Forget I Said That Yesterday

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Gooseberry Falls State Park, Two Harbors, Minnesota

In yesterday’s post I mentioned that it seemed like the storms blew in from the northwest and then picked up the moisture and energy from the lake before pounding the southern and eastern shores. Well, as if to tell me how wrong I can be, Lake Superior sent us one hell of a storm last night. And, just to prove who was the boss, the storm formed over the lake and then blew back westward onto shore. So whatever I said about how the weather works up here, well, I was just plain wrong - the Lake can deliver storms on any side of the lake it chooses!

Rain was in the forecast all day to start around six in the evening. It arrived right on schedule. Soon the weather service started issuing warnings and they continued into the wee hours of the morning. First it was a small craft advisory, telling boaters to get off the lake. Then, as the rain continued to increase in intensity, they started warning the shoreside counties. It started with a ‘weather statement’, but as the evening wore on and the rain never stopped, they turned into flood advisory’s, watches, and finally warnings. That last warning was centered on Two Harbors, which is only about a dozen miles down the road. They said that more than two inches of rain had already fallen and the ravines and cliffsides were subject to substantial flooding with possible landslides.

The thunder was pretty intense as well. Poor Smoochie was beside herself. As it got darker and darker, I too started feeling a little uncomfortable. We didn’t get a chance to explore the area yesterday, and I’m not sure how close we are to those waterfalls. That made me feel a little threatened. Several campers packed up and left as the storm showed no signs of letting up.

As predicted, though, the rains stopped around midnight. This morning it is pretty overcast, but there are patches of blue in the clouds and the forecast is for clear skies and zero percent chance of rain. So I’m thinking it might be a perfect day to pack up a picnic lunch and drive up the shoreline. There’s a park on my list pretty much at the Canadian border, so maybe we do that today. Joan says she has a crick in her back, though, and that might change our plans a bit. More rain is predicted for Wednesday, so we only have the next two days to see the sights.

Did manage to get the laundry and grocery shopping done, though. And we slept in yesterday morning. With the chores done and a little more rested, we should be ready to go here soon.

PS. Turns out my phone had zero power so I couldn’t post this until we got home from today’s adventure.

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