It's the middle of July and with the current state of the economy, we've been having a bit of lull in business. Ordinarily, this is the peak season, but this "new normal" means that our present lodge guests are having pretty much the whole resort and lake to themselves. And, when business is slow here, it is slow everywhere as would be indicated by the bar graphs of Ely. The bar graphs are the canoes on canoe racks in Ely. Outfitters will prominently display their rental fleets and usually this time of year, the racks are all empty, devoid of 40 or 50 kevlar canoes because they would be all out in the woods on a grand adventure.
The other evening, I had the opportunity to attend an opera in Ely. It was Carmen and was well done. The Washington Auditorium is not the Teatro alla Scala opera house in Italy which is noted for its near perfect sound projection, but it was pretty dang good! I saw Carmen back in Graz, Austria and didn't have a clue as to what was going on because I am Frenchically-challenged, but I still had a blast! So, I really looked forward to seeing it in Ely one more time because the odds of my getting a chance to see it live again are pretty slim without having to travel to more hoighty-toighty locales such as Minneapolis. This time, they translated the music on a screen above and the simplicity of the story was great. Had they cut out the singing, the story could have been wrapped up in about 10 minutes, but I guess that is the point. Which brings me back to my wandering point...
As I drove into town with my mom (Annette isn't an opera fan and my mom has never attended one before), I passed several outfitter bar-graphs at 6:35 PM on July 14, in Ely, Minnesota right next to the environmentally-referred-to "gold mine" called the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness. One prominently-displayed bar graph had NO canoes off of their kevlar rack. NO empty spaces what...so...ever. Plus, their pile of aluminum canoes was higher than I've ever seen. I did not realize they had acquired that many canoes over the years and from what I could see, all were on land and in full display. Then, the next outfitter I passed, had no spaces between his outfitting vans - the ones that they use to haul people to and from entry points. All vans were in for the night and there were no cars in front of the business - on July 14! They looked as if they had closed for the evening. Usually outfitting vans are somewhere out there picking canoes up and dropping off customers, but the indications where that they not rolling. Further down the street, at a few more outfitters, the same story. This is not good.
If you've ever wanted to come up to Ely to enjoy solitude, well, you could have done that anytime in the last 50 years even when all of us businesses were all packed. But, now, you can come up and experience literal (not virtual) solitude. There are very few people on the water and plenty of openings. If you were worried about things like motor traffic, don't be. This is the time to come up and see what the future might become if we continue down our present path. Town is busy with the summer-homers who come up all at about the same time with the grandkids but then they roll the side walks up for the night at about 5 PM.
So, that explains why I was able to go out and cut some firewood. Last winter was brutal and we almost ran out of propane but just made it. I ran out of firewood by mid February however so I got Curt and the gear together and went across the road to begin dropping some of my assets on the ground - AKA trees. I figure instead of letting them stand, rot, and go to waste, I'm going to fell them, buck 'em up, split them and heat my house. So, we collected the Bobcat, chainsaw, chains, cable, gas, bar-oil, and headed across the Fernberg.
I just put a new chain on the saw and it was cutting like a hot knife through butter. The first tree was a birch and as Curt sawed into it, he, of course, hit the big FAT nail that was in the center of that felled tree. DANG IT! Now the saw was cutting like a hot knife through brick. I gave Curt some Bobcat instructions with the grapple to clean up the brush and ran home through the woods to re-sharpen the now "old" saw blade.
Back at the wood-cutting event horizon, we dropped several trees, cut off the tops and branches and made some piles of logs with the aid of the greatest tool ever invented - the Bobcat. (What a back-saver that thing is!) While Curt was moving some logs, I went in to cut a birch of medium size and about 30 feet high and 12 inches in diameter at the base. It was in thick brush so I had to saw my way into it. Dead balsams, balsam branches, brush, etc. There were two slanting balsams in front of the intended path of falling I had planned for that tree. Since it wasn't a difficult drop area (no buildings or structures to avoid) I decided to ignore the two slanting, four inch diameter trees and proceed with the notch in the birch. Usually, I plan an escape route as felling can be very dangerous, but I must be getting cocky (or stupid) in my in my older age. The tree began to fall with the back cut, just as planned and was dropping right on target. Then as it approached the ground, I thought everything was hunky-dory and looked ahead and at the landing and not the lower end of the tree which was right next to me. The lower end of the tree which was no longer tethered to the stump as my saw was sharp, slid down the balsams in front of it, swiping sideways and plowed right into me. Think of it as a moderately-swung, 12" diameter baseball bat hitting me in the shins, pinning me against a log behind my calves and knocking me backwards. Ow. When it stopped moving in two seconds, my right foot was stuck. I struggled to get unstuck quickly because I did not want Curt to touch that tree with the Bobcat thirty feet away while I was pinned and there was no way to tell him not to do that because my foot was stuck. I couldn't out-yell the engine from that distance, either. So, yank and struggle and the other log on the ground barely moved just enough to let my ankle squeeze through, freeing me. Happy to be free once again, back to work with the saw I went.
