Home Depot has a 10% veterans discount. I was using self-checkout one time and the Home depot worker there asked me if I was a veteran. I said I was and he helped me apply for it online.

The boat ramp on our lake is run by the Army Corp. of Engineers. It has a daily or annual fee paid at a machine at the entrance. This spring the machine was broken so I went ahead and told the fellow working the AIS inspection site at the ramp. He told me that the National Park card is also valid at the Corp. boat ramps.

I would have sworn it was a 1958, because I thought dual headlights didn’t come out until 1958. Apparently I would have been wrong. Google, which definitely wasn’t around in 1958, says that some 1957 Mercury’s had dual headlights and some had single headlights. Back then every car company came out with new models each year around September and it was a great time to be a kid that enjoyed cars. I knew every year, make and model. Today I’m lucky to identify a car as white or red!

The Road to Hana is a must do experience on Maui. Plan on a full day and start early. Better yet is booking a room for an overnight. We stayed at Hana Kai Maui. I also recommend getting an audio guide that you download onto your phone and listen to via bluetooth on your rental car. The gps on your phone allows it to know exactly where you are so it can tell you about what’s coming up. It gives a lot of entertaining info along the way and helps by telling you what to look for so you don’t acccidentally drive by it. The one we used is now called GuideAlong.

I highly recommend Mama’s Fish House. Mama’s Fish House is in Paia on the Road to Hana, but I wouldn’t try to combine the two unless you’re staying somewhere in the area. The meal is excellent and the surroundings beautiful. It’s also VERY expensive and reservations are required (and impossible to get unless you book a year in advance). You can, however, submit a request online to be notified about cancellations. They told me that calling a day or two ahead to see what’s available is better yet. That’s what I plan to do in March.

Maui is one of our favorite places. Enjoy your trip!

Heading to Lake of the Woods by Morson, Ontario next Sunday (knock on wood). I believe they still have plenty of ice but a video from last week had guys fishing in the rain. This coming week is a roller coaster of temperatures. They may be getting some snow but I’m expecting glare ice and just hoping any water on the ice has frozen.

I was at Devils Lake on Feb 9 and 10. I’m guessing 18″ of ice. The accesses were closed right before we got there because of the warm weather. They were a sloppy, muddy mess. I heard that some guides were cancelling trips that week before. A cold front came through right before we got there, however, and the access was OK, but the fishing was the worst ever. Talking with other groups while we were there nobody was getting anything those two days. I’m sure fishing was great after we left. That’s fishing! There was very little snow and the ice was pretty bare when we were there, so cleats were essential.

Bertha Boat Works is where I get all of my Mercury service done. Great service department. I’ve never been to Farm Island Marine.

It’s funny that this thread started. I was just thinking about posting on the Questions and Answers forum. Tonight I got right on IDO, but other times I’ve given up or eventually I get a message about being timed out.

My main fishing site is Walleye Central. It’s not for everyone and I’ll agree that it’s not what it was years ago… but IT WORKS! Good fishing, boat and electronics info. I especially like the Canada section. I could use some help on W/C reviving the Ice Fishing Section! The main difference between W/C and IDO is that Walleye Central doesn’t allow political bickering. There are some hunting sections, but they get very little traffic on W/C. It’s primarily a fishing site with a general section for other topics.

I visit both Walleye Central and IDO and see some IDO users with the same name as on W/C and others I think I recognize by style. I’ll visit IDO as long as I’m able, but Walleye Central is my first stop throughout the day.

It’s painfully slow.

Not current, but another classic Cold War spy author is Len Deighton.

I met Judy on October 2, 1965. We were in the Anoka band traveling by train to La Crosse to march in a parade. She was a junior flute player and I was a senior tuba player that had just transferred to Anoka. I was a so-so tuba player and haven’t played since high school. She’s an excellent flutist, taught flute lessons in our home for years and continues to play quite often at our church. We were married in August 1969. After graduating from U of M in 1970 I joined the Air Force (low lottery number). Judy followed me to Texas for USAFSS training and then to Turkey for 3 years. After the Air Force we settled back in Anoka, bought a house in 1975, raised two daughters and lived there for 37 years. In 2012 we sold the house and moved up to our cabin full time. Judy was unsure of the move and wondered if we were going to be hermits during the winter up on “the tundra”, as she called it. We now both agree that moving up here was an excellent decision. We joined a great church full of other couples that had retired and moved up north, so we now have a great group of friends and a much more active social life than we ever had in town. That’ll be 54 years for us this August.

