July 7, 2011 -- On Leech Lake

At 10:00 a.m. the temperature was 70 degrees, it already felt humid, the wind was 8-12 mph out of the SSW and sky was alternately cloudy or partly sunny.

Unfortunately, Ashley needs to go back to St. Cloud today because she has some plans to meet up with friends for dinner tonight before heading to Minneapolis on Friday. On Friday Ashley will stay with her aunt and uncle in Eden Prairie and then go to the airport very early Saturday morning so she can catch her 6:00 a.m. flight back to the West Coast.

I thought about going with Kathleen and Ashley to St. Cloud, but decided against it. This will allow Kathleen to focus her attention on her Mom, while Ashley can hang out with her friends and cousins. Plus, I just don't like St. Cloud all that much. I'd rather be at Leech Lake.

At 1:20 p.m. Ashley and Kathleen left Leech Lake bound for St. Cloud, with a stop in Walker because both of them like walking around the little downtown. Ashley was behind the wheel of the truck for the first time ever, and it was strange watching her drive the big Chevy Silverado 2500 HD down the driveway and onto West Shores Road.

Kathleen called me just before 6:00 p.m. to say she was in St. Cloud, had dropped off Ashley at dinner and was now on her way to see her mother. The way it looks, Kathleen will drive Ashley to the airport on Friday sometime, see her off first thing Saturday morning, then return to the lake either late Saturday or sometime on Sunday. Given that she wants to spend as much time with her Mom as is possible, I'm guessing I won't see Kathleen at Leech Lake again until mid- to late-Sunday.

At 7:30 p.m., with the temperature still 73 degrees, I decided to go fishing. The wind was relatively light at 5-8 mph out of the west. The water temperature was a very warm 78 degrees.

I motored out to a spot just past Second Duck Point in 13 feet of water and deployed the drift sock. I tipped my 1/8 VMC jig with a leech and started jigging for walleye. I made a couple of passes near Second Duck Point, but gradually moved north toward our properties. My final drift was made just north of Poage's cabin. During my several drifts, I caught only one rock bass. I did, however, hook a crayfish, which I hadn't done in years. And the thing was almost a mini-lobster at 4-inches long.

With the temperature cooling off as the sun dropped to just above the horizon, I pulled in the drift sock for the final time tonight, stowed it and my jigging rod/reel, and got ready to do some trolling. I got the lights on, got the rod holder in place, and set the SmartCraft controls to troll at a steady 560 rpm.

I trolled deep into Duck Bay and out into Sucker Bay. I watched as big anvil-shaped thunderstorm clouds gathered in the northeast. To the northwest there were dark clouds and I could see rain falling along the western shore of Sucker Bay. I kept an eye on the two storm fronts in case either started threatening the area where I was fishing.

The thunderhead at the northeast end of Sucker Bay

One by one the seven other boats in the area left, leaving just two or three of us still fishing. Unfortunately, I wasn't having any better luck trolling than I'd had jigging; just one rock bass hooked.

With the northeastern storm front flashing lightening and the northwestern front dropping rain on the north end of Sucker Bay, and with the onslaught of blood-thirsty mosquitoes, I decided to head ashore just before 10:00 p.m.

Once on shore I settled into a comfortable chair, picked up the book I'm reading, and had a quiet peaceful rest of the night on Leech Lake.

July 6, 2011 -- On Leech Lake

Kathleen is planning to drive Ashley down to St. Cloud on Thursday morning so this morning I drove into Cass Lake to pick up some supplies since I'll be at the lake alone without transportation for a couple of days.

The temperature at 10:00 a.m. was 73 degrees on its way to a high of 80 degrees. The was almost calm, at maybe 5 mph out of the NNW, so the lake was like glass. The clouds were the mixed -- some big, white and billowy, while others were very high and wispy.

When I got home, at just after 11:30 a.m., Kathleen and Ashley were just going out to the dock. I poured a cup of coffee for myself and joined them.

