Kris and Kell’s next destination was Wisconsin! When their plane landed at the airport in northern Wisconsin a rental car was waiting for them and an envelope. Kell tore open the envelope and the directions said to drive to Meyers Beach at the northern tip of the state. There are ice caves at Meyers Beach. Kris and Kell were so excited! These caves were formed by the waves of Lake Superior crashing into the shoreline year after year. The waves sculpted caves into the shoreline that are incredible! In the summer when the lake is calm, people can take guided kayak tours to the caves and sometimes even paddle into the caves! In the winter, when the conditions are right, people can walk across the ice to the caves. Before the water is completely frozen the waves make awesome ice sculptures in the caves! The ice sculptures are never the same and are always unique!
Kris and Kell could hardly wait to get there! They stopped at the information center in the city of Bayfield and got some very disappointing news! The ice caves were not open! They found out that the ice caves were only open on very rare occasions because the lake ice could be so unpredictable! The last time the ice caves were open was in 2015! There are six things that need to happen before the ice caves can be opened to the public:
- There must be a period of sustained low winds so that an unbroken ice shelf can be formed.
- There must be persistent sub-zero temperatures to form strong ice.
- The ice shelf must be anchored to land at three points and extend for miles out into the lake.
- The ground must be consistently frozen so that the ice sheet is strongly attached to it.
- The ice must be thick and made of high-quality ice. It must be able to easily support many people and emergency vehicles.
- Auger tests must be done to confirm ice stability, thickness and quality.
These six tests are for the safety of the people going to the ice caves. The ice may look safe, but if the ice does not pass these six tests the ice is not safe, and the waves of Lake Superior could break up the ice in a very short time!
Kris and Kell were very disappointed. It seemed like they had taken this trip to Wisconsin for nothing! They wondered why the grandmother had sent them here when the ice caves had not been opened for over 10 years! They did not know what to do, they did not know where they were supposed to go next. Then the person at the information desk mentioned that they could still go to Meyers Beach and go snowshoeing on the Lakeshore Trail.
Kell said, “We have not gotten an envelope with directions to our next adventure, so there must be more that we are supposed to do here. Let’s learn how to snowshoe and take the trail!” So, Kell and Kris rented snowshoes and were given instructions on how to use them. They drove their rental car to Meyers Beach and started to follow the Lakeshore Trail.
The trail was awesome in the winter! There was incredible silence in the woods, and even Lake Superior was quiet because there were no waves. The snow was falling softly, and the woods were so beautiful! Eventually the trail took them to the edge of a cliff right above the ice caves. They could look down and see the openings to several of the caves.
The lake was frozen, and the ice looked solid. Kris pointed to some animal tracks in the snow and said, “Look, animals have been walking on the ice with no problems. I can see deer tracks, and if the ice can hold deer, it should be able to hold us! We should climb down the cliff and go explore the caves!”
Kell reminded Kris, “The ice has not passed the six tests! It might be solid enough to hold us right now, but it could change very fast, and we could be trapped in the caves or drowned in the lake! It is not worth the risk, if the conditions change suddenly, we could die!”
Kell grabbed Kris’ arm and pulled him away from the edge of the cliff and started to go back down the trail. Kris really wanted to explore the ice caves, but he knew that Kell was right and so he reluctantly followed her down the trail.
When they returned their rented snowshoes, they were handed an envelope with the directions to their next adventure!
Lesson Learned about God:
Kris was tempted to break the rules and climb down the cliff and explore the ice caves. Kell reminded Kris that the rules were there to protect them and that Kris could get hurt or even die if he broke those rules and went down to the ice caves.
The Bible teaches that temptations to sin are very much like this. Many times, sin appears to be harmless and fun, but sin easily and quickly can trap us, harm us, and even kill us. God promises every believer that when a temptation to sin comes their way, God will provide a way to avoid that temptation. Many times, the way to avoid the temptation is simply to obey the rules that God has given us to protect us from harm.
In the Bible in I Corinthians 10:13 it says:
The temptations in your life are no different from what others experience. And God is faithful. He will not allow the temptation to be more than you can stand. When you are tempted, He will show you a way out so that you can endure.
In the Bible in Proverbs 14:12 it says:
There is a path before each person that seems right, but it ends in death.
The temptations to ‘play’ with sin seem to be enticing, but they will only bring harm to you and cause a separation between you and God who loves you! Do not give in to temptation! If you do have a weak moment and give in to a temptation, immediately pray and ask God to restore you and strengthen you!
In the Bible in I John 1:9 it says:
But if we confess our sins to Him, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all wickedness.
Report to the grandmother:
- At the travel agency – God has a good plan for us. Jeremiah 29:11
- Florida – God is watching over us, we do not need to be fearful. Psalms 23
- Wisconsin – Temptations. I Corinthians 10:13, Proverbs 14:12, I John 1:9