Yesterday, on Saturday, July 5th, Annette went down to watch the store Red Rock and Northwind Lodge to assist with lodge check-ins and store customers while I sneaked away to Ely to attend my 35th class reunion at the Boat House on Sheridan St.
Ordinarily, I don't like to leave the business ever because whenever I do, all heck breaks loose. It had been storming with some lightning and while the power was on, the phone and internet were dead. I took my smart phone and stuffed the fat thing in my pocket and reluctantly got in the truck and drove to town.
The reunion was fun. Meeting old classmates and friends and some of my cousins made for an enjoyable evening. Many bulls were shot and the world's problems were addressed. While talking loudly and straining to hear each other, a waitress with a cordless phone approached our table and asked one of my mates for a particular person and every arm on the table pointed to me. Of course...I am not allowed to leave the resort and it was making itself be known as it called me back with a smirk.
I had to step outside and recall Annette on her cell phone. She had to drive to almost Fall lake, 9 miles away to get cell reception. She tried calling me numerous times on my cell, but because I am a Luddite where a smart phone (really a dumb phone) is concerned. I could neither feel a vibration nor hear the ring tone I picked for that modern wonder that has brain-dead children everywhere addicted to thumb typing. Anyway, I headed outside and re-called her to find that there was a lightning strike and some strange goings on with the electrical power in several cabins. So, leave the fun and race back home I did. It's no longer a surprise but like a self-fulfilling prophecy, something that I just expect. Fortunately, there were no deer popping out of the ridiculously neglected, Lake County grass and weeds, forcing my hand at Fernberg Whack-A-Mole with the truck. I marveled at how the country seat in Two Harbors is manicured by county highway staff and the our region in the northern part of the county which contributes almost 40% of the taxes can't even get four foot high weeds cut on the edge of the road before mid to late July. One thinks of all sorts of things while speeding into the night with a strange-sounding problem crawling around on the ladders of one's mind.
When I arrived at the resort, I talked to Annette and she had no new information, so I went downstairs for a diagnostic meter and headed out to the rest of the resort. On the way, I stopped in the store to pick up a can of wasp spray because along with the lights out in about half of Cabin 8, there was a significant hornet nest very near the door. When I got there, I met with the cabin guests and they pointed out the nest. I proceeded to super-soak it with the spray. Yep - it was full of those rotten black wasps and I gave them a bath while dancing around as they fell out and slowly zoomed my way in a daze. With that I went into the back room where the electrical panels are and inspected all the fuses with a flashlight. All fuses appeared intact. No visible signs of burning or the smell of roasted metal under lightning. There was also no heat. The box was cool temperature-wise. Nonetheless, there were no lights in part of the cabin where the lights had been and I cannot figure out what is going on. I was glad that I opted to not drink a second beer that one of my classmates offered me at the bar. As a rule, I prefer to be completely focused whenever working with electricity. It only takes one screw up to make for a really bad evening.
I can't figure it out. Fuses are intact, lights are gone. Maybe the lightning strike burned off a wire without taking out a 15 amp fuse. I couldn't see how, but weird stuff happens with lightning. I told the party that I need to come back in the daylight and take a closer look tomorrow. They are fine with that and have a flashlight for the dark bathroom. Before I can get out the door, the group leader, Lindsey Shaner insists I take at least two freshly baked molasses cookies that apparently his wife made for him and the group. I did and ate them on the way to Cabin 5 where the story of electrical weirdness at Northwind Lodge was a continuing saga. The cookies were really quite good! I wanted another one but the scope of the mission didn't allow it.
At Cabin 5, the Murphies explained what happened, Big thunder, the lights went almost dark and the refrigerator got loud and didn't sound right. I tested the power which was now looking just fine and the fridge was sounding normal. Power hit a perfect 120 volts on my meter. I inspected the electrical panel and felt for hot circuit breakers and smelled for burning bake-lite. Nothing unusual, nothing tripped. I said goodnight to the Murphy's and headed home on foot in the dark, perplexed and a bit irritated that I had to leave the reunion and still couldn't really solve the problem in Cabin #8.
The next morning, the Shaner party headed out to Wood Lake. They fish there every day of the week during their stay here at Northwind Lodge. I met up with Pete Edwards, another longtime guest at our lodge and he told me the same story. IN Cabin #7, the lights went dark and the fridge made a lot of noise as it was drawing a lot of amps in the suddenly low voltage of what appeared to be brown-out as opposed to the more expected surge from a lightning strike. Pete volunteered to come with me and turn lights on and off to check circuits. I also scrounged around and luckily found the right sized batteries for my multi-meter that I would need to test resistance in cartridge fuses in Cabin 8. We go there and I tested all the cartridge fuses and re-inspected the the round fuses one more time. According to my meter, none of the fuses were fried. We go into the bathroom and look at those dang lights. Then it dawned on me.
I went to the hallway and located an old-fashioned light bulb, unscrewed the compact fluorescent light in the bathroom ceiling and replaced it with the real light bulb. Flipped the switch and lo-and-behold, the light lit up like a mini sun. That was it! The common denominator was there in front of us. Four CFL's died in the brownout. They don't do well in less than perfect conditions and it was imperfect at best, last night. In talking with my dad, he said that it sounded like the lighting hit really close to his house and in the vicinity of the transformer that powers the bulk of the resort. I still can't figure how we had a brownout in a lightning strike, but that is what appears to have happened. I suspect that the event may have shortened the lifespans of several cabin refrigerators as well. Only time will tell. Dang....
I need to make a mental note to add "checking common denominators" to my list of how to determine what goes wrong when it does. Fortunately, the problem was resolved rather easily and vacationing continues at Northwind Lodge.
Northwind Lodge Website
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Red Rock Wilderness Store Website
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Comment if you'd like. I'd also like to hear your stories of staying at Northwind Lodge.