Minnesotans Hit Parks, Lakes, Patios & Rooftops For #Top10WxDay
MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) -- The WCCO Weather Watcher is shimmering gold Friday for a beautiful, spring Top 10 Weather Day!
For golfers, Friday's weather was a true thing of beauty, especially considering Tuesday's previously cold and blustery winds.
"Fresh air, no big winds, no rain, no storms, the lawn is cut -- might as well go enjoy for and a half hours of fun," golfer Keith Gershkow said.
These days, the drive seems to go a little further, the putt a little more precise and any regret over missing that last workday of the week, just seems to fade away.
The sun seems to shine even brighter for those who braved a dreary round this time last year.
"It wasn't too good, I remember that," Gershkow said. "I can't remember too much, but I remember that."
Across town, Harriet Huntley prepares her Baker Park campsite without setbacks from the weather.
"This is a lot better than last year," she said. "It's awesome."
She and other campers will spend the holiday weekend celebrating another winter's end.
"Today is perfect," Huntley said. "This is my ideal weather."
That ideal weather is providing the backdrop for the summer vacation season.
"I think it gives you energy, keeps you going, days like this," Huntley said. "When you can just sit back and relax."
Every year, there's a window of time when Minnesotans emerge from the winter months with one goal: to seek the sun's rays. Jennie Marschke's summer started at the neighborhood beach.
"[It's my] first, actual, true beach day, where I'm actually sitting in the sand with the lake right next to me," she said.
But for Ellen Severson, the day is best spent on the water.
"You have more friends when it's nice outside," she said. "It's great having a boat."
Warm weather has a way of creating a traffic jam on Minnesota's lakes and rivers. Ken Patel hopes the rush makes its way to his shop, Bay Rentals.
"I'm optimistic when you get days like this," he said. "Memorial Day will be the kickoff weekend."
Like so many businesses built around water, his took a hit when lake levels reached record highs last June.
"If you take a three-month summer recreational business, and you take two and half months away from it, it's going to hurt," Patel said.
The early spring got customers thinking of summer. Add in an ideal spring day and people start planning ahead.
Still the start of the season but it seems the sun is shining brightly on a new boating season.
