Lots of Fall Travel

Greetings from Gunflint! I have neglected you all the past two months. Bruce and I have made three trips and have two more to go before Christmas. The few days I have been home my computer and internet connection have been broken. Finally yesterday the repairman from Grand Rapids solved my problems. I feel connected to the world again. Of course, I am still going through 900 plus e-mails, most of which are junk, but on to our trips.


We flew from Minneapolis to Venice, Italy the beginning of October. Bruce had rented an apartment in the city for three nights. Venice is about the size of Central Park in New York. I know we walked every foot of the city. It was wonderful! Next we got on the Holland America’s Nuew Amsterdam for a 24-day cruise in the north Mediterranean. First we went east to Turkey and Greece. Then it was west to Croatia and Italy. We have never been catered to as much as on that trip. The trip ended in Barcelona where there was another apartment waiting for us for three nights. Between the subway and walking we saw a fair amount of the city before flying home.

On November 8th we left again for a meeting of the Adventure Gateway group. These are about 12 of the biggest water sports companies in the country. It is always great to get together and hear what their summers were like. The drawback was that the meeting was in Hawaii. Maui is a great place to visit. In addition to meetings we did all the tourist things: sunset cruise, outrigger canoe trip, the Road to Hana, luau, etc. I don’t know how regular people like us can afford to live there. Our breakfast at the hotel (luckily included) was $25 per person and their big Sunday breakfast buffet was $50 per person. We did not eat it. It was a warm and nice trip.

After being home for two days, we drove down to Robert, Miranda and Zach’s in Missouri for Thanksgiving. We had a great long weekend and lots of wonderful food. I felt good that I only gained a half pound. As always we hope that you and your family had a great Thanksgiving. It truly is a time to remember how lucky we all are.

Monday we arrived home with a foot of snow on the ground. Above is a picture of what greeted us outside our kitchen windows. The flowers have been replaced by sparkling snow. It was 10 degrees this morning. Everyone here is getting ready to decorate for Christmas. We brought home 30 more strings of white lights to go on outside Christmas trees.

Just as I am getting settled into home, we have to leave for the two more trips. On Sunday we go to Daytona Beach for the annual meeting of American Outdoors. Bruce is about to join their national board so he has to be there. We also buy equipment there. If I see the beach from a window, that will be a miracle. We are home on the 8th and leave on the 10th for a Distinctive Lodges meeting which is in Minnesota. We are home on 13th and that is more than enough travelling for me. I am ready to sleep in my own bed for many nights!

On the fly I have been told that Christmas and New Year’s are heavily booked. If you are interested, call soon. The front desk will get you settled in with a reservation.

Unexpected Gifts

As our vacation approaches, we are having an unexpected number of guests arriving. The widow and daughter of Bruce’s first cousin, Jim Kerfoot, were with us this weekend. They brought a most unusual box for us.


Bruce’s Kerfoot grandmother’s maiden name was Share. At some point in time Jim Kerfoot received a box of Share family things. There were fans, a thread from wedding dresses, pictures, etc. The most interesting articles were some toys from Henry Share who died when he was 3 years old. The toys included a small (6 inches) hatchet and some marbles. From a family tree we found out that Henry died in 1812. It was very moving to hold in our hands toys from a member of the family who had died 200 years ago. Certainly none of us ever expected to do this. It makes you stop and think about family roots. Now I would like to spend some time researching the family tree to find out more about Henry.

I have just received a gift from one of the families who has had a summer home on Gunflint for many years. In the 1930’s Katie Burns went to Carleton College (Northfield, Minnesota) as a freshman. She met another freshman named Ruth Merry. The next summer Katie vacationed at Gunflint Lodge with the Merry family. Father Ray Merry bought land on Gunflint and built a summer home. Katie managed to visit every summer until she also bought land on Gunflint Lake. Over the years Katie became a doctor and served in the Navy during World War II. She got married and raised two daughters. She never, however, lost touch with the Merry family or Gunflint Lake. Immediately after the war she built a cabin on Gunflint. This was to be her summer home for the rest of her life.

As part of my museum interviews, I spent hours talking and taping Katie. After all, except for a war years she had been on the lake since the 1930’s. In her living room was hung an interesting framed picture. It’s about 4’x4’ and shows two beavers building a dam with a background of beaver houses and a shoreline. It was done on linen with crayons. Katie told me that Ruth Merry did the picture in college and gave it to her. In the lower right corner it says “R.M. to C. B.”

From the first I loved the picture. Katie added to her will that the picture was to be given to me. It is something that I will always treasure.

We are in the peak of fall color. Last week was filled with days of sunshine and rain showers. It was a good thing because we needed the rain. Today is beautiful sunshine and a few puffy white clouds. Driving to town the yellows just jumped out at me. We also are getting a greater number of reds than in the past.

A week from today Bruce and I leave on vacation. We will be home on November 2nd. I am going to try to write one or two blogs during the trip. Keep your fingers crossed.

