young loons all summer long. A Loon family of four on Jasper Lake.
Red Rock Outdoors Blog
Sunday, August 31, 2014
Wilderness Solitude at a Wilderness Resort
One of our cabin guests just came in to say the reason for he and his wife come here to stay is because when he sits out on his cabin deck looking out at the lake, all he hears are loons calling, the creek flowing, and seagulls overhead. He was quite moved in his describing and couldn't find all the words one needs to describe what it is to experience true wilderness solitude. He said he couldn't find anything like this at home. I understood completely.
Momma Loon on her nest on Jasper. She and the father have been raising two
young loons all summer long. A Loon family of four on Jasper Lake.
Red Rock Outdoors Blog
young loons all summer long. A Loon family of four on Jasper Lake.
Red Rock Outdoors Blog
Monday, August 25, 2014
Larry and the Bait-caster: A Fishing Journey on Jasper
On Saturday, 8-23, the Wilson party arrived and checked into Cabin 6 in the late afternoon. Right now at 11:45 AM on 8-24, Lori and her friend Joanne popped into the store looking for bass tackle. They bought Yum Crawbugs and Booyah bass jigs to put together to form Jig-N-Pigs like I showed them about three years ago. Less than 20 hours after arrival to Northwind Lodge, I asked Lori if they had done any fishing yet. She replied in a conclusive, confident tone, "Oh, yeah...we've already caught 19 fish."
By Sunday's end, they boated another 19 fish! Monday morning it was so windy, after boating four fish, they headed into shore to wait for the wind to die down. Today, because they were land-locked, which is a rare occasion, Lori, Joanne and I talked more fishing and Lori said that they have now pretty much fished every spot that Jasper has to offer and caught fish out of every last one of them as well. Jasper has 4.1 miles of shoreline and the Wilson party knows it and all the spots in between probably better than most.
The Wilson party came here for several years in the past, but with kids, school and college and activities, they had dropped off the Northwind Lodge yearly return-roster several years back. But, one day, out of the blue, kids done with school and on their own, Lori gave us a call and they showed up for vacationing once again at Northwind Lodge. At the time, I recall Lori saying to me that "it had been too many years" and they looked forward to staying here again. We were more than happy to have them back this time with the addition of friends Mike and Joanne. As I recalled, they used to fish, but I couldn't remember anything truly notable with their results of years past. I'm sure they caught fish back then, but nothing really notable stood out with me.
Then, one day, a few years ago, Larry, husband of Lori came in to Red Rock to look for a bait-casting rod & reel. Having been in the business of fishing and selling gear for my entire life, I felt it was my duty to inform my customer about what he was planning to do. Over the years, I felt that I'd seen far too many people buy a bait-casting combo with not enough info and then they would go home and stick it in the corner after experiencing their first major backlash - which usually occurred in the first cast. So, I told Larry to test mine out first. I had a $350 outfit with Pflueger Summit reel on a Falcon casting rod and 20 lb. test braid (the ONLY way to go with a bait caster - mono really does not work nearly as well), and suggested Larry go out and beat the water to a froth with it. I just happened to have Jig-n-Pig rig tied on that sales rep for Booyah Bait Co., Yum, and Pradco (which stands for Plastics Research and Development Company) Tim Fogarty set me up with to try for largemouth bass fishing "because it is a TON of FUN". I left the lure on and told Larry that it is weedless and he could cast it right into the lily pads or cabbage weeds and it would crawl right through the thickest ones with little difficulty. It was a fun bait to use because the little Crawbug arms flip like a crayfish through the water. The other cool part about that jig is that you can let it hit the bottom just about anywhere and it come right to you when you retrieve it. As far as catching fish with it, I had no real luck partly because I am more in the store talking about fishing that actually fishing these days. Larry disappeared out the door, and other duties called me to action. I forgot all about Larry and the bait-caster.
About 4 hours later, Larry showed up with that fancy-schmancy bait-caster and jig-n-pig in tow. I asked him how it went as I saw the reel was devoid of a bird's nest and showed no signs of sword-fighting. Larry handed it over, thanking me for being able to demo it. He also added that he's glad I set him up with the demo and he no longer wants to buy the bait-casting combo because it wasn't for him. "BUT", he added, "where do you get more of these?", he asked pointing to the Jig-n-Pig rig. Well, as luck would have it, I knew precisely where he could get more. I asked him if they were working and he said Lori told him to get some more and return quickly. I grabbed one off the shelves and showed Larry how to rig it up. Then, he grabbed a bunch that I put on the bill and disappeared out the door.
