A Helping Hand

Katie from the front desk just called me. She and Marilyn have been reading the blog I posted yesterday. Good thing they were because they found one of my bigger errors. The Mush for the Cure raises money for breast cancer (not canoe) research. This is one of those errors that is not caught by a spell checker. It takes humans reading to find my errors. Luckily for me both Katie and Marilyn are there to check all my work and correct my mistakes.

March Musings

Bruce, Sheryl and I had a good trip to Denver. We bought lots of fun gifts that you will be seeing in the gift shops this summer. By the time we got back to Minneapolis, I was down with a nasty winter cold and went home with Sheryl. On the trip home she managed to catch it too.

Meanwhile Bruce drove down to Missouri for and outfitters meeting and to pick up some hickory firewood. Don will use it all summer in the smoker. Guide Dennis Todd had gathered a huge pile of it. It was a long drive home for Bruce since he had come down the the cold by then.

Now that we are fully into March, I can see that the season is getting ready to change. We still have plenty of snow but there are differences between March and January. It looks like the buds are ready to pop out of the trees even though that is weeks and weeks away. The deer are feeding on all the buds that they can reach. Green leaves won’t come until May.

The south facing shoulder of the side road by the stable is down to bare ground. We will probably get more snow to cover it but the bare ground looks pretty good right now. The deer are pawing at it looking for any leafy tidbit. There is not much to be had.

On the ice Jason and Don have constructed a good size ice rink for a couple of weddings. After the last one on the 19th, Jason will start to build the new dock on this bare patch of ice. The completed dock will just sit there until it melts through the ice sometime in April. Once the shore is clear enough they will push it back into the summer home bay. This area is protected from the main flow of ice that moves around quite a bit during the spring thaw. Getting caught by that flow could destroy the new dock in just moments.

Meanwhile we still have some winter activities going on this weekend. On Saturday is the Mush for the Cure. It is a fun run dog sled race from Gunflint Lake to Poplar Lake. Each musher raises money to be donated for breast canoe research. Our Adam Treeful has been busy raising money and will participate in the run. Part of the fun is seeing how the mushers dress in pink. I will try to get some pictures.

On Sunday the local snowmobile club sponsors a trout derby on the lake. They plow a huge ice ring so that cars can drive on. It is a great family event. There are kids and snowmobiles all over. A lunch is served on the lake. If it is not windy, a sunny March day on the lake is wonderful. I have gotten sunburn more than once. Some people even catch lake trout. Basically it is a fun event for the entire community.

Not much more going on right now. I’ll have to get back into the local moccasin telegraph system.

Planes and Travelers

Our friend J. T. is up for a few days. Many years ago (when Robert and Lee were about 2 and 4) J. T. worked for us. His father was the editor of the Duluth newspaper and we inherited J. T. for a summer’s work. This continued for several years as he went through the stages of dock boy and guide.

Then he spent a winter with us. During that time the boys loved to play with him. He taught them a game called “Far, Far Away.” When the boys had driven him about nuts, J. T. would tell them to go far, far away. Usually they would disappear and find something to play with.

J. T. got his pilot’s license. He flew for Bruce’s brother-in-law, Jim, in Alaska. Next he got on with a regional carrier in Alaska. Eventually he got on with Southwest Airlines and is now one of their senior captains. We are very proud of him.

A couple days ago J. T. flew up in his Super Cub on skis. This morning he and Bruce went flying around the area for a while. Here is a picture of the two of them and then one that Bruce took from the air. It was a fun time for both of them. J. T. will be back up in June and he and Bruce will probably find a night to go fishing.

We have a great group of seniors in from Central Wisconsin this week. They are out skiing, snowshoeing, and dog sledding every day. The most fun for them has been driving one of the sled dog teams on the lake. Also today Don cooked a soup lunch for them at one of the warming huts on the ski trails. It was a perfect day as snow gently fell over their lunch spot. This evening Bruce and I will talk to them about the lodge history (me) and dog sledding (Bruce).

Tomorrow Bruce, Sheryl and I are off to Denver. It is time for the Denver Gift Show and we have money burning a hole in our pockets. For four days we will walk the show looking for some great gifts. My feet ought to be done in at the end.