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Bait: No bait, dead or alive.

Food: https://inspection.canada.ca/food-safety-for-consumers/bringing-food-into-canada-for-personal-use/eng/1389630031549/1389630282362#tab1

Bringing food into Canada for personal use

Eggs and processed egg products
During outbreaks of avian disease (Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza and Newcastle Disease), eggs must be retail packaged, for human consumption, and clearly labelled as a “Product of the USA”
Eggs from a farm or backyard flock are not permitted for import at any time
5 dozen eggs

Processed egg products:

20 kg (if measured by weight) of processed eggs
20 L (if measured by volume) of processed eggs

Fresh fruits or vegetables
Refer to AIRS

Potatoes must be commercially packaged and graded US No.1

Fruits: 20 kg

Vegetables: 20 kg

When we crossed earlier in June we brought potatoes across the border, but bought eggs in Dryden rather than taking a chance. I’ve never seen eggs labeled as “Product of the USA”. The border agent asked us about bait, guns, knives, cigarettes and liquor, but no questions about food.

I play cribbage on fishing trips, 2,3 or 4 handed depending on who’s around. During the rest of the year my game is 500 with a group of guys at church on Monday mornings and a couples group twice a month. High stakes: no money at church and $1 a night in the couples group. You might actually win $3! On Monday mornings a ladies group also meets at church and they bring treats that they share with us. That’s better than $3.

From the Wisconsin Department of Justice:

At approximately 3:38 p.m., Chetek Police Officer Emily Breidenbach, age 32, with approximately 5 years of law enforcement service, along with Cameron Police Officer Hunter Scheel, age 23, with approximately one year of law enforcement service, conducted a traffic stop in the Village of Cameron. The officers were conducting the traffic stop based on a warrant and to check welfare of the driver, Glenn Douglas Perry, age 50, following notification of concerning behavior. During the traffic stop, gunfire was exchanged.

Valuation went up 29%, but taxes went up only 3%, so not bad. I hope I’ll be able to sell someday for the county’s market value!

I’m on my second Ridgeline pulling a Lund 1800 Explorer with a Mercury 115. I’m not sure of the weight but it’s got to be similar to what you’ll be pulling. The first Ridgeline was a 2008 and I’m now driving a 2017. Yes, a fishing friend kids me that it’s not a “real” truck, but it’s the “right” truck for what I need.

Pros: great mileage, truck bed trunk, smooth ride, all wheel drive, it’s low enough so you can get in and out easily without having to climb up or use a running board, split back seat that folds up out of the way, wheel wells don’t intrude into the truck bed, costs less to buy and operate than a full size truck.

Cons: the back seat is not as roomy as a full size truck (adequate for as often as I have people in the back seat, but not as roomy), won’t go 75 uphill without down-shifting (not an issue between MN and Ontario), the bed’s a little shorter (it’s also not quite as tall so not all coolers will fit under a tonneau cover), longer fishing rods and bigger coolers go in the boat.

For pulling a boat up to Ontario a full size truck would probably be more comfortable, but my Ridgeline is adequate for those 2 weeks and great for the other 50 weeks during the year.

If you’re like me and have never owned a full size truck, the Ridgeline will be great and enough truck for what you need. If you’re used to a full size truck, the Ridgeline will always be not a “real” truck.

1953 Chev manual in the church parking lot near our house.

Last year as I put away the snowblower for the last time I announced that I was getting too old for blowing and shoveling snow. From then on I was going to hire it done. Of course, I forgot that and the first light fluffy snow of this year was easy. Today, as I wait for the snow to stop so I can clear the driveway and walk for the second time in 24 hours, I remember that announcement. Maybe next year.

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This summer I broke one of my favorite G.Loomis rods trying to hold the rod in one hand and net a northern with the other. The tip must have gotten tangled and I heard it snap. Last week I pulled a Clam Dead Meat stick out of the rod bag and the tip was broken. It probably broke when I slid it in the bag too quickly. I’m sure there were a few caught in closing screen doors in the past. Stuff happens.