We began to pull down a few poplars that were leaning towards the highway. One was a pretty good size tree and about 14" in diameter at the bottom. It had a moderate lean on it and I secured a chain around it and hooked a cable to the chain while Curt positioned the Bobcat in line with my planned notch. I dragged the free end of the chain to hook it to one of the tines of the claw grapple attachment and had Curt pull back with the Bobcat to tighten the cable to test the 70 foot high tree by shaking it. The tree shook at the top just like they all do, but this maneuver also insures that the cable is connected and chain, six feet up around the tree, won't be letting go at the most inopportune of times. There was hardly any traffic on the road, but past experiences with the evil spirit called "Fate" reminds me that should the tree land on the highway, 327 vehicles will instantly appear and have a chain reaction pile-up at that very moment. And, of course, I would be responsible. So, we don't test "Fate". We test cables and chains even out in the woods. It's just safer.
So, with everything looking good, I show Curt the hand signals I will be using and the one about waving my arms means "stop". I go to cut the notch and it's giving me a hard time. I think I need to peel the edges off the bar because they wear down and form a bead where the saw chain rides causing the bar to stick instead of slide. I finally get the front notch cut with the wedge of white wood cleared and begin the back cut. As I'm cutting, I signal to Curt to pull and he begins backing up as planned. The tree begins to straighten up and go the other way as it was supposed to, but I hear cracking above me and remembered the birch baseball bat of earlier and the fact that Curt has very little time in the Bobcat. I literally blasted out into my escape route, trying to create distance from that tree because being crushed by the trunk or skewered by a large falling branch, has to be an awful way to go. After my first powerful step, moving with my cat-like reflexes, I hooked my toe on something and rolled like a hippo launched out of a potato gun. Oh, that went SO well... I think I somersaulted twice while watching alternating views pass of the brilliant blue sky dipped in shades of green and then brown dirt also dipped in shades of green. As I was rolling around in the dirt on my back, I was also straining to look up to watch the poplar fall in perfect alignment with the Bobcat. It missed me by a relative mile and landed right where it was supposed to fall. Apparently, I developed a serious case of the jitters at the last second.
I picked up my cap, dusted myself off, took my wounded pride and unhooked the Bobcat. Curt wanted to know why I was rolling around in the dirt. We finished cutting and stacking and went home for the day.
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Saturday, July 19, 2014
Sunday, July 6, 2014
Class Reunion and Lightning Strikes
Yesterday, on Saturday, July 5th, Annette went down to watch the store Red Rock and Northwind Lodge to assist with lodge check-ins and store customers while I sneaked away to Ely to attend my 35th class reunion at the Boat House on Sheridan St.
Ordinarily, I don't like to leave the business ever because whenever I do, all heck breaks loose. It had been storming with some lightning and while the power was on, the phone and internet were dead. I took my smart phone and stuffed the fat thing in my pocket and reluctantly got in the truck and drove to town.
The reunion was fun. Meeting old classmates and friends and some of my cousins made for an enjoyable evening. Many bulls were shot and the world's problems were addressed. While talking loudly and straining to hear each other, a waitress with a cordless phone approached our table and asked one of my mates for a particular person and every arm on the table pointed to me. Of course...I am not allowed to leave the resort and it was making itself be known as it called me back with a smirk.
I had to step outside and recall Annette on her cell phone. She had to drive to almost Fall lake, 9 miles away to get cell reception. She tried calling me numerous times on my cell, but because I am a Luddite where a smart phone (really a dumb phone) is concerned. I could neither feel a vibration nor hear the ring tone I picked for that modern wonder that has brain-dead children everywhere addicted to thumb typing. Anyway, I headed outside and re-called her to find that there was a lightning strike and some strange goings on with the electrical power in several cabins. So, leave the fun and race back home I did. It's no longer a surprise but like a self-fulfilling prophecy, something that I just expect. Fortunately, there were no deer popping out of the ridiculously neglected, Lake County grass and weeds, forcing my hand at Fernberg Whack-A-Mole with the truck. I marveled at how the country seat in Two Harbors is manicured by county highway staff and the our region in the northern part of the county which contributes almost 40% of the taxes can't even get four foot high weeds cut on the edge of the road before mid to late July. One thinks of all sorts of things while speeding into the night with a strange-sounding problem crawling around on the ladders of one's mind.