Next Tuesday we fly back to Minneapolis. Sheryl goes home. Bruce and I head south Springfield, MO, for some outfitters meetings. While Bruce works at the meetings, I intend to visit Bass Pro and shop. We will stop March 4th at Robert and Miranda’s on our way home. Monday we should be back.

So, Ralph Griffis down in Texas, you won’t hear from me for about two weeks as we go all over the country. I am sure we will meet some interesting people and find a couple of good restaurants.

Today It's Wind

We have had several warm days this past week. I am always torn when we get melting snow at this time of year. Luckily we have a great base so there is still a lot of skiing to be had. According to the weather map (if you believe that) we are scheduled for more snow in the next couple of days.

Last night it was 37 degrees when I went to bed about 10:00 p.m. This morning at 5:15 it was 5 degrees. The drop in temperature was not nearly as surprising as the wind. Sometime in the early morning hours I could hear the wind start to howl. It really has to be strong for me to hear it in the house due to all our insulation. Also the trees on the lake side protect us from the worst of the northwest wind.

It is around 3:00 p.m. now and the wind is still roaring outside my wind. The weather readings from Seagull Lake say it is gusting up to 32 mph. I think that is more sustained than gusting. You just have to accept that today is going to be a bad hair day. I always tell the gal who does my hair to cut it for blowing in the wind. Well, no hair cut will survive this wind.

We had a fisherman come in for breakfast today. He had been out on the lake ice fishing early in the morning. Usually he uses a pop-up ice fishing house. He said that today the wind just blew it away and he couldn’t use it. In fact, at one point the wind almost blew him over. Needless to say, the fish were not biting.

As we look out the lodge windows, the wind has the snow swirling all over. The nice part is that all the loose snow is blown off the slush pockets again. By tomorrow there will be little snow or slush on the lake. We can see the bare ice from the lodge.

At lunch today we also noticed a funny something sticking up at the narrows. Bruce got out the binoculars for a look. There was an ice house (tent) right near the narrows with a snowmobile just behind it. Although it is hard to tell how close the fisherman is to the narrows, we can see he is pretty close, certainly much, much closer than we consider safe. As you know the narrows never freezes solid because of the continual moving water through there. I just hope that nothing happens.

Bruce just looked out the window right now. The fishermen are gone. They probably got blown off the lake.

I filled our wood box for the night. After going down to the lodge, a fire in the fireplace will seem very nice. Right now the sound of the wind just makes me feel cold even though my office is plenty warm.

Slush!

This past week has seen the condition of the ice on lakes change. At the beginning there were pockets of slush on many of the lakes. Then the temperatures dropped and the wind came up. This wind blew the insulating snow off the slush. The slush then froze. Now we are back to very little slush and lots of solid black ice. My neighbor say in some places it is 20 inches thick and you can see right through it.

So why do we care if there is slush on the lake? After all, the ice is still safe with slush on it. It is the getting stuck in slush that is the problem. Once you have disturbed the insulating snow, the slush freezes quickly. It also freezes in anything stuck in slush. Here are a couple stories about slush.

Years ago Bruce and I were invited down to Trout Lake to entertain some members of the press and talk about the great ice fishing in the area. Several locals brought snowmobiles with them. One of the people who came along was our then Congressman, John Blatnik. The Congressman was a complete politician who was always greeting people. He saw other groups of fishermen on the lake. Hopping on a snowmobile, Congressman Blatnik took off to say hello. Instead he got stuck a deep hole of slush – up to the snowmobile seat. Naturally, the Congressman walked away from it. Bruce and the owner of the snowmobile spent the next two hours getting the machine it. They were both soaked by the time the job was done.

Justine had two small Polaris Playmates for snowmobiles. Robert and Lee loved to drive them on the lake close to the lodge. One day one of the machines got into slush about 100 feet in front of the lodge. Bruce was at a sports show. Mom and I were the only adults around. Even though I understood the principle of getting machines out, I had never actually done it. It was another instance where Mom was the brains and I was the muscle.

Out the four of us went. We had some firewood to put under the machine and get it out of the slush. But first we had to clear all the slush out of the track. Luckily it was a small snowmobile. I would hold up the back so the machine was only sitting on its front skis. Then one of the boys would race the engine to blow out the slush. The only place the slush could go was out the back of the track right on me.

