Manitowish Waters - 5/19/2008

Good Morning Everyone,

Well, we are finally on the eve of Memorial Day weekend. Although, with the frost on the roof, and forecasted frost for the next 2 morning, you'd never know it. Oh yeah, winter was still trying to hold on yesterday, when snowflakes appeared between the light rain squalls. Yesterday was one of those 3 season days, all wrapped into one.
On the "dam" front, the water levels on the chain of lakes continues improve. As of yesterday, we have now reached 7'6'', which is only 12 inches below traditional "high water". The add rate is slowing, and with not much rain being forecasted this week, we will only add 2, maybe 3 inches by Memorial Day. However, the way the lakes look, who cares, we have alot more water than last year, and already most piers and shore stations, can be put in use this year. It appears, at this time, our "dam" operations have improved, changed, or something this year. Maybe there is better cooperation, but at least we appear to be headed in the right direction.
We should have a good weather week, in the northwoods, although cool. But it looks like we should have 70's and water for the weekend.

Have a great day,

Rich

Manitowish Waters - 5/16/2008

Good Morning,

I want to give you a quick update on the "dam" front, and the water levels. Our lake levels have continued to gradually, although slowly, rise over the past week. As of this morning we are currently at 7' 4", which is 14 inches below "high water". The current level is up from last Sunday, and is 2-3 inches above our high water of last summer. With all this good news, one can hardly wait to get the boats out and fill them up with $4.00 gas. But with the price of gas aside, the water levels are really nice to see.
There has not been much rain to speak of, over the last 7 days, so the run off is slowing. Hopefully, we should see some forecasted rains over the next 5 days, and we can resume our spring fill up.
Well that's all for now, and time to clean up the boats. And, yes...add the $4.00 gas.

Have a great day,

Rich

Manitowish Waters - 5/11/2008

Good Morning Everyone and Happy Mother's Day,

Well a week has past, and I thought I'd give you an update on our lake levels this spring. We have made good progress in bringing up our lakes this spring, with the current level standing at 6'11", according to our "dam" keeper. What does that mean, well, our low water started at 5' in later winter, so, we have added 23 inches, as of yesterday morning to the chain. As a side note, we are roughly 3-4 inches below our high water mark of last summer, which occured in early July. So, we are doing "ok", as of now. We did not get the rains last night or today, which were forecasted, which would have helped the process for the next weekend. As the experts say, the increases now will slow down, especially after the 1 foot rise after ice out, and we will be looking for rains and area run-off for the rest of our chain fill.
Spring yard clean-up is well under way for most people who are here. Most yards already have a "dry" feeling, and remaining leaves and needles are an easy clean up. The next event, and only event, will be watching the lake levels, for enough water to get the boats on the shore stations this summer. Meanwhile, while we wait, we can get a head start on the boat clean-up details, "spring cleaning".

Have a great weekend,

Rich

Manitowish Waters - 5/4/2008

Good Morning Everyone,

As somethings end, other's begin.
The final shooting for "Public Enemies" took place last week, and the clean-up began immediately. The final group from PE Productions leaves here tomorrow, after the set work restoration is now done. They were a great group, and really added a rare flair to April. Many of them will long be remembered, especially DC, who is known from one end of town to the other.
On to the next season - Fishing Opener.
Last Thursday, into Friday we lost the last remnants of ice on the Chain. As of Friday morning, boards were added to the dam, and the chain can now begin it's fill process. Waters levels this morning, Sunday, have already moved up 6-7 inches, at Greer's, from when the boards were added Friday. Hopefully, run-off from Saturday's rain's, as well as spring rain's expected this week, will give us a few more inches by this next weekend.
On the "dam front", it is my understanding an individual or two from the DNR, were in the area this last Thursday. From what I am told, they appear to be "open" to receiving some input and guidance, over our water issues, especially water retention, and flow. Maybe this an early sign of a need for open communication.