When I arrived at the resort, I talked to Annette and she had no new information, so I went downstairs for a diagnostic meter and headed out to the rest of the resort. On the way, I stopped in the store to pick up a can of wasp spray because along with the lights out in about half of Cabin 8, there was a significant hornet nest very near the door. When I got there, I met with the cabin guests and they pointed out the nest. I proceeded to super-soak it with the spray. Yep - it was full of those rotten black wasps and I gave them a bath while dancing around as they fell out and slowly zoomed my way in a daze. With that I went into the back room where the electrical panels are and inspected all the fuses with a flashlight. All fuses appeared intact. No visible signs of burning or the smell of roasted metal under lightning. There was also no heat. The box was cool temperature-wise. Nonetheless, there were no lights in part of the cabin where the lights had been and I cannot figure out what is going on. I was glad that I opted to not drink a second beer that one of my classmates offered me at the bar. As a rule, I prefer to be completely focused whenever working with electricity. It only takes one screw up to make for a really bad evening.
I can't figure it out. Fuses are intact, lights are gone. Maybe the lightning strike burned off a wire without taking out a 15 amp fuse. I couldn't see how, but weird stuff happens with lightning. I told the party that I need to come back in the daylight and take a closer look tomorrow. They are fine with that and have a flashlight for the dark bathroom. Before I can get out the door, the group leader, Lindsey Shaner insists I take at least two freshly baked molasses cookies that apparently his wife made for him and the group. I did and ate them on the way to Cabin 5 where the story of electrical weirdness at Northwind Lodge was a continuing saga. The cookies were really quite good! I wanted another one but the scope of the mission didn't allow it.
At Cabin 5, the Murphies explained what happened, Big thunder, the lights went almost dark and the refrigerator got loud and didn't sound right. I tested the power which was now looking just fine and the fridge was sounding normal. Power hit a perfect 120 volts on my meter. I inspected the electrical panel and felt for hot circuit breakers and smelled for burning bake-lite. Nothing unusual, nothing tripped. I said goodnight to the Murphy's and headed home on foot in the dark, perplexed and a bit irritated that I had to leave the reunion and still couldn't really solve the problem in Cabin #8.
The next morning, the Shaner party headed out to Wood Lake. They fish there every day of the week during their stay here at Northwind Lodge. I met up with Pete Edwards, another longtime guest at our lodge and he told me the same story. IN Cabin #7, the lights went dark and the fridge made a lot of noise as it was drawing a lot of amps in the suddenly low voltage of what appeared to be brown-out as opposed to the more expected surge from a lightning strike. Pete volunteered to come with me and turn lights on and off to check circuits. I also scrounged around and luckily found the right sized batteries for my multi-meter that I would need to test resistance in cartridge fuses in Cabin 8. We go there and I tested all the cartridge fuses and re-inspected the the round fuses one more time. According to my meter, none of the fuses were fried. We go into the bathroom and look at those dang lights. Then it dawned on me.
I went to the hallway and located an old-fashioned light bulb, unscrewed the compact fluorescent light in the bathroom ceiling and replaced it with the real light bulb. Flipped the switch and lo-and-behold, the light lit up like a mini sun. That was it! The common denominator was there in front of us. Four CFL's died in the brownout. They don't do well in less than perfect conditions and it was imperfect at best, last night. In talking with my dad, he said that it sounded like the lighting hit really close to his house and in the vicinity of the transformer that powers the bulk of the resort. I still can't figure how we had a brownout in a lightning strike, but that is what appears to have happened. I suspect that the event may have shortened the lifespans of several cabin refrigerators as well. Only time will tell. Dang....
I need to make a mental note to add "checking common denominators" to my list of how to determine what goes wrong when it does. Fortunately, the problem was resolved rather easily and vacationing continues at Northwind Lodge.
Northwind Lodge Website
Red Rock Outdoors Blog
Red Rock Wilderness Store Website
Ordinarily, I don't like to leave the business ever because whenever I do, all heck breaks loose. It had been storming with some lightning and while the power was on, the phone and internet were dead. I took my smart phone and stuffed the fat thing in my pocket and reluctantly got in the truck and drove to town.
