We spent the weekend in Iowa celebrating Easter with family and friends hoping to roast in the sunshine— instead we settled for mid-60s and light jackets. Not exactly suntan weather but it felt nice to warm my bones a little and watch the kids reunite with their cousins while playing in the yard.
Young Bo, our soon to be 3-year-old son, got a new bike with training wheels and rode it like he had been riding his entire life until kissing the pavement while showing mommy a new trick. “Hey momma watch this” was all she heard before he hit the ground. I wasn’t sure he was going to get back on the bike, but a fat lip and a little blood was not going to stop him from spending every possible minute cruising on his new bike. Bo has promised not to try any more tricks, but I don’t believe him.
Every time I return to organized civilization I am educated on their ways, and this trip would prove no different. Apparently you cannot be 10 minutes late to an Easter egg hunt in a city park (even though it was from 10 a.m. – 11:30 a.m.) because all of the eggs are found in the first two minutes. My home town of Waukee, Iowa hosts an egg hunt every year that has grown to proportions beyond my imagination. There were 1,000 people in the park—and we were late.
Our kids were so impressed with the number of people gathered in the park that they forgot about missing the egg hunt. It is fun to watch them in a city. They both will stop dead in their tracks to point out an airplane flying above or a motorcycle driving by.
April is a month of traveling for many Gunflint Trail residents since we are in between seasons and there isn’t very much to do. I tackle as many construction projects as I can in April, which can be a hassle with the melting driveways and dripping roofs to contend with. There are a few days each year during the spring meltdown where dirt roads and driveways can be vulnerable to vehicle traffic leaving big ruts that will later harden. It is better to stay off of them until they harden up again if at all possible. Our driveway has not gotten that soft yet but it will soon.
As the snow in our yard melts away each day exposing all of my unfinished projects, I can’t help but feel a little anxious for some nicer weather this week. I can handle working outside in chilly temperatures but the wind has been brutal. This week’s forecast calls for some much needed rain to start melting snow and saturate the earth for a good green-up. I hope the forecast is right.
Cory Christianson has worked as a fishing guide on the Gunflint Trail since 2000. If you have any fishing or wildlife reports or stories to share, send an email to: christiansoncory@hotmail.com or call 218- 388-0315. You can also visit Cory’s website at Gunflintfishingguide.com.
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