Loon Lake Tales

The ice is gone but........

2009-05-09T07:12:00.000-07:00

Well the ice went off the lake mid week and things looked great. As you can see by the picture things have turned cold again. We woke up this morning to the new snow. It really isn't that unusual to have snow opening weekend but that doesn't mean we have to like it. The good news is that it won't stay around very long. Warmer temps are predicted for later in the week.

We have been working on the Lodge building. Last fall we cut out a portion of the front wall, the end of the porch and parts of the dining room floor. We then pored a concrete footing along the front wall out to the porch. Taking off the roofing, replacing roof boards and starting to replace the front wall are the first order of business this spring. We want to keep the old Lodge building but it was time to do some major repair work. The dining room will not open until mid June at the earliest.

Our new online reservation program has been very well received. The nice thing about it is you can also check for availability to help you plan for your summer vacation. So give it a try and let us know what you think. Don't forget we are running specials until the end of June!

If you look closely at the picture you can see a boat just off to the left of the birdhouse. We have some hard core fishermen trying their luck.

Fishing Opener is coming!!

2009-05-05T13:18:00.000-07:00

The fishing opener is just 3 days away and with any luck the ice will be off the lake. I took this picture yesterday from our deck. With some wind and a little rain it should be gone within a day or two. With the ice going out this close to the opener the fish should be in shallow water and most likely near the river coming from Little Iron/Little Mayhew. Minnows and frozen ciscoes are always a good bait early in the season.

If you are looking for a lakefront log cabin we are running specials during the early part of the season. Be sure to check them out and also check out our new online booking. We have been using it for the last couple of weeks and so far people seem to like the ease in checking availability and making a reservation. Make sure you let us know how it works for you!

Boys' Weekend

2009-03-24T08:44:00.000-07:00

Each year three of my close friends come up from Duluth for a boys' weekend. We ski, snowshoe, hike whatever the weather allows. This year we hiked over to Bridal Falls which is located between Crab and Gunflint lakes. It was a great day. Weather was just right -- not too cold. It is about a 2 mile hike from the Lodge. Lots of wolf tracks and other signs of wolf activities. The Falls were great but the most amazing thing was the smoke. The area was burned in the Ham Lake May 2007 fire and it is still smoking! Water had been pumped onto the area during the summer of 07 but to no avail. The fire had burned down deep into the duff. Then last March the Forest Service planted dynamite and blew up sections of the area in an attempt to put the fire out but again to no avail. The picture shows the area that was blown up but the smoke is hard to see.

We also spent a day snowshoeing around the area. The conditions were tough. Even with snowshoes we had a hard time in the deep snow. We followed the creek coming from Little Iron to an area where it merges with a creek from Little Mayhew. It then flows into Loon Lake. It is a beautiful area that few people see. I think we will make a trail into the area for summer hiking.

Lots of freezing rain in the area as of late. Spring must be coming soon.

Great Weather

2009-03-06T09:38:00.000-08:00

It has been busy as of late. The weather has been cooperating for the most part. People have been able to get out and do all the winter things. Because the snow is compacted you can easily walk on snowmobile track. You don't need skis or snowshoes unless you go off the beaten trail. Sally, her husband and friends used their snowshoes to get to the high ground above Crab Lake. It is a great view of not only Crab Lake but you can also see Gunflint Lake and Loon Lake. It was a great day with the sun shining and the temps were just right.

Our son Adam was celebrating his 30th birthday with some of his buddies. They snowmobiled from Duluth to Grand Portage where they spent the night. Then the next day they rode the trails up to Loon Lake. They said the trials were in great shape and all had a great time.

We will be closing for the rest of the winter and opening up again May 1st. That will be Green Up Weekend. Check out the web site and see all of the events planed. It was a great experience last year for all who attended.

The Martens are coming!

2009-02-04T14:28:00.000-08:00

Well we have a new visitor to our bird feeder. We call them Pine Martens but they are also called American Martens. They have a long slender body covered in glossy brownish fur with a lighter coloured throat, a long bushy tail and a pointed snout. Like those of cats, its claws are semi-retractable, and aid it in climbing trees. It also has very large foot pads in relation to body weight allowing it to walk on hard snow. This provides the marten with a distinct advantage in areas that receive heavy snows.