Fall is Here!

Fall is truly here. This is my favorite time of year. Just this last week the leaves really seem to be changing. The reds have appeared and the ash leaves are turning bright yellow. The wind has not been too strong so leaves are lingering on the trees. When we get our first big rain storm, the leaves will be flying all over. Of course, I look forward to that first cold rainy day. That night we will have the first fire of the season in our fireplace at the house. I can already hear the crackling and smell the burning wood. Who can ask for anything more?


At this time of year we also have a few friends join us in the house. My mouse trap has been very busy. Every time we open the garage door or the door to the garage they come running in. So far we have trapped about 10 mice. Once we get them out, then we don’t see very many during the winter. It is just that right now is the trapping season.

Fishing has been doing very well. Kevin Walsh was up with some guests and really got lots of trout on Saganaga. He said he has never caught as many as the other day. Jon Schei and Lance Huskey have a new secret minnow lake. These minnows have been attracting fishing lots better than the others according to Jon. At any rate, the fish are coming in regularly. With this nice weather, it is a pleasure to be out fishing.

On Saturday the partridge season started. Bruce and I went out Sunday afternoon for several hours. We came home with four birds. One of the joys of hunting is driving around to spots we never go to at other times of the year. I ooh and ah about how much the new trees have grown. We bump along on rocky roads and look for those elusive birds. Wednesday night we will have our first partridge dinner with acorn squash and wild rice. Even at nine o’clock in the morning, that sounds good.

Another fall project is to mow the ski trails for the upcoming winter season. Rick has been making good progress on this chore. About a foot of snow on top of his work and the skis can come out. There are not a lot of trees down on the trails so that makes it easier. The first wind storm will bring some down and the trails will have to be checked again.

Bruce and I are also planning for vacation. On October 1st we fly to Venice, Italy. After spending 3 nights there, we start a 24 day cruise across the north Mediterranean. Many of the cities we have seen but there are also some new ones. Not having to pack your suitcase every day will be great. The service on a cruise ship sounds pretty good too. At the end we will spend three nights in Barcelona before flying home. I think that everyone here is ready to get rid of us.

Back to My Old Self

I know that you will all be shocked to see this but I am back to blog writing. Most of this comes with the fact that I feel good and am my own self again. Also the people down at Mayo said they don’t want to see me anymore which is a relief.


Summer has flown by and there have been lots of interesting parts to it. For me the reports of wildlife sightings are always unbelievable. It doesn’t seem like there were so many sightings years ago but here are now. My friend Marcia from the Mile O’ Pines Road had a small group of 4 pileated woodpeckers fly across her yard and land on the nearby tree. I love the way they glide up and down as they fly by.

Marcia also told me about seeing a mother loon and on water with 3 babies. I have never heard about one with that many. The mother just stretched out her wing so the babies could walk up onto her back. Again I never thought about how they got up there.

Cats have been sighted on this side of Gunflint. At the end of the Mile O’ Pine Road there was a lynx hanging around for a time. Then one of our sky guides at the canopy tour saw one cross the outfitters parking lot one morning ten days ago. It was so fast that he didn’t know if it was a lynx or an immature mountain lion. Don saw the paw print and said it was huge. I can attest to the fact that there are lots of rabbits around for them to eat. The rabbits ate all my broccoli this summer.

Fishing has been very good this year. One big help is that the guides have been able to get into North Lake this summer. The past couple years the water has been too low so all the fish have had two more years to grow. Lake trout from North Lake have been spectacular! Walleyes have been good too.

The canopy/zip line tour has been very successful. We open it on July 4th and people just keep on coming. Some of guests even ride it twice. Neighbors along the road are bringing their guests to join them on a ride. People from the North Shore and even Ely are calling for reservations. The nice part is that the zip line is located on the south end of our property so that you really don’t see it when you drive in or are down by the waterfront.

Of course, we got our share of the hot weather in July and August. It has cooled off now to warm fall temperatures. This is without a doubt my favorite time of year. The colors are starting to come out. The birch trees are turning down.

It really hasn’t been cool enough for a fire in the fireplace yet but you can be sure that I will have one the first night it cools down enough. There is nothing better than combining the rain coming down, the wind in the trees and a crackling fire.

I’ll report in again next week.

Home at Last

I am home. Surgery was on the 10th and Bruce and I arrived home on the 21st. Except for some follow up visits, all is well. It will take 6-8 weeks to get my zip back but that’s fine. There are lots of people around here to yell at me if they think I am doing too much.


Meanwhile, things have been moving along here. We have now had about 500 people on the canopy/zip tour. They all seem to be enjoying it. The staff is amazed at how many people are calling and reserving for their ride. I understand that WCCO television will have a short story about the canopy tour on the 29th at about 10:00 a.m.

