SO LONG, SUMMER

Rock Island Park Manager Randy Holm posed with
summer-time naturalist and historian Richard Frost
before Frost returned to his LaCrosse home.

Washington Island -

The summer finale that is Labor Day Weekend is itself coming to a close.

The line of traffic leaving the island yesterday indicated there were lots of day visitors Sunday, the middle day of this holiday weekend.

Ferry crews managed to clean up the line by dark, but we'll see a repeat today when those who've stayed here overnight head back home for school and for the remaining days of the work week.

All of this bodes well, we believe, for the Ferry Line and the Island economy, a peak weekend of the year when all crews, all ferries run at full bore bringing people and vehicles back and forth.

I had the pleasure of operating the Karfi to Rock Island this weekend, and by a rare circumstance in scheduling I worked with son, Hoyt, who was my crew.  Saturday we spent the most time together since traveling to Iceland in June!

On the boathouse pier, waiting with backpack and belongings to depart the island, was Richard Frost. Richard was the naturalist and historian on Rock Island this past summer.  His enthusiasm, patient manner of teaching, and his ability to listen and learn quickly made him an asset to Rock Island's visitors and campers.   Evenings he slept on Rock Island, where he also served as campground host and point of contact when Randy Holm and his staff completed their work day.

I had the pleasure to visit with Richard on several occasions, during which time we exchanged information about Thordarson and Rock Island history.   I do hope the Wisconsin DNR park management people recognize the contributions Richard added through enhancing the experience for campers and day visitors.

The same can be said for the many Friends of Rock Island volunteers who take turns occupying the lighthouse one week at a time, in exchange for receiving and guiding visitors through this historic home, daily from 10-4.   Although anticipated, the stream of visitors is no small interruption of one's daily "vacation" routine, accompanied by frequent and often repeated visitor questions.   The rewards, however, (I should think) might include observing the expressions of surprise and reverence on the faces of those who enter the building for the first time, the finely remodeled and furnished home of Rock Island's light keepers.

Heading up this state park and its many facets - and this job includes occasional unpleasantness such as trash hauling (it all goes to the Washington Island recycling station), toilet pumping, and people management (not everyone listens, obeys, or is docile!), and public safety - is Park Manager Randy Holm.   I've come to respect not only Randy's range of activities and responsibilities, but also his proven understanding of Rock Island's history.

While Randy's responsibilities are wide-ranging, with a restricted park budget he's often short-handed, and for that reason you'll find Randy on the Island most days throughout the season (including many of his days off) during the park's generally accepted open/closing dates.   He's made it a point to be on the pier to personally greet arrivals - or ensure that one of his people are present - to welcome visitors and also to set the tone, should there be misconceptions that this is not a managed park experience.

At an Island coffee shop one morning in June, I met two ladies who had crossed on the Karfi a few days earlier to Rock Island.  One commented to me how surprisingly pleasant it was upon her arrival to be welcomed to Rock Island State Park.  She couldn't get over that gesture, which Randy has made into a hallmark of his tenure as Park Manager.  A seemingly small thing, but it can mean a great deal to visitors, and it may encourage repeat visits in future years.  (We encounter many campers who are proud to let us know the number of consecutive years their family - now in the fourth or fifth generations - have camped on Rock Island, a sign of how deep the experience runs.)

This morning hundreds of families or couples are packing up their cars at the conclusion of breakfast (or folding their tents, if camping on Rock Island) and heading toward the ferry dock for the first leg of their drive home.

We appreciate all of these Island visitors, for their participation in the various planned activities that in turn boost our local economy, and for planting seeds for future visits.

 - Dick Purinton

ROCK ISLAND STATE PARK GETS NEW WELL

Rock Island and Thordarson boat house, after rain clouds cleared Wednesday.  
(Purinton)

Washington Island, Wisconsin -

I had the pleasure of operating the Karfi this past week on Tuesday and Wednesday.   Weather wasn't so great.  We had heavy fog early Tuesday, and then light rain, with rain again the following morning, finally giving way to a short stretch of afternoon sunshine and clear atmosphere.


