Way back in 1939, my grandpa Frank Baltich decided he wanted to settle on Jasper Lake with a trapping shack. The land here had all been logged off in earlier years and it was making a comeback as it always does. The shack that he built was a small, one room, vertical log building that he heated with wood. Of course, Grandpa had to dig it into the side of the hill and my uncles Frank and John helped move the dirt from the steep hill towards the lake, Then, after digging out a hole right up to a a huge rock, he built the cabin's corner RIGHT next to the rock. He also did that with Cabin #5 and Cabin #8 much to my chagrin, that of my dad's, and my brother Bernie. What would it have hurt to build it three feet from the rock so the grandkids wouldn't have to wonder how they are going to dig it out 68+ years later?
Anyway, Grandpa decided to add a porch to the nice little log cabin overlooking Jasper Lake. As he was adding the porch, Dec. 7, 1941 rolled around and Japan came up with the crazy plan to bomb Pearl Harbor in Hawaii. When the news made it to Ely, Grandpa said ominously that Frank, Jr. was going to end up going to war via the draft. It was a sad realization.
Frank, Jr. got the call by Uncle Sam and ended up in the Battle of the Bulge in Germany. Grandpa was worried sick, and he was still working on that porch.
He had traveled from the old country to America to build a better life. Like most immigrants, he carved out his existence in the Land of Opportunity working for 16 years deep in the underground mine that is now Miner's lake in Ely During his time here, he adopted the United States as his home and his land.
That brings us back to the porch of that log trapping shack. If you paddle by it on the water, you will see it, but if I didn't tell you, you would never notice it. In the logs, there is a big log "V" that Grandpa built into that porch. The logs were painted in a pattern of red, white and blue that I remember seeing as a small child. It was his way of showing support and hope for our country and his kids. It must have been a favorable talisman built into the wall of Grandpa's Log Cabin overlooking Jasper Lake. All three of his sons were drafted into two different wars and all three came home alive and went on to build their own long lives here in Minnesota.
So, if you are paddling past an old log cabin on the southwestern shore of Jasper Lake, look for the "V". There are many stories behind those two logs.
Monday, April 28, 2014
Friday, April 25, 2014
Tuesday, April 22, 2014
Monday, April 21, 2014
Links to all things Northwind Lodge
I've been adding a lot of information to everything regarding Northwind Lodge. Here are the links to those other areas:
This blog: Life on a Minnesota Resort elyresort.blogspot.com
Northwind Lodge Website: visitnorthwind.com
Google+ for Northwind Lodge: https://plus.google.com/113168230523637643962/photos
Youtube video list: https://www.youtube.com/user/jbalt2008
For cabin availabilty and 2014 rates: Cabin Availability and Rates at Northwind Lodge
To reserve cabins: Cabin Reservations
I'll add more to this page as the notion strikes me. Thanks for reading!
Saturday, April 19, 2014
What's That Smell?
In the 70's and the 80's, Northwind Lodge had a campground with 12 sites. We used to get all sorts of campers with big RV's and tents and screaming kids, and people who were bear magnets living in tents, etc. We began with a few sites and then my dad hired a guy to expand the campground to make a road to allow trailers to pull ahead and then back into the site. He designed it after a state park except we had water and electrical hook ups next to each site.
One year, a group of guys from Indiana and the hills of Kentucky showed up. They lived in a beat up old truck. They also brought along two rotten, old, dirty canvas tents and looked a bit on the hobo-ish side. They were hillbillies and they admitted it being perfectly content as they were. They came to go fishing on Jasper Lake and Wood Lake and were gone all day long every day. They'd come back with fish and eat them for dinner.
They were a fun group with lots of stories, but I remember one of the scruffy bunch in particular. His name was Parker Morgan. Parker was older (I was 12 so that means he was probably 30), missing a few teeth and spoke with a real Kentucky drawl. I had a hard time understanding him. He was always happy, nothing really bothered him very much and if it did, he'd fix it. If it got too hot "settin' in the sun, wellll, move to da shade! Don't set there a-whinin'. " Well, Parker would actually whine once in a while, as well.
