1/18/10 IT WAS A FINE WINTER SUNDAY

INTERESTING CLOUDS THIS MORNING
THE JOLLY TRAIL WAS BUSY
A PICTURESQUE PIKES CREEK POOL
MT. ASHWABAY PARKING LOT
LOTS OF KIDS AND FAMILIES ON THE SLOPES

Monday, Martin Luther King Day, 8:30 AM. 30 degrees, wind WSW, moderate with stronger gusts. The channel has significant stretches of open water. The sky is overcast with some interesting cloud formations and the barometer predicts mostly cloudy skies. It was a windy walk this morning, as dignified dissertations emanated from the big pine trees along the route.
Yesterday was warm and sunny again, and folks were out in droves skiing. The Jolly Trailhead on Star Route west of town had ten cars in the lot, the Mount Ashwabay parking lot was packed, and its ski hills were filled with families. The late Jay Jolly, local skier and environmentalist, donated 75 acres to Bayfield County in 2005. It provides access to the Ashwabay recreation area trails from Star Route. It was a wonderful gift. Snowshoes are allowed but dogs must be on leash, so I probably will never use the trails n winter, but that’s O.K., as I have plenty of places where I can snowshoe and also let the dog run.
The north branch of Pike’s Creek is running full now, and is very picturesque. I caught (and released) a 21” rainbow in the above pool several springs ago. No one was fishing off the Sioux River, and the ice is probably quite iffy now.