Tuesday saw light passenger traffic and  a few campers heading back home.  Wednesday, after transporting a few passengers in the rain on the first run at 10 am, there were no takers for our noon trip to Rock Island. As it turned out, there were none waiting to return from Rock Island, either, so Christian Foss and I took advantage of the empty vessel to shut down, moor, and hike up the trail toward the lighthouse to examine the predicament faced by well drilling trucks the previous afternoon as they traversed the rugged, mostly uphill route.

Unloading the well drilling rig, one of the heaviest pieces of
equipment, with close wheel base, of the various vehicles carried
aboard the ferries.  (Purinton)

At midday Tuesday, in the height of the fog, Jeff Cornell and Hoyt had brought three trucks from Detroit Harbor belonging to Charlie's Pumps and Well Drilling, Brussels, Wisconsin.   As it turned out, transporting the equipment to the Rock Island dock and unloading it over the rather narrow pier was the easy part.

Karfi approaching Rock Island Tuesday morning.
(Kathleen Ernst photo)

The real challenge lay ahead for Randy Holm, Park Manager, his co-workers, and the operators of the trucks.   Anyone who has walked that trail knows that it is steep and rutted, sometimes sloping away from the hillside.   In addition, soils were soft and greasy from consistent rains over the previous several days.  Progress toward the light was halted, temporarily, approximately 3/4 of the way to the light.  That's where the trucks were parked for another attempt on Thursday, in hopes the rains would let up, giving the trail a chance to dry.

On Thursday, efforts to get the drilling rig and pipe truck to the light resumed.  Sixteen fiberglass mats were transported to Rock Island that morning, weighing approximately 100 pounds each, which were then laid end-to-end to ease the trucks over the, muddiest, steepest, and toughest patches.  Randy Holm described this operation as successful, but not without intensive labor on the part of the two drivers and the park employees who laid mats, then lifted them after the trucks had passed, scraped mud and rock from each, and then reset them on the trail that lay ahead.  With that effort, the drivers managed to get their trucks to the lighthouse grounds.

Then, as a first step, the well head was removed from the original, three-inch well, giving the drillers access by means of a pump dropped down the hole to a ready water supply, and with lubricating water, drilling commenced.  However, at approximately 25 feet, the drill head bit broke from the drill shaft.  As of this Saturday morning, their hopes are to retrieve it from the hole, possibly by adding cement and then pulling the entire plug, drill bit and all.   Not only is the drill bit worth several thousand dollars, it currently blocks drilling efforts made thus far.   If extraction is unsuccessful, a new hole using a new bit will have to be started.

This rather involved effort to provide a new well is designed to replace the original well, one that's been in use by lighthouse residents since approximately 1904-06 (the date is uncertain), when it was drilled by the Koyen brothers using a drop drill.  Randy Holm believes the old well was drilled to a depth of 155 feet (probably close to the vertical distance to the lake level from the top of the bluff).   For the past 100 and more years this well tested A-OK, but as older wells go it was uncased, and the State wishes to replace it with a new, cased well.   Undoubtedly, this new well will be of a deeper variety, probably producing typical iron content and water not nearly as tasty.  [Note:  In a conversation with retired Rock Island Park Manager Kirby Foss this afternoon, he said that August and Volney Koyen towed their drilling rig over the ice to Rock Island by horse team, and drilled the well in winter, to a depth of 195 feet.] 

This newly acquired liquid may be some of the most expensive water-per-gallon in the state!  We wonder how many cases of bottled drinking water could have been supplied for the same cost as drilling this well.  There would, of course, have to be the carrying of the occasional bucket up the steps from the lake for washing dishes and clothes, bathing, etc., the way it was done in the old days!  The thought of it all gives one a greater appreciation for life at the lighthouse prior to advent of the turn-of-the-century well, when fetching water from the lake must have been routine, in addition to capturing rain water.

Those new knees worked just fine

Christian and I paused near the Thordarson gate at the top of the first hill, above the tank house.  It's been fenced in for safety reasons recently, and in fact it was slated for removal this spring due to its deteriorating condition and the resultant liability it posed for park visitors.  However, keen public interest in trying to replace it with a similar structure brought a temporary stay to its demolition.  During what might be a rather limited window, Friends of Rock Island and park officials will seek funding and ideas to construct a similar replacement gate, one that might weather another 70 or 80 years.