Have a great day,

Rich

Manitowish Waters - 4/30/2008

Good Morning Everyone,

I thought I would have had time this last weekend to give you an update, but this has continued to be a busy period in MW.
On the "Public Enemies" front. Last night was the final night of shooting at Little Bo. The production company had moved for two days to Milwaukee and returned yesterday to wrap up the final scenes. If you were outside last night the shooting was just that, a real gun battle, with the sound of gun shots were heard downtown and especially at locations north of Little Bo. I can imagine if you closer, on Little Star, you would had a pretty sleepless night. By 6 am, after the shooting, trucks were loading and the production company was moving south to it's next location. We will still have some folks remaining in the area for a few days, as cleanup begins, and Little Bo is put back to where it was, before this whole thing began. As I look back over the past 3-4 weeks, it really has been a great event for the area. It was a circus, at times, and has definitely left everyone of memories of the show. There will never be another April like this one.
On the "dam" front. There continues to be ice on a number of the lakes in the chain. Even thought Spider has alot of open water, as well as Stone, lakes like Rest still have a good amount of ice cover. Depending on the weather over the next few days, it will be a really close call for full ice off for the fishing opener this year. Water levels continue to be down 42-46 inches, with very little retention, to date. Spring rains will again, be our only answer, this year, as we unfortunately are waiting for "ice off", before there is a more aggressive effort to retain water, and by the way, we will still need to flow 40cfs, after the ice is out. If you want to find our water, just take a drive up 51, and look at the swollen banks of the Manitowish River. There is no shortage there.
Well, now that the "circus" is over, it time to get back to the normal things we do in spring, winter clean-up.

Have a great week,

Rich

Manitowish Waters - 4/24/2008

Good Morning Everyone,

It's been a really interesting time to be in Manitowish Waters. Our little town has really taken on a new feeling with the shooting of the movie "Public Enemies", at Little Bo. We have had 3 evening/nights of shooting, thus far. Between the security group, Vilas County Sheriffs, Iron County Sherriffs, the traffic, and the many people sitting on the sidelines, Hwy 51, during the early evening, reminds me of the scene in the movie "Close Encounters of the Third Kind", where people are all hanging around for the next UFO to pass by. Well that's the feeling here, with cars and people parked near North Coutry Sport & Marine, as well as the Catholic Church, everyone waits for a sighting of an actor, and especially Johnny Depp. With the limited, or actually "no access" policy to Little Bo, even the news channels get lined up to take a few shots for the evening news. If all this fun stuff isn't enough, we added a little scare yesterday at Little Bo. Our local fire department, as well as Winchesters, got a 6:30am call, for a fire on the set. It turned out to be minor, but added a whole new level of talk in this small town. Stay tuned, more movie news on Saturday. By the way, this town will never see an April like this again!
Back to the other things around. First, the snow is almost fully gone. Really nice weather, from Sunday through yesterday, has taken care of most every snow patch, except for a few plowed banks. Most people that are around, are able to even get out and get the yards raked and get a good start to the spring clean-up process.
On the "dam" front, we still have ice on all the lakes. With our warm temps, and anticipated rains for the next 2 days, I wouldn't be surprised to see ice off on the entire chain by late next week, with some lakes, like Stone opening up this weekend. Our current operating procedure is to flow the 40cfs and wait until ice off before retaining the much needed water. At this point, and fishing opening 10 days out, bring an extra prop. It looks like this year like last, will now be totally dependant on our May and June rains for our Chain fill up.
Until this next Saturday, this is Hollywood, Wisconsin signing off.