They mainly eat small mammals like red squirrels or mice but will eat just about anything. They can be aggressive if cornered but if you leave them alone there is no problem. Their fur looks very soft but I have no plans on checking that out. During the fur trading days their numbers fell when their fur became desirable for coats. Today some trapping is allowed but the season is limited.

We see them mainly in the winter and early spring. Just another of our interesting neighbors.

Running Dogs

2009-02-01T14:19:00.000-08:00

Had a great time at the Beargrease Sled Dog Race again this year. Our part of the race is just a small snap shot. I work with the check in and check out of teams at Trail Center. Reporting times and number of dogs for each team to the race managers. Teams started arriving a 7:15 pm and continued until around 4:20 am after a few hours rest they then started to leave. The last team out left at 6:00am. Temps were in the 20 below range but the dogs were ready to go. I on the other hand was ready for bed!

With the race coming through Loon Lake this year I wanted to get at least one picture of a team coming down the bay. It was about 8:00 am when I thought I saw the first dog approaching but it was just a single dog and it took me a few minutes to realize it was a wolf following the trail of the sled dogs. He walked on the trail from the point across from the Lodge to just short of the boat landing. I quietly watched hoping I could get a good picture but something spooked him and he was gone like a flash. Shortly a team did come around the point heading for the Lodge.

After the teams pasted I headed to bed to get some sleep. Each year I have more and more respect for the mushers and their teams. The race ended with the first team back to Duluth on Wednesday afternoon. If you ever wanted to see a race up close check out the dates for next year. The "Shack" offers a great view of the teams coming down the lake and if you want you can go and cheer the teams on as they come off the lake. I guarantee it is something you don't see everyday.

John Beargrease Sled Dog Race

2009-01-18T07:29:00.000-08:00

For over 25 years there has been a sled dog race commemorating the life of John Beargrease. He and his brothers delivered mail along the North Shore of Lake Superior in the late 1800s. They used a number of different means to move the mail from Duluth to Grand Marais --walking to canoeing and then in the winter, sled dogs.

The race route has changed over the years and this year they will be coming down Loon Lake to the Lodge and travel up our road to connect to the snowmobile trail that parallels the Gunflint Trail. Last year I was a volunteer and it was a tremendous experience. I never knew the physical and emotional strength it took to run a sled dog marathon. The dogs are the most important part of the race and a great deal of effort is put into making sure no animals are hurt. There are veterinarians all along the route to make sure care is available. The mushers themselves are almost secondary.

The race will start Sunday, January 25th in Duluth and will finish sometime on the 28th back in Duluth. The exact time they will be coming through Loon Lake is a little hard to estimate. We are around the half way mark so best guess would be sometime Monday night or early Tuesday morning. If you are anywhere along the North Shore, Gunflint Trail or Loon Lake during that time be sure and take advantage and cheer the teams on.

It is kind of cold outside!!

2009-01-14T14:14:00.000-08:00

Well this is a good time to catch up on my reading. My thermometer quit working last night so I checked out the weather station at the Seagull Guard Station. Many of you have seen the place about halfway between Loon Lake and Sag Lake. They have an online weather station and according to them it was 45 below this morning at 7:04. Burrrrrrr. It always surprises me that things work at that temp. Our house was nice and cozy so I went down to make sure the Shack was warm and everything was working just fine. The good news is just about all the slush is gone. When it is this cold everything outside freezes solid.

I tried to take a picture of the birds feeding today but every time I tried they took off. You should see them. They look about twice as big as usual with their feathers all puffed up to keep themselves warm. They were feeding all day just trying to keep moving and to keep their strength up.

Well that is all for now it time to finish that last chapter.

