Bootjack held the winning ticket! Perhaps I will get a chance to take a sauna in it sometime!

This week is probably going seem like a short one for me. Lots of driving, as I head to Lansing on Tuesday to speak at the County Road Associations annual get together on Wednesday. Then I get to hop right back into the car and come home on Wednesday. I suppose I could make some kind of a mini-trip out of it and spend more time, but I would rather be at home with my family than on the road. If anyone knows of a good steak joint in Lansing, especially the north side, let me know!

Until next week…

Good Night from the Keweenaw..
–JD

 

Hard to believe another week has flown by, but I guess we all were kept pretty busy around here and that is what can happen. It’s been another week of beautiful, early-spring weather around here. Not much at all in the way of new snow, in fact, I do not believe a flake of snow fell all week, and only a bit of melting. More settling than anything. Lots of sunshine and temps in the 30’s. We did hit 40 a day or two as well. I am not sure if I said it last week or not, but I honestly could take a full month of weather like this. No having to move around fresh snow, but still plenty around to play in and with the sunshine and milder temps, it is very nice to be outside. I found myself just going outside and hanging out with the pups and basking in the sunshine just about every day this week. Need to replenish that vitamin D!

I think I need to clarify the lack of melting. That has been the case with snow that is not in full sun and especially the snow that is not in full sun and in contact with something that will absorb the suns energy and melt the snow. The banks of snow along side the roads are quite a bit smaller than they were a week or two ago. Here in our yard, many of the roof areas have cleared and the snow that had been covering things like our front deck and the planters in front of the deck has melted significantly. It is kind of fun to watch the transformation take place. Things that have been buried under snow for months are becoming revealed. We even have a few patches of our parking area that are now bare.

In the woods, it is a different story. Little melting has occurred. In fact, we were out in the woods yesterday afternoon (more on that in a bit) and the snow was still powdery on the surface. Between the whiteness of the pristine snow in the woods and the blocking of some of the suns energy from the bare trees, it has not begun to get “wet” just yet. It probably will not be too long before that snow does start to get melted at the surface and then will re-freeze at night, forming a pretty firm crust that if given the chance to get thick enough, will allow one to walk right across the top of it. A pretty unique experience to be able to walk across snow that is 3-4 feet deep, but not sink in at all. In back country snowmobiling vernacular, that is called “hero” snow, as one can go just about anywhere they want without getting stuck in the deep snow and thus look like a hero.

As mentioned, the snow has been sliding off the roofs this week. Earlier in the week, both Nora and I were inside and heard a good slide occur. By the sound of it (even from indoors) and knowing what roofs still had to slide, I figured it was the one side of the shop roof. Ever since I built the lean-to and made the pitch of its roof less than the shops roof, it has caused that side of the shop to hold the snow longer. A quick peak out the window proved me right.

The next day, the pups and I made use of the snow slide to do a little avalanche training. I dug a pit, grabbed a neighborhood kid and stuck them in the pit and then covered it back up with a couple of feet of snow and let the dogs find them. They did a great job, sniffing around for a few minutes, then picking up on the scent and digging the child out in under 10 minutes! So before anyone calls the police on me, nothing like that occurred, although I did sneak a few dog treats under the snow and then let the pups out. We all walked over to the snow slide and I waited to see how long it took them to sniff out the treats. I did not have a stopwatch going, but it was under 3 minutes. So cool to think of the power of smelling they have! Plus, it made me realize that if I am ever in avalanche territory again and know that a dog will be part of the rescue, I will just keep a few treats in my pocket!

So it is the beginning of the end of winter around here. Pretty much the same up here every year at this time. I suppose in some spots, that came a week or two ago and in others, that will not be taking place for another week or two, but by the end of the month, the beginning to the end of winter will have taken place in all of the northern hemisphere, it will just be a matter of how long it takes to reach the end! In some years, our end came very quickly and in others did not fully happen for another 2 months. I remember having 2 feet of snow on the ground in early May just 4 years ago.

The beginning of the end is not just confined to the weather up here this time of the year. The sports seasons like hockey and basketball have entered into their playoff season. It has been a successful playoff season so far for some and not so for others. The Calumet HS hockey team won their first playoff game and then lost their next. It was to their rival just to the south, the Hancock Bulldogs. An interesting match up for just the second game of the playoffs, as Hancock was ranked #1 in the state and Calumet #2. It was said that no matter who one that game, they would have a very good chance of bringing home some hardware from the state finals. We’ll see in a few weeks, but go Bulldogs! UP Pride!

