"So close and yet so far. I drove 4.5 hours to Bayfield, WI today to catch the ferry for the three mile ferry ride to Madeline Island with a minivan packed to the gills with work related items. I was shooting for the 7:00 pm boat but realized mid-way through the drive that if I really pushed it, I could catch the 5:30 pm boat. These are the last two trips of the day.
Well, I pushed and I pushed and I drove onto the ferry dock at 5:34 and they had just brought up the gate and started off. Oh well, I thought, I’ll get some dinner and wait for the 7:00. I had noticed during the drive that it was pretty windy. What I didn’t realize is that there is a gale warning for this part of Lake Superior and that 5:30 was the last boat before they closed down because of the gale. They’re not sure they’ll be running any boats tomorrow.
From my vantage point in the hotel in Bayfield I am stuck in, I can almost see my office on the island. Three miles. Might as well be 2,000.
At first I was frustrated but then I kind of let myself enjoy the idea that, for all our technological and mechanical advances, the weather can still trump all of that. I took an exhilarating walk in the gale, finally walking out on the town pier where a wave broke on the pier directly in front of me, soaking me with 36 degree wind-blown Lake Superior water. I scurried back to the hotel, stripped and took a hot shower, appreciating the technological advances that make it possible for me now to be warm and dry and posting the story of this ridiculous day on the inter webs."
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