Like everywhere else, the temperatures have been high here. We don’t have quite the tolerance for heat – 85-90 degrees seems like we are dying. Yesterday a thunderstorm and wind hit during the night. Right now it is 75 degrees and feels wonderful. I just finished talking to Lee who is driving in South Dakota. His car thermometer was reading 110. Doesn’t sound like fun.

While we don’t have little kids up here, Lee and Eva’s dog Tucker is visiting. He is having the time of his life. Bruce takes him for a walk every morning. The lake is right here if Tucker needs a swim to cool off. Right now Bruce and Tucker are out picking blueberries. They will both be tired when then get back. A nice bag of blueberries will go in the freezer with winter pancakes.

I will write again soon with all the news and gossip from the lodge.

Zipping Through The Woods

As of July 4th the canopy tour/zip line is open. What a response we have had. In these few days we have had over 200 people. They have ranged from those to just barely make the 70 pound minimum weight to one of our friends who will be 80 in September. Bruce was the first one down. They finished the course and Bruce went down twenty minutes later. He said it was a blast! In fact I have yet to hear anyone who hasn’t liked it. The best part is not the speed and the zips. It is the view either of the trees themselves or of the surrounding forest from that high up in the trees.


Family vacation time has hit Gunflint Lodge. We have families and children of all sizes round here. Except for a few rain storms, the weather has perfect. A nice breeze has cooled down the worst of the heat. Of course, children of all sizes have been in the lake swimming, canoeing and kayaking. There is nothing that feels better than a dip in the lake on a hot day.

Another thing that seems to go with summer is cookies. You know that cookies are small enough that they have no calories in them. Yesterday we set a new record for cookie consumption. Don baked off 28 dozen cookies – that is 336 of them. If it had been cold, we would have gone through an equally large quantity of hot chocolate. Those hollow legs have to be filled up with something. I must admit that it wasn’t just kids who were eating the cookies. There were a lot of adults in line.

Bruce and I ran away for a little blueberry picking this afternoon. The cool breeze blew the bugs away and the warm sun added a little more ripening to the berries. Our first stop was nothing the brag about for berries. It was the second stop that was filled with both people and berries. We now have enough that our pancakes this winter will continue to be filled with blueberries. But I still need more for jam and pies.

Raspberries are not started to turn color yet. I keep looking for those little specks of red. Recently I was so hungry for them on my cereal that I bought some in the grocery store. A box of 6 ounces (less than one cup) was $3.00 I keep saying that went we eat our first bowl of bush ripening berries, that is went we know we are rich.

I haven’t been writing too much this last month because I have been undergoing treatments in Rochester in preparation for some surgery. On Tuesday the surgeons are going to do a little fixer up for me. It is not serious but it will probably be another three weeks before you hear from me.

As of July 4th the canopy tour/zip line is open. What a response we have had. In these few days we have had over 200 people. They have ranged from those to just barely make the 70 pound minimum weight to one of our friends who will be 80 in September. Bruce was the first one down. They finished the course and Bruce went down twenty minutes later. He said it was a blast! In fact I have yet to hear anyone who hasn’t liked it. The best part is not the speed and the zips. It is the view either of the trees themselves or of the surrounding forest from that high up in the trees.


Family vacation time has hit Gunflint Lodge. We have families and children of all sizes round here. Except for a few rain storms, the weather has perfect. A nice breeze has cooled down the worst of the heat. Of course, children of all sizes have been in the lake swimming, canoeing and kayaking. There is nothing that feels better than a dip in the lake on a hot day.

Another thing that seems to go with summer is cookies. You know that cookies are small enough that they have no calories in them. Yesterday we set a new record for cookie consumption. Don baked off 28 dozen cookies – that is 336 of them. If it had been cold, we would have gone through an equally large quantity of hot chocolate. Those hollow legs have to be filled up with something. I must admit that it wasn’t just kids who were eating the cookies. There were a lot of adults in line.

Bruce and I ran away for a little blueberry picking this afternoon. The cool breeze blew the bugs away and the warm sun added a little more ripening to the berries. Our first stop was nothing the brag about for berries. It was the second stop that was filled with both people and berries. We now have enough that our pancakes this winter will continue to be filled with blueberries. But I still need more for jam and pies.

Raspberries are not started to turn color yet. I keep looking for those little specks of red. Recently I was so hungry for them on my cereal that I bought some in the grocery store. A box of 6 ounces (less than one cup) was $3.00 I keep saying that went we eat our first bowl of bush ripening berries, that is went we know we are rich.

I haven’t been writing too much this last month because I have been undergoing treatments in Rochester in preparation for some surgery. On Tuesday the surgeons are going to do a little fixer up for me. It is not serious but it will probably be another three weeks before you hear from me.

As of July 4th the canopy tour/zip line is open. What a response we have had. In these few days we have had over 200 people. They have ranged from those to just barely make the 70 pound minimum weight to one of our friends who will be 80 in September. Bruce was the first one down. They finished the course and Bruce went down twenty minutes later. He said it was a blast! In fact I have yet to hear anyone who hasn’t liked it. The best part is not the speed and the zips. It is the view either of the trees themselves or of the surrounding forest from that high up in the trees.