Since the water was still fairly calm at 1:30 p.m., and since it was a hot and humid 81 degrees, we decided to go tubing on the Hot Dog. Ashley asked if the neighbor boy Blake, who like Ashley is sixteen years old, could go with us. It was fine with us so Blake joined Ashley riding the tube in the 78 degree waters of Leech Lake.

I pulled them all over Sucker Bay -- from in front of our house into Duck Bay past Second Duck Point then north toward the resorts and finally back to our place. I probably did three or four loops during the 45 minutes we were out tubing. We had to come ashore because Blake and his family had plans to drive into Cass Lake for the farmer's market and craft fair.

Kathleen, Ashley and I, however, were not done with our time on the water and decided to go fishing. But first we made sandwiches, got some cold drinks and other snacks so we could spend as much time on the water as we wanted.

I got the leeches and fatheads into the boat and off we went. Fish started down in Bass Bay because Kathleen wanted to some fishing for "sunnies" (sunfish), but we didn't have any success. We then moved to the Birches, where we each caught some rock bass. Finally, we moved in front of our properties and drifted past Second Duck Point, but again all we could catch were some rock bass.

With our fill of fishing, Kathleen and Ashley wanted to go for a boat ride. Since the water was still fairly calm we could go quite a ways. We went past Ottertail Point and into Portage Bay and then south out onto the big part of the lake. From there we motored west toward Goose Island. We went around the island and headed north toward Big Hardwood Point and into the heart of Sucker Bay. And finally we motored home.

Just before sunset Ashley and Blake went for an ATV ride while Kathleen relaxed and meditated on the end of the dock. After a light dinner we all went over to the game room where we played ping pong and listened to oldies on the jukebox.

All in all a fun-filled day at Leech Lake.

July 5, 2011 -- In/On Leech Lake

By 10:00 a.m. the temperature was already 74 degrees on its way to a high of 82. The wind was brisk at 12-15 mph out of the NNW with gusts up over 20 mph. There were white caps on the top of good-sized waves rolling across the lake. The sky was mostly sunny, with some big billowy white clouds, which are typical for a Minnesota summer day.

It was too windy to go out on the lake, so Kathleen, Ashley and I had fun doing things on shore. After just hanging out on the dock and enjoying the beauty of the lake, we got on our bikes and went for a ride. We only made it to a point between Harbor Drive and the community center before we were forced to turn around and ride back because the black flies were biting us. Still, we managed to get in a 5 mile ride.

When we got home we were hot from the bike ride so we jumped into the lake and swam. The water was probably 74 degrees, but we were so hot from riding our bikes that it felt wonderfully refreshing. We played and swam for about a 1/2 hour or so when we noticed that the wind was starting to die down a little and the waves were no longer as big.

Taking advantage of the respite from the wind we got the Hot Dog tube ready by filling it with air and attaching the tow rope. Then we got it loaded into the boat, got the boat onto the water, and the Hot Dog tube into the water.

This the same 3-person Hot Dog Tube that Ashley and Kathleen rode on in Leech Lake.

Ashley went on the tube first and had a blast. Kathleen then joined her on the tube (it is made to hold three adults) and I pulled the on it all over Sucker Bay. We had a great time, but the wind picked up a little so we came ashore.

We had a wonderful dinner as we watched the sun drop into the western sky on the other side of Sucker Bay. Ashley really wanted to have a fire at the cabin fire pit, so I went next door and got it going. Ashley also wanted to invite the Newman's over for the fire and to share in some S'mores.

Just after dark John, Karen and Johnny Newman joined Ashley, Kathleen and I around the fire for some fun conversation and some tasty northwoods S'mores. Finally after midnight we called it a night and all went home.

We were all tired from the biking, swimming, tubing and playing at the lake. Another wonderful summer day at Leech Lake. The only thing missing was fishing. Maybe tomorrow...

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.