Rich

Manitowish Waters - 4/19/2008

Good Morning Everyone,

It's been an interesting week in MW, since our last comment. On the weather front, we had some absolutely beautiful days early in the the week with temps in the low 60's. The last few days, including today, we had very light rain, which combined with the early week sun and warmer temps, have really caused our snow to melt. We still have a few piles, from the plows, and there is still some snow in the wooded areas, but in general winter snows have pretty much left us. The next few days, we should see our typical spring weather, with some nice sunny and warm days, and again followed by a few more days with chances of showers.
On the "dam" front, our town board passed a resolution requesting Xcel to follow the 1939 operating order, and have dam operations "capture the spring runoff to bring lakes up to the 7'3" level by 4/15, and then resume historical operating procedures of the dam". Over the next few weeks, and months it should be real interesting to see how the DNR, Xcel and the Chain Defense group interact. One point to really note, is that Xcel Energy is really caught in the middle of this game. On one hand we have an existing operating agreement in place, which they have adhered to in the past. And on the other, they have many state-wide operations which work closely with the DNR. Xcel may not like their position, but they are really caught in the middle of the box. However, unfortunately for all of us, until someone is pushed from their position, both figuratively and literally it's "Water over the Dam".
On the movie front, things are getting busy. The road at Little Bo, is packed on each side with cars, trucks and equipment. The amount of people in town for the movie has also risen in the past few days. The feeling all around is it's getting close, and should be upon us real soon. My best guess is, this is the week.. Stay turned for all the Johnny Depp sightings. By the way, there are a number of "locals" who have been added for "extras". I can't wait to hear their stories.
It's going to be a extremely long time that little old MW see's this kind of activity in any April again.
I'll try to do a mid-week update, between all the activity.

Rich

Manitowish Waters - 4/12/2008

Good Morning Everyone.

We did have a few days of spring, early last week, and we should see more signs of warmer weather as we get towards this Monday. However, just a reminder, winter in the northwoods has still been alive and well. The last two days we managed to find another 7+ inches of that nice wet, heavy, and packing snow. This has not been a short winter. As I was cleaning out again this morning, I was thinking about our snowfalls this year. From what I can remember, we had snow since November. For those doing the math, that means 6 months of snow this winter. If I missed a snowfall in October..well you can see were I am going. So lets review this, 6 months with snow, a month in spring and fall, where it's ugly, and we have left...yep, your right, 3-4 months. This year has been a great reminder, of how short our summer months are, and why we all use the lakes for our summer recreation as often as we do. On a positive front, at least the movie, which is being filmed in town, isn't a sequel to "The Shining".
Our northwoods weather will again be improving, this week with near 60's temps, and showers forecasted for later in the week. My best guess, is most of our snow, even with the new totals, should be almost gone by early next week.( Well at least where there is direct sunshine)
On the local film front, Little Bo is closed until after the shooting. And don't ask the dates, it's a pretty closely guarded secret. There is more, than normal activity in town for April, and that's a good thing. It looks like the next few weeks should be really interesting.

Well, time to go melt some snow.

Rich

Manitowish Waters - 4/5/2008

Good Morning Everyone..

Well, this week it is finally feeling like spring is here. We had a beautiful 2 days, with temps in the low 50's, and today should be another. Our snow cover is still there, with depths in the woods ranging from 9-16+ inches. With that being said, we have already seen a good melt since our last snow, this past Monday. While today should be another grand day, the rest of the upcoming week looks to be damp with rain/snow showers and cloudy..just what "spring" in northern Wisconsin reminds you of..damp and cloudy, oh well.
With our spring melt beginning, some of the rivers are already starting to see better water flow. With the potential for showers this week those flows should only continue to build.
On the "dam" front, we just received an "e-mail alert" from the Manitowish Waters Chain Defense Fund(MCDF). It looks like the flow rate which has been announced by the DNR will be 40cfs, a reduction from the 50cfs, last summer. While the reduction in the flow may sound initially favorable, there are still a significant number of issues, including the original outstanding 1939 Operating Order and water retention. In reading our "e-mail alert" it appears the MCDF wants to wait until the Chain of lakes is "relatively free of ice", before there will be a reduction in flow over the dam. With our current spring run-off at hand it is unfortunate that we are not trying to gradually capture some of the needed water flows for our chain water levels. I am one who thinks we really need to do a hard assessment of what our objectives really are. If we can all agree that a full chain of lakes is what gives us property valuations, tourism, fishing, etc., then we should be focusing on that objective. If we are concerned about the fixed piers that do exist, then we do need to hold off on spring filling, and again face the risk this summer of low and unnavigable waters. I vote for the water..most all other lakes in our region and county do have seasonal or portable piers..maybe we should begin the thought of such a change.
For the movie buffs out there, there is alot of activity beginning at Little Bohemia. With the normal events of a small town, rumors, talk, and gossip is rampid. The most popular question is "when is the shooting". To which, no one really has an answer, and if they did, they can't mention it. As you can guess, there have been local stories of "Johnny Depp" sightings. (All which are really doubtful, well up until now)
Over the next few weeks I am sure the stories will really get going. I will hope to share a few with you, as they develop.

