Lake is thawed!

[rrmidden]

Our lake in northern Wisconsin is thawed! This is the earliest I've seen ice melt up there in at least 5 years. We haven't been up to the Lake House in over a month, trying to abide by the Stay at Home order. But we have gone completely stir crazy, so we're headed up there this weekend. We're going to pack everything we need, so we won't have to stop anywhere while up there, except for gas.

With the lake cleared of ice, we're even going to be able to get the pier in! I find just a few hours of normalcy a week goes a long way to keeping sane during these crazy times. Not sure why I'm so excited to wade through 35 degree water, but anything to feel normal, works for me!

The boat is still in storage, but I figure we'll get that in the next couple of weeks as things appear to be calming down a bit. Not sure if the company we use to get the Boat Lift in the water is 'essential' but, we'll find out after we get the pier in.

 

[Dave burke]

Have fun. Wish I could get to our cottage.

 

[anmut]

Our lake in northern Wisconsin is thawed! This is the earliest I've seen ice melt up there in at least 5 years. We haven't been up to the Lake House in over a month, trying to abide by the Stay at Home order. But we have gone completely stir crazy, so we're headed up there this weekend. We're going to pack everything we need, so we won't have to stop anywhere while up there, except for gas.

With the lake cleared of ice, we're even going to be able to get the pier in! I find just a few hours of normalcy a week goes a long way to keeping sane during these crazy times. Not sure why I'm so excited to wade through 35 degree water, but anything to feel normal, works for me!

The boat is still in storage, but I figure we'll get that in the next couple of weeks as things appear to be calming down a bit. Not sure if the company we use to get the Boat Lift in the water is 'essential' but, we'll find out after we get the pier in.

I'm in Stevens Point - rivers have been open for a month+ now, but still too damn cold for boating. Also have to wait for the spring rains to flush all the crap down river too... Where up north WI are you? We have an AirBNB booked for July on Fence lake, west of Woodruff.

 

[rrmidden]

I'm in Stevens Point - rivers have been open for a month+ now, but still too damn cold for boating. Also have to wait for the spring rains to flush all the crap down river too... Where up north WI are you? We have an AirBNB booked for July on Fence lake, west of Woodruff.

We're East of Woodruff, in between Eagle River and Minocqua. My Great Aunt used to have a place on Fence Lake, but I've been going up to the general area for 40 years, finally got our own place a couple of years ago.

 

[BlkGS]

I kept checking the date to see if this was an old thread or something. It wasn't. HOW DO YOU HAVE ICE IN APRIL? You must have like, a 3 month season for boating! Here in NC it's been boating weather for like a month now.

 

[rrmidden]

I kept checking the date to see if this was an old thread or something. It wasn't. HOW DO YOU HAVE ICE IN APRIL? You must have like, a 3 month season for boating! Here in NC it's been boating weather for like a month now.

Last couple of years ice didn't melt until mid May. Granted that was later than usual. I've been water skiing in 8 months of the year up here, March through October. I enjoy winter as well, so I don't mind.

 

[biffdotorg]

I posted this in another thread as well.

This is the norm for us up here in North Central MN. For the past 30 years, it has been my goal each year to try to get on a waverunner by my Birthday, which is April 23rd. It's been about a 40/60 split being that most of the time, it can't be done. Heck some years, we are lucky to have ice out by Walleye opener the first week of May.

On that note, our lake is frozen, but the bay out front is open. I am going to get the waverunners in if I have to take drastic measures. So when someone tells me, "oh this is early" or "this is late" April 23rd has been my date of comparison for our part of the country for decades.

 

[biglar155]

I kept checking the date to see if this was an old thread or something. It wasn't. HOW DO YOU HAVE ICE IN APRIL? You must have like, a 3 month season for boating! Here in NC it's been boating weather for like a month now.

Us "Northerner's" are a tolerant lot when it comes to the cold.

Here's a thread from a Memorial Day visit to my Mom in the U.P. of Michigan in 2014: https://jetboaters.net/threads/ice-on-keweenaw-bay-memorial-day-2014.1980/

Yes, for the last 22 years I have "resided" in S.E. Wisconsin. I am from the Upper Peninsula of Michigan.

 

[rrmidden]

Us "Northerner's" are a tolerant lot when it comes to the cold.

Here's a thread from a Memorial Day visit to my Mom in the U.P. of Michigan in 2014: https://jetboaters.net/threads/ice-on-keweenaw-bay-memorial-day-2014.1980/

Yes, for the last 22 years I have "resided" in S.E. Wisconsin. I am from the Upper Peninsula of Michigan.

The pictures aren't showing up for me, but I went to college in the UP and met my wife up there, who was from the Western end of UP, so I'm sure I can imagine it.

However, ice can melt up there early too. I no longer have the picture, but my Junior year of college (2000), the ice pushed out of the Portage Canal in late March. My friend brought his dad's old boat up there after spring break, so we went water skiing on the Portage Canal on March 23! It was awesome.

 

[biglar155]

The pictures aren't showing up for me, but I went to college in the UP and met my wife up there, who was from the Western end of UP, so I'm sure I can imagine it.

However, ice can melt up there early too. I no longer have the picture, but my Junior year of college (2000), the ice pushed out of the Portage Canal in late March. My friend brought his dad's old boat up there after spring break, so we went water skiing on the Portage Canal on March 23! It was awesome.

Sounds like your wife may have been from the White-Pine / Ontonagon area? My Dad drove out there every day for work in the mine. (90 miles one-way on 2-lane roads through heavy deer territory and 300" of snow per year. Only missed one day due to weather.)

Did you go to Da Tech? (I'm BSEE '94)

I actually grew up and lived 10 miles north of MTU campus. (If you ever went in to Bob's Party Store in Hubbell you were kitty-corner across the road from my folk's house.) Needless to say I commuted.

My wife was from down-state and went to Northern Michigan University in Marquette. We met through a mutual friend.

 

[bumpy]

We put ours in last week; the snow was gone by the weekend and we actually went for a ride Sunday! Come on summer!

 

[rrmidden]

Sounds like your wife may have been from the White-Pine / Ontonagon area? My Dad drove out there every day for work in the mine. (90 miles one-way on 2-lane roads through heavy deer territory and 300" of snow per year. Only missed one day due to weather.)

Did you go to Da Tech? (I'm BSEE '94)

I actually grew up and lived 10 miles north of MTU campus. (If you ever went in to Bob's Party Store in Hubbell you were kitty-corner across the road from my folk's house.) Needless to say I commuted.

My wife was from down-state and went to Northern Michigan University in Marquette. We met through a mutual friend.

Yup, wife was born in Ontonagon. Went to Tech, BSCE '01.