Family vacation time has hit Gunflint Lodge. We have families and children of all sizes round here. Except for a few rain storms, the weather has perfect. A nice breeze has cooled down the worst of the heat. Of course, children of all sizes have been in the lake swimming, canoeing and kayaking. There is nothing that feels better than a dip in the lake on a hot day.

Another thing that seems to go with summer is cookies. You know that cookies are small enough that they have no calories in them. Yesterday we set a new record for cookie consumption. Don baked off 28 dozen cookies – that is 336 of them. If it had been cold, we would have gone through an equally large quantity of hot chocolate. Those hollow legs have to be filled up with something. I must admit that it wasn’t just kids who were eating the cookies. There were a lot of adults in line.

Bruce and I ran away for a little blueberry picking this afternoon. The cool breeze blew the bugs away and the warm sun added a little more ripening to the berries. Our first stop was nothing the brag about for berries. It was the second stop that was filled with both people and berries. We now have enough that our pancakes this winter will continue to be filled with blueberries. But I still need more for jam and pies.

Raspberries are not started to turn color yet. I keep looking for those little specks of red. Recently I was so hungry for them on my cereal that I bought some in the grocery store. A box of 6 ounces (less than one cup) was $3.00 I keep saying that went we eat our first bowl of bush ripening berries, that is went we know we are rich.

I haven’t been writing too much this last month because I have been undergoing treatments in Rochester in preparation for some surgery. On Tuesday the surgeons are going to do a little fixer up for me. It is not serious but it will probably be another three weeks before you hear from me.

As of July 4th the canopy tour/zip line is open. What a response we have had. In these few days we have had over 200 people. They have ranged from those to just barely make the 70 pound minimum weight to one of our friends who will be 80 in September. Bruce was the first one down. They finished the course and Bruce went down twenty minutes later. He said it was a blast! In fact I have yet to hear anyone who hasn’t liked it. The best part is not the speed and the zips. It is the view either of the trees themselves or of the surrounding forest from that high up in the trees.


Family vacation time has hit Gunflint Lodge. We have families and children of all sizes round here. Except for a few rain storms, the weather has perfect. A nice breeze has cooled down the worst of the heat. Of course, children of all sizes have been in the lake swimming, canoeing and kayaking. There is nothing that feels better than a dip in the lake on a hot day.

Another thing that seems to go with summer is cookies. You know that cookies are small enough that they have no calories in them. Yesterday we set a new record for cookie consumption. Don baked off 28 dozen cookies – that is 336 of them. If it had been cold, we would have gone through an equally large quantity of hot chocolate. Those hollow legs have to be filled up with something. I must admit that it wasn’t just kids who were eating the cookies. There were a lot of adults in line.

Bruce and I ran away for a little blueberry picking this afternoon. The cool breeze blew the bugs away and the warm sun added a little more ripening to the berries. Our first stop was nothing the brag about for berries. It was the second stop that was filled with both people and berries. We now have enough that our pancakes this winter will continue to be filled with blueberries. But I still need more for jam and pies.

Raspberries are not started to turn color yet. I keep looking for those little specks of red. Recently I was so hungry for them on my cereal that I bought some in the grocery store. A box of 6 ounces (less than one cup) was $3.00 I keep saying that went we eat our first bowl of bush ripening berries, that is went we know we are rich.

I haven’t been writing too much this last month because I have been undergoing treatments in Rochester in preparation for some surgery. On Tuesday the surgeons are going to do a little fixer up for me. It is not serious but it will probably be another three weeks before you hear from me.

Summer Starts

Yesterday, June 1st, must have been the start of summer. We held our first staff meeting at 6:30 a.m. on the patio in front of the lodge. Curtis and Don had been up early to prepare some meat, egg and cheese sandwiches for an early morning snack. Everyone was warmly dress. All the managers had a bit to say. The best part of the morning was just looking at it. The sky was pure blue. The lake was a mirror. Towards the end of the meeting a flock of geese in a perfect “V” flew overhead.


Everything about the meeting reminded me of a story that Lee told about his summer working in a large hotel on a fiord in Norway. They also had a beginning of the summer staff meeting. Lee said he could have run the meeting himself. He told us that they said the same things Bruce always said.

Fishing has been really good. Both Jon Schei and Adam Treeful have been out with guides on a daily basis. Walleyes and lake trout are coming in with them at the end of the day. There are also numerous bass and northern that are returned to the lake. The kitchen has been busy preparing many of these fish for a guest’s dinner. All of it goes to point out how important the word “fresh” is when talking about eating fish. Those fish coming out of the kitchen are wonderful beyond belief and fresh has a lot to do with it. Not that are cooks don’t do a great job. Fresh also has a lot to do the immensely popular shore lunch.