The reunion was fun. Meeting old classmates and friends and some of my cousins made for an enjoyable evening. Many bulls were shot and the world's problems were addressed. While talking loudly and straining to hear each other, a waitress with a cordless phone approached our table and asked one of my mates for a particular person and every arm on the table pointed to me. Of course...I am not allowed to leave the resort and it was making itself be known as it called me back with a smirk.
I had to step outside and recall Annette on her cell phone. She had to drive to almost Fall lake, 9 miles away to get cell reception. She tried calling me numerous times on my cell, but because I am a Luddite where a smart phone (really a dumb phone) is concerned. I could neither feel a vibration nor hear the ring tone I picked for that modern wonder that has brain-dead children everywhere addicted to thumb typing. Anyway, I headed outside and re-called her to find that there was a lightning strike and some strange goings on with the electrical power in several cabins. So, leave the fun and race back home I did. It's no longer a surprise but like a self-fulfilling prophecy, something that I just expect. Fortunately, there were no deer popping out of the ridiculously neglected, Lake County grass and weeds, forcing my hand at Fernberg Whack-A-Mole with the truck. I marveled at how the country seat in Two Harbors is manicured by county highway staff and the our region in the northern part of the county which contributes almost 40% of the taxes can't even get four foot high weeds cut on the edge of the road before mid to late July. One thinks of all sorts of things while speeding into the night with a strange-sounding problem crawling around on the ladders of one's mind.
When I arrived at the resort, I talked to Annette and she had no new information, so I went downstairs for a diagnostic meter and headed out to the rest of the resort. On the way, I stopped in the store to pick up a can of wasp spray because along with the lights out in about half of Cabin 8, there was a significant hornet nest very near the door. When I got there, I met with the cabin guests and they pointed out the nest. I proceeded to super-soak it with the spray. Yep - it was full of those rotten black wasps and I gave them a bath while dancing around as they fell out and slowly zoomed my way in a daze. With that I went into the back room where the electrical panels are and inspected all the fuses with a flashlight. All fuses appeared intact. No visible signs of burning or the smell of roasted metal under lightning. There was also no heat. The box was cool temperature-wise. Nonetheless, there were no lights in part of the cabin where the lights had been and I cannot figure out what is going on. I was glad that I opted to not drink a second beer that one of my classmates offered me at the bar. As a rule, I prefer to be completely focused whenever working with electricity. It only takes one screw up to make for a really bad evening.
I can't figure it out. Fuses are intact, lights are gone. Maybe the lightning strike burned off a wire without taking out a 15 amp fuse. I couldn't see how, but weird stuff happens with lightning. I told the party that I need to come back in the daylight and take a closer look tomorrow. They are fine with that and have a flashlight for the dark bathroom. Before I can get out the door, the group leader, Lindsey Shaner insists I take at least two freshly baked molasses cookies that apparently his wife made for him and the group. I did and ate them on the way to Cabin 5 where the story of electrical weirdness at Northwind Lodge was a continuing saga. The cookies were really quite good! I wanted another one but the scope of the mission didn't allow it.
At Cabin 5, the Murphies explained what happened, Big thunder, the lights went almost dark and the refrigerator got loud and didn't sound right. I tested the power which was now looking just fine and the fridge was sounding normal. Power hit a perfect 120 volts on my meter. I inspected the electrical panel and felt for hot circuit breakers and smelled for burning bake-lite. Nothing unusual, nothing tripped. I said goodnight to the Murphy's and headed home on foot in the dark, perplexed and a bit irritated that I had to leave the reunion and still couldn't really solve the problem in Cabin #8.
The next morning, the Shaner party headed out to Wood Lake. They fish there every day of the week during their stay here at Northwind Lodge. I met up with Pete Edwards, another longtime guest at our lodge and he told me the same story. IN Cabin #7, the lights went dark and the fridge made a lot of noise as it was drawing a lot of amps in the suddenly low voltage of what appeared to be brown-out as opposed to the more expected surge from a lightning strike. Pete volunteered to come with me and turn lights on and off to check circuits. I also scrounged around and luckily found the right sized batteries for my multi-meter that I would need to test resistance in cartridge fuses in Cabin 8. We go there and I tested all the cartridge fuses and re-inspected the the round fuses one more time. According to my meter, none of the fuses were fried. We go into the bathroom and look at those dang lights. Then it dawned on me.