Meanwhile, back to ice conditions… Our lake froze over on December 1. Since then we’ve had about 6″ of very light snow up until the last few days. Today after 10-12″ of very wet heavy snow and days of 31-34 degrees dark spots are appearing on the lake where melting snow has settled or water has come up through cracks in the ice. It’s beginning to look like a repeat of last year with slush between the ice and the snow cover.

Two dozen responses and nobody’s mentioned the greatest rock band of all time: The Rolling Stones

My favorite band is The Beatles, but I have to admit that the best ROCK band is The Rolling Stones.

I’ve used both VRBO & Airbnb and had good luck with both of them. Even with fees they’re probably cheaper than a hotel if you’re staying with a group or staying for a longer period. I use them going to Hawaii. They’re much cheaper than a hotel, you have a kitchen and you can see exactly what you’re getting. I’ve also used them ice fishing where there are limited motels that make it hard to accommodate a group. They both have great websites to search for places. Their website won’t tell you exactly where the house is, but you can get a pretty good idea. The reviews help a lot to narrow down your choices. I’m lining up places to stay in Italy now and Airbnb has many more there than VRBO, so I suppose which one is better might depend on where you’re going. My experience has been that if you find the same place on both Airbnb and VRBO that it will be more expensive on Airbnb. It’ll definitely be cheaper if you can get in touch with the owner directly. Sometimes owners will have their own website that you can find with a little sleuthing based on the name of the condo or name used in the description.
Welcome back to exploring the world and good luck with your search!

I wouldn’t bother exchanging unless you need to pay your outfitter in cash. Most places you stop will accept US dollars, maybe not at the best exchange rate, but they’ll take it. Using your credit card probably gives you the best exchange rate.

I like the Boomerang Snip. It goes on a lanyard around my neck along with jig eye opener and some other tools, so it’s always handy. I also keep a scissors in with other tools, but the Boomerang Snip is what gets used most often.

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I was at Miniss in September 2018. Great outfitter and cabin, fun lake with a lot of nice fish. A couple good spots are the short walk to a stashed boat below some rapids and an area that I think was called “the wisdom tooth” (or something related to a tooth). It’s a fun lake to explore.

You might try posting in the Canada section also on both IDO and W//C. I fish with a couple guys that just look at those sections and skip the rest.

I know the pressure of trying to fill spots, so I hope you find someone soon. It’s a great opportunity for someone to try Miniss. Good luck!

I should have added that the yellow area represents the level 50% of the time. The dotted red lines are the upper and lower 10%. It looks on the low end of normal at the moment.

No ice out predictions, but you can track the water level by looking at this website. Click on Lac Seul in the Water Levels & Flows section:
http://www.lwcb.ca/waterflowdata.html

Here’s a picture from today:

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The Masters is always a fun tournament to watch. The beauty of the course with all the best players makes for great TV. I saw a clip the other day with Tiger saying that his swing is not the problem, walking the course is what’s hard for him. I hope he can make the cut. Finishing 72 holes would be a bonus. I’m sure that’s the CBS wish, also.

Not exactly newlyweds (52 years) but I had to show that to my wife and pass it along to some friends. She was working in her quilting room, so I told her just substitute material or yarn. Thanks for the chuckle.

Welcome to IDO, Dave. The Root Bay camp is very nice and the fishing is fantastic. Slate Falls Outposts is a top-notch organization. I had a great time there last year, especially on the “pin cushion”, a reef near the cabin, and fishing from shore below the dam. The boats have a flat floor to stand on and an electrical connection to the motor for depthfinders, so you don’t have to recharge batteries every night. The cabin has a huge deck that’s a good gathering spot in the evenings. I usually try to fish different spots every fall and was originally scheduled to fish another Slate Falls camp this year, but when Ryan called with an opening at Root Bay this year, I jumped on it. It’s worth going back to again and again. I know you’ll have a great time. I see you’re getting a lot of responses on your W/C post, so if anyone wants to experience this camp with you they should act quickly!

Oh great. An IDO Composite Manliness Ranking. Something else to keep me awake at night.