Next we put the machine on the firewood well out of the slush. Then we turned the machine off. There was still slush in the track so we dug it out with our hands. It is truly a fun job! Eventually we had the machine totally out of slush and all the slush out of the machine. Even this small machine was too much for us to pull to shore.

Now what? The machine is in the middle of the huge slush pocket. We all put on snowshoes and tramped a trail from the machine out of the slush pocket and to the shore. Every step weighed a ton as slush piled up on the snowshoes. The plan was to let the slush freeze overnight and then run the machine to shore on the frozen path. The next morning we were all relieved when the plan actually worked.

More Stories from Gunflint

As usual, we have had a busy week, Don, our food and beverage manager worked with traffic control on the Beargrease Sled Dog Race. He had the all-night shift where the Trail crossed the main road. During that time there was a two hour period when no one came through. Don turned off his flashing lights and look at the northern lights which swirled in the sky above him. While he was standing outside the truck, a bunch of noise startled him. What was it? Two moose came through. It’s enough to keep you awake all night.

Do you wonder what we all do for entertainment during the winter? Bonnie from the outfitters and Marilyn from the front desk were out and about yesterday. They decided to hike the Centennial Trail on snowshoes with Jason’s dog, Monster. The trail is 3.3 miles long. It took them a full two hours to hike it starting from the Round Lake side. They had one path that had been broken out before we got our latest snow. It was enough to follow and only went the wrong way once. Here is a picture of Marilyn and it sure looks like she is enjoying herself. Bonnie said that the views were just spectacular. I know myself that from the high point you can see the stables at Gunflint. Here is a view of the beaver ponds on the Round Lake Road.

Monster ran all over the place. The new scents alone must have been overwhelming. Sometimes he seemed to get tired and would follow the girls for a bit rather than breaking trail himself. Jason said Monster was really tired last night! I think the girls were tired too.

This seems to be the week that wolves are all around us. We haven’t seen the wolves so much as we have seen the results of their feeding. A few days ago there was a deer kill just off the side road about ½ mile from the lodge. Then last weekend there was another kill on the lake just in front of our house. Finally last night the wolves took another deer on the lake in front of Cabin #17. The guests told me that they saw three wolves at the kill this morning. By 10:00 a. m. there was literally nothing left on the ice. Even the crows and ravens were finished with it. Nothing goes to waste.

A pack of wolves need about one deer a week for food. It seems harsh to us but this is all part of Nature’s food chain. Wolves are magnificant animals. Of course, we think nothing of shooting a deer during the hunting season. Bruce and I enjoy the meat for the entire year. It substitutes for beef in our diet and is much better because there is virtually no fat.

Bruce and I are off tomorrow to visit Robert, Miranda and Zach in Missouri. Zach will be 11 this weekend in case some of you are remembering that cute little guy who rode around in a backpack with his parents. He is still pretty cute but I doubt either parent would want to carry him around anymore.

Two Fine Stories

There have been a couple of interesting stories on Gunflint Lake this past week.

Last Saturday Adam gave dog sled rides on the lake during the morning. In the early afternoon he decided to give his dogs a little more exercise with a run down to Camper’s Island, about five miles down the lake. So he and the dogs took off. The dogs were running so well that Adam climbed into the sled, pulled up the sleeping bag and sat down. In two minutes he was sound asleep. He woke up later on as two snowmobiles buzzed him. They had seen what appeared to be a rider-less sled going down the lake. Adam waved to them and they backed off. Coming back home, Adam took care to be visible as he slept in the sled.

My neighbor, Bob Baker, has been busy fishing on Gunflint this winter. I have to tell you about his latest technique. He goes out on the ice to about 40 feet of water. There he cuts a 2 foot x 4 foot hole in the ice. The free piece of ice is slid under the main ice to get it out of the way. Bob puts his ice house over this hole.

Now he is ready to fish. He has two lines which is legal for ice fishing. One just has a minnow on it. The other has either a Glow Buckshot (made by Northland Fishing Tackle) or one of about 10 other baits. This bait is either down on the bottom or just below the ice. He fishes with this for about 10 minutes. If nothing happens, he switches either the bait or its position.

Now the fun part starts. Bob has caught every fish this winter on his Glow Buckshot. It is actually light green in color. Many of the lake trout come right to the surface and hit on the shallow bait. He can look down and watch them making passes and hitting on his bait. There was even one time when he had a fish on the bait and he was watching another fish make a pass at his minnow. For a bit Bob thought he might have two fish on at once.

