boat ride

Took this picture on 27th ,the Square Day marker is @ Bald Island looking West,Queer Island would be just around the corner to the right.
Yesterday afternoon we went back out in the boat and made it around our Island and all the way to Hall' Gate @ South entrance to Hades.
We had to push through some black mushy ice(6" thick and feels like a "slurpee"
Still solid ice West side of Queer Island and entrances to Andrew Bay and Moore Bay still have ice.Forecast for us this weekend is -4c and 2cm of the white stuff!!!
Good thing is the winds are supposed to be @ 30kms.Still predicting Bare Point by 6th

Picnic

Went out for a picnic yesterday, took this picture 2 miles South of Oliver Island around 11:30. The ice here is solid!!! On our way home 18:00 the sun had softened the ice and we dragged a wave behind the boat.
Today's forecast is excellent for breaking up this ice a high of 20 with South winds 20 gusting to 40
April 26th killed 1st Skitter of season and yesterday we heard the frogs.

Ice for Happy Hour

Picked up this piece of ice from Green Bouy # E25 (double left click on these picture's to enlarge).This ice is easy to drive through and great for cleaning bottom of boat-when I put her back on lift and checked bottom it was shiny.
As a rule when we can boat to this point its about another week to Bare Point. Heard first Loon calling April 25th.

Ice Update

This Eagle had a snack and the crow wanted some of it,the crow dive bombed the Eagle for 20 minutes before tiring and moving on.

Slow but steady thaw this spring,overnight low was +2c and we still had a skin of ice at shoreline.Has been a very quiet week here,most of the early arriving birds have moved on,Still have not seen or heard the Loon,Robin or Cormorant's. The only new sighting was the beaver swimming across on 21st.
Have not had a chance to play with ice boat yet(busy renovating) But standing on shoreline looking out the ice is black and rotten looking. We still cannot paddle around the Island and Ice close to shore would not support my weight.
Thinking we should hit Bare Point May 06th at latest.Supplies are holding out, ran out of fresh milk this week and rationing the oranges to one a day. The lake level has risen 4" this past week and with today's West wind of 20 gusting to 40 and 30% chance of rain this should all help in busting up this ice.

Set Back in Ice Conditions

This time last year it was +17c and we were boating. This morning its -3c and we woke to 2" fresh snow on the ground with 10cm in forecast for today.
Also with last weeks cooler temps we made over 1" new ice around the docks,and the mushy spots on road have also tightened up, back to having quad on the ice. As for the area that has opened up between our Island and East Allie we can now canoe across--in the past when this happens its 2 weeks and we can boat to town.It will have to warm up fast for that to happen this year,lots of minus temps in long range.
On the 12th saw return of Merganzers,13th Mallards and yesterday the Pelicans.
Last year the lake was very low on this date-yesterday I measured and we are sitting 7 3/4" higher than last year.

Ice

A few more sightings this week: April 09--Grackles,Aprill 11 th saw the return of butterflys,Black flys,Bumble Bee, and Turkey Vulchers.
The ice on our road has "candled"--long clear fingers of ice,Great for cooling down your favorite beverage but you need to use a tall glass as you could poke out an eye using a stubby one.
This area of the ice road is the same spot that I measure ice in the fall before venturing out.Yesterday I took a 2x2 and in 3 stikes could break through-it was only a couple weeks back there was 24" ice there.There were 2 of us walking on the ice road and you could hear and feel it moving up and down.
Couple more days like yesterday(high 13c,sunny,breezy) and we can launch a canoe and paddle to East Allie Island.
The average amount of Geese this time of year at the open water of the Narrows is around 30-50, this year there are more than 200. Lots of noise when they all take flight.

Spring Thaw

This picture is of our ice road just South of French Narrows looking North towards the Portage.We have taken our vehicles off the ice and travelling by Quad.Fisherman are still driving trucks around Bare Point and Strawberry Portage. There is nothing new to report so here are the dates we have noticed the return of some birds:
March 11th---Our resident Eagle,--saw one in February around Rocky Narrows.
March 15th--- Geese
March 18th--- Raccoons
March 22nd---Crows
March 24th--- Seagulls
March 26th--- Ant climbing up the wall.
April 01st--- European Starling
April 04 th-- Golden Eye Ducks.