The wind this morning was blowing hard at 12-20 mph out of the WNW. The sky was mostly sunny and the temperature was 74 degrees. Although it was too breezy to go fishing or tubing, the wind sure cooled things off from the heat and humidity from yesterday.
We eased into the day with a pot of coffee, a breakfast of eggs, hash browns and sausage, and then went outside. It was such a wonderful day, despite the wind, that we all loved being outside.
Jayden and I played croquet, Bocce ball and had sword fights with sticks. We went on two different ATV rides including one when we went to the beach and threw rocks into the lake. Kathleen and the girls went for runs, bike rides and exercised out on the dock. What a fun day!
We had so much food left over from the past few days -- meat loaf, salmon, and ribs -- that we just had left overs tonight. Kathleen did make a cake so we could have an early birthday celebration for my Mom who has her birthday on July 2.
After dinner we watched the sunset, just hung out on the porch talking and enjoying the evening before going to bed. Tomorrow we need to take Ashley to St. Cloud so she can see her grandma Coyle before Ashley leaves early Sunday morning. We may stay down in St. Cloud until the Fourth of July, or we may come back up here. What we do will be determined in the next day or two.
As much as I'd like to do some fishing, I'm going to spend as much time as possible with my wife and kids before they all head back to California. Once they do, I'll focus my time on applying stain to the house and fishing. Stay tuned for detailed mid-summer fishing reports from Leech Lake.
Thursday, June 28, 2012
June 27, 2012 -- On Leech Lake
By 9:00 a.m. this morning it was already 75 degrees and it was on it's to being a hot and humid day. The wind was almost nonexistent from calm to 5 mph out of the southwest. The sky was mostly sunny and it looked like a perfect day to go tubing.
My dad, who normally doesn't like anything to do with the water or boats, asked if I could give him a boat ride. So shortly before 11:00 a.m. we made our way to the end of the dock to get into the boat. Jayden really wanted to join us, so I got his life jacket on him and secured it and helped him into the boat. No sooner had we left the boat lift than Jayden wanted to "go home" to see his mom. So I turned the boat around, got it on the lift again, and walked my little grandson back home.
With Jayden happy and secure on shore, I made my way back to the lift, lowered it into the water and took my Dad for a bit of tour of Sucker Bay. We made our way north along the shoreline to Norm's to The Birches and to Schiebe's. Then I swung the boat around and headed south past Second Duck Point into Duck Bay.
Twice during our ride the few dark clouds in the area opened up and it sprinkled a little, but it lasted no more than a minute or two. By the time we got back on shore, the humidity had risen to more than 70 percent and the temperature was up over 80 degrees. It was definitely a hot day.
After lunch, Kathleen, Melissa, Jayden, Ashley and I went out on the boat for some tubing. With Jayden on the Hot Dog I went slow, just fast enough to keep the tube afloat and Jayden happy. But when Jayden got in the boat with me and Kathleen and it was just Melissa and Ashley on the tube, I could go fast, and I did.
I pulled them at nearly 30 mph all over Sucker Bay; swerving back and forth and bouncing them over the wake. They screamed, laughed and thoroughly enjoyed the ride. After several long rides, we dropped the tube off at the dock and Melissa and Ashley jumped into the lake and swam out to the boat. With the water still very calm, I took everyone on a long boat ride around Sucker Bay -- past Duck Point, down to Ottertail Point, over to Goose Island, up toward Big Hardwood Point and eventually back to our house.
After we all ate a little lunch we went over to the dock to do some fishing in the reeds and weeds next to the boat lift. In no more than a couple of minutes Jayden caught a little bass. Unfortunately that was the only fish anyone caught, even though earlier in the day I'd seen dozens of bass (including some good-sized ones), several bluegills and a few rock bass swimming in the weeds.
All day long I had three racks of pork spare ribs slow-cooking in the oven. When it was time for dinner, I got the grill going, grilled up a whole bunch of marinated vegetables, the put the ribs on for a quick searing before adding the final coating off BBQ sauce. We all ate a great dinner and then retired to the back porch and dock to watch the spectacular sunset.
My Dad was tired and went back to the cabin fairly early. Melissa went to bed at the same time as Jayden, so Kathleen, Ashley and my Mom stayed up to watch a movie.
We had another wonderful day at Leech Lake. We are so blessed to all be together in such a spectacular and peaceful place. I wish we could all stay here forever. But alas, that can't happen so we'll have to enjoy every second of every day that we are here. Good night.
My dad, who normally doesn't like anything to do with the water or boats, asked if I could give him a boat ride. So shortly before 11:00 a.m. we made our way to the end of the dock to get into the boat. Jayden really wanted to join us, so I got his life jacket on him and secured it and helped him into the boat. No sooner had we left the boat lift than Jayden wanted to "go home" to see his mom. So I turned the boat around, got it on the lift again, and walked my little grandson back home.
With Jayden happy and secure on shore, I made my way back to the lift, lowered it into the water and took my Dad for a bit of tour of Sucker Bay. We made our way north along the shoreline to Norm's to The Birches and to Schiebe's. Then I swung the boat around and headed south past Second Duck Point into Duck Bay.
Twice during our ride the few dark clouds in the area opened up and it sprinkled a little, but it lasted no more than a minute or two. By the time we got back on shore, the humidity had risen to more than 70 percent and the temperature was up over 80 degrees. It was definitely a hot day.
After lunch, Kathleen, Melissa, Jayden, Ashley and I went out on the boat for some tubing. With Jayden on the Hot Dog I went slow, just fast enough to keep the tube afloat and Jayden happy. But when Jayden got in the boat with me and Kathleen and it was just Melissa and Ashley on the tube, I could go fast, and I did.