As Bob says, catching one or two lake trout is a good day of ice fishing. He usually fishes in the morning. By noon it is time to come in with his catch. Of course, with the big hole cut in the ice, you have to be careful not to fall in. The water is a little too cold for swimming but the lake trout love it.

Bruce and I spent yesterday running errands in Duluth. Among other things we bought one of those tiny digital video cameras. The idea is that I can upload a short movie for you. I am sure that this is going to take some practice. These things are never quite as easy as the directions say. It is like putting together Christmas toys for your children. So stay tuned in and we will see what happens.

A Busy Weekend

It was a busy weekend at the lodge and much of it centered around sled dogs. In addition to Adam’s team of 8 dogs, there were three other teams here. On Sunday morning the dogs made an impressive gang line on the lake with 35 of them. They were all excited to get going and not shy about talking to us. Their barking and yelping carried all across the lake. It just added a festive nature of the day. In addition to folks who were going on rides, many of the guests stopped by to take pictures. Although cold (22 below), there was no wind on the lake. It was a perfect day for lake rides.

Here are a couple of pictures of the rides for you. One is Adam and his team approaching the end of their ride. Behind Adam you can see the ice houses for fishermen. Saturday was the opening of ice fishing for lake trout on Gunflint. Between fishing and dog sled rides, it was a busy day on the lake.

Another picture shows one of our guests trying her hand at riding the runners and driving. The lake with a flat surface is a good place to learn about driving. On woods trails it is a lot hard to drive the team. You are constantly shifting your body to help the dogs on turns. Then there are the hills that you are running up and helping to push the sled up. Adam says that he has lost 12 pounds since the sledding season started. I wonder why.

There are a couple more weekends for dog mushing this winter. On the March 10-14 weekend, we still have a few cabins open. Adam is also here all the time to give rides.

Monday we got some fresh snow. All the tracks from dogs, sleds, and people were erased from the surface of the lake. It is like no one was ever out there.

Back at our house, Bruce and I have some interesting entertainment while we eat breakfast: the deer are coming in and expecting to get their handout of corn. It is still half dark outside but the lights from our kitchen must attract them. They nose right up to the window. Usually there are anywhere from three to eight deer. With the smaller numbers it is a pretty quiet affair. Bruce often has one of them eating right from his bucket while he scratches its ears.

When they are all there, it is like a bunch of kids. They are all pushing and shoving to get the most corn. The bigger ones like to drive off the smaller ones. Sometimes two big ones are on their hind feet pushing each other away. Little ones try to sneak in on the sides while the big ones are occupied. Eventually, of course, the corn is all gone. It’s time to move down to the cabins at the lodge. Guests are getting up and ready to hand out more corn.

Winter on the Kekekabic Trail

Last week I met two young men who were leaving the next morning to snowshoe the Kekekabic Trail from here to Ely. They both had winter camping experience and seemed prepared for the trip. We have not heard otherwise, so they must have had a good trip.

This has not always been the case with people trying to do the Kek in the winter. Mother Nature has a way of changing your plans. Many years ago we had a party stop by who had turned around on their trip due to problems with extremely cold temperatures. In those years you did not just start a car in the winter and it was bloody cold out. They came into the house and called down the trail for a pickup.

Meanwhile some their toes were black with frostbite! I knew that we had to slowly warm them up but it is hard to find something to put water and men’s feet into. Two of them went on the side of the bath tub. Bruce got roasting pans from the lodge for more of them. When their friends came to get them, they went down to Grand Marais. No one lost toes but it was touch and go.

Some years later we had another party come for help. Their experience on the Kek had been just the opposite. They were planning on snowshoeing to Ely and had all the warm weather gear. Mother Nature decided to warm the temperatures up and it stopped them immediately. Their clothes were too hot and they had too much gear. They came in and called for a pick up from Ely. During the three hours at our house I fed them a full dinner which included two t-bones steaks each. My very young sons were quite intimidated by these exhausted strangers.

We have had several light snowfalls this week. The picture is just on our driveway. It shows you how totally full of snow all the trees are. Anyone driving in the area will see these beautiful trees everywhere. By now the snow has been pasted onto them. It is going to take a strong wind to blow the snow off. I have read that the sloping nature of pine tree branches is to help them support the snow load without breaking. Looking at this picture, it makes sense to me.