Beautiful Winter

2009-01-09T18:29:00.000-08:00

Let it snow! Let it snow! Let it snow! So far we have had a great winter for snow enthusiast. We have been getting some snow about everyday. Some days more than others but I am shoveling the deck every morning. We have had a few snowmobilers by but that part of the season is just getting started. Terry has been out skiing everyday. Right now she heads off to Crab Lake. Larry our neighbor has been grooming and packing the trail so conditions are very good. The lake is a different story. We got a great deal of snow right after the lake froze over. This causes slush. Not very nice for anyone. You can't ski, snowmobile or snowshoe when there is slush on the lake. The good news is we are now experiencing some cold weather and it should take care of the problem in short order.

Just to remind you we do have the "Shack" open this winter. It is a great place to recharge your batteries. It is the only cabin we have open so you have to place to yourselves. Lake trout fishing is generally good on the lake if that is your thing. You can also go cross country skiing right from your door or snowshoe almost any place you would like. It is like having your own place.

Some events coming up that I will write more about later -- John Beargrease Sled Dog Race the end of January and Winter Tracks Festival coming the end of February. Keep checking back to find out more.

Birds, Birds and more Birds

2008-12-30T13:30:00.000-08:00

Ok I know it has been way too long since I last updated our blog. I will once again try and do a better job. Just so you know the summer was great. We had very good help this year with Casey and Steve. Having kids you can depend on make our summer more enjoyable. We did part of a wedding in August and an entire wedding in September. Lots of fun and both went off without a hitch. Finished up the season in October with mainly weekend guests. Most out looking at the leaves and some grouse hunters.

This fall also brought some sad news. Willard Johnson who we bought the Lodge from passed away this October at the age of 95. He along with his brother and a friend bought the Lodge in 1949 and lived to see many changes along the Gunflint Trail. We along with many of you will miss him.

With the onset of winter I have been feeding the birds. This last year we have been trying to learn more about birding. I have three feeders of different sizes with different seeds. They seem to come in waves. We will have 6 or 8 pine grosbeaks come into the big feeder with sun flower seeds. The males are red with gray and the females are mainly gray with some dull yellow. The red-breasted nuthatch is the hardest worker. They just grab one seed at a time, fly off to a near by tree and crack the seed open, eat and start all over again. The black-capped chickadees are our most frequent visitors. They will work the feeders all day.

All of these years I haven't really spent the time to notice the different colors and beauty of birds. So this winter I will keep you updated on our feathered visitors.

Fishing is still very good!

2008-06-28T19:38:00.000-07:00

Over the past couple of weeks we have had a number of people out fishing. The Miller party had a good deal of luck over by the river. The top picture is one of Johnathon with a nice northern. The second picture is of Steve who works for us and has caught the fishing bug. He has caught a number of nice northerns and a few decent bass. The Clasen party just checked out today but they caught a nice variety of fish. Wayne caught lake trout, northern, small mouth bass and even a walleye. Yes I know it is hard to believe a walleye on Loon Lake but strange things do happen.

Camp is full tonight. The weather has not been cooperating with people camping so we always get a few people looking for a dry place to sleep. That is great with us because sooner or later most people give up that crazy camping idea and want to vacation someplace with a nice bed and a warm shower and have we got a deal for them.

Fish are biting!!

2008-06-01T18:52:00.000-07:00

Sorry I haven't been keeping up on my blog. May flew by and here it is June. The ice went out late. Our first guests had to fish over by the river because that was the only open water on opening day!!! The bay was clear of ice by the 11th of May and the main lake went out on the 15th. In the last couple of years we were ice free by the 19th of April.

We have had a good number of big northerns caught in the bay over the last couple of weeks. Our son Adam got this 42 inch monster in just 2 feet of water over by the river coming in from Little Iron. Jerry Hinkle-Johnson brought in a very nice 38 inch northern off our dock last weekend. As you can tell this is the time of year to get the bigger fish when they are up in shallow water. Surface temperature today was 50 degrees. Still a little cold for swimming.

Adam's father-in-law Jack got the nice lake trout off our pontoon dock. Jack has been up a couple of times since the season open and each time he catches two of nice lake trout in about the same spot. Why change?