After a while, Parker said, "Whooee...ma hair's long. Anybody bring some scissors? Ma hair is loooonnngggg."
One year, a group of guys from Indiana and the hills of Kentucky showed up. They lived in a beat up old truck. They also brought along two rotten, old, dirty canvas tents and looked a bit on the hobo-ish side. They were hillbillies and they admitted it being perfectly content as they were. They came to go fishing on Jasper Lake and Wood Lake and were gone all day long every day. They'd come back with fish and eat them for dinner.
They were a fun group with lots of stories, but I remember one of the scruffy bunch in particular. His name was Parker Morgan. Parker was older (I was 12 so that means he was probably 30), missing a few teeth and spoke with a real Kentucky drawl. I had a hard time understanding him. He was always happy, nothing really bothered him very much and if it did, he'd fix it. If it got too hot "settin' in the sun, wellll, move to da shade! Don't set there a-whinin'. " Well, Parker would actually whine once in a while, as well.
One of the other guys with Parker was a more pugnacious individual by the name of Joe Cox. Joe was always a part of the group and I was always a little afraid of him. He had big round belly, and an anti-attitude about darn near everything especially the government. He did tell a good story and was full of them. My favorite was about Parker Morgan at deer camp with Joe and the rest of those hillbillies.
It was evening at deer camp somewhere in the hills of wherever these guys were all from. It was Joe Cox, Parker Morgan, Junior, Gary, Bubba, Larry and Jimbo. After a hard day of hunting, the group was back at camp in the shack in them there hills. They'd done ate dinner and gas lights were burnin' soft as the guys sat around drinkin' beer, fartin' and playin' cards. In that rough old shack, they was laughin' and cussin' and playin' penny poker. Nobody had a lot of money, ya see, but they's havin' a real fun time wherever they went. Parker Morgan was the only one not playing. Parker couldn't read and didn't much like games all that much so he's over on the other side of the room, just a settin' there on a bunk listening to the guys play.
After a while, Parker said, "Whooee...ma hair's long. Anybody bring some scissors? Ma hair is loooonnngggg."
"Parker...we are at deer camp. Nobody done brought no scissors. What the hell for?" said one of the guys.
Parker went silent for a spell. Then Parker started up agin. "But, ma hair is so loooonnngg! Ya sure nobody brought along a fine pair of scissors? I neeeeeed to cut this hair. It's drahvin' me crazy! It's looonngg".
Parker went silent for a spell. Then Parker started up agin. "But, ma hair is so loooonnngg! Ya sure nobody brought along a fine pair of scissors? I neeeeeed to cut this hair. It's drahvin' me crazy! It's looonngg".
"Parker, SHUT UP and just set there! We don't got no scissors. We're playin' poker! You're just gonna have to put up with it!" yelled one of the guys.
With a grunt, Parker went silent again.
A few minutes later, the smell in the room went from farts, sweaty feet and old underwear to a MUCH stronger smell and a cloud of smoke. "What's that smell?!!!" Junior asked with a bit of alarm.
The first thing they all thought of together was the wild card in the room: Parker! Everybody turned over to look at him and he took upon hisself the move of a desperate man. He was standing right there next to the bunks looking at a dirty ol' mirror that was tacked up between the studs. His hair had been on fire and making a cloud of smelly smoke somethin' awful! By the time the guys looked over, Parker was furiously patting out the flames with his bare hands. He successfully put out the fireball that was his head while standin' in front of that ol' mirror. All the guys at the table were speechless with their mouths agape. Nobody even moved.
When the smoke cleared enough, in the din of the gas lights, Parker examined his stylin', lit by his own hand in the mirror. He turned his flame-burned head from right to left while sayin' happily, "Wellll! That ain't half bad!"
They had to open all the windows and the door to let the smell of burnin' hair out of the shack. It was downright terrible!
When the smoke cleared enough, in the din of the gas lights, Parker examined his stylin', lit by his own hand in the mirror. He turned his flame-burned head from right to left while sayin' happily, "Wellll! That ain't half bad!"
They had to open all the windows and the door to let the smell of burnin' hair out of the shack. It was downright terrible!