Michigan Tech upset the Beavers of Bemidji State in a two game sweep this weekend. On to the semi-finals with what I believe is a yet to be determined opponent- depending on the outcome of the game between Northern MI and Alabama-Huntsville tonight.

Some of the local basketball teams have fared well and others not. Both on the boys and girls side, there are local teams headed to the regional’s and then if successful to the state semi-finals. Grace decided to give basketball a try this year and was on the Calumet 3rd grade girls team. They have a pretty good team, with some really good players on it and this weekend, they had an invitational tournament in Hancock. They did quite well, going undefeated to go on and win the championship. They did a neat thing at the end of the game, with the players from one team putting medals on players of the other team and giving them a congratulatory hand shake. I don’t know if it was just coincidence or planned, but Gracie was matched up with a player from the other team that she had made friends with just prior to the championship game. Then it was on to hoist the trophy over their heads in celebration.

The smiles are priceless, but I was most impressed when after all the celebrating was over, Grace went looking for her new friend to console her and try and cheer her up. She has since said that she feels really sad for her new friend about a dozen times since leaving the gymnasium. Very cool to see, both Nora and I were very taken by that show of compassion and I think she will do very well in life down the road.

Gracie has also been in figure skating this winter and next weekend will be the big ice skating show that they have been practicing for in the last month or two. Once the show is over, so will be the season, with the exception of a “fun-skate” for all on the Tuesday following the show. It has been fun to watch her practice and get better in just her first year of skating, although I think she, Nora and I will be happy to have our Tuesday and Friday afternoons back! Both Nora and I have been going to just about all of the practices and just this past Friday, as I entered the rink, I looked up to see this sign. I am not sure if it new, or I had just missed it all these times going up the steps to the rink, but it struck me as just another way that this area is truly special. Right here in our sleepy little town of Calumet, sits the oldest indoor skating rink in all of North America. Down in Houghton sits the Dee stadium, which is the birthplace of professional hockey. That’s Cool.

Between figure skating practices and basketball games, we were still able to sneak in a little outdoor activity this weekend. It was the weekend for the CopperDog sled dog race and while we all were too tired to take in the start of the race Friday night, we did make a run up to Copper Harbor to catch the teams finish up leg 2 of the race Saturday afternoon. Grace got to visit with some of the athletes in the race and we all enjoyed a sunny day outside.

We got back home with enough sunlight and personal energy to take a quick snow shoe in our woods with the pups. We have not done too many of those this season, but have been kept busy with other things and also the fact that we have had quite a bit of cold weather this winter. So it was very nice to be back out into the woods and the pups were just about beside themselves. Both when I asked if they wanted to go “into the woods” and when we got out there. I can see some more visits on snow shoes before the snow is gone this season. Our destination was just a short venture out to see Old Granddad. He has survived another winter in grand fashion and appeared to be ready for spring and to fill out his limbs with leaves.

It is fun to watch Gracie get around on her snow shoes. She has always been good at it, but has now passed her old dad as far as speed and agility goes. I watched here break off the trail we had made to Old Granddad and blaze her own through the woods, actually going quite a bit off the old course and still managed to get back to the house well ahead of me. I had promised her that after the snow shoe, she could go and play on the pile of snow that had slid off the shop roof. So not only had she made it back before me, but had taken off her snow shoes by the house and walked over to the shop and was standing there waiting for me to get back so she could play in the snow. She shimmied up the snow and then onto the roof and before I knew it, she was hanging out at the ridge line of the shop roof. She first accomplished that feat 4 to 5 years ago and it has become a regular event every winter when enough snow piles up on the ground beneath the eaves that she can get up onto the roof.

Of course, she is getting old enough that getting to the top of the shop roof is not enough anymore, so off we went to the house, so she could work her way to the top of that! Please know that with the exception of the back side of the house’s roof, which I did not let her go near, she only had a 1-2 foot fall into soft snow if she somehow came off the roof and in some cases, it was an even transition from the roof to the snow on the ground. So no need to call the child protective services on me!

It was such a nice day to be on the roof and Grace was having so much fun that she stayed up there for quite a while. So long that she managed to build a snowman on the top of the roof! I know I can lay claim to doing some pretty crazy things in/on the snow, but I cannot claim to have built a snowman on a roof before. In face, today as we looked at it, I said to Gracie that it very well may be the only snowman on a roof in the world right now! She got a kick out of that!