My garden is getting close to being finished. In the last two days I have planted basil, parsley and broccoli. These I buy in flats of the small plants. We use so much in the lodge kitchen that I can’t grow enough fast enough. The rhubarb and chives are now producing enough to supply the lodge. The asparagus is also producing but only enough for my kitchen table, sorry. Bruce spent quite a bit of time cleaning up this raspberry patch this spring. Although leaves are popping out all over, we don’t expect a bumper crop there until next summer.

As I said at the beginning, the sky is blue and the lake is calm. Our water level has stopped rising. One of the big feeders of Saganaga Lake is the Granite River which flows from Gunflint to Saganaga. Once our water stops rising it takes about one more week before Sag stops rising. Ralph Griffis who used to own Chik-Wauk Lodge would call and ask in his gracious voice, “Sue, has Gunflint stopped rising yet?”

Finally let me give you a view of Lonely Lake from the top of the canopy tour tower. Bruce, Don, Sheryl and I took a walk up there yesterday afternoon. John Silliman will also be able to use this tower for his naturalist activities when the canopy tour is not running. It will really be a multipurpose area.

We Are Green

The Gunflint Trail is turning into a deep green. Two weeks ago we were a dusty brown. The difference, of course, has been rain. Starting last Wednesday we have gotten inches worth of rain. All the lakes have come up. The swamps have filled up. The trees that were hurt by early springs and then frost have been budding out.


The rain has helped the berries to blossom out. After a bit more rain the next couple of days, they are ready for sunshine. We have enough water to combine with sunny days and give us a bumper crop of berries. It all sounds pretty tasty to me.

Fishing has been really good. Lake trout remained in shallow waters with the cooler temperatures. One of the neighbors was fishing off his dock and just kept reeling in the trout and throwing them back. All were in the four to five pound range.

Jon Schei was fishing on Saganaga with a party of six people (two boats) the other day. The party did not want lake trout. Instead John led them to a mess of walleye and bass. That night the kitchen was busy cooking all their fish up. Even with six people, they couldn’t finish up the fish.

Work on the zip line is going very well. The tower by Lonely Lake just needs the roof put on. I believe that today or tomorrow, the builders will start on the next platforms. One of them will have a spiral staircase to gain a little elevation. The guys are also starting to lay out the steel cables that guests will ride on.

In addition to using the main tower for the zip line, this tower will offer a wonderful elevated spot to watch the animal activity on the Lonely Lake. Between birds and beavers in the summer and deer in the winter, who knows what will be seen. Maybe a wolf or lynx will venture onto the ice in the winter. And there is always the possibility of moose coming in for a drink in the summer.

Ronnie Smith and her crew are quickly planting flowers all over the place. The main load of flowers arrived last Thursday. Once the flowers get in, we just have to give them a couple weeks to get over transplant shock and then they will burst into color. The contrast from the whites of winter to the many colors of summer flowers is always amazing. Both are beautiful but also very different from each other.

Mandy is busy with the horses. One of the guests reminded me that Mandy is also our unofficial vet. This guest has a dog covered with red spots on her belly. Mandy had the book to explain the spots (black fly bites) and give the correct medication to use. Everyone on the staff has some special skills that we use from time to time.

The new swing set for young guests is almost up. We bought a kit and not all the parts were in it. So Jason has to call the company for the missing parts. Meanwhile the swings are working just fine. They are located between the lake and the wood-fired oven. It is a nice place for parents to relax on the patio while the kids play on the swings.

Another May

On Monday the construction for the canopy/zip tour started. We are all getting excited about it. One of the purchases made for the tour is pictured here. We needed two 6 passenger ATV’s to take people up to the start. Here is one of them. I was the first person to get certified to drive. So, I may be your chauffeur to the beginning of the tour.


I watched the arborist climb the big white pine in the back yard. Ever tree we use will be checked by him to make sure that it is sound. Just watching him climb up that tree with a rope was amazing. He has a sonar thing (I am really into technical terms) to make sure that the tree is sound without putting even one hole in it. Last I heard, all the trees we had picked were fine.

The back parking lot is now a construction zone for a couple of weeks. Steps and platforms are being built. Rolls of metal cable are sitting on pallets. Anchors are stacked. Beyond the pole building, Jordy Kirk is building the administration and equipment storage area. Things seem to be popping up all over.

We have just finished painting the outfitters new canoer cabins. Electrical fixtures go in this week. Picnic tables are ready to be placed around. Next week the shrubs, trees, and flowers arrive. The whole area had been transformed.

Bruce and I took a little time off on Saturday to fish a bit. I didn’t even get out fishing once last summer. Of course, no one on the staff (except Don) expected us to come in with anything. Within a mile of the lodge and an hour of when we left, Bruce had caught 2 four-pound lake trout. I was the official netter. Then we dragged some bait around for a bit longer with no luck. It didn’t make any difference. We had a dinner and then some. Don got a fillet for having faith in us. The second fish went in the freezer.

