The St. Cloud Adventure

Kathleen and I made the 2 1/2 hour drive from Leech Lake south to St. Cloud on Friday afternoon July 1. Since it was the start of the 4th of July weekend, the traffic heading north was very heavy, and in some places, such as through Brainerd/Baxter, it was actually bumper to bumper for nearly a mile.

We were on our way to a Coyle family reunion/picnic at Kathleen's mom's house. Not all of Kathleen's siblings would be there, but there were still more than 15 people planning to attend.

Apparently I'm the only one of the group that barbecues on a regular basis, so I agreed to bring my Weber grill to the picnic and be the one to do the BBQing. Once we arrived in St. Cloud, around 4:45 p.m., I unloaded the grill, got the grates into place and put the charcoal into the chimney in preparation for the grilling once everyone arrived.

By 5:30 p.m. most people had arrived. At right around 6:00 p.m. we all went to the end of my mother-in-law's driveway to watch the humongous black storm cloud move our way. The temperature for most of the day in St. Cloud had been in the mid- to high-90s, and just before the storm hit the temperature peaked at 97 degrees.

We could see some slight rotation in the storm clouds and thought that a tornado might be brewing. Within minutes, the storm had descended upon us bringing with it high winds, heavy rain and pea-sized hail.

I quickly moved the grill into the gazebo which is in the back of my mother-in-law's house to get it out of the rain. Surprisingly, the charcoal, which I had started just before the storm hit, was still burning. Quite a testimony to Kingsford charcoal.

As I began putting burgers, hot dogs, and brats onto the grill, the sirens started to sound warning of an impending tornado. At this point the backyard was littered with branches and leaves from the many oak trees in the yard.

The sky had darkened and looked an eerie color green. The wind was blowing so hard that even though I was inside the gazebo, with its walls of screen mesh, there was nary a place that was dry.

At one point I needed to run into the house, not more than a 20 foot distance, and got soaking wet before I could get inside. The rain was coming down so hard, and blowing from seemingly every direction, that I was completely wet as I entered the house.

Once inside I was told that water was seeping into the house from the utility room, underneath the stairs and from the bathroom. Just as we were checking to see if my mother-in-law had a sump pump which we could use to remove the flood of water, the power went off. Quickly candles were lit and flashlights located. Everyone was told to refrain from using the bathroom since her water supply is via a well, and with the power off, the well pump wouldn't be able to replenish the water in the toilets.

We ate our BBQ dinner and then before dark everyone got into their cars and headed elsewhere. Marge went back to St. Benedict's. The various other family memebers went back to their homes, while Kathleen and I went to a local hotel. Our plan was to leave the next day for the lake, so we had planned on spending only one night in St. Cloud.

On Saturday, once the power was restored, we spent hours using a Wet-Dry vacuum sucking up water from Marge's swamped carpet and running fans and a dehumidifier in an attempt to dry up the hallway, bathroom and dining floor. We actually made good progress and by evening the carpet was only damp.

Then came another wrinkle in our visit. The plan was for me, Kathleen and Ashley to go back up to Leech Lake on Saturday evening, but Ashley had an offer from her aunt and uncle to go see a Minnesota Twins baseball game on Sunday afternoon. So we all agreed to spend another night in St. Cloud (not our favorite place) and head north when Ashley got back from the game.

Finally at 7:00 p.m. on Sunday we were in the truck heading to Leech Lake. Marge's carpet was nearly dry, the power was on, and everything seemed to be in good shape.

We got to the lake just before 11:00 p.m. and were looking forward to some summer fun at Leech Lake.

July 4, 2011 -- Independence Day -- In Leech Lake

We're finally back at Leech Lake.

We left for an overnight picnic/BBQ/reunion at Kathleen's mom's house in St. Cloud on Friday and ended up staying until Sunday, not arriving at Leech Lake until after 11:00 p.m. I'll recap the mishaps of that trip in a separate post.

Today at 8:30 a.m. it was already 74 degrees, humid, with sunny skies and a 8-12 mph wind out of the SSW. It's supposed to be a beautiful summer day here at Leech Lake on this the 235th anniversary of America's independence.

By mid-afternoon the temperature had risen to 82 degrees, the humidity increased and it was a hot sticky 4th of July. So hot, in fact, that Kathleen, Ashley and I jumped in the lake and spent more than 1/2 hour swimming in the relatively cooler water of Leech Lake.

The wind, which blew at 12-15 mph out of the SSW all day, kept us from going tubing. There is no way I'm pulling someone in a tube across the lake when the waves are of a certain size.