So it looks like winter is going to try and make a little comeback up here this week. We do not look to get a ton of snow, but enough to probably have to move around. Some areas to the west and south of us look to get quite a bit more. So between the snow we still have and the bit of fresh that looks to fall here, plus the more plentiful snow that looks to fall to the west and south of us, it looks like there will still be some snow-play to be had this week and next weekend, so get it while you can!

Good Night from the Keweenaw..
–JD

It was a good week for snow. Since I last wrote, we have picked up 30″ of new snow. After about a 2 week lull where we did not pick up much, things suddenly got quite active. The lake played a minor role, as it is still putting out some lake effect snow, but most of that 30’s was due to system snow. To go along with the snow, temps have been very pleasant as well. Highs have been running in the 20’s and low 30’s, which has made it very nice to be out and about.

Needless to say, there has been quite a bit of work that has come as a result of that snow, but I can admit that it felt really good to be back in Big Red and clearing snow. The fix made to the sheer bolts in the augers has held up very well and I have not had to replace any of those since getting the machine back over a month ago. It has also been nice to see the trees all flocked with snow again. Although we have had wind gusts to 54 mph today, so not much flocking left!

It is getting fun again to tool around and see all the snow on everything. The snow banks on the sides of the roads are huge and with the shallow pitch of the roof on one side of the woodshed, it has not cleared on its own, nor has it been cleared manually. So there is a seasons worth of snow on it right now. Not sure if I should get up there and clear it or not. The rafters are 2 x 12 and only span around 8-10 feet and are not sagging at all, but I still worry about putting all my weight in one spot and adding it to the weight already being put on it by all that snow. We do look to have some warm days this week, perhaps even 40 degrees tomorrow, so I guess I will see if that warm weather gets it moving at all. If not, then I suppose I can always shovel off an area while still on the ladder before actually putting any of my weight on the roof.

The moving of snow with Big Red has been wonderful, although even that is starting to be impacted by how much snow we have picked up. At the ice rink, the snow is now piled up around 2-3 feet taller than the boards and when I am clearing the snow right next to the boards, I have to aim more forward than straight off the rink to allow the snow to get enough height to clear the pile on the boards. I can also add that the snow is that deep for around 20-25 feet away from the rink and not just piled up next to the boards. One could just mist it down and create their own upper boards if they wanted to!

The same is happening in the parking area of our driveway. The snow there is do deep that it has almost buried the swing set. It’s funny, at the start of the season, I try and pile the snow up enough in one spot that I have a ramp to drive my sled into the back of my pick-up. Now, I have to keep from putting snow in an area so that the banks are low enough to allow me to load the sled! The pups are being quite challenged in getting up and over the banks. There are a few spots still low enough that they can jump up and get off the driveway to do their exploring and other things, but I think since getting Big Red, these are the biggest snow banks we have had on our driveway. I wonder how long it will take to melt all of that!

I did get out to play in the snow this week. It had to wait until Saturday, but I traveled south a bit and met up with friends in the Twin Lakes area and headed out late morning on Saturday. It probably could not have been a better day for riding, with cobalt blue skies and temps rising into the low 30’s. It was so nice to be able to stop and chat without having to remain all bundled up. We all got to just sit there and soak in the rays. I know it is not March just yet, but given good snow conditions, March is probably my favorite month to ride in.

There is a ton of snow down that way too and all areas we rode were covered with the 7-8″ of snow they got early Friday morning and some had not been touched in longer that that and had about 14-18″ of fresh powder on them. It was just a perfect day to be out playing in the fresh snow and enjoying the abundant sunshine. We stayed mostly in the woods and visited some of their favorite “honey holes”, playing on the hills and using the trees as a slalom course. Some of them even took to the air to have some fun yesterday. Not me! My jumping career ended around 17 years ago with the broken femur.

As the day was ending, the clouds started to flow in, a sign the next storm was getting ready to hit and also cooling things down a bit. We finished up the ride, grabbed a relaxing bite to eat and then I headed home to Nora, Grace and the pups. I’m not really sure which is more enjoyable for me, riding with friends on a beautiful day like we had yesterday, or coming back home to be with my family, sore muscles and all. In all honestly, I think the two complement each other extremely well and neither would probably be as enjoyable without the other. In any case, it was really nice to settle into the “snow chair” and hang out with the family in the living room, feeling my muscles get more and more stiff/sore and just enjoying the wonderful life I have. I know I would not trade it for anyone’s, that is for sure!

The week ahead looks to be a little quieter as far as snow goes. That will be fine with me too. Lots of snow to play in and with the warmer temps, it will be just like spring. Who know’s, maybe it will be the start of our spring.