Have a great weekend.

Rich

Manitowish Waters - 4/1/2008

Good Morning Everyone..

The forecast for today will be 70 and sunny..April fool's..actually we are coming off of 7-8 wet inches from last night. Unfortunately for snowmobiling..trails closed..well, except for those 2 or 3 that passed here this morning.
It looks like spring will return later today and the rest of the week, with mid 40's for highs. The only drawback is the nights will remain below freezing and that means spring-time dripping, and icy nights.
If you still have the winter urge, x-country and downhill skiing continue, with good conditions. Ice fishing is really picking up with the warmer temps and sunshine.
As April has now hit, it seems like most restaurants have entered there "closed" season. The choices are slim for any sort of night time activity.
On the local front, our "dam" issues continues to be the topic of local conversations. We did have a group meet with our elected officials in Madison, however, it may be some time for any material moves or outcomes. The only other "hot" topic is the movie to be shot at Little Bo, Public Enemies, with Johnny Depp. As you can imagine, there are rumors going around to keep everyone guessing.
Well, stay tuned..we will pick up a few of those rumors, and share them with you next time.

Until Friday..

Have a great week.

Rich - http://www.timberlineinn.com/

check this out..http://www.publicenemiescolumbus.blogspot.com/

3/28/2008

Good Morning

Well this week seems to have passed pretty fast. There is not much new on the snowmobile trail front. Trails close this coming Monday, 3/31/2008. Our trails continue to get hit by the sunshine, although our cold nights prevent a total meltdown. There still are some fair trails in the woods, but conditions in town, near highways, and especially those directly exposed to the sun are poor..or worse in areas. With the season basically over it's time to park and store them.
Outside of snowmobiling, skiing continues to do well in the UP. Conditions remain good for most areas.(Check our links page for specific area conditions.)
I am planning to continue this blog throughout the year, and will be adding comments on Monday and Fridays.

Rich - http://www.timberlineinn.com/

Conditions - 3/24/2008

Good Morning Everyone.

It was a long and quiet Easter Weekend in the north woods. While there still is snowmobiling going on the interest and number have declined. The trails in our area are in fair spring riding condition. There still remains good trails in the wooded areas, and those that were out report them at good+, however, the sun exposed trails continue to decline. Maybe it's the long winter, or the fact there has been snow all over WI., but the one sure thing is, the interest level is almost non-existent. The trails will remain open officially until the 1st of April. For those wondering, I put the sleds on the trailer yesterday..oh well.
Our other sports continue to have better interest as well as good to very good conditions. Downhill skiing continues to find good slopes in the UP. Unfortunately, for the ski areas, the crowds are light, however if you don't like lift lines, there is no time like the present.(See our websites links)
Our forecasts are calling for 1-3 tonight of the "spring" wet snow..possibly mixed. Beyond that, mid 30's and below freezing nights. After this next weekend, we should start seeing the 40's..hopefully. Except for more spring skiing weekends, it's probably time for the next season.

As Always..Drive and Ride and Ski Safely.

Rich - www.timberlineinn.com

Conditions - 3/20/2008

Good Morning Everyone.

