Rainy Days

For all of you cabin and bed and breakfast guests who are about to visit but worried about our rainy June, don.t fret the North woods and shore provide endless adventures. And even if you don.t fish or aren.t headed out for a trip into the BWCA, I.ve got some trips for you. The trail does provide ample scenery, wildlife, hikes, and, of course, lakes. But if you are looking for a great day trip from the lodge try heading a little further north on 61.



You might be wondering what there is to get excited about once you pass Sven and Ole.s, the World.s Best Donuts, Joynes Ben Franklin, and the rest of Grand Marais. But there is more than just the duty-free border shop goodies. You.ve probably heard of Tettegouche and Temperance river, but have you made it all the way to Judge C.R. Magney and Grand Portage State Parks? If not, you are missing four of the best waterfalls I.ve seen to date. At Magney park, Upper and Devil.s Kettle falls both are at impressive flow heights, and the Kettle always offers an intriguing question of where the water actually disappears too. High falls on the border is both raging and refreshing with its misting off spray. But the most enjoyable trek is the visit to Middle Falls at the end of the Grand Portage park. Bring a lunch and relax on the rocks next to falls.



Naniboujou lodge also offers a good rainy day reprieve with its depression era building and fancy little dining hall. Both its decor and history are worth the stop in itself, but the food is superb as well. A day cruise to Isle Royale or a stop at the Grand Portage Reservation casino also provide an entertaining way to beat sometimes unfavorable summer weather.

Camping With My Parents

Well it has been awhile since I have written, seeing as everyone else here has decided to pitch in and add their voice to the blog. That being the case I decided I would grab today's slot to write a little bit about my latest trip into the BWCA with my parents. Earlier this spring when I was telling my mom about our days off and scheduling, she decided she would really like to go on a trip into the BWCA with me...My dad was not quite as enthusiastic. Nonetheless we began to plan and decided to head in off Clearwater right after I got off work on Sunday, and stay out for 3 nights. As I have never had dehydrated foods on my trips with friends, I opted to plan the menu and prepared a list of food for my mom to buy and pack. My dad however, fearful that we were going to starve added in plenty of "extras"… I’m fairly certain we could have stayed out there another 3 days on the food we had. My parents came up to the cabin on Friday and came over Saturday afternoon to go sort through gear and food, and make plans for departure the next day. We had some good laughs decided what to bring and what to leave behind. Despite laughter, some bossiness and disagreements, we finally had everything pretty well figured out.
Sunday dawned… gray, overcast, with on-and-off again showers… it did not look like the best day for heading out. My parents showed up, we started getting packed up as it drizzled out, then the sun came out and our hopes went up… however not 40 ft from the dock it started to drizzle, and then proceeded to pour. Needless to say the portages were wet, muddy, and mosquito laden as we made our way to Pine Lake. As we had such a late start, we were all tired, and worried about not getting a camp site, but luck was with us and the first site on Pine was open and we took it as ours.
The next couple days were a lot of fun. We went fishing most of Monday, paddling a ways down pine, and fishing at the worst time of the day simply because we wanted to be on the lake. We didn't get many bites, but my dad did manage to pull in 2 decent walleyes, one got away right by the boat. Tuesday was much of the same; we hung around camp for awhile in the morning, napping in the sun and talking or reading. We decided to try fishing again, along the opposite shore this time, hoping for better luck. Even though it is blasphemy to say this up here, I really don't fish, and had decided to get my fishing license finally before this trip. My dad claims that I had a fish at one point on Tuesday, but me not knowing any better thought that I was getting snagged on a rock and jerked the line right out of its mouth apparently… I'm still skeptical.
Despite my dad’s fear of going hungry, we had some great meals; including camp fire pizzas and BWCA cake from the bakepacker. We also had some really nice little fires in our fire pit. Thankfully because of the rain there are very few fire restrictions this year, and it is wonderful to be able to enjoy a fire and a cup of tea or coco at night.

On one of our forages behind the camp for fire wood, my dad spotted these little purple flowers; we believe they are some kind of wild orchid. Very pretty!

