Warm Summer afternoons

With the freezing drizzle, rain, and ice forecast to hit the area this week, it's time to start thinking about some Summer paddling plans. The Apostle Islands are always an easy get away so I can leave that to a "last minute I'm outa here!" The North Shore I've found so over run with people that the only time the area is usable is during the off season. I'll leave that to the "Winter Campers". Talk of a Silver Islet to Rossport along the Canadian shore has come up in recent time with our small group of paddlers, and I would do another Isle Royale trip this year if I could get a group together. I do have some plans for a February run down to Florida for some paddling around the 10,000 Islands but finances just aren't looking like that will happen ... I may just start working on some Lake Superior ideas for now.

The Southpaw Band

Wow! 32 years ago that was my job for about a year. It didn't pay very well, but we had a good time. We lost Bruce last month, he's on the far left of the photo. I'm the one with the goofy hat. Those of us who knew Bruce lost a good friend .. the rest of us lost a great musician. Music was his life. Next weekend we have a few of the old band members, along with some musicians who have known Bruce for many years are doing a benefit to help his family out, and I'm trying to remember songs I haven't played for 30 yrs. This should prove to be a fun and interesting night. Not only the old band members I haven't seen for years, there are going to be so many people at the benefit who I haven't seen for as many years as well. I'm thankful be be a part of it, but sad for this reason we are bringing all these people together after all these years. Rest in peace my friend.

New Year Weekend

The plan was to get out and do some skiing today. At 7am this morning it was -23F so my skiing plans were in jeopardy. The Minneapolis "City of Lakes Loppet" is coming up soon, the "VasaLoppet" is the very next weekend after the city race, so I need to get out and get skiing! At noon the temps finally made up to -5F so off to the trails I went. Not surprisingly I found the ski trails at French Regional totally abandoned, maybe 6 or 7 cars in the parking lot. 4 laps around the Lagoon trail, and a half lap around the skyway trail and I pretty much had frozen fingers and was ready to call it quits. Fingers are the first thing to get cold and probably the last to warm up, I wasn't going to hang around to see if they would ever get to the point I could feel them again so and hour on the trail was about all I could do today. Maybe some warmer mittens for tomorrow.