A reminder that you all have around 10 more days to get your tickets to try and win the Sauna being raffled off by the Keweenaw Snowmobile Club. Sales have been good, but still more tickets available. Also, next weekend will be the weekend for the CopperDog 150 dog sled race up here. If you have not been able to see it yet, I HIGHLY recommend you coming up for it. It really does not impede your ability to ride our trails at all. You can actually ride the same trails the race is using at the same time, although they only use sections for a couple of hours at a time and it is also easy to get around without having to ride the same trails.

I guess that covers it for this one. Have a great week everyone and talk to you next month!
Good night from the Keweenaw..
–JD

BOTI! Although I doubt that many of you even knew we were off the island, we got back onto the island late yesterday, after a fairly quick trip to Minnesota. Nora had a test that had to be done at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester…which went very well… and we decided to make a mini-mini vacation out of it. Nora’s exam was around midday on Friday and as soon as it was over, we headed north up hwy 52 to the Minneapolis area, our destination being the Great Wolf Lodge and waterpark. We don’t have anything really exciting planned for spring break, so we thought this would be a nice treat for us all.

It ended up being a nice treat, as the lodge, waterpark and staff were great. We were there for less than 24 hours, but with everything that we did, it sure seemed a lot longer. We were able to check into our room upon arrival, so did that and quickly got changed into our swim suits to head down to the water park. The first concern on my checklist was passed, as the water was quite comfortable. I don’t know the exact temp, but would have to have put it in the 82-85 degree range, as it was not bathwater upper 80’s, but not the “have to get used to it” lower 80’s either. Other concerns like crowds, safety and general atmosphere also passed the test, as there were tons of lifeguards to cover the different activities, the water park was not overwhelmed with people, which I believe is due to the fact that only guests staying at the lodge can go inside the water park. The other visitors at the park/lodge were very nice and friendly and Gracie even made some new friends while there.

Gracie and I partook in all of the water slides and I have to say that a few were pretty intense. It’s fun to have her be old enough that she can do everything, but not too old that she does not want to. Nora joined us on the less stressful activities like the wave pool and lazy river. I guess if I had to make one suggestion it would be to have the air temp in the waterpark a little warmer. It was warmer than the lodge, but sill cool enough that when you were not in the water, you could get a bit chilled.

Anyway, after being in the waterpark for around 4 hours, we went back up to the room, got into street cloths and headed down to one of the restaurants in the lodge and had supper. Then it was time for Gracie to tackle the rock climbing wall. When we told Gracie what we would be doing as part of our MN trip, including showing her pictures of all that was there, it seemed to be a tie as far as her excitement level was about the waterpark and the rock climbing. She is like a little monkey around here, climbing on furniture when inside and anything she can like trees, rocks…etc, when outside, so I was interested to see how she would do on the rock wall.

After getting into her harness, she was given a good explanation on how to “handle the ropes” by the staff and then it was up the wall she went! I figured she would make it at least a third of the way up the three story wall, but since she chose the path with an outcropping in it, I was not so sure how well she would get past it. Well, the outcropping was nothing for her and she scooted right past it. Up, up, up she went. As she neared the top, her pace did slow some and I was beginning to wonder if she would make it all the way up. She seemed to be using her arms more than legs, but was still headed up! She was about a foot from the top when the burn in her hand and arm muscles finally got to be too much and down she came. The harness she was wearing is hooked up to a pulley device that allows the climber to slowly return to Terra Firma and she did a great job of rapelling as she came down. She had two climbs and was so excited to do it again, that her muscles still had some burn in them and she only made it around 2/3rds of the way up the second time.

In the same area as the rock wall, they also have a suspended obstacle course that the kids can do. I suspect that adults could probably do it too, but did not see any! So it was back into a harness and then out onto the course. The course is two levels and the participants remained hooked up to the harness and safety line the whole time. The other end of the safety line is hooked up to an overhead track that a rolling wheel rides in. She took to this like a fish to water. Everything about it was right up her alley. A bit of danger, heights, the threat you could fall to your demise at any moment and of course the physical demands. She mastered the first level very quickly and headed up to the second level. Not only was the second level one more story higher (3 floors up), but it had more challenging obstacles. The main one being a rolling log that was stopping may who tried in their tracks. She got to it and headed across. The few kids that did make it across did so in a side-by-side shuffle movement, grabbing the ropes that were dangling nearby for help. Gracie started out that way, but about halfway through got a little turned around and found herself walking across the log like a tight rope. This was a much more difficult way to cross, as the log would spin very easily and it was hard to keep your balance. There was a moment when it looked like all was lost, but she fought off the fear of falling off and aching muscles and made her way across.

