I guess it is a “real thing…” when spring conditions are just right… a “super bloom.” It’s happening in CA, AZ, TX and elsewhere.
My allergies are kicking up just looking at it.
sing
Some of the stereotypes are the real thing, believe it or not.
No argument there. Just sayin’ they aren’t helpful in support of constructive conversation between disagreeing sides.
The weather is beautiful and the company is good.
We saw a bald eagle, an osprey, a water snake and several Great Blues.
Saluda River photos from today.
Tom’s kind of country.
It was 91° on the water by the time we got off.
2 Likes
The loons may have left your neighborhood too early this year.
1 Like
Well it seems like you get to enjoy being in the natural world. It does sound like a rough winter. I can’t even classify the winter in SW MI. Started with record early winter storms in November but that melted. December was nice except for a 3 day flash freeze that even froze my stubborn local river. That passed and the entire month of Jan and most of Feb were above freezing. Unprecedented to have lots of good paddling weather in January. Last week we had one cold day with light snow shortly after this.
Overall a mild winter but strange, and feels long since the beginning and end aren’t usually more harsh than the middle.
Looks good to me!
Sad to read about the icing of the loons. Y’all take care of those birds…they bring a smile to paddlers down South every year between late Oct and Thanksgiving. And personally, they talk to me the whole way while paddling offshore for 7 miles enroute camping on the barrier islands.
2 Likes
Meaningless terms used by extremist neocons. I’m just as free as you and I live in a “socialist” state.
Around my house, Spring officially starts with Bamboo season. We have several types spread over a few acres. At peak season it can grow a couple feet a night. It pops up everywhere. Every day or two we go around and whack it with a bush ax. Dozens of new bamboo sprouts can pop up in a day or two. Luckily it only grows about 4-6 weeks a year. Around the month of May.
Thanks for the report on the loons. I’m in southern Wisconsin but was up in Rochester MN twice last week. Week before last we had several days in the high 70’s and even touched the low 80s - then a sudden drop into the 30s and 40s. We don’t often see swings that dramatic. I heard a forecast for 12" in the twin cities, though I don’t know if anything like that actually fell. Rochester had a bit of snow and some drizzle. But at altitude it must have been really tough on migrating birds.
Here in the south the crocuses got snowed on and nipped, but the blood root are up and flowering, wild ginger has broken ground, some gold finches in summer plumage are flitting around, I’ve see the season’s first blue bird and the woodcock are doing their mating calls. I usually don’t declare it as officially spring till the marsh marigolds flower though, and that hasn’t happened yet.
Rivers are all currently in flood - and I’ve recently seen the Wisconsin, Black, LaCrosse, and Trempelau. None look particularly inviting just yet.
1 Like
I’m jealous of your bamboo.
It’s snowing again. Not much, … but it’s snowing
Here too - 2" more overnight. 
Not snowing here but it’s time to jump in the drysuit…
We have a dead snag blocking our boat launch and the "they "to take care of it is us…
Winter somehow moved it here before it iced in and now the snag feels at home
Eviction time. .Water temp 46.
1 Like
The new calves are full of beans, gamboling with heels kicked up, literally. They are seriously cute.
Snow missed us by less than 100 miles this time, but the wind…and it is cold.
It’s been 38 days since the influx of traffic began following Google’s miss-directions, and so far at least 20 vehicles have gotten badly stuck in the mire—that we know of. By badly I mean took longer than an hour to get out. Include the shorter stucks and that number would easily double; most people had sense enough to turn around or back down before the point of no return. Last night’s was stuck for more than 4 hrs before whoever they called pulled them out. They were lucky; some of the stucks were so awful that not even two assisting vehicles could get them out, and the tractor operator took one look and said, Not Gonna Happen.
Wow.
Sounds like you a re right up the road from me Pikabike. The roads out here were impassable during mush of the winter, with snow from 28 inches to 7 feet deep. Then the thaws came and the mud was frame deep on my lifted 3/4 ton Chevy 4WD with Mud Bogger tires on it. 2 farm tractors needed to get it out. My wife and I got a LOT of skiing and snow-shoeing done from December 13th until late march and from then to now, it’s been mud-season. The snow last night only dropped about 1/2 inch and it’s all melted now, but it was not enough to add significantly to the mud. (Thank You God)
Tuesday the forecast if for rain and snow both, depending on locations.
If we get any rains up high the lakes are going to fill up fast. The dam authority opened the gates 1 month ago to drain off the lake a whole bunch, in anticipation of the coming run-off. It’s about 9 feet under what it was last spring. The water is at the lowest I have seen in 15-16 years, and that was done purposely. That means the “water folks” are expecting a VERY big spring fill.
I may drive out the the lake and have a look this afternoon. COLD water now, (probably in the 40s) Still a lot of ice floating. And not enough sun, or any temps much higher then the 50s so it’s not warming up much either. I have no dry suit and so I don’t take that kind of risk, but when the water temps gets up to the high 50s I use a thick wet suit. I went swimming in 4 feet of water in late march last year with my full thick suit, hood, booties and gloves. I did that to test it. I was OK for a full hour in that suit. Not as comfortable as I’d have liked to have been after about 45 minutes, but not too bad.
So this spring I will be paddling later then last year or the year before ---- but it’s coming.
Snow showers again today, but with sun in between. Went down to the boat landing again to check levels. This is what greeted me almost a half mile from the river landing.
Paddleable, but why?
Another sign of spring - Lots (Oh lots) of mosquito wigglers.