We had a nice BBQ rib dinner, complete with grilled corn on the cob, potato salad and Caprese salad. We then sat on the dock and watched as a powerful thunderstorm moved our way. Just after sunset, the storm finally hit bringing with it strong winds, heavy rain and a wild lightening and thunder display.

The storm subsided around midnight, just as we were getting ready for bed. No fishing today, but hopefully tomorrow Ashley and I will get a chance to do some walleye hunting.

July 1, 2011 -- At Leech Lake (and St. Cloud)

This morning at 10:00 a.m. the temperature was 76 degrees, it was already humid, the sky was overcast and mostly grey with the wind out of the west at 8-12 mph.

We are going drive down to St. Cloud a little later today for a Coyle family reunion picnic at Kathleen's Mom's house. Not all of Kathleen siblings will be there, but there should be somewhere around 15 people at the picnic just the same.

I have already loaded the grill, charcoal and other grilling equipment into the truck because it seems that I'm the only one at the picnic that grills on a regular basis. I guess I'll be wed to the hot coals this afternoon.

The plan is for us to leave the lake sometime around noon and arrive in St. Cloud by 3:00 p.m. That will give us time to do some last minute shopping, get the grill going, and begin the BBQ picnic by 5:00 p.m. It should be a nice time.

Obviously I will not be fishing today, and may not get out tomorrow evening either if we don't get back to the lake at a decent hour. At any rate, my next post will be on Saturday, July 2.

June 30, 2011 -- On/In Leech Lake

This morning at 9:30 a.m. the temperature was 72 degrees, the air felt heavy with humidity, the wind was at 10-15 mph out of the SSE and the sky was overcast and grey.

As the day went on the temperature kept going up, finally resting at 87 degrees by midday. The humidity was at a crazy 90 percent with the dew point in the mid 70s. It was hot, wet and sticky.

Kathleen wanted some time alone to read so I went out fishing. The wind was 8-12 mph out of the SSE and the water temperature had warmed to 70 degrees. I used an 1/8 ounce VMC Mooneye jig tipped with a leech and made numerous drifts from about 8 feet of water out to 14 feet. I caught several rock bass, but no walleye. I did have something hit my jig hard, and bite off my jig and bait, but I couldn't hook whatever it was; most likely a big northern pike.

After a couple of hours on the water I went ashore. It was still very hot and humid. Kathleen had finished her book and was ready to cool off by jumping into the lake. I joined her in the waters of Leech Lake, and I have to say, the 70 degree water definitely cooled my core.

The sky remained overcast and hazy most of the day which meant that the sunset tonight was unspectacular. By 10:00 p.m. it finally started to cool off, and it was cool enough that sleeping tonight shouldn't be too uncomfortable.

June 29, 2011 -- In Leech Lake

This morning's weather was even nicer than yesterday. The temperature was in the mid-60s, and would hit 70 by noon. The wind was fairly strong at 10-15 mph out of the SSE, but the water in front of our properties was calm. The sky was sunny with only a few clouds on the horizon.

After breakfast and a couple of cups of coffee, I set out to move several wheelbarrow loads of rock from the pile at the cabin to around the harbor wall at the house. Even though Peterson Excavating had brought in a dump truck load of rock, they only put it in the spots where they had added cable to reinforce the harbor walls. There were still other areas that needed to have rock added to fight against erosion by providing better drainage.

The temperature by this time had climbed to 81 degrees and with the humidity at 82 percent, I was soaked in sweat by the time I had finished my work. So, I did what I always do at Leech Lake when I'm really hot -- I jumped in the lake.

The initial shock of the 69 degree water was electric, but after a while the water temperature felt great, and I ended up spending a half an hour playing and swimming in the lake.

Later in the afternoon, when she had returned from her 6-mile run, Kathleen decided to take a bath in the lake using camp soap and wanted me to join her. We swam between the docks at the house and cabin, and washed ourselves in the water near the dock at the cabin.

After playing in the water a bit, we climbed onto the dock at the house and sat in our lounge chairs for the next several hours just talking and hanging out.

Finally, just after sunset we went into the house, had some dinner and just enjoyed the warmth of the summer night.

Tomorrow it's supposed to be even hotter -- some forecasts calling for temperatures in the 90s. I'm sure if it does end up being that hot that Kathleen and I will end up in the lake again.

June 28, 2011 -- On Leech Lake

This morning we awoke to sunny skies, big billowy white clouds, a light breeze out of the NW at 5-8 mph and a temperature of 62 degrees.

We could finally enjoy our coffee while sitting in the warm sun on our back porch overlooking the lake.