Today is the opening of the lake trout season on the Minnesota side of Gunflint Lake. There are ice houses that have appeared during the week. The managers sit at lunch in the lodge and watch these house being placed on the lake. Sometimes it is very interesting. Another fun time is to watch people trying to take them off in March. After snowfalls and slush some of them are frozen in. Again we sit and watch from the warmth of the lodge.

Bruce is going to wait until after the weekend to go out. He will drive his truck around looking for blood (from caught fish) on the snow by houses and fish holes. Then he will pick his spot to fish. A little luck might give us fresh fish for dinner.

A New Adventure

It’s the beginning of the year and I have started a new adventure. Sometime during the summer Bruce went on Facebook. As part of his page he opened a page for “Gunflint Lodge in northern Minnesota.” Then he let it sit there. So now I have gotten into the page as an administrator and will be trying to write short whatevers regularly. It is going to be most interesting. If you wish, look for the page in the quotes above otherwise you just get Wikipedia’s listing or so I have been told. Meanwhile, I will be continuing to also write this blog. We are all going to find out together how much stuff I can come up with and if it is interesting.

All of this writing would be much more interesting if you would share your stories of Gunflint with me. We all know that I have a lot of hot air for stories in me but you must also have some good stories to share. Don’t you get tired of just listening to me? I get very few responses to my blog and people who may know more than I do say that I should promote discussions -- who knows. Sometimes I feel like I am writing for the blue skies. Bruce says that his statistics show that about 100 of you check in on any given day. I have no idea if that is good or bad.

Meanwhile the lodge is busy this week. Our ski trails are in excellent condition. We have enough snow that today South Rim and Magnetic Rock were track set. People are out exploring. Unlike many early Januarys, we have not had the bitter cold weather. It makes everyone willing to go out a bit more. Adam and his dogs have been particularly busy with rides. People seem to like the shorter 15 and 30 minute jaunts into the woods.

There have also been people out on snowmobiles. Of course, they are on separate trails from the ski trails. The most interesting story came from a family who rented one of our machines and had some of their own. They crested a hill and found a pack of six wolves right in front of them! Five of the wolves immediately took off but the sixth one was not the least bit intimidated by the snowmobilers. He just sauntered off at a leisurely pace.

It reminds me of the story Bruce tells about trapping minnows. As you may know, Bruce traps all the minnows for the lodge. I am sure we could buy them but he likes being out in the woods. Bruce is not much on just taking a walk. He needs a job in the woods. At any rate one day he was driving over to some of his traps on Kings Road. Around the corner were two huge, black wolves who just looked at him. Bruce said that it was one of the few times when he was glad he was in a vehicle.

Another current story I posted on Facebook (I think it may have gone away into cyberspace.) was about several sightings of lynx that guests have had around the lodge and the back side road. I have lived here 42 years and have never seen a lynx but we had about three parties who saw one over the holidays. It will be fun to see if guests continue to spot this lynx.

As with all animal sightings, it is a matter of being in the right place at the right time. In other words – luck.

Time To Start Another Year

We had a nice snow day yesterday. It started out not so good. The temperature was 35 and we got rain off and on for most of the morning and afternoon. By late afternoon, we got down to 32 degrees and then it started to snow – a wet, heavy snow. The trees held onto every snowflake until they looked flocked. Overnight we got about 6 inches of new snow. It was really nice to see.

This morning everyone was out cleaning up. Don and our dishwasher, Jon Prasil, were shoveling. Bruce pulled rank and got to drive the plow truck. Luckily he didn’t hit anything or Jason would have given him a hard time.

I tried to at least shovel the front steps but the shovel got taken out of my hands. So I went home for a few minutes late in the morning and got to shovel the twenty feet from the drive to my door. As a child, I used to shovel the driveway all the time. Sometimes I did it at night or even early in the morning before school. It is kind of like cutting the grass – both are things I enjoy doing but rarely get to do now.

Don and I went out to check the thickness of the ice the other day. As a fire department member he has a bright yellow dry suit he puts on. Then we attach a 50 foot rope to him. I hold the other end of the rope as if I was walking a dog. There is a radio in my pocket to call for help if Don goes through. We have never had to use it.

