GOOD FRIDAY!

West shoreline, Washington Island, near Little Islands and
West Harbor.

Washington Island -

Although it has officially been spring for over a week, the conditions until recently seemed far too cold to believe it was true.  Those conditions changed a day or two ago, and we've received bright sunshine and warm (low 40s) daytime temperatures, so warm that you can be outdoors (briefly) without a jacket, or stand about on the ice while fishing without cap or gloves.

The late melting of ice hasn't deterred some creatures.  We observed snapping and painted turtles, both, emerged from the mud and swimming or crawling slowly across the bottom in the Bayou.  Mary Jo thought she saw a kingfisher two days ago, quite early for that bird to appear.

Turtles emerged from mud after months
of inactivity. They dig themselves in
again at nighttime.

Bay ice has softened, somewhat.  It's now more granular, as I found out when I drilled fishing holes by hand through the ice near West Harbor.  But it's still 30 inches thick, and it took all of the steam I could produce, especially once the handle ground down toward my knees and the auger's blue paint disappeared through the ice layer.   No luck in the fishing department, but the weather was grand, and I watched for fifteen minutes or more as an eagle soared low, circling over the ice as it inspected my neighbors' tip-ups, just a few hundred yards from us.

Aaron Cornell and Eric DeJardine fished late
Wednesday afternoon for brown trout.

At the ferry dock, work is progressing nicely on the dock repairs.   Steel work is nearly complete, and the pile of large boulders disappeared one-by-one into the large hole in the dock, against the steel sheeting.  Rough, blasted stone was being hand-placed beneath the overhanging concrete sidewalk by Joel Gunnlaugsson, Rich Ellefson, Jeff Cornell and Hoyt Purinton.  Hard work and, unfortunately, a machine can't achieve those same results.

Leaving the Eyrarbakki for their lunch break when I was present were Ken Berggren and Jim Hanson.  The rebuilt engines and gears are back in position, and as Ken reassembles parts Jim welds up the main deck access openings.

Today, Good Friday and the start of Easter weekend, is also the beginning of an expanded, 6-trips per day ferry schedule.   The reservation book can now be shelved, except for large trucks.   We all hope we'll see increased traffic coming to the Island.  The winter's been long enough, economically and otherwise.    Happy Easter!  

Grandsons Aidan and Magnus enjoyed climbing up, then sliding
down the shoves.  Larger pieces are in the 20-inch thick range.
They were pushed into this upwelling over a month ago,
then crevices were filled in by successive snowfalls. 

-   Dick Purinton

ENJOYING WINTER ?

Atlas Beneda skied alongside ice shoves on west side, March 7.

I began with the title "Enjoying Winter" as a statement, to reflect the many enjoyable days we've had so far, but later I added the question mark, to elicit response from readers.  Not everyone views winter from the same point of view, of course.

In the photos below, and in the blogs that will follow this one - as I get back on track - we'll look at some of the scenes and conditions observed in past weeks.   We've had lots of snow, more than usual depth for late February or early March, some rain and melting, refreezing, fog...a variety that can come with winter.   No real snowstorms in recent weeks, but many of us hope for at least one more, to put another foot of snow on the ground.   April's often a crummy month here.   Might as well have some snow to play with.

Late last week, grandson Atlas - his third time on skis - and I crossed part of Little Lake, then skied over the ridge separating that lake from the bay.  We were rewarded with a wonderful view: jumbled ice fields.  Close to shore were several ice piles I would estimate to be 15-18 feet high, made up of hefty ice pieces from fields that moved across open waters a month or so ago, before they were stopped at the island's rocky shores.  It will take weeks for those ice shoves to melt, so there is no hurry to get out there if you'd like to see them.

Vehicles - pickups and snowmobiles mostly -
made an ice highway this winter to fishing shacks.

Landing at the Potato Dock: Other than an hour's delay
for fast-moving ice during a February blizzard, no
 crossing problems have been encountered this winter.

With the amount of snow cover, skiing or snowshoeing was one of the few ways to get around by manpower.  Of course, snowmobiles had good conditions, too, for a change, once a snow base was established.  Ice fishermen made regular trips back and forth over Detroit Harbor ice, to set tip-ups or jig.  Fishing results spotty.  Most shanties are off the ice now, after a major melt on Sunday that left slop over the surface. This is, according to local experts, the time of season perch will bite - if they're ever going to.  

Sunday morning in heavy fog, Mike Kahr pushed his rig from Northport back to Washington Island.  He immediately began dredging near our regular island ferry docks.

Kahr ran short of time at Northport, but plans to return after Detroit Harbor work is accomplished.

We've landed bow-to the Northport pier with the AJR these last seven weeks to avoid putting screws into shallow water near the pier.   Depth was increased there, but not yet uniform enough to risk backing in.

When his barge got close to our docks, Kahr used his backhoe
to steer and to break ice near the ferry terminal
 (so his second backhoe could be off-loaded to shore).

The Ferry Line received an extension to the island dredging permit (now April 1st), for which we're thankful. That should give Kahr time needed to deepen waters near the island docks.  He's backed up with other work now, customers waiting for him to do similar work at their locations.  We're thankful the weather's been mild and conditions were good for his tow across the Door.  The Arni J. Richter led the way and widened a track through loose, but substantial, bay ice.

Pneumatic breaker point on excavator
 (foreground) was used to break up
rock strata at Northport.

Snowfall amounts this winter bode well for improved lake levels.  By May, we hope to be using multiple ferries at our traditional landing sites.   -  Dick Purinton

By law, fish shanties have to be removed by the middle of March, but
with melting snow and rain last weekend, these were pulled early.