I went to the hallway and located an old-fashioned light bulb, unscrewed the compact fluorescent light in the bathroom ceiling and replaced it with the real light bulb. Flipped the switch and lo-and-behold, the light lit up like a mini sun. That was it! The common denominator was there in front of us. Four CFL's died in the brownout. They don't do well in less than perfect conditions and it was imperfect at best, last night. In talking with my dad, he said that it sounded like the lighting hit really close to his house and in the vicinity of the transformer that powers the bulk of the resort. I still can't figure how we had a brownout in a lightning strike, but that is what appears to have happened. I suspect that the event may have shortened the lifespans of several cabin refrigerators as well. Only time will tell. Dang....
I need to make a mental note to add "checking common denominators" to my list of how to determine what goes wrong when it does. Fortunately, the problem was resolved rather easily and vacationing continues at Northwind Lodge.
Northwind Lodge Website
Red Rock Outdoors Blog
Red Rock Wilderness Store Website
Friday, July 4, 2014
Yearning for the Good Old Days
I just had a party check out after staying one week here at Northwind Lodge. Well, they paid up their tab and need to leave early tomorrow morning (Saturday) because of upcoming commitments. Fortunately for me, I was able to talk with the parents and kids individually over the course of the week, and I gained some insight to the behavior and interaction of this family.
While I moved around the resort for various reasons over the course of the week, I found various members of this this family of six at the beach, in the store, and on the footpaths. I saw the girls and mom out on the stand-up-paddle boards and water bikes, the boys were fishing with their dad and sometimes the whole family went out on the water. They even took a trip as a family to Wood Lake which is something we rarely see these days. Despite their arrival from a very windy day of BWCA rowing and struggling in gusts, they all came back smiling. They didn't even look worse for the wear and nobody appeared ticked off.
In talking with the patriarch, I expressed how great it was for me to see an entire family enjoying their time together at our resort. It is what I grew up with having been in the resort for my entire life and seeing mom & dad taking out the kids is "homemade meatloaf, mashed potatoes and gravy" to me. He told me that they had a wonderful time despite the fishing. Fishing went from a rather exciting prior week to a big weather change with high winds and slow fishing this week even when I expected it to pick up. They caught fish, but those fish sure weren't yelling "catch me" by any means. That's why it's called fishing and not catching.
Also, in talking with the dad, he said it was a bit tough for the first day and a half upon their initial arrival. All four kids discovered that they had no cell service or wifi everywhere they went. His term was "the shakes" regarding the electronic social disconnection, and he said that after that malady passed, the kids began to enjoy the simpler things like taking out a kayak or a SUP and doing something with their muscles. They also played Battleship and other board games as a family. We need more of this in the US today.
In talking with the patriarch, I expressed how great it was for me to see an entire family enjoying their time together at our resort. It is what I grew up with having been in the resort for my entire life and seeing mom & dad taking out the kids is "homemade meatloaf, mashed potatoes and gravy" to me. He told me that they had a wonderful time despite the fishing. Fishing went from a rather exciting prior week to a big weather change with high winds and slow fishing this week even when I expected it to pick up. They caught fish, but those fish sure weren't yelling "catch me" by any means. That's why it's called fishing and not catching.
Also, in talking with the dad, he said it was a bit tough for the first day and a half upon their initial arrival. All four kids discovered that they had no cell service or wifi everywhere they went. His term was "the shakes" regarding the electronic social disconnection, and he said that after that malady passed, the kids began to enjoy the simpler things like taking out a kayak or a SUP and doing something with their muscles. They also played Battleship and other board games as a family. We need more of this in the US today.
Then, he expressed that he really liked the cabin because it was roomy enough and felt like a cabin in the woods - not a condo in a development. The part he truly enjoyed was Jasper Creek as it passes by outside. With the constant, soothing white noise after being out in the fresh air day after day, he said that his whole family slept like logs and that meant HE slept like a log. He hasn't slept THAT well in a long time. The solid sleep was one of the parts that I sensed really "made" the trip for this dad.
The final part of the discussion was at the cost of staying in Ely. Given the fun they had all week, he could not believe that we had cabin openings. Comparatively, he said, for what one gets in a vacation in Ely - real wilderness, a cabin in the woods next to a lake, a real waterfall, water toys and fishing - the cost of having fun compared to other areas was downright cheap. For the amount of money they spent for lodging and outside activities like a guided fishing day trip, they couldn't even touch such an adventure in Disneyland or some other place. He estimated that it would cost four times as much easily. So, he was surprised that we weren't packed reservation-wise given the enjoyable, relaxing, stay they had here.