Gate with hanging flower planter, made of native cedar, one of several
iconic structures on Rock Island built by Thordarson.  From this
location, visitors can enjoy a sweeping vista of the boathouse grounds
and Washington Island's northern shoreline.   (Purinton)

Christian and I then hiked past the gate another half-mile or so,  where we came upon the trucks parked in the center of a level section of trail.  This truck roadblock was the reason Holm had elected to temporarily close this trail to park visitors (other trails remain open), and for obvious safety reasons the grounds at the lighthouse will be likewise be closed during drilling operations - at least through June 6th.   Reopening of the lighthouse will depend on progress made in drilling during the coming week.

Every so often along the trail shoulders we saw deep ruts where the wide-tired front wheels of the well driller rig had gotten slightly off to one side.  On steeper portions of the slope where there were rugged vertical sections, there was evidence of struggles to move forward, and then get unstuck, using planks and gravel fill.  Given the challenges faced, it was surprising these two trucks got as far as they did that first day in the rain, with the steepest portions still awaiting passage.

To aid this project along, on Friday park workers carried a portable mixer and sacks of cement in the park's backhoe to the light, from the closed truck that was parked in the field near the boathouse.

When completed, this well drilling effort will mark a bizarre beginning to what we hope will be a good season for Rock Island park visitors.  Memorial Weekend traffic was steady, for both Washington and Rock Islands, and there are widespread hopes for good summer weather to provide many pleasant days outdoors for visitors.

Well drilling rig operated by Charlie's Pumps,
Brussels, Wisconsin, when progress was stalled
partway up the lighthouse trail.  (Purinton)

Meanwhile, our family has been preparing for months for a trip to Iceland, and in future blogs I'll feature what we'll see and do, as well as concerns we have regarding our travels.

-  Dick Purinton

COVEYS OF BIRDERS DISCOVER WASHINGTON ISLAND!

Birders recently spotted on the Island,
originating  from various Wisconsin
locations.  (photo by Melody Walsh)

Washington Island, Wisconsin -

A covey of Khaki-Crested Birders, both male and female, was recently spotted on Washington Island, grouped along Town Line Road.  This may be, we think, the earliest such sighting for this time of year, and it bodes well not only for Island birding, but tourism in general, to record such activity at this date.

As news spread of the influx of Birders, even more Birders were attracted.  Given Washington Island's flagging start to the cool spring tourism season, the branching out of such low-impact activity couldn't come at a better time, harbinger of a greatly anticipated summer.

Birders, whether migrating through or local, shared a singular goal:  to set their eyes on - and photograph if possible - the Tropical Crested Caracara.   This bird has never been seen and recorded before in Wisconsin, and only infrequently in past decades has it been noted anywhere in the upper midwest.

Few Islanders, other than Birding Islanders, may appreciate the singularity of this event.  Besides likely establishing an official State of Wisconsin 'first,' local birders are excited for the broad interest the Caracara sighting spurred through web sites and social media, given this bird has flown so far beyond its traditional territory in Mexico.

Even with the ferry ride, Washington Island still offers Wisconsin birders quite a unique opportunity for a relatively accessible, but rare sighting.   Birders who are successful can check this bird off their annual or lifetime lists of birds observed.

Because the Crested Caracara has remained on the Island for over one week, this also bodes well for birders who might wish to adjust their plans for a Memorial Weekend outing.   Local carrion fare is to this bird's liking, and it seems not to be in a hurry to move on.

A recap on the Crested Caracara timeline

This flurry of activity began when Rock Island Park Manager Randy Holm saw a large bird he couldn't identify in the field across from his home on Michigan Road.  It had dark feathers with a yellow and white, heavy beak, and it feasted on a raccoon carcass.  Upon shooting an email photo to Melody Walsh, who was off-island at the time, her return email brought identification, along with her excitement for this singular opportunity.  Randy's name will be credited in the Wisconsin record book.

Since that first sighting, Melody and Randy have seen it multiple times, photographed the bird, guided other birders to finding it, and they've regularly fielded emails and phone calls from off-island birders who want more information.  Although it is believed it is just a single Caracara (and not a pair), the Island sighting has nevertheless stirred a quite a buzz in the birding world.

Melody sent this photo Tuesday evening with the following comment:  
 "Darn thing was on our septic mound tonight at 7:30 pm-ish!
This is the eighth day in a row!"