My garden is starting to come alive. I just counted and there are about 50 spears of asparagus popping up. The chives are overwhelming and will be appearing in the dining room all summer. Rhubarb is just about ready to pick for lodge desserts. Leaves are coming out on the raspberry bushes. They are a little slow since Bruce dug out all the grass around them. There will still be plenty for jam.

Next week the lodge flowers will arrive. Among them are broccoli, basil, parsley and tomatoes for my garden. The beds are ready for them and I can’t wait to get at it. Within a couple of weeks, these items will also appear in the dining room.

One of my neighbors has a wonderful greenhouse and often she shares her extra produce. So I now have 3 bell pepper plants and 4 tomato plants in huge pots outside. One of the tomato plants is almost four feet tall. Sue also gave me some fresh basil leaves. We had spaghetti with fresh pesto that night for dinner. Life is good!

Spring Flowers

We have been getting some rain for several days. I can see on the main dock cribbing that the water now covers another log up. Bob Baker at Gunflint Pines keeps official track of the lake levels on Gunflint. As of several days ago, he says the water has come up 19 inches since the ice went out. That is good news. Our days are getting longer. One of my joys comes in the early morning before getting out of bed. As you may know, we bury our buildings up to the window level to provide good insulation. The same is true in our bedroom. I can look at all the animals running past the window from my bed. This morning is was a rabbit. A couple nights ago a mama bear and two cubs went by. Once or twice I have seen wolves. There are always squirrels and chipmunks. Deer come by all winter. There is something nice about watching them from your bed. The Gunflint Green Up people went up to Chik-Wauk to work this year. They cleaned up trails and planted about 3400 trees. The trees were spruce, white pine and red pine. They all look so little that it is hard to believe these seedlings will ever grow up. One of the most surprising things about our Saturday planting was to see just how many are growing up. Ever group saw trees that were 2-3 feet tall. My personal inspiration is the tall red pine by Chik-Wauk’s mail box. I know that it was planted by Ralph and Bea Griffis. The tree has got to be 25-30 feet tall. All it takes is a little time. Watching trees grow takes patience. Out my office window I am watching the iris grow. Every fall and spring they get a tablespoon of bone meal. The iris plants at Chik-Wauk were thinned last fall and I got what was taken out. Into the ground they went immediately. This spring I counted and there were 40 iris coming up. If they all bloom, I will try to remember to get a picture. My favorite iris bed is where Bruce goes minnow trapping. At the perfect time in June it is just filled with blooming iris plants. The first time I saw it, Bruce asked if I wanted to cut some to bring home. I just couldn’t do it because they looked so perfect in their natural setting. Speaking of flowers, Bruce saw lots and lots of blooming blueberry bushes while out on the green up. He is already tasting them. Just hope that we don’t get a late frost. Grandson Grant (age 4) called last night. They were having some blueberry jam for dinner. He wanted to make sure that I was going out to pick blueberries and make jam for them. I guess my work is cut out for me.

It's May -- Almost

This past weekend was Work Weekend. I think it was the best one we ever had. Naturalist John took a group to put out the furniture around the grounds and on the patio. They finished by weeding gardens everywhere. Ronnie Smith is going to be thrilled with the job they did on the gardens. Below is their picture. Katie from the front desk took two couples to clean the new canoer cabins in preparation for painting. Getting all the bits of garbage and sawdust out is a huge job. At the end you feel like have the sawdust settled in your hair. They never stopped even for a picture. Next weekend these units will all get a paint job inside and outside. The large group as shown in picture number two worked cleaning the grounds around the new cabins. They built rock walls and gardens. They hauled rocks into piles and filled bags with those little pieces of paper that accumulate around building sites. The one ton truck was totally filled with branches and roots. Finally they celebrated with the first fire in the pit.

Reservations are still coming in. We have some openings May 6-11 that needed to be filled. Bruce has a special up for them. If you can get away, it is a really good price to visit us before the summer rush. This afternoon, Don, Marilyn, Bruce and I are off to Duluth. It is the annual Upper Lakes food show. We will be viewing all the new food items to possibly put on the menu. Last year this was where we bought the cone-shaped dishes for ice cream. Tomorrow morning there will be no breakfast for any of us. There are enough samples of food to keep us well filled. Next weekend is Green Up. Once again people will spread out to plant trees in places burned by the Ham Lake Fire. There will also be a big effort up at the Chik-Wauk Museum and Nature Center. The historical society is working to re-establish the trail to Gneiss Lake. This year they are working on the section to Blueberry Hill. I must admit that I am not to sure exactly where that is. Next week I will be able to give you more information. On the May 13th work starts on the canopy/zip line project. We are all excited. Yesterday I got a driving lesson on one of the new Polaris 6-passenger ATV’s that will be used to take people up to the start of the canopy tour. I will most definitely NOT be one of the guides on the tour. I think I will be a much better chauffeur. Of course, I will still have to take one run down the line. Looking over my shoulder from above will be Bruce’s mother, Justine. The horses arrive tomorrow. Mandy and Betsy, her new wrangler, have been busy working at the stable to get everything ready. Jason Merrill hooked up the water line. I also use that line to water my garden. It seems like everything is beginning to pick up and get busier. Even with all the snow gone early, April is not a month that has a lot of guests. As a result, it is most cleanup and preparation. It will be good to be filled with guests.