I pulled them at nearly 30 mph all over Sucker Bay; swerving back and forth and bouncing them over the wake. They screamed, laughed and thoroughly enjoyed the ride. After several long rides, we dropped the tube off at the dock and Melissa and Ashley jumped into the lake and swam out to the boat. With the water still very calm, I took everyone on a long boat ride around Sucker Bay -- past Duck Point, down to Ottertail Point, over to Goose Island, up toward Big Hardwood Point and eventually back to our house.
After we all ate a little lunch we went over to the dock to do some fishing in the reeds and weeds next to the boat lift. In no more than a couple of minutes Jayden caught a little bass. Unfortunately that was the only fish anyone caught, even though earlier in the day I'd seen dozens of bass (including some good-sized ones), several bluegills and a few rock bass swimming in the weeds.
All day long I had three racks of pork spare ribs slow-cooking in the oven. When it was time for dinner, I got the grill going, grilled up a whole bunch of marinated vegetables, the put the ribs on for a quick searing before adding the final coating off BBQ sauce. We all ate a great dinner and then retired to the back porch and dock to watch the spectacular sunset.
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| Another amazing sunset over Leech Lake |
We had another wonderful day at Leech Lake. We are so blessed to all be together in such a spectacular and peaceful place. I wish we could all stay here forever. But alas, that can't happen so we'll have to enjoy every second of every day that we are here. Good night.
June 26, 2012 -- On Leech Lake -- 31st Wedding Anniversary
Today Kathleen and I celebrate our 31st wedding anniversary. We were married on the shores of the Mississippi River in St. Cloud, MN, and here we are all these later once again in Minnesota, this time at Leech Lake.
And it was a beautiful at the lake. By 10:00 a..m. the temperature was 70 degrees, the sky was mostly sunny and blue and the wind was 8-12 mph out of the SSW so there was a bit of chop on the lake. Melissa and Ashley want to go tubing on the water as soon as possible, and if the wind dies down just a bit, we'll try to get out today.
Most of the morning and early afternoon we -- Kathleen, Melissa, Jayden, Ashley, my parents, and I -- just hung around the house, drank coffee, had breakfast and enjoyed the beauty of the lake. By mid-afternoon, the temperature had risen to 78 degrees, the wind was still a bit breezy at 10-15 mph out of the SSE and the sky was sunny and blue.
The girls really wanted to go tubing (on the Hot Dog), so even though it was a little more windy than I'd like to pull a tube behind the boat, I acquiesced and onto the water we went.
I couldn't go real fast, nor could I swerve side to side and give them as crazy a ride as they like, but we still had fun on the lake. Even Jayden and Kathleen went for a ride.
Once back on shore, Jayden took a nap while Kathleen went running and Melissa and Ashley went on a bike ride. Jayden didn't sleep all that long and when he woke up he wanted me to take him on the ATV to find his mom and Ashley.
Jayden joined my on my Polaris 500 Sportsman and off we went. I didn't go much more than 10 or 12 mph because Jayden was with me, but we did manage to traverse the entire loop from our house to the community center up Ottertail Point Drive to 26th and back to our house. Somehow during that entire loop we didn't see Kathleen, Melissa or Ashley. Jayden and I arrived home to find Melissa and Ashley on the dock.
After we all cooled off and cleaned up we had a wonderful salmon and risotto dinner before we moved next door to have a camp fire. As the sun set and the sky darken, the clouds moved in and as a result we couldn't see the stars as well as we were hoping to. On a clear night, the stars are so bright here at the lake that it is easy to see the Milky Way, and billions of other stars.
We didn't have a chance to fish on the lake today, but we did have a great time at Leech Lake.
And it was a beautiful at the lake. By 10:00 a..m. the temperature was 70 degrees, the sky was mostly sunny and blue and the wind was 8-12 mph out of the SSW so there was a bit of chop on the lake. Melissa and Ashley want to go tubing on the water as soon as possible, and if the wind dies down just a bit, we'll try to get out today.
Most of the morning and early afternoon we -- Kathleen, Melissa, Jayden, Ashley, my parents, and I -- just hung around the house, drank coffee, had breakfast and enjoyed the beauty of the lake. By mid-afternoon, the temperature had risen to 78 degrees, the wind was still a bit breezy at 10-15 mph out of the SSE and the sky was sunny and blue.
The girls really wanted to go tubing (on the Hot Dog), so even though it was a little more windy than I'd like to pull a tube behind the boat, I acquiesced and onto the water we went.
I couldn't go real fast, nor could I swerve side to side and give them as crazy a ride as they like, but we still had fun on the lake. Even Jayden and Kathleen went for a ride.
Once back on shore, Jayden took a nap while Kathleen went running and Melissa and Ashley went on a bike ride. Jayden didn't sleep all that long and when he woke up he wanted me to take him on the ATV to find his mom and Ashley.
Jayden joined my on my Polaris 500 Sportsman and off we went. I didn't go much more than 10 or 12 mph because Jayden was with me, but we did manage to traverse the entire loop from our house to the community center up Ottertail Point Drive to 26th and back to our house. Somehow during that entire loop we didn't see Kathleen, Melissa or Ashley. Jayden and I arrived home to find Melissa and Ashley on the dock.
After we all cooled off and cleaned up we had a wonderful salmon and risotto dinner before we moved next door to have a camp fire. As the sun set and the sky darken, the clouds moved in and as a result we couldn't see the stars as well as we were hoping to. On a clear night, the stars are so bright here at the lake that it is easy to see the Milky Way, and billions of other stars.
We didn't have a chance to fish on the lake today, but we did have a great time at Leech Lake.
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