One of our constant sources of entertainment or interest over the 3 days was the loons nesting on the island about 20ft off our campsite. It was very neat to watch the mates taking turns sitting on the eggs, swimming buy our camp site, and fishing right off the point of the island; never far from each other. Their calls at night and in the morning were very soothing and a quintessential part of the north woods.
As morning dawned on Wednesday, our day to go home… we awoke to torrential down pouring rain. Instead of trying to leave we decided to wait it out, added a second tarp to our already built rain-fly, and sat down to eat some breakfast. After a while it lightened up and we headed out. By the time we were on the water the sun was coming out strong. Despite some small hang-ups, like deflating sleeping mats, stuck zippers on tents, forgetting essential pieces of paper, we had a great trip. I know others may wonder at the decision of going on a trip with parents, I always enjoy my parents, they are a riot and I would take them (or rather go with them) any time!



-AJ

Summer Reading

Choosing a good book for summer reading is quite different than choosing one for winter. In the winter, you want a book that you can really get involved in; one that allows you to sit for hours, getting lost in the story line, making the dark hours between dinner and bedtime fly by. Perhaps the best winter reading occurs in front of a fire place, but anywhere heated and protected from the Minnesota windchills is usually a relief after digging your car out of the snow or driving all the way home in a cold car, despite the heat being turned up full-blast. In this context, the book one is looking for is complex, with surprising twists and nuances that can only be followed with no distractions.

Good summer reading, on the other hand, is lighter by nature. As much of the day is spent outdoors taking advantage of the warm weather, one wants a book that you can jump in and out of easily. If there is an opportunity to grill, chat with a neighbor on the porch, or take a walk, one does not want to be torn away at an important juncture in the storyline. Garrison Keillor's, "We Are Still Married" is perfect for this type of summer reading. It is a collection of short stories and poems that highlights just why Keillor is known for his storytelling. Now granted, I may be a big fan of his and a little biased, but his humorous and wonder-filled perspective on life, particularly life in Minnesota, makes this a perfect book for porch or cabin reading. These are the days when you have just spent the afternoon in the wilderness or with family- and Keillor's book processes such days in a way that few of us could put into words, but all of us have felt. I highly recommend this book for a cabin, a trip up north, or just a good read on the front porch.

Have a wonderful day!
Kirsten

Summer Staff 2008

In between fishing, camping, hiking, horse shoes and other games, they actually get a chance to work hard. Working for their fun this summer are Kirsten, AJ, Kevin (front row left to right) Will, Donny, Mike and Erik (back row, left to right). Of course Sarah has been in every staff picture she got here.

The 'kids' this summer are contributing writers to the blog sharing their summer adventures.

Kevin and Donny Go Camping

Well first of all the inspiration for this trip was found in one of the families staying in one of our cabins, the Butts family. They had come back from Moon Lake the night before our trip with a stringer full of walleyes. As soon as Donny saw this he had to go investigate and came back grinning from ear to ear and told me that our bass fishing trip had been swapped for a walleye trip. Fast forward to the next day after work and we were soon on our way. We made the short canoe paddle to Moon in good time and were out fishing as soon as the tent was set up. Unfortunately for us there were two anglers in the spot that we wanted to fish as soon as we got there. They were anchored in and clearly not going anywhere as they were certainly in the honey hole. We were forced to paddle the shores trying to get fish. As soon as Donny hooked into a small bass, and that wasn't very soon at all, I knew that we weren't going to get anything worthy of going on the brag board that night. It's a tradition among Donny and myself that whenever fishing is slow one of us will reel in a small bass that signals the end of the night. We headed back to camp and made a late dinner. Donny deemed it necessary to capture the moment when he saw me eating Jiffy Pop.

The next morning we woke up late and decided to hit Flour Lake as the DNR stocking reports showed that Flour was full of walleyes. It wasn't, at least for us. The highlight of the Flour trip was when I reeled in a log. We left Flour a little crestfallen as we had hoped that it would be an easy trip to get an easy walleye dinner. Well needless to say I was questioning our decision to go walleye fishing this trip as we walked the portage back to Moon. When we got back we made friends with a chipmunk that Donny dubbed Chippy. We had a good time tossing him crackers and watching him grab them and store them for the upcoming winter. We both thought he was kind of dumb for not eating them now and putting on fat. A chipmunk can only provide so much entertainment and when we realized that we made our measly dinner of rice and freeze dried s'mores.

