Tuesday, July 12, 2005
"How High Is The Water, Momma?" "Five Feet High And Rising!"
5 AM. I arose, and looked out the window. Boy, my eyes are foggy. Shit, I didn't have that many beers last night. I rubbed my eyes, and looked again. Hey, it really is foggy, just like "pea soup". I "pinched a loaf", brushed my teeth, and headed for the Float Base.
I arrived at the Float Base, and Walter Turbine Otter C-GBTU "loomed" out of the fog..........
Polack Otter C-GHYB waits for the fog to lift............
Foggy morn!
The forecast was calling for the fog to lift around 8 AM, so I played the waiting game, after warming up HYB. Finally, we started to see some sun.
Very faintly, the sun starts to show through the fog.
The sun got brighter, and started to reflect off the water................
The power of the sun starts to really burn off the fog. I was airborne at 8:10 AM.
I headed to Bissett, and then Shining Falls.
The shadow of my Otter shows on the cloud below me, ringed with a rainbow!!
Finally, I descended for Shining Falls, and taxied to the dock.
"Aye, Caramba"! Water over the docks, here, too! Bloody amazing, and it is STILL rising!!!
Hey, look at that! Dave Schneider's 1947 Piper J-3, C-FLDQ. Actually, Dave is in camp building new floating docks. Notice the water up to the trees.
Geez, the water is so high, you can just about "boat" to the steps leading to the dining room.............
Thank God for Corey and the "John Deere"............
Then, I was airborne again for Bissett. Arriving in Bissett, I was soon joined by............
Manitoba Government Air Division newly-converted Pratt and Whitney Turbine Otter, C-FODY. The water is so friggin' high in Bissett, Manitoba Natural Resources has to drive through water to get to their dock!
ODY, with the Bissett "Gold Mine" in the background.................
I had one more trip to Giraffe Lake. Giraffe Lake is where I landed after having an engine failure in a Beaver on skis and the story was detailed in my post; Bob Polinuk: "To The Rescue". I took in 8 men to a private cabin, and there we needed a ramp to get from the dock to the shore, the water was so high. Shit! It never ends! There is also a Trapper's Cabin on the lake by the private cabin, so I took a stroll, camera in hand. Many years ago, at the beginning of my career, I would bring Trappers from Little Grand Rapids to Giraffe Lake, and keep them supplied, freeze-up and break-up. Then, the cabin appeared.
Trapper Cabin at Giraffe Lake!
Other side of the cabin. I believe this cabin was made in haste, probably right before freeze-up, as you can see the logs aren't peeled, meaning time was probably in short supply.
The cabin was nailed shut, and out of respect for the Trapper, I didn't enter, though I would have liked to have photos from the inside. Therefore, I "snooped" around outside, as Trappers always have something of interest around their cabins. I found............
Snowshoes, along with 2 bow-saws, up a tree, where the mice can't chew them! Look closely!
The Trapper's home-made sled for winter!
Every Trapper needs a canoe!
An old pair of snowshoes, repaired with nylon side-line, beyond repair now. Look close...........
Home-made racks for stretching furs. It is too bad the "myopia" of the "bleeding-heart city folk" has killed the fur industry. You can't trap a fur-bearing animal, but you can pave over it's habitat and put a city there. Putzes!!
Trapping. A tremendous lifestyle, with a rich history. The knowledge of the Trappers was, and is, priceless, and irreplaceable. Unfortunately, it is all fading to black...........
Trip complete, I headed for Silver Falls. One last item to remind everyone about. The Liftoff of Space Shuttle Discovery on NASA's Return to Flight Mission is scheduled for 3:51 pm EDT July 13. Eileen Collins is Mission Commander, this being her 4th Shuttle Mission. Good for her! Female Shuttle Commander! Only in the U.S.! Here is a link for all the info!
NASA - Return To Flight
Till next time,......"Adios"!!
GOOD LUCK!!!!!!!!!
I arrived at the Float Base, and Walter Turbine Otter C-GBTU "loomed" out of the fog..........
Polack Otter C-GHYB waits for the fog to lift............
Foggy morn!
The forecast was calling for the fog to lift around 8 AM, so I played the waiting game, after warming up HYB. Finally, we started to see some sun.
Very faintly, the sun starts to show through the fog.
The sun got brighter, and started to reflect off the water................
The power of the sun starts to really burn off the fog. I was airborne at 8:10 AM.
I headed to Bissett, and then Shining Falls.
The shadow of my Otter shows on the cloud below me, ringed with a rainbow!!
Finally, I descended for Shining Falls, and taxied to the dock.
"Aye, Caramba"! Water over the docks, here, too! Bloody amazing, and it is STILL rising!!!
Hey, look at that! Dave Schneider's 1947 Piper J-3, C-FLDQ. Actually, Dave is in camp building new floating docks. Notice the water up to the trees.
Geez, the water is so high, you can just about "boat" to the steps leading to the dining room.............
Thank God for Corey and the "John Deere"............
Then, I was airborne again for Bissett. Arriving in Bissett, I was soon joined by............
Manitoba Government Air Division newly-converted Pratt and Whitney Turbine Otter, C-FODY. The water is so friggin' high in Bissett, Manitoba Natural Resources has to drive through water to get to their dock!
ODY, with the Bissett "Gold Mine" in the background.................
I had one more trip to Giraffe Lake. Giraffe Lake is where I landed after having an engine failure in a Beaver on skis and the story was detailed in my post; Bob Polinuk: "To The Rescue". I took in 8 men to a private cabin, and there we needed a ramp to get from the dock to the shore, the water was so high. Shit! It never ends! There is also a Trapper's Cabin on the lake by the private cabin, so I took a stroll, camera in hand. Many years ago, at the beginning of my career, I would bring Trappers from Little Grand Rapids to Giraffe Lake, and keep them supplied, freeze-up and break-up. Then, the cabin appeared.
Trapper Cabin at Giraffe Lake!
Other side of the cabin. I believe this cabin was made in haste, probably right before freeze-up, as you can see the logs aren't peeled, meaning time was probably in short supply.
The cabin was nailed shut, and out of respect for the Trapper, I didn't enter, though I would have liked to have photos from the inside. Therefore, I "snooped" around outside, as Trappers always have something of interest around their cabins. I found............
Snowshoes, along with 2 bow-saws, up a tree, where the mice can't chew them! Look closely!
The Trapper's home-made sled for winter!
Every Trapper needs a canoe!
An old pair of snowshoes, repaired with nylon side-line, beyond repair now. Look close...........
Home-made racks for stretching furs. It is too bad the "myopia" of the "bleeding-heart city folk" has killed the fur industry. You can't trap a fur-bearing animal, but you can pave over it's habitat and put a city there. Putzes!!
Trapping. A tremendous lifestyle, with a rich history. The knowledge of the Trappers was, and is, priceless, and irreplaceable. Unfortunately, it is all fading to black...........
Trip complete, I headed for Silver Falls. One last item to remind everyone about. The Liftoff of Space Shuttle Discovery on NASA's Return to Flight Mission is scheduled for 3:51 pm EDT July 13. Eileen Collins is Mission Commander, this being her 4th Shuttle Mission. Good for her! Female Shuttle Commander! Only in the U.S.! Here is a link for all the info!
NASA - Return To Flight
Till next time,......"Adios"!!
GOOD LUCK!!!!!!!!!
