After all every weather report I have heard in the UP throughout the last 3-years predicts 20-40% chance for rain changing to snow, July, Aug, Sept, it really doesn't matter. The other thing I've noticed about the weather up there is you really never know how much snow they are predicting b/c they just continue to add the amount of snow that will becoming. For example when listening to the radio yesterday in morning I heard 3-4 inches, at noon I heard to expect 2 inches, by 3 pm the forecaster describes 4-6 inches. Well be the end of day there was 12". So does that all added up; and how would I have ever known that from each separate set of predictions ranging in intervals of 1 to 6 inches? Honestly I wouldn't be surprised if i just uncovered the secrets of the UP Weatherman. 1) Always predict some rain and a chance for snow, 2) Never, ever provide an overall accumulation, rather just keep adding up depths w/out providing a start or end time.
Anyway getting back to the weekend; so we trek off to north country w/ great expectations until hitting significant weather just north of Wausau; Rain, ice and than snow. Now peering through a 2 inch by 6 inch clearing in the windsheild that continues to shift from the left to the right side of the steering wheel we decide to stop in Rhineland, to replace our brand new wipers. Apparently they now make standard wipers not capable of fighting through freezing rain and snow! So we decided not to cut any corners this time dropping $40 on rainex's cadillac of wipers. Which by the way were worth every cent. Well after a traditonal 5 hour drive taking nearly 9 hours we arrive at the cabin, w/ "slightly" less enthusiasm than when we started.
The next morning we woke to blizzard conditions, 35 mph winds and horizontal snow. Trying to have a fresh spring attitude it must be time for a nice soothing cup of hot chocolate. Than it was time to go for a walk, after all we drove all this way! Well by 7 pm that night the accumulation is causing us to question our perserverance. With a couple passing conversations Kris and I make the call. We were nervous that the accumulation would prevent us from safely getting out to pavement and w/ a two year old we're in no position to take any risks. So we pack our things and I go to start the truck only to hear a subtle but quick click, click, clicking noise after turning the key; a sure giving away of a dead battery. I definitely recall a sinking feeling as thoughts and scenerios race through my head, extra battery/no, battery charger/no, options, THINK, THINK, THINK.
Well, step 1 will mean I need to inform the rest of the family about the dead truck and the fact that we aren't leaving tonight. So delivering the bad news didn't make me very popular. There was limited finger pointing about leaving the lights on too long last night and mentions of better communication and how its important to listen and how I'm in charge of vehicle mainentence. Really all expected conversation considering the situaiton. So playing through the options, there was a 12 volt adaptor on the generator. Thinking this through I really thought it looked like an after thought to the overall design of the machine. Perhaps it was a last minute desicion of some marketing person who insisted the generator would be a better sell if we said it had a 12 volt charger option. So some engineer probably through the design together late the night before things went to production. Well being unaware of any type developments of this machine, I was stuck playing around w/ a couple hoky screws and left over wire in the blowing snow and lingering darkness.
With no luck I decide to wait until morning when I pick up where I left off getting more and more annoyed w/ this whole 12 volt thing on the generator dreaming up other scenerios as to why or how this became an option on this machine. Well the picture below really tells the rest of the story. Sunday isn't a good day to make calls, as the local gas station isn't open and there aren't many options w/in walking distance of Este Lake. Even if there were it would have been a six mile walk one way in the blowing snow;which left me thinking, "is thing really an option"? Well to end a story, I will say I am very gratefull to Sergent Dan of the Houghton County Sheirff's department and his deputy for coming out and providing us w/ a jump start and personal escourt to pavement. I suppose it was just another weekend in paradise.