After dinner we saddled up and went out on the lake to the spot that we wanted to try. We had made a makeshift anchor so all we had to do was jig. Donny had already been stripped by two shrewed walleyes before I had my line in the water which was definitely a good sign. It wasn't long before Donny hooked into a monster walleye that we reckoned at 28 inches. The fishing really picked up from there and it wasn't long before we had enough fish for a fish fry. Donny ended up nailing about two more eyes than me which brought the final count up to about 9, plus a bass and a bluegill. The fish tasted great, the great kind of taste that you can only get up here when the fish go from the lake to your frying pan in 30 minutes. It saved the trip for me as I was about to call it unsuccessful. Hopefully the fishing will be just as hot tonight when we go out to the same spot and try our luck again with the walleyes.

Kevin and Donny

Solo Hiking Adventure

In knowing that I am a paddler at heart, the idea of solo hiking was always an afterthought. After three years of working at Clearwater Lodge in the summer, I had never been on a solo hiking adventure. That in itself speaks to the almost endless amount of outdoor activities one can engage in while working on The Gunflint Trail. With the one day off I had last week I figured now was my chance. The Caribou Rock Trail-Border Route Trail loop back to Clearwater Lake has always been in the back of my mind. Not being entirely certain of my hiking skills and speed I figured I would give myself ample time for completion of the loop, and set the alarm for 5:30. It has been a while since I have awoken before the alarm in anticipation for the day’s events. Apparently the thought of hiking a new trail, alone, was enough, as I flicked the alarm off at 5:20. After preparing my day pack I was off, arriving at the empty trail head parking lot 15 minutes later. Upon filling out the permit and lathering up with some bug juice, I was on the trail. It climbs in elevation immediately, and after 5 minutes reached one of the first lookouts and was rewarded with a glorious tail end of the sunrise over West Bearskin Lake. From there the trail meanders up and over hills until it crosses the portage from Duncan to West Bearskin.

The trail narrows quite a bit from there and quickly climbs to an even higher elevation with a magnificent view of Duncan Lake. I knew at that point Rose Falls was only a couple miles away and was looking forward to some reprieve from the bugs on a high windy ridge. Stopping in the woods was out of the question, considering the mosquitoes would have picked my bones clean in minutes. Nobody wants to run in to a walking skeleton on the trail. Finally I made it to Rose Falls after only losing the microscopic trail a couple of times. As I made my way up to the highest lookout yet the sun was just coming over the tall ridge behind me, slowly lighting up Rose Lake and Canada as far as the eye could see, turning the forest that jungle green which only occurs in perfect light. Two sunrises in one morning, I don't think I could have timed it better if I tried. Who needs coffee on a morning like this, I thought. After pictures and some good old deep thinking, I pressed on. The trail headed east from there and deep into the woods away from Rose Lake. As expected I ran into some blow down area on the way to "Long Portage" between Rose and Daniels Lake. The fairly new growth was just as tall as I was and very over grown, which made navigating the foot wide trail very difficult. Making things worse, the trail has not been completely cleared of downed trees in years; it was downright treacherous at times. Halfway to the "Long Portage" I headed back North towards Rose again and started descending into older growth forest. The forest seemed to get older with every footstep toward the lake, until I was in a grove of giant old growth pines and the trail was now a couple feet wide. It is easy to get spooked while solo hiking on a lightly traveled trail when the forest seems to engulf you on all sides, so I welcomed the change of scenery to a more wide open area. Now at least I will see that Bobcat stalking me, I thought. Solo hiking gives you a great opportunity to get lost in thought. The old grove of trees got my mind off of that bobcat and on to the age of some of the old giants. They were living well before I was and will still be well after I am gone. It was a very humbling moment to say the least. As I reached the shore of Rose I was snapped from my daydreaming by clouds of hungry, hummingbird size mosquitoes. Stopping for water was a death wish, it would have to be on the move. The next two miles of trail follow the south shore of Rose Lake and I was able to take advantage of the wind that was picking up. A campsite on the east end of the lake is intersected by the Border Route Trail I was currently on, and I was bit anxious about the idea of waltzing right through a strangers campsite at nine in the morning. As I approached I could hear voices, I had no choice but continue through the campsite. I was impressed at my "low impact, quiet as a church mouse", approach to hiking as I was able to walk within 10 feet of the family enjoying breakfast before I felt the need to say hello in fear of scaring the father into his "fight" option and having him take a swing. Luckily, the hello did not scare the family, or the free swinging father and I continued on my way. Shortly after I met up with the portage to Daniels and started heading south. The portage was a nice change from constantly climbing up and over hills for the last eight miles. It was a two miles to Clearwater from there and the portage was flat and passed through another two campsites. The uneventful portage gave me time to prepare for another possible breach of privacy on the next campsite. I could smell smoke and knew I was in for another set of awkward stares, and even more awkward conversation. Again my quiet hiking allowed me to walk right into camp before offering a "good morning" to the four men sitting around the fire grate. We engaged in small talk, which when you don't break stride and continue walking, consists of one question and one answer. The trail was right on top of Daniels now and the wind was picking up enough that bugs were no longer an issue. As the level trail wound along the shores of white-capped Daniels Lake, the wheels were churning in my head in preparation for the next camp site I would pass through. I had a mile and I would be ready this time, ready to impress the potential campers. After coming up with a few witty remarks and playing out every possible response and answer in my mind I was prepared for anything. The trail came around the last corner and into the small bay where the campsite sat. Empty! I was oddly disappointed; all of my material would go to waste. From there it was a flat muddy trail for the next mile or so.

