Hanson and Sprecher load up the Alaskan and the van at the Sands Volleyball Club. Nobles meet at Sprecher’s at 10:30 PM. Jake is sick. Everyone returns home for a little sleep.
Friday, July 27, 2001 “A wacky day”
Jake is feeling better (75%) and wants to go. We head north about 7:30 AM. Mike and Jake Sprecher, Greg, Andrew and Hunter Noble plus Dave Hanson arrive at Canadian Wilderness Floating Lodges around 4:30 PM.
Load houseboat and head north. Overcast
skies. Hit rock shelf east of
Three Sisters. Drive boat 25 feet
onto the shelf. Two neighbors
bring their boats to help us off. Davison
and Sprecher lift and rock the boat while standing on the shelf.
By now it is dark with light rain.
The boat is freed and backs away with Kent hanging and dripping from
the anchor support. Sprecher
peels off his polartec and makes a swim for it, pushing the gangplank.
When all are safely aboard, the boat heads north in darkness and light
rain. We find a rock garden.
After we push the boat off, Hall and Davison take Jim’s boat on a
scouting expedition. They return
and the houseboat follows them to secure anchorage.
The boys have been asleep since the first rock.
They do not awake till morning. Noble
and Sprecher have a couple of beers and some grilled ham for dinner.
After midnight all are asleep somewhere on Rainy Lake.
Saturday, July
28, 2001 “Lost
and there”
By morning we have a slight list to starboard.
Hall and Noble do some exploring.
We believe we are anchored on the south side of Fish Island.
Get the houseboat underway proceeding east.
Things do not look right and the depths registered do not make sense.
We sort things out off Chamberlain Point.
We were actually on the south side of Rebecca Island not Fish.
We happily motor northwest past Woodchuck to G1053.
The houseboat is tied to the rock face on the north shore of our
island.
After being warned, Jake and Andrew venture onto the rock to explore.
They are in the lake within ten minutes and are fished out by Kent.
Hall names Jake “Lake” and Andrew “Splash”.
We do a little fishing. Hunter
gets to reel in a Northern. Andrew
and Jake each catch a small mouth.
Sunday, July 29,
2001
“We call her Eileen”
The houseboat now has a profound list.
She is named Eileen. Kent
catches his first fish, a red ear sunfish.
Kent also catches an edible walleye and a small mouth.
Sprecher catches a “stocky” 24” seven pound walleye.
Hall continues to not catch a walleye.
Weather
and wind direction are changing. We
move the houseboat to protected anchorage and beach it on the south side of
our island.
Monday, July 30,
2001
“Back level and homeward”
Smudging.
We follow a native tradition of smudging the island for good luck.
Kent provides the smudge. We
should have smudged the houseboat earlier. Hall’s
last shot at a walleye fails.
Ray and Roger from Canadian Wilderness pump out starboard pontoon.
Water is in all four sections. The
baffles are rusted out explains Ray. We follow Ray south along the canoe trail.
The knot in the towrope on the Alaskan slips in heavy waves.
Roger retrieved it. Moral:
tie a knot at the end of bow rope if towing.
We return to dock, pay the bill and load up.
We stop in Orr at the A&W. Hanson
and the kids are fed and soon asleep.
We
medicate the kids at the first gas stop.
Jake is still running a temperature when the Motrin wears off.
He is kept medicated and sleeps most of the way home, as do Andrew,
Hunter and Dave.
The kids are asleep and the gear is transferred to Sprecher’s truck as Greg has car problems. The Alaskan is left behind. Greg Noble and Mike Sprecher load up and head north. Departure time: 2:30AM. “Our usual early start.”
Weather: high 15 C/59 F low 2 C/35 F
Pass through St. Paul before 7:00AM. Cross the border without incident at about 10:30 AM. Pick up houseboat at Canadian Wilderness floating Lodges and unload gear. Head back into town and open checking account at Royal Bank. Purchase building tools and supplies at North American Lumber ($165.28 C). A phone is borrowed from Mike at "Home Sweet Home". Adult beverages are purchased at Liquor store and Beer Store. Take houseboat north to island. Inspect storm damage to southern building site. We use chain saw and metal bladed “whipper snipper” to clear tag alders and other overgrowth from southern building site. Locate site for shower cabin and dock.
Weather: high 10 C/51 F low 1 C/33 F Rain to sleet to snow. Snow is better
Start to dig footings for piers. Southwest pier is down 5 feet without hitting bedrock or water. We are in trouble. Learned “Good Old Log Boy” is not coming with building materials. We call and cancel Allan’s barge.
Weather: high 6 C/44 F low -4 C/24 F snow and fog. Windy
Dig footings for piers. Called Alan Christenson for input on decreasing number of footings and piers. Phone reception is best in a snowstorm. We enjoy a magnificent bonfire after dinner in a snowstorm.
Weather: high 12 C/54 F low -7 C/17 F
Fired up the houseboat early. Coffee and muffins for breakfast on the way to Canadian Wilderness dock. Purchase concrete (60 sand mix, 8 Portland) and materials for tent platform from Northern Do-It Center ($1023.62 US). Purchase concrete block from Belluz Concrete ($161.00 C). Haul block in truck. Do-It delivers other materials to dock. No cigarettes for Greg. Out of Crown Royal, low on beer. We have sufficient Jameson and cigars?
Weather: high 12 C/54 F low -7 C/17 F
Dig holes. We meet wild Bill of Wisconsin and Woodchuck. Canadian wine is OK.
Monday (Canadian Thanksgiving and opening day of moose season)
Weather: high 9 C/F low 1 C
Dig holes. Greg attempts to ration smokes and beer.
Weather: high 22 C/71 F low 1 C Best day sunny and breezy
Ray stops out for a visit. Make a run to the dock for second load of materials. Return to Island at dark. Finish digging sixth hole and pour footings under festoon lighting.
.
Weather: high 13 C low 9 C light rain, snow, winds to 44 kph/ 28 mph
Set
first block for piers. Drop base of
large windfall in dock area back into its hole. Yes! Pull
windfall off birch with houseboat, missing footing.
Ray calls to ask if we have left or if we want to stay another day.
Small craft warnings and snow showers.
At the Island the lake had calmed. We vote to face an angry lake rather
than angry wives. Lake is rough
south of Tug Point. Houseboat’s
props cavitate causing loss of power and steerage.
With the wind to our back we drink our last beers and surf the 55’ boat
across the main bay between Risky Island and Gash Point.
The Houseboat is returned about 7:00
PM with a broken front screen.
Load up the truck up in rain. Head
for home. Cross the border without
incident. We are dirty and wet but
not terrorist material. Drive
through the night eating ham and cheese sandwiches and drinking caffeine.
Arrive home in plenty of time to take the kids to school.
________________________________________________________________
July 2002 "the big flood of 2002"
Rick & Ben Crampton. Dug three holes to water table. The lake was lapping at the floor materials stacked previous fall.
Greg Noble, Dave (Quick Sleep) Hanson and Mike Sprecher arrive
Stayed at Labella's next to "Nasty Lady" This group does not belong in a duplex. We stay up late and laugh loud.
Building materials for Roost delivered by Barge. Area for roost cleared and floor built. No one died.
September 2002
Greg Noble and Mike Sprecher tenting on the Island
Bought one boat and lost two. Emo is the town for us. Again no one died.