I ended up on the lake for a good part of the day yesterday as we had a flooding problem a mile off the main road where we had the houses. None of the houses had any flooding problems but our main road cracked from the weight of all the snow plus the mild temps might of had a hand in it. Stupid mother nature is again showing us she is the boss. Always has been and always will.
Years ago we also had a similar problem as the lake. It cracked all over and most if not all the secondary roads flooded. Some became very deep, then the cold temps blew in glazing them over. Throw in a little blowing a snow to insulate them. Next thing you know your driving along and crash you brake threw only to be hung up from all the ice chunks sitting in over a foot of water. You had no real idea which road was safe to drive on.
The big storm sure made a mess of things in a good square mile of the lake. Yesterday the first thing is blue thunder was out of commission due to a broken u joint . The red baron was sitting out on the lake next to old Minnesota and would not move as the rear brakes were frozen with ice.from plowing on the Hillmans highway, then driving threw water.
We get the torpedo out there and the stupid thing will not work. Back through the standing water on the “secondary roads” breaking though the ice that had formed to borrow a working torpedo. Plus buddy Hillmans parachute to cover blue thunder up to block the wind. Oh did I mention the wind was howling out there yesterday out of the north west with the temps hoovering around 9. I”m in my pajama bottoms to boot, plus tennis shoe as that’s the easiest things to ware having this brace on.
Finally after some chipping and heat we got her to move.. I would cut a new trail, she started off well but after 2 football field the pure white snow blowing off the v-plow turned into wet slush. Now I’m throwing slush instead of snow. Getting around to the house I went through 2 or 3 more slush pockets. Having no choice it was hammer down until I hit snow again. We now had a trail to the houses and blue thunder with water filling them in not wide enough to pull the skid houses through . It doesn’t end here though.. I go back to get jonny boy so he can take out the drive shaft and bring it to shore as we need a vise to install the new u-joint. Its also time to fill up the red baron. Pounding off some of the ice on her at the gas station.
I came home to take a break waiting for him to call and also get out of my wet tennis shoes.
Of course the place where you install the u joint is mushroomed so jonny boy has to try and file it down enough to in stall the caps. Again we head back out but now at least I have more clothes on plus boots that the hammer had to help me put on, stupid brace I can not tie my own shoes.
I again try another route around the water and hit slush again. I drop off Jonny boy Then try to make the trail wide enough to get the skid house out of the area. Jonny boy calls to say we need u joint straps as the other ones are to damaged from when it broke. I again head back to pick him up. We head over to help Richey rich’s house turned around and back to the main road. W3e get that done, turn around to go back out to retrieve white lightning which has been idling all day.
Now the sun is setting, the generators need to be filled . I come home to start chipping and hammering ice off the red baron ,jonny boy and rich pull in to help me. As the three of us are hammering away it totally reminds me of deadest catch when they have to de ice the ships. One hour later I’m off to Davids to put her in his shop to hopefully melt what ever is left. The hammer picks me up and I’m physically and mentally shot. I guess a little hard work pays off as I had my best sleep since my car accident.
On a bright note we have fisherpeople in montana, florida, north Dakota, and north carolina . I can say some fish have been caught but how many? Buy who is another story. I’m not making the rounds at this time due to my concussion .
Today the goal will be to get both ice castles out of the area followed by old Minnesota and California.
I would say yesterday was a grind. Today we also be a grind. we need to get blue thunder up and running. Jonny boy will have to install it out on the lake with a predicted high of – 10.
I guess all you can say as That old timer Dave told me with spit coming out of his mouth. Its a grand lake and it owes me or us NOTHING! NOTHING!