Stepping out on Clearwater Road I was immediately aware of my sore feet and was glad to be back. The short walk gave me a chance to realize how much I enjoyed my hike, and hiking in general. It was a great change of pace from paddling and portaging gear. Having the wind as a friendly mosquito banisher was a great change from having it as my arch nemesis when I'm on the water in a canoe. I thoroughly enjoyed my time in the woods, being on land the whole time and seeing the area in an entirely different way, helped me to appreciate the forests up here in a whole new way. For those interested, the entire route was roughly 11 miles long and was completed in five hours. So to anyone who hasn't tried something new lately, give it a shot, you have no idea what you're missing.







Thanks for reading.
~Erik

Winton Motor Carriage

Today we were visited by a couple driving a Winton Motor Carriage. They are driving the Lake Superior Circle Tour with 26 other Winton Autos. Their car was built in 1912 and it was quite impressive to see it turn into lodge parking lot from Clearwater Road.

The staff posed before the Winton and from left to right are Will, Donny, Kevin and Erik.

I had never heard of Winton so I did a little Internet research and here is what I found. Read on if interested....

-Lynn

In October 1896, Alexander Winton, of Cleveland, (who is described as “a short-tempered Scotsman”) announced his first Automobile in "The Horseless Age" magazine. His machine weighed in at over 1000 pounds, which slowed its performance. A second Winton was introduced in February of 1897, and the Winton Motor Carriage Company was incorporated in March. The second Winton was longer and wider, accommodating three people across each of its two seats, the second seat facing rearward in what the French called the dos-a-dos (back to back) arrangement.

Leo Melanowski, Winton's Chief Engineer invited Henry Ford to come to Cleveland for an interview at the Winton Company. Alexander Winton was not impressed with Henry and decided not to hire him. Henry went back to Detroit to continue working on his second Quadricycle. The Winton Company recorded its first sale in March of 1898 for $1000 dollars and by years end, 22 Winton's were sold. Winton was the first to use a steering wheel instead of a tiller; he put the engine in front of the driver instead of under the car; and he developed the first practical storage battery. He is perhaps best known now for the effect he had on others. James W. Packard, a maker of electrical products (whose firm later became the Packard Cable division of General Motors) visited Winton's office in Cleveland to offer a few suggestions for improving Winton's car. Winton blew his top and said: "If you don't like the car, why don't you build your own?" By 1899, more than 100 Winton's had been delivered, making Winton's the largest manufacturer of gasoline powered autos in the United States. With the Winton starting to show a fair amount of success, the first auto dealership in the United States was opened in Reading, Pennsylvania by H.W. Koler.

According to our visitor today, Winton stopped making cars in 1923.

The O'Brien Weekly Restaurant Review

If you like burgers, My Sisters Place is the place to hit in town. (note: on the (Gunflint) trail, Trail Center, just a few rods down the road from Clearwater Lodge, has the same menu since the owners are related (hence the name))

This is the perfect place to end a trip. Its large portions of classic American fare and a respectable variety of beverages (Donny highly recommends the blueberry shake as well) are hard to match. With at least 15 different burger to order from, no one can be left in the cold. Personally, I recommend the Canadian Dave burger, an open-faced burger topped with gravy and mozzarella. My next visit is already decided, the Northern burger, which comes topped with Wild Rice and cheese (two MN classics). Mike K. also raves about the Jalapeño burger; not my fancy but, again, theres something for everyone. The hot dog menu is also quite diverse, and likely well composed.