The trail system in our area is still holding it's own, however, the spring sunshine is taking it's toll. While the temps should be around or slightly above freezing for highs, the sunshine will continue to eat at roads and worn trail areas. For the most part there are some really good trails to ride, but some areas will also change quickly with the sun. As the saying goes, we are in the 9th inning of the ballgame, and the end is the 31st. For those who want the last ride of the season, this weekend is probably it. Personally, I plan to enjoy the trails this Saturday, for the final time of the year. Our winter this year has really hung in there, and even with the sunshine, we should see good ground snow levels for a number of weeks into April.
For those who like the other winter activities such as downhill, x-country, snowshoeing, and ice fishing conditions should give us a number of good weeks to come.(See our links page for ski area conditions.)
For those wanting to get your sled out for another ride, call before your trip. Changing forecasts and spring sunshine can rapidly alter conditions. We still have some good trails, I'm just getting worried as we see more sunny days like yesterday.

Drive and Ride Safely

Rich - http://www.timberlineinn.com/

Conditions - 3/19/2008 - Update.

Good Morning Everyone..

Just a quick update..Trails remain in good spring riding condition. All MW trails were groomed last night. We did receive 4-5 inches Monday/Tuesday.
See our 3/17/2008 report for more details..Should be a great spring weekend.


Rich - www.timberlineinn.com

Conditions - 3/17/2008 - St. Patrick's Day

Good Morning Everyone.

For those wondering if winter is still here, the answer is...YES. First on snowmobiling. The trails in the Manitowish Waters area are in good spring riding condition. Last weeks snow really gave us a new life into the last weekend. Riders are reporting good, and some better trails, in most areas. The "spring" issue remains the sunshine, and that means you need to plan trips avoiding road trails, and watch exposed areas. It been along time since we have been able to hold the trails consistently this long. For those who haven't yet stored the machines, it looks like the weather patterns are favorable. There is more snow forecasted for tonight into Weds.(2-5 inches) That is followed by good temps, with another awesome weekend of mid 30's and sunshine ahead. So all I can mention, is this week, and into the Easter weekend we still are running. For those interested..trails in Vilas county don't close until March 31st..midnight.

Next sport..downhill. The skiing, in the our local areas in the UP, is great..not fair or good..great. Our website has links to all the local sites; Indianhead, Powderhorn..etc. This past weekend was a great spring skiing weekend, sunshine..30 degrees..and well groomed slopes. The crowds are relativity light, although yesterday it seemed more people were around for what looks to be an Easter Break week. My guess, with the forecasts..and conditions..we will skiing well into April this year..it will probably be lack of people that close the areas..not the lack of snow or conditions.
I could go on today..but you get the drift..ice fishing..X-country..snowshoeing..etc..all are doing well.

We will keep you updated..

Oh yeah..CONGRATULATIONS - BILL SCHUMANN - our new AWSC President! Bill's from MW.

As always Drive and Ride Safely..

Rich - http://www.timberlineinn.com/

Conditions - 3/13/2008

Good Morning Everyone..

Our winter continues to hang in there this year. Last night we received a nice 4 inches of heavy packing snow. The trails needed the help. While yesterdays temps and clouds were good for the trails, Tuesday saw sunshine and 40. The trails are still very rideable, with fair conditions to good conditions in areas away from towns. Before last nights snow there were increasing number of areas of worn, or sun exposed trail. With last nights face lift we should be able to get another weekend in. The forecasts for the weekend are for below freezing temps. Most services are beginning to call for a more significant snow event for Monday into Tuesday, with cooler temps beyond that. So, winter is still here and we are enjoying it.
The ski areas continue to report great snow conditions and with the forecasts, it looks like there will be good conditions for Easter and into early April.

Still time to enjoy the north woods this season.

Drive and Ride Safely,

Rich - www.timberlineinn.com

Conditions - 3/11/2009 - Afternoon Update.

Good Afternoon Everyone...