I don’t know what it is like for other parents, but the one thing that I have really tried to instill in Grace is to not give up. That attitude has allowed me to live a wonderful life. There have been some immense challenges, probably some that I could have walked away from and never been given grief for doing so, but it was instilled in me to not give up and I am trying to pass that adage along to Grace. So it was extremely rewarding to see her in dire straits about half way across that log, fight off the fear, gather herself together and press on and make it! The pride on her face was priceless too. And now, the next challenge she faces and questions if she can make it, I will just bring up the log cross at the Great Wolf! I have a feeling that it will be a watershed event in her life.

So after having breakfast at the lodge on Saturday, we did a bit of shopping and then headed our way home. The lodge/waterpark is about a half mile away from the Mall of America, but we did not even think about going there. That seems to be a 2-3 day event in itself! Maybe next time. The trip home was uneventful and it was very nice to pick the pups up at the boarding kennel and have the whole family together again. The pups were well cared for, as they always are there, but also very happy to see us. Nothing quite like the excitement of a dog when they see you for the first time of you being separated for a while. In our case it was around 56 hours, but seemed like weeks!

Not much else has been going on up here. A quiet week as far as snow. We got a little here and there and it is currently snowing out at I type and we look to see snow fly right through Tuesday. Probably not enough to make it bottomless powder, but with the fresh snow and temps to be in the teens and 20’s for highs, perhaps some outdoor play will be had this week. I know I would really like to take a snow shoe in our woods and maybe even a ski somewhere up here. Perhaps I will even get out on the sled for some track spinning. I also am chomping at bit to get into the shop and get going on some projects. I have been letting a friend use the shop for the past few weeks and I think going out to chat with him while he is there has really lit a flame in me to make some sawdust too!

The only other think I would like to cover before signing off is to remind you all of the Sauna Raffle that the Keweenaw Snowmobile Club is having. The link to the place where you can purchase tickets on-line is located at the very top-right of this website and will remain there until the sales end sometime around March 6th-8th. You do not need to be present to win or live here. You will need to arrange getting the sauna from up here to where ever you want it, but it fits on a two place snowmobile trailer very well. All the proceeds for the raffle are going to the savings the club has to build a new groomer barn. The one we are in at the moment is literally falling down and or caving in! So get your tickets, it is a beautiful sauna!

Until next week..

Good night from the Keweenaw..
–JD

I was going to be all fancy pants and put the title in French, but I don’t know how to spell C’est la vie, so I just kept things simple.

This is going to be a short one. Life has been good, but rather uneventful the past 7 days. The big lake continues to freeze. Taking a look at the latest satellite imagery, it looks to be about 75-80% covered at at this point, with the only pure, open water sitting in the mid-portion of the eastern lake. About 10-15 miles north of the south shore from around Pictured Rocks to just west of Whitefish Pt and extending north to the north shore. Huron is also about 70-80% covered. Erie is a giant ice cube, while Ontario is nearly ice free and MI just has the northern 1/5th and shore line areas extending out around 10-20 miles frozen.

I can say that the grand Lake Superior is not going down without a fight. We did have lake effect snows fall almost everyday this week, even picked up 10″ of the stuff since last Sunday, although it really does not seem like that much fell! We also had a lot of sunshine and some pretty cold temps. Typical stuff when we lose the influence the beautiful big lake has on our weather.

I must say congrats to the folks to the south of us that did well in the snow department the past 4-5 days. Its probably been quiet some time since such a large part of the central Midwest had a decent snowcover and I hope that those of you living there are enjoying things. Hard to believe that we are nearly halfway through the month of February and soon those to the south of us will be turning their thoughts to spring. It will be interesting to see what the rest of this snow season has in store for the Keweenaw. Hopefully a few decent spring snow storms. After all, Big Red has not really had to work too hard since getting all fixed up a month ago.

I really do not have much more to write and Nora is busy in the kitchen getting supper ready so we can all sit around the TV and fireplace and watch the Olympics. Gracie has really been having fun watching them and Nora and I have been too. The other evening when they were watching some events, I can remember being a young lad and being excited to watch them in hopes of seeing it snow. Yes folks, even in the “good old days” Chicago and areas around it did not really get that much snow and when we did, it did not stick around for too long. So enjoy while you can!

Good night from the Keweenaw..
–JD