We still have some good openings in July. Give us a call if we can help out on your vacation plans, 1-800-552-6351.

Spring?

2008-04-23T19:07:00.000-07:00

I was walking on the lake today! That can't be a good sign for people waiting for spring. The ice is still out to the edge of the lake and the river is just starting to open so it will be another week before we can hope to see open water. I saw two pair of Mergansers at the mouth of the river. They are the ducks with the brown heads and the males have a white body and females are brown. We always seem to have more of them than any type of duck.

We have half of the cabins cleaned but they are not complete. We still have to go back and wash all the curtains and clean all the stoves. Jack and Cindy came up from Duluth this last weekend to give us a hand. It is always more "fun" when there are others around to share the cleaning duties. We have to have the "Shack" ready to go for the first of May. Then we will need to have them all ready by Memorial Weekend.

Things are set and ready to go for the big tree planting weekend May 2 - 4. Twelve of us will unload 75,000 seedlings on Tuesday and then position them on Friday for the hundreds of people who are signed up to help get them in the ground. Big dinner, party and dance follows Saturday night. Then on Sunday there will be a half marathon. I won't be running!! I know that surprises many of you. I will be driving behind the runners to lead cars around them since we can't close the Trail to traffic. Should be exciting.

Signs of Spring!!!

2008-04-15T14:29:00.000-07:00

Believe it or not Terry was skiing on the lake just yesterday!! Today however is a different story. The lake is just starting to get dark spots and that means melting. We are getting some warmer weather and rain is predicted before the end of the week. Before long we will start to hear the river run and within a short time loons and other summer creatures will return.

It is hard to get fired up about spring cleaning when you have to climb over snowbanks to get to the cabins. We will start in earnest in the next few days. We are opening early this year with our first guests arriving May 1st. That will be "Green Up Weekend". There are a number of events planned from tree planting to a dinner dance and finally the Ham Run Half Marathon. There has been a great deal of interest and I am sure there will be plenty of people on the Trail.

We are all looking forward to "ice out"!

Sad Day

2008-04-05T10:21:00.000-07:00

In our last post I talked about the "Best burgers on the Trail" and Hungry Jack Lodge. Just a few days after that post the main lodge building at Hungry Jack burned. Our hearts and prayers go out to Forrest and Ericka. The good news is that no one was hurt in the fire and I am sure when they rebuild they will be better than ever.

Snow, Snow and more Snow

2008-04-08T12:10:00.000-07:00

Just when you start to think summer mother nature plays her little game with you! The past couple of days we have received over a foot of fresh snow. The Lodge road was just starting to dry out and we were just getting started with our spring cleaning. That is on hold right now and Terry is back out skiing!! The lake still has over 2 feet of ice and there is very little slush. It wont last too long they are talking about temps in the high 50's by this weekend.

We are really in the summer way of thinking right now. We get excited about the new season, seeing old friends and having open water. We have hired some summer help this year so that will take some pressure off and who knows we may get more work done.

Remember we have discounted rates for May and June. If that is something that appeals to you give us a call. July and August do have some openings and there are always some short stays open around other reservations that would make a nice get-a-way. Stay in touch!

"Best Burgers on the Trail"

2008-03-22T14:14:00.000-07:00

I don't get a chance to go snowmobiling but our son Adam was up for his birthday and we made the best of the great weather. On one of our trips we started out heading down the Crab Lake Trail and then running the length of Crab Lake. As you get to the end of Crab there is a small trail that goes up the hill over to Little Mayhew Lake. This is the area that was hit the hardest last summer by the fire. The view is spectacular from the top of the hill before you head down into Little Mayhew. You look over Crab into the Gunflint Lake area. From Little Mayhew you head to Mayhew Lake. It was long and lots of snow drifts. We hit the main snowmobile trail and headed to Hungry Jack Lake.

Forrest was pulling a truck off the lake when we got there. Quite a site! The girls meet us there - Terry, Janelle and Hannah. We had stopped down to enjoy what are called the "Best Burgers on the Trail". The Place was jumping and Ericka serving food downstairs in the Lodge. The food was very good and if you are looking for a burger while on the Trail during the winter months you have to stop at Hungry Jack Lodge.