Well..the weather is nice...almost too nice...40 degrees..sunshine and oh yeah..it's March.
The trail conditions are changing ..we are in the the fair to Good category. The weather is still calling for cold nights..and snow Weds - Thurs..and we will need some..
For those interested in the upcoming weekend, check the forecasts, and call before trips..

I'm still hopeful for at least another weekend..

Drive and Ride Safely

Rich - www.timberlineinn.com

Conditions - 3/10/2008

Good Morning Everyone...

Wow..what a weekend! Our weather was great. The temps were relatively cool, with highs in the low 20's on Saturday, and high 20's yesterday, but the oh that sunshine. It sure felt like spring. The snowmobile trails are for the most part in pretty good shape, conditions are starting to very, depending on the exposure to the sun, but in general they range from good to some very good. While we had traffic over the weekend, it has already begun to taper off. Trails on Saturday, were well groomed in the Manitowish Waters area. Trail 8 south of town was good, with some sun exposed areas near the highway, but they are still easy to navigate around. Trail 8N, was great until the IC line, were we found some trail chatter. From Chucks Bar, 8/17, trail 19 was again smooth and in great shape. Even Cedar Lake Rd, had amply snow, although there were bumps, and the beginning development of sun scars. The PI/WI system had some of the best trails all day. The J trail was as close to perfect as it gets.
As we move out of the weekend, the next 2-3 days should have sun and mid 30's. If we get lucky, the forecasts are starting to develop towards more snow possibilities, from Wednesday evening into Friday. The solar clock is clicking, but we could end up with another good period for riding. My guess is the temps and sun early this week will cost us some, but the night are still cold, and the likelihood for some snow is improving. Remember, we are into the 8th inning, and the game is getting short.
As far as other activities. The downhill skiers are reporting great conditions at Indianhead, all the lifts were running this weekend. Unfortunately for the ski areas crowds were pretty light. Please see our website links for area details.
Have a great week.

Drive and Ride Safely,

Rich - www.timberlineinn.com

Conditions - 3/6/2008

Good Morning Everyone...

Well, we are beginning another cold snap which should last until this Saturday. Our highs the next 2 days will be in the teens, warming to a mid 20's high for Sunday. As far as lows, well, how about a -20 being forecasted for Friday night, it's March! Oh well, we did get an inch or so of snow, and trails in the Manitowish Waters area are in Good Riding condition. There could be some icy areas, and some small sections which have been sun worn, but all in all, things are pretty good. For those who do follow our forecasts, after Sunday it looks like we could see the mid 30's for the early part of next week, and that means this could one of the few predictable weekends remaining for trails, unless we start getting some meaningful snow.
As far as our other winter activities, skiing will continue for awhile. All our areas in the UP, are reporting very good conditions, with plenty of base, and well groomed slopes.(See our website links for individual details.)
If you can get away, join us in the north woods for what is shaping up as good weekend for riding.

As Always, Drive and Ride Safely.

Rich - www.timberlineinn.com

Conditions - 3/4/2008

Good Morning Everyone...

Well it was another cold night in the north woods with temps at -9. Today we should see the mid 20's and that will be a plus, to help soften some of the packed snow that's on the trails. A number of riders out of here yesterday reported they had "pretty good" trails on their ride that took them to Land O' Lakes, then up to Hurley. They mentioned they had a few sun worn areas, but in general trails were good. Most trails were all flat and groomed, and the only problem was lubrication needs in a few hard packed areas. So I guess we can still call the trails in the fair to good category, with some icy and hard packed areas. Our forecasts area still calling for some snow tonight (1-2inches), into Thursday with another cold front pushing through the area. With a little snow and some more grooming we should be in OK shape for the weekend. Once we get beyond this weekend, we could start running out of time, unless we see a nice spring dumping.
As far as skiing, the downhill areas are still doing great. All are power tilled and nicely groomed.
With the slightly warmer weather we are also starting to more people venture out for some sunny ice fishing.

Come enjoy the weekend,

As Always, Drive and Ride Safely.

Rich - www.timberlineinn.com