It was good to hear that again from a family. With the changing times in the New Normal, we don't get to hear or see it nearly as much as we should. And, I know he wasn't making it up as they made reservations for next year. I look forward to their arrival next season!
The final part of the discussion was at the cost of staying in Ely. Given the fun they had all week, he could not believe that we had cabin openings. Comparatively, he said, for what one gets in a vacation in Ely - real wilderness, a cabin in the woods next to a lake, a real waterfall, water toys and fishing - the cost of having fun compared to other areas was downright cheap. For the amount of money they spent for lodging and outside activities like a guided fishing day trip, they couldn't even touch such an adventure in Disneyland or some other place. He estimated that it would cost four times as much easily. So, he was surprised that we weren't packed reservation-wise given the enjoyable, relaxing, stay they had here.
It was good to hear that again from a family. With the changing times in the New Normal, we don't get to hear or see it nearly as much as we should. And, I know he wasn't making it up as they made reservations for next year. I look forward to their arrival next season!
Tuesday, July 1, 2014
Have Faith - Unwind - Pay Your Dues - Catch Fish
For as long as I can remember, people have come here to fish. Most usually stay a week. Upon arrival, some of them get all upset after driving for 12 hours. They run down to the lake bleary-eyed, jump in a boat and beat the water to a froth expecting all manner of fish to come hurling themselves over the gunwales of the boat. Over the years, a few of them have had the unbelievable fortune of succeeding, but the reality of the fact remains that fish seldom do this anywhere, especially for somebody new to any particular lake. That fact doesn't offer solace to some as they walk around with a deflated pout because their 347 days of exponentially multiplying expectations didn't present itself in immediate gratification via a boatload of fish.
However, as the week rolls forward, they usually catch a few here and there. Enough to pique their interest so that progress gets them on the water, helping them refine their technique and dial it in for this lake. Also remember that just because the fish bite purple green Spiffy-diffy's on Lake Pacodumptruck in Wisconsin is not a guarantee that they will do the same here. The best thing one can do at Northwind Lodge is come over to the store and see what they've been biting on in Jasper or the region. Bring along your tackle box and we can narrow down and separate the lures that work here from the lures that make our fish giggle and say "Seriously?!"
One of the most fascinating phenomenon I've seen here occurs the last three days of almost everybody's fishing on Jasper. For as far back as I can remember, it seems that our new guests take about the three total days to figure out the "feel" of the lake. Then the last three days, they run into fish. It is not always, but it is "often" that the biggest, and the most fish are caught in the last three days of a guest's stay. It begins Wednesday and goes through Friday. I'd say that it is a combination of commitment, determination and good vibes. Maybe they are sending out good vibrations and the fish are finally attracted to it. That may or may not be so crazy sounding as I swear I know people who are "fish-magnets". I think fish are drawn to them based on their vibes or magnetic field. Those are the people who can tie a stick of chewing gum on their line with no hook and land a walleye. I've been in the boat with those types of people and to test the theory I will tie on the same piece of gum, fish one foot from their line, and watch them catch everything while I stare in amazement.
Fortunately, I don't really care that much for myself; but prefer that somebody from my group is catching something. I always figure my day will come and it has, many many times, but not yet enough for me to want hang up fishing. Fishing is really Mother Nature's big outdoor casino. You cast your line and see what you win. The difference from a real casino is that if you tied your knot properly, you usually get your lure back and cast it again. A real casino just takes your lure and gives it to somebody else. Despite having done this for all of my life, I still think "today is the day" at the beginning of each day that I get out on the water and cast my line. You never know what you are going to get for certain.
So, I understand why it is that many of our guests charge out onto the water in a sleep-deprived and sometimes, ornery, state of mind. They've waited a whole year for this and "Today is THE day!" But just remember: usually, the first three days stinks "catch-wise" and the last three days greatly improves. One develops a feel for the lake at some subconscious level. That isn't always the case, but I've personally witnessed it more often than not. That is also why coming up to stay for two or three nights usually won't cut it. You just start unwinding and you have to head back home. Uggghh... Northern Minnesota vacations for three days and two nights are a great way to run around and be more tired than when one arrived. Just a thought from a seasoned Minnesota resort operator.
The Normans - Wood Lake Catch - Northwind Lodge Dock - June 2014
(this whole family is a collective fish magnet)
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