In two weeks (May 3, June 1& 2) the Annual Island Birding Festival begins, and Melody and other local birders hope that this bird might continue to enjoy its surroundings enough to remain for that event.   Generally, 30-40 birders register for this festival event each year.  The 2014 Festival could prompt a major migration of an even greater numbers of birders who might flock to the Island anticipating a glimpse of this bird.  Approximately 120 bird species are cumulatively recorded during that weekend's event.

Who knew one bird could cause such fuss?   In its quiet way, the Crested Caracara may become an economic engine drawing more coveys of birders, that no amount of paid marketing could ever have achieved.

-  Dick Purinton

SQUADRON MOORS IN DETROIT HARBOR GRASSES

Photo taken 8 a.m. Friday morning in Detroit Harbor.

Detroit Harbor, Washington Island -

Resting from their maneuvers for a brief time, a squadron of five white pelicans joined two great blue herons and two great egrets (at left) in the grassy shoreline of Detroit Harbor this morning.   We've seen pelicans paddling about offshore and on the wing, but not resting and preening on shore as they did this morning.  The warmth of the rising sun, coupled with the morning's cold air - 38 degrees - may have encouraged them to come ashore.

Since before ice departed at April's end - not all that long ago - we began seeing these birds in the harbor, but they never posed together for a photo as they did this morning.  Old timers would have choked on their Plow Boy chew if someone claimed to have seen a pelican or an egret on Washington Island, but these birds have been as regular as robins in recent years.

A few days ago, word and photo were passed along that Randy Holm, Rock Island Park Manager, spotted a tropical crested caracara near his home.   Apparently, it was feasting on a raccoon carcass.  Melody Walsh surmises it might have flown north with turkey buzzards.  

A number of passengers seen onboard the ferries recently with binocs dangling from their necks and notebooks at the ready would indicate there will be interest from the Wisconsin birding community.  If this bird fancies raccoon, a common enough roadside mammal, perhaps we'll see more of it in the coming days.

We find it almost impossible to believe, but bob-o-links that nest in this same field on Michigan Road near where Randy spotted the caracara are believed to fly all the way from way south in South America (Argentina) to lay their eggs here.  Quite an undertaking.

Such sighting information may serve as a good reminder to birders that the Island Bird Festival isn't far away, the weekend of May 31/June 1.     The banquet registration deadline is today, May 16.  For registration and general festival information go to:     www.islandbirdfest.org  

-   Dick Purinton

ICE, COLD, MONEY and WEED

Early morning ferry, Wednesday, March 12, followed
track from previous day to open water.

Washington Island, Wisconsin -

Wednesday morning the crossing was quite good, but man, I got cold!

The temperature was +5 degrees, but the wind was 30+ mph, and it felt as though it circulated up one pant leg and down the other.   Warmer clothing would have been smarter, but I was on a mission to Sister Bay where I would speak in front of a group, and coveralls didn't seem right.  Standing outside my truck taking photos of the boarding, then underway out the channel, then outdoors again at Northport, took the warmth out of me.  And that was before I visited cousin Steve's farm on Old Stage Road, where with shovels we pried up frozen corn cobs from a crib to feed deer that roamed in our island neighborhood, and before we loaded a dozen hay bales Steve tossed down from his barn's loft, for daughter Evy's horses.

A warm-up at Al Johnson's never felt so good.

Have I become sissified these past 12 months, working from the comfort of our home, venturing outdoors only for mail or an occasional trek on snowshoes?  I credit the many people whose work requires they be outdoors for extended periods of time, including our ferry crews.

The compliment of vehicles on the
ferry Wednesday included two empty trucks and
the Bethel Church passenger bus.

The crossing itself Wednesday morning was excellent.  Solid bay ice held to the west of Plum Island and in its lee our route smooth and easy, despite the brisk NNW.   We were quickly into open water after first passing through the previous days' track for a mile or so.

That same morning, several miles north of Washington Harbor I was told, the Roger Blough had been stuck for nearly 24 hours in ice.  It was escorted by a Coast Guard cutter as the two made slow, and then no progress.  The cutter Mackinaw arrived to assist, and eventually the Blough made it rhough the Rock Island Passage and beyond, into the partially-open lake.  This event occurred just days after the suggested curtailment or postponement of lake freighter operations came from the Ninth Coast Guard District that anticipated such heavy ice conditions.  (See previous blog.)