Fitting with the menu, the decor is also classic northwoods, Americana throwback. While it’s not located in the main strip (its a bit further north on 61 next to the IGA grocery store), its definitely worth the extra quarter mile. And remember, the next time you saddle up to your next Sisters gourmet burger, tell em the OBriens sent ya!

First Timers

Now I know that Clearwater is full of tradition. The lodge is a rustic landmark, the cabins are cozy, and being able to access the BWCA from this lake is fitting. Many of you have been coming here for years.

Sorry, my post is not for you:)

But here are some words for those of you coming up for the first time. I am a Seattle export, and Ive only been on two trips into the BWCA now. Ultimately, the conquering your first BWCA trip is easier than you think. If you know how to camp, you can do this. Everyone here (now also including myself) have a lot of good tips, the gear is superb, and, most importantly, the location cannot be beat.

So here are a few things to know. First, its been a long spring, and the bugs are strong right now; but nothing a little deet 100 cannot handle. Second, if you don’t know where to go, Ive got a few recommendations for you. Besides all of the lakes just off of Clearwater, both Rose falls (via the Duncan entry point) and Johnson falls (via Pike lake) are excellent spots to visit.

And for those of you coming for the bed and breakfast suites or the cabins, the palisades overlooking Clearwater or Honeymoon bluff also are easily accessible and provide stunning views.

Well, you might not want to take the advice of this west coast rookie so here are some pics to back me up.

-Will





Left: Rose Falls. Top Right: Johnson Falls. Bottom Right: View from the Palisades.

Clearwater Family Dinner

Here are some pictures from last night's Fish Fry. It was our first chance to eat together as a staff - needless to say, we had a great time.

Fish Fry

Nothing ushers in those lazy, hazy days of summer like a Fish Fry. Donny and Kevin went out fishing last night, and came back with more fish than can possibly be eaten in one sitting....but we're going to try. Fry em up. Minnesota is second only to Alaska in the percentage of inhabitants who fish- this prevelence of fishing, combined with the Midwestern compulsion to fry everything edible, has resulted in this time honored Minnesota tradition. If it were two months later, we may have even been tempted to create "fish on a stick". Maybe next time.

Until then, enjoy the beginning of summer!
Kirsten

Weekly Restaurant Review

Since we've arrived, Will and I have had the chance to try out a few restaurants in the area. This week's spot was so good that we felt it deserved a rave review. The Blue Water Cafe in downtown Grand Marais is an unassuming cafe with excellent service, views of the water, a local scene, and simple, but well-done cafe-style food. Though we've been to Grand Marais a number of times before, Sven and Ole's or the Tavern have often drawn our attention away from the other side of the street. And while these places are also great (reviews to follow), Blue Water is the place to go if you are craving a hearty melt, all-you-can-eat fish n' chips, or breakfast all day long. So the next time you are downtown, check it out and tell them the O'Briens sent you.

Dead Ringer

Let the games begin. The first annual Clearwater Horseshoe tournament season officially began last night with an evening of Round Robin play. Though a little rusty at first, the improvement was exponential as people began to consistently score points (and actually finish a game within an hour) by the end of the night. It was a perfect night for a sporting event, complete with lawn chairs, tailgating, the sun setting over the pines, and Minnesota's most enthusiastic outdoor sports spectators: Mosquitos. The brand new facilities also looked great thanks to the guys on staff (the backstops or whatever they are called in horseshoes were definitely necessary).

This year's tourney is looking to be one of the best yet on record here at Clearwater. Mike Trace has the homecourt advantage and has been getting lucky with a few key "Lodge owner" bounces. Erik, Donny, and Kevin are all consistent players, promising some entertaining and competitive match ups. In addition, the rookies (me, Will, and Mike) really made some ground in terms of skill last night, so we could be in for some surprises. Add in AJ as the wildcard (she was visiting family last night), and we're bound to have a tournament full of overtime rounds (need to win by 2....so playing past 11 points), upsets, and thrilling victories.

If you are coming up to visit us this summer, we'd love to have you join us in a game! We also have a Bocce Ball set and are working on a Badmitton court.

Afternoon Break

We always try to have coffee and hot water for tea and hot chocolate in our lodge along with the cookies. This past week the kids from Cabin 5 would come down and visit the lodge every afternoon after their day trips and have hot chocolate, a cookie and play the piano.

Greening Up

We are finally greening up. I was amazed at how much more green there was on the Trail in the last few days when I drove to Grand Marais. Also our Marsh Marigolds are out now.