It was "Game On" from this point with the Wilson party. They turned into fishing fanatics! They'd be gone all day long on Jasper, rain or shine. I'd see all four of them in the boat, plugging the hell out of the shorelines, working the weed beds and lily pad rafts . The women would make an occasional visit to the store for a Jig-n-Pig resupply and they weren't excessively wordy. They got to the intended point of their visit and then back out the door they went. I was amazed at how hard the fishing focus combined with the competitive nature of their fishing. (!) Man, you talk about serious, butt-kicking, take-no-prisoners attitudes about putting fish in the boat, measuring them, releasing them, and winning. Apparently, they've had a rather serious competition going for the last few years and from the calm quiet intensity of it, I would contend that they are betting their homes, cars and maybe even gold doubloons. In reality, I think the prize is simply bragging rights which makes it even more spectacular. Annette and I remain fascinated by it all. I would have to conclude that they are now harder-core fisherpersons than our hard-core guys and I thoroughly enjoy them proving what this particular lake is capable of producing when one goes out and works at it. After all, they pulled in 19 fish in under 20 hours time here and while that doesn't sound impressive per hour, you gotta remember that they slept, ate dinner and breakfast during that time as well.
So, it's off to the races with the Wilson party in Cabin #6 for another year. They are on to a solid start on Jasper for 2014!
By Sunday's end, they boated another 19 fish! Monday morning it was so windy, after boating four fish, they headed into shore to wait for the wind to die down. Today, because they were land-locked, which is a rare occasion, Lori, Joanne and I talked more fishing and Lori said that they have now pretty much fished every spot that Jasper has to offer and caught fish out of every last one of them as well. Jasper has 4.1 miles of shoreline and the Wilson party knows it and all the spots in between probably better than most.
The Wilson party came here for several years in the past, but with kids, school and college and activities, they had dropped off the Northwind Lodge yearly return-roster several years back. But, one day, out of the blue, kids done with school and on their own, Lori gave us a call and they showed up for vacationing once again at Northwind Lodge. At the time, I recall Lori saying to me that "it had been too many years" and they looked forward to staying here again. We were more than happy to have them back this time with the addition of friends Mike and Joanne. As I recalled, they used to fish, but I couldn't remember anything truly notable with their results of years past. I'm sure they caught fish back then, but nothing really notable stood out with me.
Then, one day, a few years ago, Larry, husband of Lori came in to Red Rock to look for a bait-casting rod & reel. Having been in the business of fishing and selling gear for my entire life, I felt it was my duty to inform my customer about what he was planning to do. Over the years, I felt that I'd seen far too many people buy a bait-casting combo with not enough info and then they would go home and stick it in the corner after experiencing their first major backlash - which usually occurred in the first cast. So, I told Larry to test mine out first. I had a $350 outfit with Pflueger Summit reel on a Falcon casting rod and 20 lb. test braid (the ONLY way to go with a bait caster - mono really does not work nearly as well), and suggested Larry go out and beat the water to a froth with it. I just happened to have Jig-n-Pig rig tied on that sales rep for Booyah Bait Co., Yum, and Pradco (which stands for Plastics Research and Development Company) Tim Fogarty set me up with to try for largemouth bass fishing "because it is a TON of FUN". I left the lure on and told Larry that it is weedless and he could cast it right into the lily pads or cabbage weeds and it would crawl right through the thickest ones with little difficulty. It was a fun bait to use because the little Crawbug arms flip like a crayfish through the water. The other cool part about that jig is that you can let it hit the bottom just about anywhere and it come right to you when you retrieve it. As far as catching fish with it, I had no real luck partly because I am more in the store talking about fishing that actually fishing these days. Larry disappeared out the door, and other duties called me to action. I forgot all about Larry and the bait-caster.