April Showers

Another sign of spring has appeared. Yesterday there was a loon swimming just off our dock. I haven’t heard any calling but this one was sure big and beautiful. It is warm enough to have our bedroom windows open so we will start to hear the loons calling soon.

With the ice off the lake, the deer have disappeared into the woods until next November. Bruce and I filled our bird feeders since there are no deer to empty them overnight. Right away yesterday we had purple finches, chickadees, and pine siskins all over. These little birds can empty the feeders almost as fast as the deer. Now I am looking to see if any of the American goldfinches are starting to turn into their summer yellow feathers.

I talk about April being slow but we have actually been very busy for April. This is not a lot but each year we seem to get a few more people who come up to just relax and hike before the summer crowds hit us. This weekend we have a bunch of dog lovers staying with us. The dogs enjoy walking in the woods without leases. Actually they run and smell all over.

We spent Saturday night in Duluth with Lee, Eva, Grant and Mae. The event was going to the water park at the Edgewater. It was a big success. For a 2-year old and a 4-year old, this water park was overwhelming. It took four adults to be with them all the time. By the time we left after pizza, all six of us were tired out.

Next we went to the park at the end of Park Point. The day was so beautiful that no one wanted to go in. So we spent the rest of the afternoon walking along the shore by our hotel. Grant climbed all the big rocks. Mae picked up the pebbles and threw them two feet. Tucker strained at his lease to keep us moving along. You could tell it was a wonderful Saturday afternoon. There were people wandering all over the lake front.

Sunday morning the weather had done a 180. It was overcast, misty and cold. We still went for a little walk. Just as we started a big ore ship was coming out onto Lake Superior. You should have seen Grant run to see the ship. What fun he had!

Bruce and I drove home and managed to get here before the rain and snow of the evening. On Monday morning we had 4” of snow with ice beneath it. It is slowly going away and may be gone today. We are set for more rain/snow. My garden is calling me but there is no sense in being out in this mess. The good news is that we need all the moisture we can get.

There is no picture today. Gray and rain does not leave much exciting for a picture. For that we need sunshine. Maybe it will happen next week.

Lisbon

After our time in Morocco, we flew to Lisbon for a week. There were six of us on this portion of the trip. Bruce leased two 2-bedroom apartment right in the center of town. It felt really good to be staying in modern apartments. He found them on VRBO (Vacation Rentals By Owner). We spent the next few days leisurely visiting Lisbon.

There were three main areas we all enjoyed. By train we visited Belem just on the outskirts of Lisbon. It is a large area with museums, monasteries and located where many of the voyages to the world by Vasco De Gama, Magellan and others started from. We spent quite a bit of time wandering around the area.

One day we took a tour to Sintra. Located just outside Lisbon, this is a small town with two castles, both of which we toured. The town itself is filled with winding streets and small shops. Naturally, we found a few things we could not do without. Our guide that day was just excellent and knew the histories well. Since he had lived in the States for several years, he also spoke English very well.

The most unexpected place we visited with the Oceanario in Lisbon. It is the second largest aquarium in the world and has live exhibits of all the various ocean areas. We spent probably three hours exploring it. The sea life they showed was amazing.

Of course, our favorite activity was just exploring and walking the streets of Lisbon. There are many outdoor cafes where we had tea and pasties and watched the traffic flow by. Just around the corner from our apartment was a wonderful ice cream shop. We visited it several times.

As you might expect, finding good restaurants was high on our list. One night we ate in a restaurant that specialized in presently traditional Fado music. Another night we ate in a monastery that was now a restaurant. There was also a good restaurant just around the corner. Another night we ate in an Italian restaurant. We even had take-out pizza for dinner.

What kind of food did we like best? It started with breakfast in our apartment with fresh pastries from a nearby shop and strawberries from a street vendor. Lunches were just pickups depending on where we were except for the day we were in Belim. Here there is a restaurant that has been making custard tarts forever. We all over ate there along with the lines of people who buy tarts and sit outside eating them.

My favorite dinner entrée is actually an appetizer. I just love baby clams steamed in wine with cilantro. I ate it three times for dinner. Of course, what makes it the best is how fresh the clams are. Salmon was another great favorite in our group. Lamb was always available. As you might guess, we ate too much but the choice was wonderful. Sometimes we were able to get a table that overlooked the dining room. Bruce and I love to watch the operation of a dining room. I am sure that comes as a great surprise to all of you.

