West End News: January 9

West End News 1/9/2014
 
Longtime Schroeder and Tofte resident, Dave Carlson, moved to Silver Bay a few years ago to take advantage of senior housing there.  Dave is the father of Diane Norman and the grandfather of Tyler Norman, who both live in Tofte.
 
Before he moved, Dave was the most dedicated user of the Sugarbush cross-country ski trails in Tofte.  For decades, Dave would grind out 15 to 20 kilometers a day, no matter what the weather or trail conditions were.  He was never much for speed, but he made up for it with endurance and tenacity.
 
Over the recent holiday season, Dave stayed a few days with the Normans in Tofte and used that opportunity to return to his old ski trail haunts at Sugarbush.  While on the trail, Dave, who is in his 80s, ran into Charlie Nelson of Lutsen.  Charlie is the other West-ender with the most Sugarbush miles under his belt.  I honestly can’t say which man has skied the farthest, but it sure was fun that they are still out there logging the miles together.
 
The ski trails haven’t been getting much use for the last week, due to the slightly chillier than normal weather. That should change now that warmer temperatures have returned. Certainly, there is enough snow for all the trails and downhill slopes to be in perfect condition.
 
Speaking of the cold snap, I looked back at my weather records and in the last 30 days all but two nights have been below zero.  One of those warm nights was 2 degrees and the other was a sweltering 12 degrees.  The coldest night was 31 below, with four nights at 30 below or colder.  Last year, the same 30 days only had seven nights below zero and the coldest of those nights was a wimpy 14 below.
 
That said, I have personally witnessed 58 below zero here at Sawbill, on the night when the state record was set at 62 below in Tower.  I also have childhood memories of two occasions when our propane stopped flowing over the Christmas holidays, which I believe happens at around 45 below.  Of course, I also used to walk to school uphill both ways through 6-foot snowdrifts back in those days.
 
As usual, there is a lot going on at the Birch Grove Community Center in Tofte:
 
The “Second Sunday Fun Day” series continues to provide some indoor winter recreation for West End families.  It starts at 3:30 p.m. every second Sunday with activities, games, Zumba and open gym.  In January, there will also be a hands-on activity called ‘planning through play” sponsored by Cook County Moving Matters, starting at 4:30 p.m. The first 25 participants in this fun planning process will get free pizza from the outdoor pizza oven. At 6:30 on the same evening the Birch Grove greenhouse committee will meet with Jake Davis, who is a recent horticulture graduate, and Diane Booth from the County Extension Service.  Everyone is welcome to attend the greenhouse meeting too.
 
On Jan. 27, the community is invited to the mid-distance Beargrease sled-dog race banquet. You can meet the mushers and their dogs.  There is a charge for the banquet, but the menu includes the famous Cross River Café chili, along with other delicious dishes. 
 
As always, you can get more information about all Birch Grove activities by emailing [email protected] or calling 663-7977. Otherwise, feel free to contact WTIP for complete contact information.
 
On a recent cold early morning trip down the Sawbill Trail, I observed a weather phenomenon that I’ve never seen before. Although the sky was clear, it seems that tiny ice crystals were condensing directly out of the air.  As the sun broke over the Sawtooth Mountains, it created a full rainbow, completely contained in the valley in front of the hills.  Not only was it incredibly beautiful, but I can’t remember ever seeing a rainbow in January.
 
It’s just another perk of living in the beautiful West End.
 
For WTIP, this is Bill Hansen with the West End News.
 

{photo by Bill Hansen}