About 4 hours later, Larry showed up with that fancy-schmancy bait-caster and jig-n-pig in tow. I asked him how it went as I saw the reel was devoid of a bird's nest and showed no signs of sword-fighting. Larry handed it over, thanking me for being able to demo it. He also added that he's glad I set him up with the demo and he no longer wants to buy the bait-casting combo because it wasn't for him. "BUT", he added, "where do you get more of these?", he asked pointing to the Jig-n-Pig rig. Well, as luck would have it, I knew precisely where he could get more. I asked him if they were working and he said Lori told him to get some more and return quickly. I grabbed one off the shelves and showed Larry how to rig it up. Then, he grabbed a bunch that I put on the bill and disappeared out the door.
It was "Game On" from this point with the Wilson party. They turned into fishing fanatics! They'd be gone all day long on Jasper, rain or shine. I'd see all four of them in the boat, plugging the hell out of the shorelines, working the weed beds and lily pad rafts . The women would make an occasional visit to the store for a Jig-n-Pig resupply and they weren't excessively wordy. They got to the intended point of their visit and then back out the door they went. I was amazed at how hard the fishing focus combined with the competitive nature of their fishing. (!) Man, you talk about serious, butt-kicking, take-no-prisoners attitudes about putting fish in the boat, measuring them, releasing them, and winning. Apparently, they've had a rather serious competition going for the last few years and from the calm quiet intensity of it, I would contend that they are betting their homes, cars and maybe even gold doubloons. In reality, I think the prize is simply bragging rights which makes it even more spectacular. Annette and I remain fascinated by it all. I would have to conclude that they are now harder-core fisherpersons than our hard-core guys and I thoroughly enjoy them proving what this particular lake is capable of producing when one goes out and works at it. After all, they pulled in 19 fish in under 20 hours time here and while that doesn't sound impressive per hour, you gotta remember that they slept, ate dinner and breakfast during that time as well.
So, it's off to the races with the Wilson party in Cabin #6 for another year. They are on to a solid start on Jasper for 2014!
Saturday, August 16, 2014
Northern Minnesota Through Our Guest's Eyes - All the way from North Carolina
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| Jasper Lake to the east from Northwind Lodge dock |
Joe, Just wanted to thank you again for a truly excellent stay with you this week. It was the perfect mix of relaxation and activity. The kids loved the various water craft; we all had a great time taking regular paddles at all times off the day, from early morning through late evening, either just around the docks or further afield and it was perfect for Tracy and I (and sometimes Clare) to take the canoe, while Robert and Clare variously took the kayaks and paddle boards. Being able to rent a Kevlar canoe to allow us to do our day trip to Hegman (or more exactly to allow us to portage relatively easily in general!) was a great plus. I can see us next time bringing our friends and letting some base up at Northwinds while the more adventurous go out for a multiple day canoe trip. We all thoroughly enjoyed the fishing. We are definitely not hard core fishing people but, even in our 24 hr window, we spent many hours at all times of the day trying everything from pitting our wits against the bluegills and bass under the dock (Clare) and trolling for the big northerns (Robert). Robert will definitely be remembering his first 'big' fish! It was fantastic to be so close to the water so that we could go down and just enjoy the beautiful lake scene from the docks at any time. We quite often went down in the early morning (one morning to watch the beautiful early mist rising off the water as the sun was coming up), and always took a late evening trip down to watch the fish rising in the mirror smooth water and the last of the late evening light. The cabin was definitely great. Thanks for moving us and letting us have 4 - we loved it! So close to the docks. We would probably do fine in almost any of the cabins but on this particular trip the size was just perfect. We spent lots of good relaxing time inside in the living room reading and playing cards, as well as outside on the deck enjoying the sound of the creek and the loons. Loons! Absolutely fantastic! It has been a couple of years since we had been up and the calls of the resident loons really do epitomize the vast wild north. Nowhere else (that we have been!) can you see and hear loons calling like they do in northern Minnesota! Anyway, we wanted to thank you again for the great stay and to assure you that there are definitely those of us out there (even as far away as Raleigh, NC) who thoroughly appreciate being out on the edge of one of the most beautiful wilderness areas on the planet enjoying the quiet solitude and relaxing atmosphere that folks like you provide. We will no doubt be back, if not next year, then the year after or the year after that! Kind regards, Charles, Tracy, Clare and Robert.
