SPRING STUTTER-STEPS

Ice several feet thick had to be broken by machine in order
to open the approach to the Potato Dock Saturday afternoon.

Washington Island, Wisconsin -

It's not over yet, Old Man Winter, and we were reminded of that fact Friday, with 4-5 inches of heavy, wet snow.  We saw a brief let-up around noon, then snowfall resumed, even harder, in the late afternoon.  Large disks of lake effect snow were whipped by high winds.

Those winds, which strengthened and backed toward the north, were enough to stream heavy ice through the Door Passage into the lake.   This, coupled with hampered visibility for what was in the ferry's route,  brought cancellation of the first Friday evening trip of 2014.  By Saturday morning the snow had ended, and the sky was sparkling clear - and ground cover sparkled, too.    Fresh snow stuck in the trees, and the air temperature was at 23 degrees at 7 a.m.

With a few passes of the shovel, clear patches here and there, the rest was left to intense sunshine.   Most of our snow was gone or on its way out by late afternoon.

The Roen crew had arrived at the end of the week to get their equipment running.  Saturday morning their tug was operational and the crew broke out their crane barge.  By Saturday afternoon they were engaged in opening up the area next to the Potato Dock, so that dredging can begin soon and scows of spoils can be pushed alongside that pier for offloading.  The channel dredging project should move forward this week if ice and wind don't interfere with the maneuvering of the scows or with the rather delicate silt curtain, a requirement while when digging takes place.  (As of Sunday afternoon, the northern half of the channel in Detroit Harbor had broken ice, floated in and held by southerly wind.)

School Navigators Unit is a success

One point I want to relate was the great success Washington Island Schools Navigators unit.   The unit began, if you'll recall, with a trip aboard the Arni J. Richter on St. Patrick's day, March 17.

This Friday afternoon, with their work completed, students and staff hosted an Open House for the community at Washington Island School.  All ages and all grade levels participated in this project.  Clearly, each class put in a great deal of work and thought on this project.  I was impressed with the quality of their end-product, and the enthusiasm the students showed for their work, which was designed to help them learn more about their community, past and present, and learn new skills in the process.

In the 4-6 grade room, Ryan, Max and Aidan showed Mary Jo and I around their computer website, after ensuring we were property greeted, then comfortably seated, to observe their product.  Mary Jo was one of several Islanders interviewed as a former student of the old Detroit Harbor School, but there were many interviews done by the students.  They set up the interview appointments and asked the questions, and took notes, and later wrote up their notes, which can be seen on their website, along with photos.

Elementary school children listen to early
Islanders' stories onboard the Arni J. Richter.
Students, even the lower grades, became adept
interviewers, researchers and historians during the
following weeks.

You can learn about their Navigator unit, too.  Go to the school's website, and from there you'll find pages for each grade levels.   Given a close look you'll see the results of their many hours of interviews, research, and discussion.  It's a masterful job by both staff and students, and should itself be entered into the Island Archives.

Here is the web address:      www.island.k12.wi.us        click on:  WINS Spring 2014 Voyage

Birds and such

Aside from the fresh snow, the first thing I noticed Saturday morning when I looked out the window toward the harbor was a large bird with the appearance and size of a hawk struggling to subdue a duck.  This struggle took place about 15 feet from the edge of a small opening in the ice where springs keep the ice from freezing.   According to fresh tracks in the snow the larger bird and duck had already dragged about 20 feet.   The duck, using all of its remaining strength, was scooting the pair toward the opening's edge.

I was too excited at this point to grab a pair of binoculars or my camera as the drama unfolded.  I expressed an inner "Yes!" when the duck maneuvered itself into the water, large bird still firmly attached.  If it can make it to the pond, I thought, the larger bird might let go.  But, with equal grit and determination, and superior strength, the hawk-like bird pulled the duck back onto the ice.  Once on its back, the duck's feet went skyward in classical, almost cartoonish style, and they ceased to kick.

With a fleeting chance for a good Falcon photo,
my camera was set on autofocus.  As a result the foreground
branches are sharp while the bird is out of focus.

Within seconds (and this whole scene unfolded in less than two minutes) the large bird took off with its prey to one of the trees east of our home, out of sight.  This bird had a meal, and I suppose I should add deservedly so, given the work put in.

In about half an hour this same bird appeared again and roosted in a branch above spring opening.  There on the branch it preened and spread its feathers, drying them (I guessed) from the quick dip in the pond.  After 20 minutes it moved from that perch to another tree on the far side of the opening, and it resumed its preening.

Now I could see more clearly through binoculars, and I took a few photos (they turned out quite blurry, sorry). Mary Jo and I are quite certain it was a Peregrine Falcon.  (If bird experts out there differ in this opinion, please let us know.)

About an hour later, a young eagle was seen circling over the same small pond, swooping low, also looking for a duck dinner.

In the last 10 days we've seen the arrival of geese and sandhill cranes, pairs that would in past springs be swimming close to Snake Island or the old, partially submerged Ida Bo dock, or walking the shoreline looking for food.  The sandhill crane pair walked past our home on the ice during Friday afternoon's storm when snowfall was heaviest.  What they're finding to eat, with insects not yet out and ice covering the harbor, is hard to imagine.  The few openings in the ice that appear near shore, where springs keep the waters ice-free, become sought after holes for wading and swimming and finding food, maybe.

We're not the only ones anxious for warmer weather.

-  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