At any rate we found that the ice is quite thick and solid. Generally there was 10-16 inches of solid blue ice. At one spot where there was a crack, we only had 6 inches but that is still plenty thick. The fact that the ice was solid blue meant it was a strongest kind of ice. Sometimes we have an accumulation of slush ice on top which is not nearly as strong. Of course, there still could be weak spots where a spring hole comes up. It is hard to realize that the ice changes constantly during the winter.

At the lodge we have been particularly busy. In fact, it is difficult to tell where all these people are coming from. Tonight is also going to be busy. We don’t make a big deal about New Year’s Eve but the dining room is packed. At about 10:00 p.m. John Silliman will have a bonfire in front of the lodge. That’s our big celebration. I haven’t made it to midnight in many years.

The phones have been particularly busy with reservations. If you are planning a winter trip to Gunflint, be sure to call us as soon as you can set your dates. I don’t know if it’s the economy or us, but it is going to be a very busy winter.

'Twas the Night before Christmas

Those of us who live in the northwoods are ready for Santa. All our cards and packages have been sent. There is a steady stream of incoming cards and packages. Christmas trees have been cut in the back lot. At our house we have an “organic” tree – it’s from the grove of trees between our garden and the side road. Yesterday Bruce put on the lights. My job is the ornaments. It is one of our better efforts.

Meanwhile at the lodge we have a lots of guests coming and going. Most of the pre-Christmas guests left on the 23rd. Nine new parties checked in and most of them will be with us through Christmas. When they leave, we will have the New Year’s guests. It is all great fun since many of them are repeat guests.

There will be nine at our dinner table on Christmas. Tom and Melissa from Tucker Lake with Melissa’s sister and brother-in-law will be there. Sheryl from the lodge will come down. Our two Jamaican girls, Crystale and Ashenna, will also join us. I had to warn them that Christmas food is pretty bland by their standards. Bruce says that Norwegians (me) think salt and pepper are exotic spices.

In our house we always eat Christmas dinner around 1:00. This dates back to when Butchie and Charlie, our Native American neighbors, would join us. They always liked to be home before dark so an early dinner gave them plenty of time to be sociable. It was always fun to have them for dinner. As you may know, neither of them could read or write but they had perfect table manners. One time I saw Butchie elbow Charlie and tell him to use his salad fork. They learned by watching us and there was never a miscue. We always sent them home with fixings for sandwiches that night.

In fact, I enjoy a leftover sandwich about 8:00 p.m. almost as much as I enjoy the main meal. There are only 9 of us for dinner but we have a 20 lb. turkey just to make sure that there are plenty of leftovers to send home with everyone and still leave some for me. I will make enough dressing, and mashed potatoes to feed an army. Bruce carves and does the gravy. Melissa brings the cranberry relish, green bean casserole and chocolate pie. Sheryl brings rice pudding. The girls are bringing cornmeal muffins. I love Christmas cookies and that is the problem so I don’t make them anymore.

Of course, all four of the kids will check in during the day. I’ll call my sister and my good friend Bev in Grand Marais. It’s Bev’s fault that I am here at all but that story will have to wait for another day. There are two different versions of the story depending on whether Bruce or I am telling.

At any rate, Bruce and I wish all of you a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.

A Commercial Break

Occasionally it is time for a commercial break. This is my time.

If you look back at our website, you will see that Bruce is offering a piece of jewelry when you make a reservation for Gunflint Lodge in May, 2011. The immediate reaction is the same one that Dave at the front desk had – “What is this? How did Bruce decide on a website called www.loveofpretty.com to supply the jewelry?”

Now it is time to think about helping your children. Bruce and I are proud to say that our daughter-in-law, Eva, has launched this site with her friend, Sarah. Sarah designs and makes the jewelry. Eva takes care of the rest of the business. This is a brand new venture for each of them. Many of you know that new ventures are started on a shoe string. As parents it is our responsibility to make that shoe string stretch a little further.

With this in mind, please take a minute to look at the website at www.loveofpretty.com. The holidays are almost upon us and one of their pieces might work for someone on your list who still needs a gift.

Fashion is not my strong point but I know my family. Eva would never be involved in anything that was not top quality.

I think this qualifies as a 60-second commercial.