Everybody got back to playin' poker and Parker went back to settin' on that bunk. That was the last time they ever took Parker anywhere again - without bringin' along a proper pair of scissors.
Wednesday, April 16, 2014
Bears and Iowans Don't Mix
A few years back, I remodeled the kitchen for Cabin #8. I basically ripped everything out and started from the inside, ground up. Grandpa Frank had all sorts of strange things happening under the floor as I understand this particular room was part of a generator shack years ago. I tore out the old brick chimney that was held up by 50 year-old lumber that was sagging something fierce and making the roof leak at the flashings. It used to serve the wood range and then the wood/gas kitchen combo range and then it just sat empty as the years morphed into modern amenities including various all gas ranges. Way back in the early 80's we added a microwave and that was considered incredibly modern. We were fascinated by them as well. Heating up sandwiches and making soggy bread was so cool! So, that kitchen saw a lot of different appliances come and go. It really needed some updating.
In our experience as lifetime operators of a family resort in Minnesota, I would be lying if I didn't say we've all seen our share of ridiculously dumb things. Like last summer, a bunch of guys took a relatively new Weber (they ain't cheap no more) Kettle and built a very large wood fire in it, destroying the moving parts and most likely shortening its life span by several seasons.
We have fire places that are available to all of our guests in two spots at the resort. One is by the waterfall, the other by the beach. We're thinking of adding a few more, but frankly, the judgement used by about 10% of our guests makes me a little nervous. This isn't our first rodeo with ridiculous fires and no exit strategy by the fire-operator.
We witnessed guests who thought nothing to haul their personal, oily, half-empty, outboard gas can into the cabin and set it down on the carpeting. Nothing says potential "boom" like lighting up a cigarette in a cabin next to your own half empty gas can. Do they do that at HOME? The lawn tracker needs an oil change - park it in the living room so they can watch TV while they work?
And, then there are those who have fish to clean. We have a fish cleaning house. It's nothing fancy but it does the job. Curt keeps it clean and there is newspaper and fillet boards to use. Lay out some newspaper, fillet your fish, roll up the entrails and place them in the garbage. Go to the docks, do a quick preliminary wash of one's fillets in the lake and head back to the cabin. 90% of our guests have been doing this forever. The other 10% however, simply must go into their cabin and clean their fish. We don't approve, but they don't always seem to care. What is really annoying is the cutting up of our counter tops. Cabin 8's old counter top was sliced and diced to death.
When it came time to put in a new counter top, I decided to go with something a lot more durable since using the cutting board (RIGHT THERE on the counter top) doesn't seem to make a lot of sense to some folks. I built a concrete counter. I found a book, used a bunch of different things for pouring concrete along with a red coloring and did something really new. It worked out pretty slick and it is built like an unusually, durable, red counter top. Many of our new guests will come after checking in to ask what that counter is made of because it is different. And, to round out it's use, it also had knife marks in it after the very second party checked out of Cabin 8 with the newly remodeled kitchen. I'm hoping they used their own knife for that, because that counter is a true edge-remover. I put charcoal gray slate tile as the backsplash and now the counter looks like the rock for which our lake was named: Jasper. Jasper is a red rock. Red Rock is a store in the wilderness on Jasper Lake right next to Northwind Lodge. So many dots to connect, but it finally should all make sense.
Along with the nuclear counter top, I added a back door to Cabin 8. It never had one and it was now time. Due to weather/temp constraints that constantly cause us trouble here in the north country, the project experienced delays. Plus, there where the unknowns like building a concrete counter top and dealing with the varied floor with concrete footings and various other surprises. Annette, my wife, was getting really nervous and cracking the whip on me. Guests were due in a few days and the #8 kitchen had that "freshly bombed look". Needless to say, the pressure was on and it still takes time for curing glue, drying varnish, and a lot of cabinet work all while they needed me at the store for various other issues as well. So, I literally did a lot of running back and forth from Cabin 8 to the store. My neighbor came and helped out as well.
