Mexico 02/13

Winter escapes have become somewhat of a necessity for us. 

It's a nice break from the cold and life. 

One minute you are shovelling snow to load the luggage in the truck and the next you are lying on a beach sweating under the Caribbean sun. 

It would be nice to leave for the entire month of February but for now a week in paradise will have to suffice.

It's good to be back but I will miss the sounds of the Ocean, lounging on the beach, and the never ending Cerveza.

More Winter Distraction...

Michigan winters are amazing but in recent years can be very unpredictable.  January and February should be a given for the white stuff but these days what is here today can quickly be gone tomorrow.  Much like fishing one has to take advantage of prime conditions for snowmobiling and make tracks while possible.   

That is why we found ourselves on the road again Friday after work in search of the white stuff and some fun on the trails.  My youngest wanted to bring a friend up to share in the fun while my oldest hand to stay home and work her part time job.  At the same time my wife wanted to get things in order for our upcoming warm weather winter escape.  So it was Dad and two eighth graders at the cabin for some weekend fun. 

The kids were very excited about the prospect of riding the sleds.  I had gotten mixed reports of a decent dumping early Friday morning and was excited to see yet another 8-10” on top of the base we already had.  We arrived under darkness but it was apparent by the three foot banks of snow lining the now narrow drive that the lake affect phenomena certainly had arrived. 

As we unpacked the truck we all marvelled at the multitude of stars in the clear northern sky as well as the utter silence of the snow covered forest.  We lit the woodstove and settled down to a movie for the remainder of the night.   After Dad’s stern warnings, threats, and safety training the better part of Saturday saw the kids take advantage of the prime conditions on the sleds.   It was nice to see them enjoying themselves and having the opportunity. 

Later Saturday afternoon afforded me a few hours to slip down to the river so I seized the chance.  The fishing was tough and I failed to elicit any strikes during my brief visit.  Saturday night once again saw us settle down to some movies in front of the woodstove but not until we put a night ride on the trails behind us.  Snowmobiling at night takes on a totally different aspect and is quite enjoyable.  My wife prefers it to daytime sledding. 

Myself I’m impartial and enjoy both.  Sunday morning saw another opportunity to slip down to the river for a couple of hours.  This time I managed to turn a decent trout in the 16-17” range along with some smaller Browns but again no Steelhead.  It was nice to feel a bend in the rod but certainly would have been nicer to have banked a Steelie or two.  Again this winter season has been trying for me and I am beginning to look forward to getting the boat back out of hibernation.  After a few hours I returned to the cabin to see how the kids were making out and get them back on the machines for another good ride before we had to pack up.  Another stellar weekend was had by all at the cabin.  The kids put some miles on the sleds,  nobody got injured, and Dad got to visit the river for a few drifts.  Good times…

Winter Distraction

Well the snow has finally decided to stick around but not without an honest attempt at escape.

Last weeks unprecedented January thaw resulted in half of the snow base finding the water table and rivers.

All of the west side flows are gigantic but the following cold snap has locked up any runoff and the rivers have leveled out and started to drop. 

There might even be a small window of opportunity for a drift or two. 

A nice series of lake effect dumpings have re-blanketed the forest and that  means one thing...Time to hit the trails and take advantage of the fine snowmobiling conditions.

Last weekend saw the girls back on the sleds accompanied by ear to ear grins.

Yesterday saw mom and dad out on the trails for the better part of the day with plans of a night ride later this evening.

Winter in Northern Michigan...it don't get better than this.