Adam and I headed back to Loon this time going on Poplar Lake then Iron Lake and home. It was a lot faster and much smoother than the snowmobile trail. It was a great ride and we both had good day.

Winter Tracks

2008-03-10T08:07:00.000-07:00

The Winter Tracks Festival just finished up and it was great!! There was something for everyone and most events are free to the public. All of the winter business along the Gunflint Trail and some in Grand Marais participate in this 5 day event. Just to give you some idea on what goes on there is everything from seminars to snow sculptures and northwoods crafts to knitting by the fire. There are events for cross country skiing to snowmobiles and kids to adults. There is truly something for everyone.

Terry and I even got to a few of the events. We stopped by Heston's Lodge on Gunflint Lake. There Barb was cooking pizza in an outdoor wood-fired bread oven. She had all the toppings and it was some of the best pizza I have ever tasted. So we stayed for more. I will admit it was somewhat cold outside but with oven fired up it wasn't too bad.

We drove around the area and took some pictures of the snow sculptures. All I can say is there are some very talented people up here. They started with a 5 foot by 5 foot block of snow and then started carving away. They made everything from a dog team to a snow wood stove. They had them placed along the Trail and at different resorts. They were all well done.

There was a dinner for all at Gunflint Lodge followed by a dance. It was well attended by over 200 people. So next year if you are looking for a late winter get-a-way consider the Winter Track Festival.

Winter Camping

2008-02-24T14:29:00.000-08:00

Many of you have meet Jerry Henkel-Johnson and his family over the years. They have been guests for over 20 years and know the area well. This year Jerry and a couple of his buddies wanted to try winter camping. I too have thought about it but never had the courage! Well Jerry and his friends picked the weekend to give it a try and what a weekend to pick. The temps dropped to -25 below and the winds were gusting up to 35 miles per hour. Now that is cold. They laid down a tarp and put some camping pads down next. Then came the sleeping bag and they would pull the tarp over the sleeping bag. Sleeping under the stars with the wind and the cold. Burrrrr. Not one night but two!

They did have a cook tent in which to do the meals but for the most part they spent the weekend out in the elements exploring and fishing. I give them credit. Jerry did catch one very nice lake trout - around 15 pounds. I think he earned it. Overall he said it was a great weekend and he is ready to go again.

Little Iron & Tucker Lakes

2008-02-11T08:28:00.000-08:00

Snowshoeing Saturday

Terry and I got a chance to get over to Little Iron & Tucker Lakes on Saturday. It was a nice temperature but it was snowing like crazy. We walked the shoreline of Little Iron and there were tons of animal tracks. Mostly deer tracks but there were also some signs of wolves. This year we have seen more wolves than ever before. In years past you would see signs of wolf activities but almost never accually see the wolf but that has changed. On this day we just saw the tracks of one or two wolves. Over on Tucker we saw few tracks but ran into some slush. Never fun because it builds up on your snowshoes and soon they wiegh a ton. It was a great day but couldn't take any pictures because of the heavy snow.

The picture I used today is one taken from the house. It is cold today -25, so there won't be any walking today maybe just a good book by the fireplace.

Great day for skiing!!

2008-02-06T13:37:00.000-08:00

Terry and I enjoyed a great day skiing. We headed out onto the lake and then over to the Crab Lake Trail. The weather is just right with a bright sun and nice temps. For those of you who have walked the trail in summers past there have been some changes. The fire last summer burned over the trail in many areas. You can see things you have never seen before. You really have a better sense of the surounding area. We didn't make it all the way to Crab Lake but we will next time.

Our First Posting

2008-02-02T08:47:00.000-08:00

Hi To All,

We are going to try and keep you all up to date on what is happening at Loon Lake. Winter activities, where the fish are hitting, new hiking trails, great canoe day trips and other things going on here at Loon Lake Lodge. So keep checking and if you find something that interest you let us know at info@visitloonlake.com.