Weather is teasing us about things to come

The weather across not only Minnesota, but the rest of the United States as a whole, has been unusual. In Minnesota we had some snow, but not as much as in northern Minnesota. It seems as if the wind has been blowing hard every day. This doesn’t make me a meteorologist, but I don’t have to be one to know that our weather patterns have been changing.

I am looking forward to my first visit of the season to the cabin. Each year I am welcomed to a surprise, and the way the wind has been, I am pretty sure that I will have to fire up the old chainsaw. Each year brings a surprise, and for a couple of years it was no trees across the driveway. I am wishing for that again this year, but the way the winds have been, I doubt that I will be so lucky.

Visiting the cabin for the first time is something that I always look forward to. I know that there will be work involved in the first visit, but after a couple of days I will have some time to relax. I enjoy getting the cabin ready for the summer season.

I will have to bring food for the birds and a few canned goods for the humans. I always get teased by my boys about the amount of canned goods that I bring, but I am too old to change my ways, and I like to have options.

We haven’t put the dock in for about three years, but this year I want to put it in. It makes it easier for the “old guy” to get in and out of the boat. We haven’t fished in the lake for a couple of years, so I think it’s time to see what fish are in there. The lake freezes out periodically, but it always seems to have a way of coming back. Our lake is a designated E-1 lake, so the DNR does not manage it because of the designation. The last time that I fished the lake, it was loaded with bass, and the following winter it froze out. I have hopes of being able to find a few bass swimming in our lake again.

I long for the day when I can be out on our lake relaxing and fishing, which go hand in hand. The stairs going down to the lake are long and tiring to climb. I haven’t gone down there for a couple of years, but I will be descending down those stairs this summer. I did fall up the stairs a couple of years back, which was embarrassing, but luckily, I was alone. I always take my phone along whenever I go for a walk or take a “trip” (pun intended) down to the lake.

I hope to have my son, Brad, and my grandson, Dylan, help put the dock in this year. When I say help, it means that they will do the work, and I’ll offer moral support. They’re so good at helping the old guy that I can never thank them enough.

Until next time: If you want to have an outdoors camping experience that brings you close to nature, you might want to try Scenic State Park. This park is in Itasca County, West of Marcell off of Hwy. 7. I have visited this park a few times on a day trip. It has boat, canoe, kayak and paddle board rentals and a boat access where you can fish two lakes. And there is at least one more lake with an access in the park, virgin pines, swimming beach, and wilderness-like setting, Scenic State Park is well deserving of its name. Here, visitors can hike the Chase Point Trail for hypnotic views of Coon and Sandwick Lakes and listen to the wind whistle through the giant pines. The park's overnight facilities include campsites (boat-in, drive-in, backpack), and a cabin. The historic lodge houses interpretive displays.

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