I spoke this afternoon with Randy Holm, Rock Island State Park Ranger, to find out what was happening on Rock Island.  He makes a few trips over to Rock each week he says, by snowmobile, to check on buildings, and campers.


"Campers?" I asked, surprised there were people interested in winter camping, much less on Rock Island.  Three groups have camped there so far, according to Holm.  He's generally notified in advance - and he tries to leven their experience with useful information, such as low wind chill predictions, pending snow storms, and snow depth.  Last weekend about 45 snowmobilers gathered in the shelter house on Rock Island, during a pleasant afternoon group outing from Washington Island.

Randy's partner, Melody, he said, recently slipped on a patch of ice in their drive while getting out of their truck, and she struck her head sharply against the running board.  Bruised, and now with stitches in her head, Randy suggested she consider safer activities than birding and photography.  We hope this won't slow her down for long, as she's often captured great bird photos.

Oldy, moldy -

Contemplating this winter's snow and ice cover (although it is raining this Friday afternoon as I write) made me think back to several occasions when I've snowmobiled to Plum Island.  In even the coldest of winters we've observed, the Door Passage and even the waters near Plum Island in the Back Door can remain open.   For that reason, crossing the ice in the area of the Door is never recommended.

But, there are always exceptions to a general recommendation.  In 1979, when the ferry C. G. Ricther's gear went out, coupled with a long stretch of cold weather and heavy bay ice, I snowmobiled with Nathan Gunnlaugsson to Northport.  Our first trip was a sort of test run from Washington Island to determine ice thickness.  At that time, solid ice spread from the Bay well beyond Pilot Island to the lake itself, and this ice never moved in the ensuing weeks.  We chose to cut across Plum Island, from the Coast Guard life saving station to the Rear Range Light, as much for the novelty as anything.  Crystal clear ice in the Door was a bit unnerving, but trapped bubbles indicated that it was 10 or more inches thick, and this ice cover continued to build in the ensuing days.  For 19 days, in fact well into March, no ferry runs were possible.

The Cutter Acacia nosed up to the Northport dock (prior to the break wall, 
of course) and Coasties formed a grocery brigade, passing stores from the 
Shannon delivery truck to the ship's deck. Once groceries, passengers and the
 reduction gear replacement part (a piece that weighed in at #400) were loaded, the cutter 
headed for the Potato Dock, where the process was reversed.   This time, 
however,passengers walked an improvised gangplank and the 
ship's crane swung the cargo to shore.  This was the last time the
 Acacia was seen for several weeks, as she worked her 
regular assignment keeping ore boat traffic moving.

First, repairs had to be made.  The cutter Acacia, home-ported then in Sturgeon Bay, made an emergency run to bring across the weekly allotment of groceries for Mann's Store, and also the Twin Disc transmission part, which had been flown from New Orleans to O'Hare Airport, and then was picked up by Arni and Mary Richter.  We had no idea then, that even after repairs were accomplished, we would not be able to get under way again for some time due to heavy ice in and beyond the Door.

From L to R:  Bill Schutz, Bill Jorgenson, Mark Dewey, Rich Ellefson, 
Kevin Kruegerand Hoyt Purinton.  (I was the photographer)

Kenny Koyen drove his Dodge Power Wagon to Northport daily, picking up bulk freight for Island businesses.   We made daily runs with snowmobiles, too, towing sleds for the U. S. Mail and United Parcels, and whatever other freight we could manage.  On one run, as I recall, Nathan and I picked up Bob Rainsford and Ruth Wilcox, and their suitcases, passengers for the return run.  Most islanders stayed put, but for those who chose to travel, their first leg was by snowmobile, and then a friend's borrowed car at Northport.  A few arranged flights to or from the Island Airport.

Then (in 1995, I believe it was) a group of six from the Ferry Line, plus Kevin Krueger, made a late afternoon trip over the ice to Plum Island.  Daily, we'd watched a hole in the otherwise icy crossing near the Plum Island green can #1 as it closed up, getting smaller and smaller each day. Finally, it froze over solid.

I was convinced it would be safe going to Plum Island from Willow Point, near the Rutledge home on Green Bay Road.  We headed west for half a mile or so, and then came ashore close to the lagoon and away from the long, shallow reef, and we had no problems.  We rode single file in deep snow to the range lights, took a few photos, and then headed back to Washington Island, taking a tour along the west shore where Jack Hagen, among others, fished through the ice.