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| Morning at Northwind Lodge |
Wednesday, August 13, 2014
Fishing Next Door on Tofte lake
Delilah and I headed out with the truck for neighborhood trout fishing when the clock struck 7 PM at Red Rock. I grabbed an ultralight Shimano Compre rod and with a Shimano reel and 4 lb. test line, found my tackle box with Ugly Ducklings in it and dropped it in my Kondos Pack and set it all int the box of the truck. Then, I chased Delilah around the parking lot as she looked like I wanted to kill via an evil death ray (?) until I caught her at the store's door and put her in the cab of the truck as well. Goofy dog...
The evening was cooler and spectacular with no wind. Tomorrow's sun was peeking through today's clouds. It was a precursor to its plans for the next day. A hint of what would be coming like an enticing movie trailer before it hid behind the treeline for another night. I was pretty sure that despite the spectacular evening, the trout would not be cooperating. I didn't care either way. Fishing has very little to do with catching. The two are unrelated as far as I can tell.
At the Tofte Lake parking lot, I unloaded the dog, and my light gear and walked to the boat landing. I followed the ages old, shoreline trail west to the flat point which is has been favorite spot for eons. When we were kids, my brother and I used to ride our bikes to that spot and cast nightcrawlers with hook, a rock and a well-placed trucker's knot. The terrain today is very rugged and surprisingly overgrown. Some have passed through here but not like in the years long gone. Getting a bike to that point is no longer possible.
Once we made it to the rock clearing, Delilah checked out the perimeter to make certain it was secure. She may have also been interested in who was there before us, the number of rabbits walking by, an occasional bear, etc. Who knows for sure? She's a dog. Nonetheless, any new area is "dog heaven" to a new dog and Delilah was enjoying the evening immensely.
I set up with various lures and cast them upon the glassy, beautiful water. There was no wind to chase away the striking clouds above so you could see them without looking up. As the sun fell towards the horizon to my left and after several casts and enjoying the northern beauty of Minnesota, Delilah and I packed up and headed back to the truck. The rainbows of Tofte had eluded me once again. That's why Spaghettios are so easy to catch. Tomorrow, I'm working on canoe repair in the sun.
Come on up and enjoy the summer and fall at Northwind Lodge!
Saturday, August 9, 2014
Fishing Report for Jasper Lake and the area
This season, June appears to have been the hottest month for fishing in Jasper and the area, overall. Having Red Rock Wilderness Store here as part of Northwind Lodge affords us the ability to find out what is biting and where. Plus, our Northwind Lodge guests caught the biggest fish and most species at the end of May and throughout June. When the smallmouth were on the spawning beds this season (which is usually the third week in June for as long as I can remember), our guests were catching whoppers in smallmouth bass and the largemouth were doing pretty nicely, as well.
Once we entered July, our weather turned spectacular for the most part. We had the occasional mega-downpour, but were very pleased with the nice temps and sunny days. Only one day hit 90 degrees F and everyone was griping at the horrific discomfort and terrible sweatiness it caused - for one day. I kept reminding the complainers that we had a normal winter last season which means actual temps dipping to -40 degrees F and six whole weeks of -23 to -25 degree F mornings. It became apparent to me that many among us have really short memories with everything from politics to weather. Once we made it past our 15 hour heat wave, summer fell lock-step into mid-seventies by day and mid-to-high forties by night. That went on for days on end. It was awful to be so comfortable. I do think it caused some issues with fishing as while we humans like the climate-controlled temps of northern Minnesota (at least for this year and probably never again), the fish find it less enjoyable or at least un-motivating. The barometric pressure remained high and infrequently moving for many of the days past. Fishing is always best when atmospheric pressure is changing and preferably on the rise. When it remains high all the time, while that is better than a fish depressing low, it is not as good as an inspirational rise. With the more variable weather of June, fishing was more exciting and in that lies no surprise. June generally brings about bigger fish and more activity in general. This June was no different.