The bright side of Black Flies

Yes, there is a brighter side of black flies.........they may be the principal pollinator of the wild blueberry we so treasure up here in the northwoods. So when you are picking your blueberries in July or August, remember what made it possible.

The black flies seem to be out some in Grand Marais, but we are not seeing them yet here. Maybe because it is just a little cool yet and the trees are just now really leafing out. A little about our biting friend.....

• Black flies appear late May through early July, appearing as the trees start to leaf out.
• They breed in moving water but may travel miles from their breeding sites.
• Each species seems to have a particular depth and speed of water to grow in
• They buzz (as we all know) and land and take off repeatedly without biting
• They are strongly influenced by color. Dark clothing attracts more flies than lighter clothing.
• Strong breezes tend to disperse them.
• They are at their worse during the day in shaded areas
• Male flies feed on nectar, only the female bites (I am just waiting to hear the comments on this fact!)
• The female has blood thinner to keep the blood flowing in the bite.
• They cannot bit through clothing but like to crawl under cloths, along the scalp line and behind the ears
• Some folks when bitten will have just a little red spot some will react more strongly and get a swollen and itchy spot over several days
• Treatment is time and antihistamines like Benadryl.

Very important facts worth repeating......

1. Wear light colored clothing - they are strong influenced by color!!
2. If they are out, wear lightweight pants and long sleeved shirts. Tuck in shirts and pant legs and close up cuffs since they cannot bit through cloths.
3. Bug nets work well for covering your head and even your hands

Remember at all times, they do pollinate the blueberrys - so keep smiling.

-Lynn

The technical generation....

I felt really old typing this title to the blog because at one time I was the technical generation and in my life before Clearwater I worked for software development companies. When I moved up here over 6 years ago, I was shocked with only having dial up connection and it was slow beyond slow. I used to save all the permit requests for when I would go to town and order them on the computers at the library during the permit lottery season. I adjusted and then technology changed and we were able to get satelite internet access. Wow, what an upgrade in speed (but still slower than most of the DSL speeds y'all have).

Today I just had to share this picture. All of our staff have their laptops with them and sometimes the kitchen looks look a computer lab with everyone sitting there on their laptops. AJ, Kevin and Donny have today off. AJ is taking an Internet summer course and the boys are researching fishing lures (of course) in this photo of our kitchen computer lab.

Rose Falls

Mike recently returned from two canoe trips, one to Rose Falls and one to Johnson Falls. This is one of his photos from his canoe trip.

Donny's parents are here for a visit. They went to dinner last night and saw 5 moose on the drive to and from Trail Center Grill. Donny said they saw one bull moose, two cows and calves and of course Buddy running down the road. Actually I think Buddy counts as the 6th moose.

Erik and Mike are out on a canoe trip now for a few days. We are waiting for their fishing report when they return.

Weather note: The last two days have been beautiful and sunny. The nights have been wet and rainy. We are getting enough rain to keep the lakes full and ground wet but it has not been excessive up here. Just typical June rain.

Bingo!

As all of use were getting pretty sick of the rain and dreary weather, we decided to find something to do that was out of the rain for entertainment. One of our members is an avid bingo player in the cities, and had been suggesting we play bingo in Grand Marais. So that is what we did. All of us headed up to Grand Portage last night for a couple hours of Bingo fun. Both Kirsten and Will managed to snag a bingo and walked away with some winnings. The rest of us unfortunatly were not so lucky... although I was one number away from the $1000 special pot.Quite a rush!

However perhaps by some other luck the weather today has turned out to be beautiful! A bit muggy almost, but sunny and with a nice breeze.

For those of you who have commented and asked about fishing: my sources have said that yes Caribou is showing good fishing, Walleye, Northerns and some small mouth bass. However for really good small mouth bass fishing, the boys (Kevin & Donny) went up to Rove the other night and caught buckets full and we had a fish fry. Again, please feel free to ask questions and give us your comments!

Update on roads: Most downed trees and debris areas have been cleaned up. Drive with caution nonetheless, there are some wash-out areas yet.

From the North-AJ

Bear Paw Print

Mike, who has joined our staff this summer from UW -Whitewater, gave me a number of photos from the two canoe trips he has taken since he has been here. On one trip he went to Caribou and visit Johnson Falls. On the second he went in at Duncan and went to Rose Falls.

Mike pointed out this one he took of a bear paw print on the Rose Falls trip.

