This screen cap was taken from a shaky UFO Conspiracy quality video shot at Devil’s lake this afternoon. If you happened to be at Devil’s Lake today you may have expected to see Kirk Douglas & Martin Sheen at any moment.  Of course this time warp was more likely caused by the Air Show that began at the Baraboo-Dells airport today and goes thorough the weekend.  So while we were hanging out on the South Shore watching staff take down some of the caution tape,  we were buzzed by a variety of vintage aircraft.  I don’t know what it is about the approaching drone of multiple old fighters that puts my ears back.  Must have seen to many old war films as a kid.

A couple other little notes.  The Steinke Basin parking lot is closed. A bit more of the South Shore picnic area is open.  Oh, and be careful near the water as all the break walls are below the surface. . that last step can be a lulu!

North Shore Boat Landing (well, the parking lot anyway)

Well, this morning I posted some pictures from yesterday and captioned them.  Go here for those.  Disappointing as disaster pictures go, but great news for us.  It’s just not all that bad considering what it could have been like.

Paul asked about boat landings. . . Well as you can see from the top shot the road to the North Shore landing (which is gated by the way) ends here. I actually filmed a kayak rolling demonstration in the parking lot! The little island that used to be out there is now just a few bits of green sticking a foot out of the water.   On South Shore the road to the boat landing is closed from both sides.  The landing is also under water other than a bit of pier which makes an interesting island at the moment.  So all in all, the lake will have to come down quite a bit before the landings are open again. (one advantage of small boats is we can launch anywhere)

Cosmetically there are lots of brown areas where the water has receded, there are some smelly areas, and as I said yesterday some really heavily mosquito infested areas (mostly on south shore).  However, the campgrounds looked ok from a quick drive by, the stores are open, the bands are playing (if the weather holds out), and the water is safe to swim in. .

What’s surprising is how minimal the damage really seems on the surface.  Yeah, there are washouts now filled with new gravel along the roads, the lake is high but lower than it was before the park closed, and there are vaious closures here and there. .(south shore road is closed on the west side)  still it could have been worse.  The north shore picnic area is taped off, but the water is gone.  It will open soon.  The Chateau is open, and they plan to have the big band music on Saturday. 

I did’nt actually get to the park until late in the day as I had to be in Spring Green. The Chamber of Commerce there wants everyone to know that things back to normal. The poor office woman is being drowned in calls! Anyway, once we got to the park we spent a couple hours taking pictures and paddling around the lake. I’ll share some of those pics with you tomorrow, but all in all the park is in good shape.  One thing though, the mosquitos are insane on the south shore beach area.  The water trapped in the grass is perfect breeding ground and they are flying in big hungry clouds!!  Take your bug spray!

Food Damage – 1993 (North Shore near Quartzite Campground & Hwy DL) – Copyright © 2001 Louis J. Maher, Jr.

July 17-18 1993. 12 to 13 inches of rain in 4 hours turned the Baraboo River and Skillet Creek into raging torrents of water. A young boy was killed, when the car he was riding in was swept away by the flood waters. Damage to homes, businesses, roads, and Devils Lake State Park totaled around $8 million dollars. – NWS Milwaukee

Beginning in 1993, then 2000, then again in 2008. . .  One thing is sure, something has changed. Let’s hope things stay a bit drier for awhile.  You can see more photos from the historic 1993 flood here. 

The Park opens at 6am tomorrow Morning!