The strongest memory from that trip?  Bill Jorgenson riding his dad's (Walt's) Polaris, a snowmobile without padded seat, just a plywood board!  Bill taught us the meaning of "tough sledding."

Another form of tough sledding -

In the recent Peninsula Pulse we received in today's mail, Steve Grutzmacher, who professes to love numbers and statistics, reprinted three years of Door County township and village income.   The numbers he used, taken from public tax records, were in columns headed "Adjusted Gross Income" (for the townships) and the Adjusted Gross Income (for taxpaying individuals), which is more or less a per-household figure.

The figures were quite astounding.  Washington Island was listed in 2011 as averaging $32,240 per household, and 2012,  $37,700.   Although those two years' figures are somewhat comparable, in the other year cited, 2007, which may be considered "pre-recession," the figure was $73,155.  (This seems like an anomaly, a printing error.)   Among Door County's 14 townships, in 2011 and 2012 Washington Island placed dead last.

It is no secret that winters bring hard times, when many are scrambling to make ends meet.  Summers, for all our tourism and economic well-being, are too short to make up the difference.  When home starts lag, as they have for a number of years, ancillary businesses suffer, too.  People are resourceful, but the reality is that making maple syrup, cutting wood and plowing snow keep one busy, and maybe help stave off bill collection for a bit, but there is a tendency to go into the hole deeply during long winters.

No answers are readily apparent, other than, let's get on with summer and put some positive $$ back into those bank accounts.  I might add that this is true for a larger business, like the Ferry Line, just as it is for a mom and pop operation.  Earlier springs have generally brought with them more travelers, and folks who open their seasonal homes, less so when there are still snow banks in the woods.

Noxious Weed tamed, slightly -

If you somehow thought I might be commenting here on the prospect for medical marijuana in Wisconsin in this column, I have no desire to do so!

Instead, this is meant to further broaden Nikki Weed's apology via public forum.  She wrote this letter, we'd like to think, in heartfelt response to the many letters written when she dissed Washington Island and its people in her earlier Roundel, BMW owner club magazine, column.

A copy of Weed's response was tacked to the bulletin board at Mann's Store, and Hoyt took a cell phone photo of it, which is how I received this information.

Also published by Roundel,  just above Weed's apology, was Kerrie McDonald's well-written letter to Weed.  This also appeared, I am told, on Kerrie's Facebook page along with photos she's taken of Islanders.  Here is the text of Kerrie's letter:

"People generally see what they look for, and hear what they listen for"

Harper Lee, To Kill A Mockingbird

Ms. Weed,

I read your scathing column about Washington Island and, having grown up there, I can confidently say that you have sorely misjudged and misrepresented us.  Our community relies on tourism and your column is an offensive disservice to that industry.  

I hope that you will visit again but, until then, here is a glimpse of the people you so fiercely and unabashedly criticize.  The beautiful woman in photo 1 is the wife of ferry captain Joel.  The laughing children in photo 2 belong to ferry manager Rich.  The smiling deckhand in photo 3 is my brother Conrad.  The pictures surrounding them contain just a few of the many beautiful and intelligent people that make up the Island community.  

It seems to me that you came to Washington Island looking and listening for all the wrong things.  Life is more than BMW's and "reasonable good looks".  
Island people understand that and I hope that one day you will too.

Kerrie McDonald

The following is Weed's response: 

Posted at Mann's Store...

Nikki Weed replies:  As a former resident of Wisconsin, I apologize.  My mother and I drove up to Door County and had nothing but high hopes and dreams for what we would find on the island.  However, I did not plan ahead, and found many of the sights we wanted to see closed. Rather than take the opportunity to discover the natural beauty that is in abundance on Washington Island, I brooded about my mistake - and compounded that mistake when I wrote my column.  I meant no disrespect to Washington Island or its residents;  I can see now that what I meant to be an account of my own inner demons and foibles could be seen instead as an attack on a place and its way of life, and I am sincerely sorry. - NW

Apology accepted.

Now, if you'd care to bring a BMW car club to Washington Island some day, and infuse our local economy, we'd be happy to oblige you with information, a tour, and activities that might provide positive memories.

-  Dick Purinton