Now that we are home, it is good to look back on this wonderful trip and to start planning our next trip.

Morocco

Bruce and I just returned from a trip to Morocco and Portugal with 9 friends. I forgot to let you know we were going in the rush to get everything finished up. I’ll tell you a little about Morocco today and then Lisbon next time.

After 24 hours in transit we arrive at our riad (b and b) in Marrakech about midnight. From the airport it was a 20 minutes drive through narrower and narrower streets and then a ten minute walk through the really narrow streets.

The next morning we woke early to the sounds of Muslims being called to prayer (5:00 a.m.). Breakfast was on the porch. Our day was a guided tour through parts of the old city. Just walking around was an adventure as we competed for space on the streets with other walkers, bikes, motorcycles, cars and donkey drawn carts. It is all fascinating and so unlike what we have at home. The souk is like a rabbit warren of streets and alleys.

Our guide showed us a tannery, rug stores, metal shops, etc. But the best part came in the evening at the main square. There each day a small city of about 125 temporary restaurants is set up. Locals and tourists combine to frequent the restaurants which accommodate about 25-50 people each. The food is all made on site quickly. Bruce ordered a bunch for us and we ate until we were stuffed. Then it was time to wander the square with its venders and entertainers. I tried to avoid the snake charmers.

After another day in town, we headed for the country. The first day was fine. After that our three 4x4’s and head guide were into country they had never been before. That second day we tried to cross a pass that was clogged by snow for 100 feet and no way around. It was back down a one-way, rocky road and then the long way to our hotel. We got there about midnight. The next two nights we spent at a tent camp on the edge of the desert but the guide and drivers didn’t know how to get there so it was another late arrival.

Our day in the tent camp revolved around a camel ride. Again directions seemed to be a problem but at least it was daylight and not over a mountain pass. We only had to go back a short distance to meet up with the camels. Here I am on my trusty camel. Our final day in the Sahara was another day of getting lost. We drove about 30 miles past our camp and then had trouble finding it on the way back. That night we stayed in huts built of one foot thick mud. They had beds, one electric light bulb and a door held on with wire hinges.

The food was surprisingly good but very repetitive. For one or two meals each day we ate their national food – tangine. Cooked in a clay pot with a cone shaped top, this is basically a pot roast with meat (beef, chicken or lamb), vegetables, potatoes, olives, prunes, and nuts mounded inside and cooked until very tender. The most outstanding food was the fresh oranges which were in season. They were served peeled and sliced with cinnamon. Tree ripened fruit is much better than what we get.

Our homecoming surprise was open water and no snow. Bruce does not ever remember ice out this early. Jason brought the dock over yesterday on March 31st. It is good to be home.

The Poles Arrive

Over the weekend we had the closest to a blizzard that there was all winter. We got close to 8-10 inches of snow. Yesterday I sat in my office and listened to the wind howl. The falling snow was blown into the windows. It was a good day to be inside looking out.

First thing this morning Bruce was out grooming trails. He had guests right behind him waiting to ski. The A loop is finished. Tonight Bob will do the B loop. Then on Wednesday it is predicted that there is a 70% chance of more snow. Right now we have clear skies and gleaming white snow. It is just glorious out. In the sun, the temperature is up to 25 degrees. It is a little cooler in the shade.

Lee and Eva brought Grant and Mae up for the weekend. They managed to fill their time with dog sled rides, snowmobile rides, ice fishing and sledding. In the afternoon when Grandma and Grandpa were worn out, it was time to hit the Legos in our house. Also Grant got instructions from Grandpa on how to build a wood fire in the fireplace. All in all, we had a wonderful weekend. I wasn’t very sociable with the guests but grandchildren come first.

Today was a big day for the zip line construction. The poles that will be used to build two platforms arrived. The picture above shows part of the unloading process. The poles range in length from 35 to 50 to 60 feet long. They are made of Alabama yellow pine and cost around $2000 each. When erected, 10% of the pole is buried in the ground. Luckily for us, we only need three platforms. The rest of our stops will be attached to 200-300 year old white pines. A professional arborist will inspect these trees to make sure that everything is sound and we will not be killing the tree.

The driver must have had a great time coming up the Gunflint Trail. I would not have enjoyed being in the opposite lane and meeting him on a curve. He is from Alabama. And don’t complain about filling up your car with gas. When his truck is filled, it takes $800 of fuel. It was fun to see some forward progress on the zip line.

The question comes up about why we got the poles this early. Construction doesn’t start until May 1st. As part of the spring thaw, a road ban is put on the Gunflint Trail. To protect the road, the county limits the weight of loads during the road ban. Believe me when I say that this load would have exceed the weight limit. Once the ban is on it is in operation for at least six weeks. That would have pushed back when we could start this project. So, now that little sticking point is not a problem.

If you think you can get away, plan to come up the Gunflint Trail. We are in a winter wonderland. Everything is covered with snow. The ski trails are perfect.