By 1:00 p.m. the wind had shifted and was coming out of the SSE at 8-12 mph, most of the clouds had moved on leaving the sky clear and blue and the temperature had warmed to near 70 degrees.

Kathleen and I decided that since it was such a beautiful afternoon that we'd take a drive out to Lake Itasca State Park, where 30 years ago we stayed overnight as part of our honeymoon. It is the headwaters of the Mississippi River and we plan to walk across the small stream that it is at its origin.

It's a beautiful drive out Hwy. 2 to Hwy. 71 and eventually to Hwy. 200 which takes you through the small town of Lake George and finally to the east entrance of Lake Itasca State Park. Once inside the park we drove the short distance to the Douglas Lodge where we had lunch. Thirty years earlier, Kathleen and I had dinner, and the next day breakfast, inside the same rustic, log lodge.

We then walked down to the edge of the lake near the start of the Brower Trail where we came across a large patch of Lady Slippers, Kathleen's favorite flower. We walked a short way up the Brower Trail, but eventually cut up the hill and emerged near the cabins where we had stayed three years ago when we had gathered on the shores of Lake Itasca for the Coyle Family Reunion.


Itasca State Park, Kathleen with Lady Slippers and at Lake Itasca

Kathleen and I then drove the five miles to the headwaters of the Mississippi River. Once there, we walked the 800-foot trail that leads to the start of the mighty Mississippi River. At its origin, it is so small and shallow that it is easy to walk right across it. Both Kathleen and I waded into the cold waters that make up the first few feet of the Mississippi. Unlike in times past when we've been here, the water was both colder, deeper and faster moving. It must be a result of all of the rain we've had the past few days, up to 4 inches by some estimates.

After some enjoyable time at the headwaters of the Mississippi River, we walked back to the truck and drove back to Leech Lake. As wonderful as Lake Itasca State Park is, and it is wonderful, for us, nothing beats the beauty and splendor of Leech Lake.
We got home at 7:30 p.m. and the temperature was still 72 degrees. The wind was calm and the sky was almost completely clear. We opened a couple of cold beers and walked out to the end of the dock to sit in our lounge chairs and watch the sun set.

The sun didn't actually set while we watched, but it did drop lower and lower into the western sky. At 8:45 p.m., about a half an hour before sunset, I took the boat out to do some fishing, while Kathleen enjoyed some quiet time to herself; which she greatly deserves.
I trolled from our house south past Second Duck Point into the middle of Duck Bay in 9-12 feet of water pulling a silver shad-colored jointed Shad Rap at a ground speed of 2 1/3 mph. The water temperature was just over 69 degrees.

During my first circuit I caught but one rock bass. I decided to switch lures and go back to my favorite #9 Minnow Rap in the Tennessee Shad color. I once again trolled south past Second Duck Point into Duck Bay before turning north and heading back to our house. On my way north I hooked into a nice fish and when I got it on board I measured a 19 1/2-inch walleye; a slot fish so it immediately went back into the water.

Once back on shore, I got a fire going in the fire pit at the cabin and Kathleen sat around the fire and talked for an hour or so before walking out onto the end of the dock and looking at the millions of stars in the clear night sky. The Milky Way was clearly visible, as was Saturn, Libra and Scorpio.

We had another wonderful day at Leech Lake, and the area that surrounds it.

June 27, 2011 -- At Leech Lake

At 8:00 a.m. this morning it was still raining and there was thunder rumbling off in the distance. The temperature was 55 degrees and the wind was strong at 12-17 mph out of the NW. The sky was mostly cloudy, with little patches of blue here and there.

For most of the morning and into the early afternoon rain continued to fall. Finally, around 1:00 p.m. the rain let up so Kathleen and I immediately took advantage of the break and went for a long walk. We walked to the "beaver pond" or as Kathleen calls it, "swamp 1," and back. About a 3 mile walk.

On our way back we saw Tom Malay driving his truck toward the community center. He stopped and informed us that a tree had fallen across West Shores Road between Harbor Dr. and the community center. He told us that he had his chain saw with him and that he planned to clear the road; and get a little firewood in the process.

Once home, I quickly got on the ATV and rode out to the site of the fallen maple to help Tom clear the road. It's always a good idea to have someone with you when you're using a chain saw.

The tree hadn't snapped off in the wind, rather it had simply fell over as a result of the three inches of rain we've had in the past 36 hours. We have standing ponds all over our properties, so it's not hard to imagine a large maple tree toppling over from its own weight in the super-saturated ground.