Weather note: I have had several phone calls today regarding flooding so there must have been something on the news about the rain in Grand Marais last night. We just had a hard rain last night at mid-trail it was just a normal rain and Erik and Mike even headed into town to haul in all the recycle. When they got there, the recycle center was closed as were a number of other businesses.

The forest service measured 6.5 inches of rain by morning at their office on Lake Superior and we heard that there was 17 inches at the Apostle Islands. A number of gravel roads and drive ways washed out and there was flooding in low lying areas and on 61 near Cut Face creek along the big lake. The Gunflint Trail is fine as is Clearwater Road and the repair work other roads will be done quickly. We have a 30 % chance of rain tonight and 20% to 30% over the next few days. Highs will be in the upper 60's to low 70's and lows in the upper 40's to low 50's.

Moose at Play.....

Yesterday evening, Erik was going for a bike ride when we ran into Buddy on Clearwater Road. He turned around and picked up a camera from the lodge and headed back out. He got some really nice shots of our old Pal. We are glad to see him back this year, although he is still a little scrawny.

Can you see him peeking back from within the trees?

Redbird's Fishing Tips

As promised, here is the fishing news from our resident fisherman: Bass are still deep, I would suggest using deep crankbaits or jigs. With the weather warm-up, they should be moving shallow, but as of right now the water temps in clearwater remain in the lower 50's. Walleyes are still showing signs of being in the early season. So far we have found that they are reacting better to slow verticle jigging. We tried quicker, horizontal jigging and had negative results. Mike says they tend to get more active around the first of June, but it is likely that due to the late ice-out, good walleye fishing will be later as well. Lake trout are shallow as of right now and are surfacing for bugs as night falls. They should be moving deeper soon.

Comments and requests on what lakes are showing good fish, bait tips, and such are always encouraged.

Tune in next time for Outfitting Facts from Eric

From the North woods- Redbird (Edited by Tarp)

Kids at Play

Today was pretty quiet around here. Half of the staff are out on a quick trip into the BWCA, and Kyle, mike's nephew and our constant entertainer of the recent weeks, has gone home. Lynn took him to Duluth to meet his plane, and Mike headed into Grand Marais... that left myself (AJ), Donny and Kevin to work and entertain ourselfs. We definitely worked hard, but we also played hard. Here we see Redbird and Unicorn (their radio names) enjoying a break on the swings after mowing and weed wacking.

The weather up here has been interesting, as always. Yesturday we had a nice sunny day, with a couple mid afternoon/evening showers. We actually had a couple people flip canoes during these two different speradic rain showers. Fortunatly the water wasn't nearly as cold as it was even 3-4 days ago and no one was worse for the wear. Today was supposed to be thunderstorms, however it has stayed sunny all afternoon, which is a blessing. I think all of us are ready for the warm weather. (Even though that means bugs, which are starting to arrive.)

I decided to add this picture just for the laughs that I'm sure will ensue. There is no doubting we have an eclectic staff, with bold personalities this year. Everyone gets along really well and it is promising to be a really fun and productive summer. Mike came back from Grand Marais about mid-way through our work day, and all of us, being so tired from our hard work, were so very excited to see that Mike had brought us a treat from town: WORLD'S BEST DONUTS!

So here is a not at all planned picture of Tarp, Redbird & Unicorn eating our Donuts!

For all of you fishermen out there, tomorrow Donny (aka Redbird) has agreed to provide a fishing update. He is somewhat of an experianced fisherman and will give you all some ideas of whats biting and how to get their attention! (Redbird would like me to input he is a master fisherman)

From the North Woods - Tarp, Redbird, & Unicorn

Birds of Minnesota

I love this time of the year just for the birds. In the morning before I get up I just listen to them all singing. I don't know my MN birds yet but I am learning some them as time passes. I don't know their songs at all but I did get a 'Birds of Minnesota' audio CD. So far I haven't listened to it! I am not a birder but I really enjoy seeing them and trying to identify them. I find that I have to get a good picture and then go to my bird book. There are less than a dozen I can identify without my field guide now which I feel for me is pretty darn good. Kyle, who is from Indiana, took this photo today. Then we all gathered around our bird book to identify this Evening Grosbeak.

Kyle leaves tomorrow to return to IN. We are driving to Duluth for him to catch his flight. We will miss him and sure did appreciate his help in getting us opened up for the spring.

Lynn