I installed the new outer door with the window and screen and tested it. When I pulled it shut, it clicked. When I pushed on it, it held. What more could one want? I wrapped up my work on the cabin and used the Bobcat to haul away a sea of tools that we put on a flatbed truck and hid out of sight to be covered with a big tarp. The housekeepers went in, and the party arrived about 3 hours later to stay the week. Annette was furious with me for cutting it so close - as if I had any control over that - but she got over it. The cabin rented all summer with our perennial guests enjoying the new kitchen.
The next year, we had a family from Iowa in Cabin 8. On a Tuesday morning, while by herself -everybody was out fishing on Wood Lake for the day- the mom of the family was outside when a large bear casually walked by her. She came over to the store to tell me. She said, Joe. I just saw a bear."
I said, "Oh. Was it a big bear?"
"Yes, about 3 feet tall at the shoulder" she said.
"Did he get your garbage can?" I asked.
"No, he just walked by and went in the woods and disappeared!"
I said, "Oh."
Then, she looked at me as though I needed to say more. So I said, "Well, cool. You got to see a wild bear."
After looking around the store, she proceeded out the door and back to Cabin 8.
The next night was "Campfire Night" at Northwind Lodge. That's where the lodge guests gather to watch their little kids get sticky with marshmallows, chocolate and graham crackers at the fire I build next to the waterfall. I tell stories and many bulls are shot among our guests. It's usually a fun evening with a high turnout of lodge guests every Wednesday night.
While everybody was shooting bulls this Wednesday,evening, through all the voices I heard the lady from Iowa telling another cabin guest that she "saw a bear yesterday, and when she told Joe about it - he didn't get excited or even upset." She sounded a little miffed.
I was tempted to interject the fact that my whole family grew up with bears and whenever one just kindly passes through the yard, we're good with that. Apparently, my nonchalant attitude was not the right response. I just kept quiet. Everybody was fine. Bear was gone.
Thursday passed by and at 8 AM sharp on Friday morning, the Iowans where at the store wanting to check out. I said, "Really? Today's supposed to be a really nice day and you are scheduled to check out tomorrow. "
They said they understood, but needed to get home to get caught up on chores before Monday comes around. They gave me the key, said goodbye and drove out the yard.
On Saturday, I was heading down to the beach and noticed the one year old door that I installed on Cabin 8. The screen on the door was pulled down brutally from the top and kind of wrinkled up like an accordion's bellows. The first thing through my brain is is "What the....!"
I go up to look at it and upon closer observation, I saw that it was one, sharp pointy thing that ran down the middle of the upper glass, hooked the top of the screen and collapsed the rectangular aluminum tubing that makes the screen frame. It was nearly torn in two. A mere mortal, would not be able to do that without a screwdriver or something. For some strange reason, I pushed hard on the door. It swung open right into the kitchen. Note that I pushed hard on the door, but never touched the knob.
Here's what I figured happened. That bear came back and stood on the back deck and wandered up next to the door to look into the kitchen. After all, that nice lady from Iowa was there. The bear took his paw and dragged down the glass, perhaps to say "Hi" but most likely to test that clear thing that was blocking him from entering the kitchen. With the strength of ten men in the blink of an eye, he destroyed that window screen. In his test, the door that had been held closed for over a year just by the magnetic draft seals and not the door latch popped right open. I suspect that there may have been Iowans cooking at the time of his door test. When they witnessed a large bear - the same bear that Joe "wasn't even concerned about" - push their door open in the great northwoods on Jasper Lake, well, let's just say that a sleepless night most likely ensued. That would also explain how they were all ready to go at 8 AM and didn't spend a lot of time at check out. They were outta here!
I checked the door latch. It was off about an 3/32 of an inch. The seal magnets made a nice clean click every time it closed. I fixed it in about 2 minutes with a Dremel drill. The bear is going to have to really push hard from now on.
The Iowans never came back. All I can sheepishly say is "Ooooops!"
Whaddya gonna do!
Visit Northwind Lodge's Website Here
In our experience as lifetime operators of a family resort in Minnesota, I would be lying if I didn't say we've all seen our share of ridiculously dumb things. Like last summer, a bunch of guys took a relatively new Weber (they ain't cheap no more) Kettle and built a very large wood fire in it, destroying the moving parts and most likely shortening its life span by several seasons.
