Our first guests are coming next Saturday to Northwind Lodge and just as well. I've never been a fan of opening day of fishing. Sure, some guys pound the fish in the moving water only because the walleyes have just finished spawning and are milling around, but for the most part it was never my fun time for fishing. Last week in May, after Memorial Weekend are ALWAYS better than opening day, any time of the year for consistent fishing all over the lake. The weather is nicer usually, the water is warming up, and you can catch more than one species of fish. Now, some say that if it's not "only walleyes" what is the point? If that is your only focus and you like eating fish that tastes like whatever breading you chose to fry it in, well, knock yourself out. Do what you need to do to catch the tofu of fish. Just remember that fishing in NE Minnesota on fishing opener may lead to no fishing as there is still ice on the lakes right now. I'd come later on for more stable weather, no ice, and more variety in fishing.
Today was a day of diversity in working, however. Since we are closed on Sundays in May, I try to take advantage of the time for finishing heavy equipment projects and plumbing adventures. For the better part of Mother's Day, I wrestled with two, 220 gallon pressure tanks that I had installed to aid in our water distribution system. Pressure tanks allow a reserve of water to build up in the pressurized water system so the pump isn't clicking on and off which causes excessive wear and tear and eventually premature pump failure. Changing out a pump by hand, 165 feet underground is far less fun than it sounds having experienced that event years ago. So, pressure tanks make sense - when they work.
Last fall, for the first time ever, we decided to shut down the central restroom building to save on heating costs. No biggie, I've been draining water systems since I've been a young kid. Having to drain those pressure tanks was something new, however. Turns out that the rubber bladders in those tanks ruptured at some point over the years. They were full with 220 gallons of water and I had to blow it out using the air valve on top and an air compressor. In order to get 440 gallons of water to run outside the building I had to cut an outside line with my knife. To get the water system up and running today, of course, I needed to install a coupling in the water line that I cut last fall. I put on hose clamps and discovered that I had two US made clamps and one Taiwanese clamp. I normally avoid the Taiwanese clamps because they are totally unreliable.
I put the two US clamps together on one side of the coupling and snugged them down. I put the cheap clamp on the other side of the coupling. After isolating the building with valves, I turned on the main water with a valve under the lodge building. I checked the now-pressurized coupling, and didn't trust that foreign clamp. I found some used US clamps on discarded piece of line and decided to install them in place of the cheap clamp. So, in back of the building, I decided to move the cheap clamp and deftly slip in the two better clamps so I wouldn't have to worry about it while I lay awake at night wondering what might blow when we need it most.
I take my 5/16" nut driver and begin to loosen the clamp. I unscrew it smoothly and slowly because my goal is to take it off and deftly slip on two used clamps without shutting off the water because the shut-off is under another building 125 feet away. Twist, twwwiiiisssssttttt, tttwwwisssssssssstttttt and POOF! The line blew off the coupling and an instantaneous geyser of 55 PSI water blew up my nose and soaked me from head to crotch. I sputtered and reacted with my "cat-like" reflexes (Ha!). I took off running to get to the main water valve like I should have done in the first place, hair wet, hat dripping, soaked T-shirt, and 47 degree water meeting various parts of me that don't really appreciate ice cold water - ever. I went back, fixed the coupling and went in to change into dry clothes.
From there I moved to the pressure tanks by wrestling one big, fat slippery tank onto the back of the truck and tying it securely on its side with canoe straps so I could pull out the old rubber bladder out. I grabbed hold of the rubber with my pliers. It wouldn't come out without a fight. (Of course...) It was heavy, stretchy, and belligerent. I ended up taking out my knife and shredding it until I got it out of the big metal tank and dropped it on the ground like a dead carcass peeled off the center line of the Fernberg road.
That was the easy part. I now had to put the new bladder in place. That means figuring out how to tightly roll up a fat piece of rubber into a log that is under 6 inches in diameter. I got some clean, soapy water and began to wrestle the big rubber part through the steel hole. After numerous, tiring attempts, I finally got the bladder inside of that big tank. I kept thinking about soaking an egg in vinegar and and squeezing it into a bottle. One tank wore me out, and I had to do the same to the second. I figured that might go easier. HA! Six tries and it finally popped into the tank. I replaced the bolt-on pressure plates, torquing the six nuts to the required 85 inch pounds of pressure and back to the building they went where I wrestled them inside.
Before hooking them up, I decide to verify the water system in the building since it was turned off for the winter. Ice really sneaks in the most inopportune of places and I figured it would be better to identify those first before putting in a water reserve. I couldn't find a leak with the exception of one compression ring that was blown off under a lavatory. Ice did that. I ran out of time. Annette and I were supposed to leave at 3 PM to visit her mom in the nursing home. So, I shut the main line in the building, found Delilah and headed to the house. I'll have to fix that ring tomorrow.
When we returned from Ely, we ate dinner and I decided to go out and work on a rock wall that I'm building next to the Treetophaus. I decided to remove some really big balsams with the help of my dad and the Bobcat for fire safety and to allow two Norway pines in their shadows to grow. As a result, I opened up an area and decided to build a stone wall and a patio of sorts to provide a nice safer spot for the barbecue grill for Treetophaus guests. Of course, it is a tricky spot with a main water line in the way, lots of rocks and lacking in enough space to maneuver. With Delilah watching my every move, and then chasing after a snowshoe hare, and then watching me again, I began to roll rocks as large as I could handle into the bucket of the Bobcat. Sometimes, it is just easier to hand fill the bucket instead of trying to spear under them with the bucket edge. After dumping four loads of rocks and moving slow not to run over my little buddy who thinks that Bobcat wheels and attachments are not threatening at all, I began to stack them into a small wall. It's going to take many more buckets of rocks and then about 4 loads of gravel. It's nice working this time of year as there are no bugs whatsoever and the new bugs are kind of dumb. Also, in the background, Jasper Creek is roaring. After having listened to that same sound of natural white noise for my entire life, it is really something to have toiled in these rocks for so long. Not a lot of people will ever experience something like that.
Finally, I'd had enough. Those rocks would have to wait for another day. It was 8 PM and after wrestling boulders around that I wished the Bobcat could get into and handle but couldn't, I decided to head in. I climbed in and cranked up the machine and headed it to a tent to keep it out of the rain that is supposed to be coming tomorrow. Delilah trotted alongside looking at me and matching my speed. I shut it down, climbed out I noted the mischievous look in doglette's eyes. She began doing high-speed laps around and around in crazy patterns on the ground. I had to encourage her and she ran faster and faster only to stop suddenly on a patch of fresh, young grass and lay down puffing.
We both then headed inside. Delilah is now curled up in her dog bed, Cookie is snoring asleep in front of me, Annette is watching the tube, and I'm typing this post. The day is coming to an end. Didn't quite fit in casting off the docks for a haukie or two despite the beautiful day. Maybe tomorrow.
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Comment if you'd like. I'd also like to hear your stories of staying at Northwind Lodge.