As for recent activity, there have been quite a few customers coming into Red Rock (our store and the Northwind Lodge office) asking for very specific lures to catch northern pike. We have thousands of lures in the store here and whenever we don't have the exact color/design/brand in stock, we get a lot of varied remarks of great disappointment. "Well, one would think that with 25,000 lures in stock, you'd for certain have MY color/brand/model!" When I ask what they are using that specific color to catch, they invariably say "northern pike". At that point, great restraint must be put forth on my presentation that five different customers have been in today all asking for a really different specific lure "for northerns". That in itself should really easily indicate that the northerns are biting and they are biting EVERYTHING. Northern pike are like that. They can really be biting and they pretty much are biting from a reaction to the lure. How do I know that? I've personally watched LOTS of northern pike under the ice with underwater cameras. It also doesn't hurt that I fished hard for many years as a guide. For more current data, Rapala came out with their Scatter Rap which is a whole line of lures that wobble when pulled through the water, but then suddenly shoots off in an erratic motion. That erratic, occasional veering off-course makes fish take notice. That notice can result in a reaction strike. Northerns are reactive fish. Yes, there are occasional times when they do hit one color over another, but more often than not, they will hit all the lures in your tackle box and sometimes even a six inch yellow, plastic, braided rope with a treble hook attached. Fishing northern pike is the easiest of all the fish and they are very aggressive. That is why the limit for them is three. The trick is finding the big ones. There is a reason that big fish are big - they are not stupid.
Now, does that mean that northerns will hit every lure you throw out of the boat? No. Sometimes, they are simply not in the mood. The point that I am trying to make is that if you don't find your exact, trusty, confidence lure for northern pike, don't worry about it. We have about 100 others that will do quite well and on some days nothing works. Incidentally, the exact same thing can be said for worm harnesses and spinner rigs for walleye fishing. Colorado or Indiana blade - it's not going to matter that much. Spin, flash, bite. For July and August, slap on a fluorescent orange, chartreuse, or copper colored blade, hook on a worm, and throw it over the side. Troll around the cabbage weed bed edges and be on the bottom. Other colors will work as well. They are really more interested in the worm.
As of late, northerns and bass have been slamming top water lures like Zara Spooks, Chug Bugs, various poppers and Jig-N-Pigs which are pretty weedless and fun to use. The best fishing in Jasper appeared to be from 5 AM to 8 AM when the pressure seemed to increase every day for the past ten days. That was for the Kowalyshens in Cabin 7. Jim Rhoads and son Dan, and grandson Abraham did well during a wide range of daytime hours. Terry Rose, caught fish at all day times but noted that the fishing was a bit slower overall this season. I'm still holding the spectacular weather to be responsible for slow fish activity. What was inexplicable was that the bluegills disappeared for the past two weeks. Normally, this time of year, they are jumping in the boat. We'll have to see what the rest of August and September brings.
Lake trout have been hitting big jigs at 90 feet in Snowbank Lake. Catching lakers at this time of year requires a special skill set. Rainbow trout in Tofte Lake (next door to us) has been producing some nice rainbows from trolling with Salmo Hornets in Rainbow Dace pattern which is exactly like the minnows that are in Tofte. To use these little beauties, you simply troll them behind the boat about 150 to 200 feet....and the rainbows are tasty!
We'll see what this week brings. I'm hoping to sneak a little time on the water as well. For the bulk of the summer, I spent my time talking about fishing in the store for 12 hours per day, seven days a week since the first week of June which was my last trip to date.
The ax is becoming dull. I need to go sharpen it.
Visit Northwind Lodge Website
Visit Red Rock Outdoors Blog
Once we entered July, our weather turned spectacular for the most part. We had the occasional mega-downpour, but were very pleased with the nice temps and sunny days. Only one day hit 90 degrees F and everyone was griping at the horrific discomfort and terrible sweatiness it caused - for one day. I kept reminding the complainers that we had a normal winter last season which means actual temps dipping to -40 degrees F and six whole weeks of -23 to -25 degree F mornings. It became apparent to me that many among us have really short memories with everything from politics to weather. Once we made it past our 15 hour heat wave, summer fell lock-step into mid-seventies by day and mid-to-high forties by night. That went on for days on end. It was awful to be so comfortable. I do think it caused some issues with fishing as while we humans like the climate-controlled temps of northern Minnesota (at least for this year and probably never again), the fish find it less enjoyable or at least un-motivating. The barometric pressure remained high and infrequently moving for many of the days past. Fishing is always best when atmospheric pressure is changing and preferably on the rise. When it remains high all the time, while that is better than a fish depressing low, it is not as good as an inspirational rise. With the more variable weather of June, fishing was more exciting and in that lies no surprise. June generally brings about bigger fish and more activity in general. This June was no different.