We have fire places that are available to all of our guests in two spots at the resort. One is by the waterfall, the other by the beach. We're thinking of adding a few more, but frankly, the judgement used by about 10% of our guests makes me a little nervous. This isn't our first rodeo with ridiculous fires and no exit strategy by the fire-operator.
We witnessed guests who thought nothing to haul their personal, oily, half-empty, outboard gas can into the cabin and set it down on the carpeting. Nothing says potential "boom" like lighting up a cigarette in a cabin next to your own half empty gas can. Do they do that at HOME? The lawn tracker needs an oil change - park it in the living room so they can watch TV while they work?
And, then there are those who have fish to clean. We have a fish cleaning house. It's nothing fancy but it does the job. Curt keeps it clean and there is newspaper and fillet boards to use. Lay out some newspaper, fillet your fish, roll up the entrails and place them in the garbage. Go to the docks, do a quick preliminary wash of one's fillets in the lake and head back to the cabin. 90% of our guests have been doing this forever. The other 10% however, simply must go into their cabin and clean their fish. We don't approve, but they don't always seem to care. What is really annoying is the cutting up of our counter tops. Cabin 8's old counter top was sliced and diced to death.
When it came time to put in a new counter top, I decided to go with something a lot more durable since using the cutting board (RIGHT THERE on the counter top) doesn't seem to make a lot of sense to some folks. I built a concrete counter. I found a book, used a bunch of different things for pouring concrete along with a red coloring and did something really new. It worked out pretty slick and it is built like an unusually, durable, red counter top. Many of our new guests will come after checking in to ask what that counter is made of because it is different. And, to round out it's use, it also had knife marks in it after the very second party checked out of Cabin 8 with the newly remodeled kitchen. I'm hoping they used their own knife for that, because that counter is a true edge-remover. I put charcoal gray slate tile as the backsplash and now the counter looks like the rock for which our lake was named: Jasper. Jasper is a red rock. Red Rock is a store in the wilderness on Jasper Lake right next to Northwind Lodge. So many dots to connect, but it finally should all make sense.
Along with the nuclear counter top, I added a back door to Cabin 8. It never had one and it was now time. Due to weather/temp constraints that constantly cause us trouble here in the north country, the project experienced delays. Plus, there where the unknowns like building a concrete counter top and dealing with the varied floor with concrete footings and various other surprises. Annette, my wife, was getting really nervous and cracking the whip on me. Guests were due in a few days and the #8 kitchen had that "freshly bombed look". Needless to say, the pressure was on and it still takes time for curing glue, drying varnish, and a lot of cabinet work all while they needed me at the store for various other issues as well. So, I literally did a lot of running back and forth from Cabin 8 to the store. My neighbor came and helped out as well.
I installed the new outer door with the window and screen and tested it. When I pulled it shut, it clicked. When I pushed on it, it held. What more could one want? I wrapped up my work on the cabin and used the Bobcat to haul away a sea of tools that we put on a flatbed truck and hid out of sight to be covered with a big tarp. The housekeepers went in, and the party arrived about 3 hours later to stay the week. Annette was furious with me for cutting it so close - as if I had any control over that - but she got over it. The cabin rented all summer with our perennial guests enjoying the new kitchen.
The next year, we had a family from Iowa in Cabin 8. On a Tuesday morning, while by herself -everybody was out fishing on Wood Lake for the day- the mom of the family was outside when a large bear casually walked by her. She came over to the store to tell me. She said, Joe. I just saw a bear."
I said, "Oh. Was it a big bear?"
"Yes, about 3 feet tall at the shoulder" she said.
"Did he get your garbage can?" I asked.
"No, he just walked by and went in the woods and disappeared!"
I said, "Oh."
Then, she looked at me as though I needed to say more. So I said, "Well, cool. You got to see a wild bear."
After looking around the store, she proceeded out the door and back to Cabin 8.