Ron Newstrand joined Tom and me for the tree-cutting operation. During our efforts a large diesel pickup truck hauling a big back hoe came down the road, but had to stop until we were able to clear the road. A UPS truck came from the other direction on its way to making a delivery, but was able to turn around in the road and go a different route.

After an hour of chain sawing and hauling, the three of us loaded a cut maple into the back of Tom's and Ron's trucks, since both use wood to heat with during the winter. No sooner had we opened up the road than it started to rain.

Since I was on the ATV I took off first for home. I managed to get the ATV stored in the garage and myself into the house before the rain got worse. We did get more rain between 3:30 p.m. and 5:30 p.m., but by 6:00 p.m., the rain had stopped, the clouds parted somewhat and we actually saw some sunlight. The temperature, however, never got past 60 degrees. The had shifted and was coming out of the west at 12-15 mph.

After dinner it was nice enough to go out onto the dock and watch the sunset; although it was still quite windy. Tomorrow it's supposed to be sunny and warm, which will be a welcome relief from the cool temperatures and the rain. I'm hoping to be able to get out onto the water to do some fishing tomorrow.

June 26, 2011 -- Our 30th Anniversary -- On Leech Lake

Thirty years ago today, my wife Kathleen and I married along the shores of the Mississippi River in St. Cloud, Minnesota. I can't believe it's been 30 years. In some ways it's gone by like a blink of an eye, yet in other ways it seems like a lifetime ago. We were so young!

The temperature here at Leech Lake 10:00 a.m. was 60 degrees, the sky was overcast and grey, and the wind was 10-15 mph out of the SSE, but because of the way we're positioned on the peninsula, the water in front of our property is still and the flag is limp against the pole. The ground was still wet from the overnight rain.

As the day went on it got warmer, and eventually topped out at 73 degrees. The wind remained out of the SSE for most of the day, but shifted to the NNE about 4:00 p.m. For most of the afternoon the sky was partly sunny.

Kathleen went running at 2:30 p.m., which gave me an opportunity to go fishing. I spent a little more than two hours on the lake and tried a number of different tactics to catch some walleye, but came up empty on all counts.

I tried jigging with a leech, casting a Mimic Minnow Spin over the tops of deep weeds (in 14 feet of water) and tried trolling with a jointed Shad Rap, but all I could catch were some perch and rock bass.

The water temperature was 68 degrees.

Once I was on shore and Kathleen was back from her run, we cleaned up and made a wonderful anniversary dinner. Kathleen looked amazing in her little black dress, and we enjoyed a champagne toast to our 30 years of marriage.

After dinner we sat in the living room and talked. As the evening wore on the thunder started to rumble and just after midnight we had a powerful thunderstorm complete with a fantastic lightening show. It was great way to end our anniversary celebration.

June 25, 2011 -- On Leech Lake

This morning the temperature was 60 degrees at 9:15 a.m., the wind was variable from 8-17 mph out of the SSW and the sky was mostly sunny.

By 11:00 a.m. my parents had loaded up their car and were heading down West Shores Road on their way back to Illinios. We had a very nice visit with them.

Kathleen and I enjoyed our coffee on the back porch, ate some breakfast and then temporarily went our separate ways. Kathleen went running, while I went fishing.

Since it was Saturday, there were about 10 boats motoring around from Second Duck Point to our house. After getting my boat out onto the 68 degree water, I joined them in the general area.

The sun was shining, the temperature was 72 degrees, and the wind was still fairly strong at 12-15 mph out of the SSE when I dropped my jig tipped with a leech into 10-12 feet of water. With the stiff wind blowing I opted to use a slightly heavier jig and tied on a 1/4 ounce parrot colored Gumball jig instead of my usual 1/8 ounce jig.

Even with the drift sock in the water the wind was pushing the boat along at 1/2 to 3/4 mph. I made several drifts between Second Duck Point and our cabin, but could catch no walleye. I repositioned the boat near the Malays and drifted past Norm's, but again, could catch no walleye.

I eventually switched to a Mimic Minnow Spin while drifting from the Birches past Schiebe's cabin, but could only manage to catch a few perch. I gave up and came ashore about 2:30 p.m.

Kathleen was just getting back from her run, so we decided to go for a bike ride. The temperature was now around 75 degrees, and the wind felt great during our ride. We rode down to the boardwalk on Duck Point and back; about a 8 mile ride.

When we got home we cleaned up, listened to a Prairie Home Companion, ate dinner, and then sat out on the dock to watch the sunset. We moved our party to the back porch just after the sun dipped below the horizon and just enjoyed being together.

Just after midnight I could hear the rain falling. I guess the 50% chance of showers was actually greater than that. I was a wonderful day on the shores of Leech Lake.