As for recent activity, there have been quite a few customers coming into Red Rock (our store and the Northwind Lodge office) asking for very specific lures to catch northern pike. We have thousands of lures in the store here and whenever we don't have the exact color/design/brand in stock, we get a lot of varied remarks of great disappointment. "Well, one would think that with 25,000 lures in stock, you'd for certain have MY color/brand/model!" When I ask what they are using that specific color to catch, they invariably say "northern pike". At that point, great restraint must be put forth on my presentation that five different customers have been in today all asking for a really different specific lure "for northerns". That in itself should really easily indicate that the northerns are biting and they are biting EVERYTHING. Northern pike are like that. They can really be biting and they pretty much are biting from a reaction to the lure. How do I know that? I've personally watched LOTS of northern pike under the ice with underwater cameras. It also doesn't hurt that I fished hard for many years as a guide. For more current data, Rapala came out with their Scatter Rap which is a whole line of lures that wobble when pulled through the water, but then suddenly shoots off in an erratic motion. That erratic, occasional veering off-course makes fish take notice. That notice can result in a reaction strike. Northerns are reactive fish. Yes, there are occasional times when they do hit one color over another, but more often than not, they will hit all the lures in your tackle box and sometimes even a six inch yellow, plastic, braided rope with a treble hook attached. Fishing northern pike is the easiest of all the fish and they are very aggressive. That is why the limit for them is three. The trick is finding the big ones. There is a reason that big fish are big - they are not stupid.
Now, does that mean that northerns will hit every lure you throw out of the boat? No. Sometimes, they are simply not in the mood. The point that I am trying to make is that if you don't find your exact, trusty, confidence lure for northern pike, don't worry about it. We have about 100 others that will do quite well and on some days nothing works. Incidentally, the exact same thing can be said for worm harnesses and spinner rigs for walleye fishing. Colorado or Indiana blade - it's not going to matter that much. Spin, flash, bite. For July and August, slap on a fluorescent orange, chartreuse, or copper colored blade, hook on a worm, and throw it over the side. Troll around the cabbage weed bed edges and be on the bottom. Other colors will work as well. They are really more interested in the worm.
As of late, northerns and bass have been slamming top water lures like Zara Spooks, Chug Bugs, various poppers and Jig-N-Pigs which are pretty weedless and fun to use. The best fishing in Jasper appeared to be from 5 AM to 8 AM when the pressure seemed to increase every day for the past ten days. That was for the Kowalyshens in Cabin 7. Jim Rhoads and son Dan, and grandson Abraham did well during a wide range of daytime hours. Terry Rose, caught fish at all day times but noted that the fishing was a bit slower overall this season. I'm still holding the spectacular weather to be responsible for slow fish activity. What was inexplicable was that the bluegills disappeared for the past two weeks. Normally, this time of year, they are jumping in the boat. We'll have to see what the rest of August and September brings.
Lake trout have been hitting big jigs at 90 feet in Snowbank Lake. Catching lakers at this time of year requires a special skill set. Rainbow trout in Tofte Lake (next door to us) has been producing some nice rainbows from trolling with Salmo Hornets in Rainbow Dace pattern which is exactly like the minnows that are in Tofte. To use these little beauties, you simply troll them behind the boat about 150 to 200 feet....and the rainbows are tasty!
We'll see what this week brings. I'm hoping to sneak a little time on the water as well. For the bulk of the summer, I spent my time talking about fishing in the store for 12 hours per day, seven days a week since the first week of June which was my last trip to date.
The ax is becoming dull. I need to go sharpen it.
Visit Northwind Lodge Website
Visit Red Rock Outdoors Blog
Saturday, July 19, 2014
Making Firewood
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.
Visit our Northwind Lodge Website
Visit Red Rock Outdoors - Blueberry Barnburner Sale
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.
Visit our Northwind Lodge Website
Visit Red Rock Outdoors - Blueberry Barnburner Sale
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
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