The next night was "Campfire Night" at Northwind Lodge. That's where the lodge guests gather to watch their little kids get sticky with marshmallows, chocolate and graham crackers at the fire I build next to the waterfall. I tell stories and many bulls are shot among our guests. It's usually a fun evening with a high turnout of lodge guests every Wednesday night.
While everybody was shooting bulls this Wednesday,evening, through all the voices I heard the lady from Iowa telling another cabin guest that she "saw a bear yesterday, and when she told Joe about it - he didn't get excited or even upset." She sounded a little miffed.
I was tempted to interject the fact that my whole family grew up with bears and whenever one just kindly passes through the yard, we're good with that. Apparently, my nonchalant attitude was not the right response. I just kept quiet. Everybody was fine. Bear was gone.
Thursday passed by and at 8 AM sharp on Friday morning, the Iowans where at the store wanting to check out. I said, "Really? Today's supposed to be a really nice day and you are scheduled to check out tomorrow. "
They said they understood, but needed to get home to get caught up on chores before Monday comes around. They gave me the key, said goodbye and drove out the yard.
On Saturday, I was heading down to the beach and noticed the one year old door that I installed on Cabin 8. The screen on the door was pulled down brutally from the top and kind of wrinkled up like an accordion's bellows. The first thing through my brain is is "What the....!"
I go up to look at it and upon closer observation, I saw that it was one, sharp pointy thing that ran down the middle of the upper glass, hooked the top of the screen and collapsed the rectangular aluminum tubing that makes the screen frame. It was nearly torn in two. A mere mortal, would not be able to do that without a screwdriver or something. For some strange reason, I pushed hard on the door. It swung open right into the kitchen. Note that I pushed hard on the door, but never touched the knob.
Here's what I figured happened. That bear came back and stood on the back deck and wandered up next to the door to look into the kitchen. After all, that nice lady from Iowa was there. The bear took his paw and dragged down the glass, perhaps to say "Hi" but most likely to test that clear thing that was blocking him from entering the kitchen. With the strength of ten men in the blink of an eye, he destroyed that window screen. In his test, the door that had been held closed for over a year just by the magnetic draft seals and not the door latch popped right open. I suspect that there may have been Iowans cooking at the time of his door test. When they witnessed a large bear - the same bear that Joe "wasn't even concerned about" - push their door open in the great northwoods on Jasper Lake, well, let's just say that a sleepless night most likely ensued. That would also explain how they were all ready to go at 8 AM and didn't spend a lot of time at check out. They were outta here!
I checked the door latch. It was off about an 3/32 of an inch. The seal magnets made a nice clean click every time it closed. I fixed it in about 2 minutes with a Dremel drill. The bear is going to have to really push hard from now on.
The Iowans never came back. All I can sheepishly say is "Ooooops!"
Whaddya gonna do!
Visit Northwind Lodge's Website Here
Scenes from Northwind Lodge - 70 years and counting!
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| Jasper Creek Falls at Northwind Lodge by Cabin 2 |
Northwind Lodge has now 70 years of continuous operation by the same family under it's belt. It began with my grandpa and grandma Frank & Mary to my dad and mom, Joe & Paula to me and my wife, Joe, Jr. & Annette.
I'd like to introduce you to a few of the faces of the people with whom we grew up in the resort life at Northwind Lodge. Yes, these are modern years depicted, but this is only a tiny smattering of the photos of the folks who've been staying with us year after year for over 50 years with some families! I often think about all the family histories to which we've been a part and it is truly amazing. Births, deaths, marriages starting-ending-repairing, new jobs, job losses, new cars, illnesses, healing, quirks, happiness, peacefulness, a thousand-plus different stories, all as we come to know our lodge guests many of whom have become close family of sorts living far away for the rest of the year. Northwind Lodge is not simply a "property" to us Baltich's. Our history is rich and deep with more exposures to more people than most will see in an entire lifetime.
Also included are scenes from our resort. This is what wilderness living looks like today. At Northwind Lodge, it is still a lot like it was 70 years ago but now the water runs in plumbing as opposed to having to "run and go get it" like we did back in the day.
Visit just one Northwind Lodge Album Here - 42 pics.
Visit our Northwind Lodge site here
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