Winter Wins

Yesterday, the last barrier to winter collapsed, or rather tightened up. The lake is now frozen everywhere. It was about 12 below the night before last and 15 below last night. We would like several more nights of below zero to give the ice a good start. If we get snow too soon, the snow insulates the ice and it does not get thick quickly. The general rule of thumb is to wait for a week to ten days before testing the ice. If there is any question, we just wait a little longer. No one is anxious to go swimming now.

This cold weather looks absolutely beautiful from my window looking out. There is a real sparkle to the snow and ice. I am ready to send Bruce out for the Christmas tree. We have a favorite story from years ago when Bruce went out one Sunday to cut a tree for the house. I am at home making Christmas cookies when suddenly the power goes out. My immediate thought was, “He couldn’t have.” But he did. It was the most expensive tree we ever had.

Adam Treeful, who has guided many of you for fishing, is now running a team of sled dogs for rides. I went out with him about a week ago. It is such great fun. Saturday and Sunday many of our guests went out with him and everyone had a great time. At the end, it was hard to tell who was the most tired: Adam or the dogs. Both dogs and trainer always go through this early fatigue while they get in shape.

Bruce and I were gone most of last week. We went near Chetek, Wisconsin, for the annual meeting of six Minnesota resorts who belong to the Distinguished Lodges group. It is a great time to share our successes, failures, frustrations, and surprises after a busy season. It is truly amazing how similar are summers are.

After a couple days there, we flew to Salt Lake City for the annual convention of America Outdoors. This group is primarily made up of rafters, kayaks, dude ranches, canoers, etc. Many have lodging as part of their operation. We have known lots of these people for years. They come from all over the country. Again it is a great time to share our summer experiences and to get new ideas.

My big new project (as a result of these two conferences) is to learn Facebook. I am a little intimidated by it all. So if any of you are looking for friends or have so helpful suggestions, I am ready to listen. I think I have signed up as Susan Kerfoot but it was so long ago that I can really remember. Once I figure out my personal page, the next step is to figure out a page for Gunflint Lodge. So spend a few moments, folks, and help educate me about Facebook.

Home Again

I skipped a week of writing. Last Tuesday Bruce and I drove down to the Twin Cities and the next day we flew to California. It was time to see how our three grandchildren out there were growing up. As might be expected, they had grown much more than we expected and not just in height. It is such fun to see how each of them is developing their own personality.

Thanksgiving morning we participated in a run for the hungry. This is a longstanding event that raises money for the local food shelf. About 35,000 people bought bibs for the 10k run, 5k run and walk. Needless to say we were in the walking group which was pretty much a stroll due to the number of people. The best part was that later in the day we could eat a great Thanksgiving Day meal and truly enjoy it.

On Monday we flew back to Minneapolis and drove home. It rained all the way to Poplar Lake. Once we got over the Laurentian Divide, it was snowing. Our snow conditions are the best they have been in years. For Thanksgiving we even had some groomed trails. It is just lovely out. I understand that later in the week the temperature is supposed to get below zero. If the wind dies down, the lake could freeze. We will see what happens.

Above this blog are two pictures. One is of the meeting of a yellow lab and a deer with the pane of glass between them. Wouldn’t you love to know what was going through their minds? The other picture shows the lake and shore as it is now. My thanks go to two guests who sent us the pictures. I am always willing to put someone else’s pictures on the blog.

The rifle deer hunting season is over. My neighbor said that during the season he had not seen one deer in his yard. The day after the season closed the bunch of deer came in. How do they know it is safe to come in now?

Bruce went out one morning for a little deer hunting. I reminded him to bring home the heart and liver if he got a deer. He said this was just to look around and he probably wouldn’t see anything. Well, two and a half hours later, he had two deer! Neither one was big. They were both just nice eating size. That night for dinner, he had part of the heart and I had part of the liver. A pile of fried onions topped off the meat. Since then we have had several meals of chops, roasts, and burgers. It is a treat for both of us.

As the holiday season comes along, our calendars are full of parties. Most of the presents are bought and just need to be wrapped shipped. Christmas cards are staring me in the face. They will be done over the weekend. Bruce has to get out and cut down a tree. I am anxious to get it up. The living room is so much warmer with the lights from a Christmas tree.

Tonight we are joining our neighbors for dinner in the Red Paddle. Every Wednesday we try to get together at some place for dinner. The meals are good but the friendship is better.