An Early Berry Report

The daisies are in full bloom along the roadsides and in the open areas. To me, this means strawberries. When I was a teenager living in Duluth, I would ride my bike to a nearby meadow and pick strawberries. The plants grow close to the ground, amidst all of the daisies, and in that neighborhood, everything bloomed and ripened at the same time. Up here, I've noticed that they are usually a couple of weeks apart. But this year, everything is a bit mixed up. I am seeing lots of flowers, and berries that are ripening. Most of the ones I checked were still green and white, but with our sunshine they will be red soon. It is a lot of work to pick wild strawberries, but I consider it a labor of love. They make excellent jam.

Much to my surprise, when I went on the boat ride a week and a half ago, I actually saw green berries on the blueberry bushes. I was checking the bushes, expecting to see flowers, but the flowers must be long gone. Some of our guests were hiking today on the Kekakabic trail, and they, too, saw green berries. Looks like it is going to be an early season for blueberry picking....get your buckets ready!

For those who like thimbleberries, the plants are in full flower. These berries are bright red, and similar in shape to raspberries. They are very tart, and because of that, they are Greg's favorite berry. We try to make a thimbleberry pie for him for his birthday, and we try not to sweeten it too much. One year, we took all of the sugar out, at his request. It turned out to be much too sour, and he had to add a bit of honey. One of these years, we will get it just right!

The raspberries are just beginning to get blossoms. These are my favorite berry. It has been several years since I found time to pick enough for a batch of jam. But I do usually gather some to make a batch of raspberry blonde bars. It is also a real treat to stuff a few berries into a s'more when you are sitting at a campfire near a ripe bush. Try it--gourmet s'mores in the woods!

Too Long with No Writing

Oh, my, I didn't intend to take such a long break from the blog. My apologies to my loyal readers. I assure you, Greg has not allowed me to spend that time reading good books and eating chocolate. Rather, he has had a series of hats for me to wear.....Namely, I was first a floor-sander, and then a floor-varnisher. It meant some pretty intense hours of work over several days, but the end results are very much worth it. I haven't seen a floor that glows like that birch does. Most of the boards are from blowdown wood that the Hull family sawed for us in 1999. There wasn't quite enough to do both rooms, so Greg had the Hulls saw up some extra boards from birch trees harvested near Two Harbors. It is interesting to see the color variation and patterning in the wood from the two different areas. It is a subtle difference, but nonetheless there.

I have a photo ready to post of the cabin before the varnish was put on the floor. This week, we are headed to the finish line, as our first guests arrive on Saturday for the improved Cedar Point. The kitchen cabinets are now built and in the cabin, and tomorrow Greg will tile the countertops. I can start the final cleaning process by wiping down the remaining sawdust powder and washing the windows. I am anxious to move the furniture back in, and to see the new arrangement in the kitchen. Though it is going to be an extremely busy week, it is also exciting.

While I've been hanging out in Cedar Point, summer has gone in to high gear. The forest is looking lush and thick. It is amazing how the coat of green that covers the young poplar saplings really fills in the gaps wrought by our blowdown. It looks like a forest again. The flowers are back, and I never tire of seeing (or smelling!) them. On my way home from town today, I saw masses of daisies and yellow hawkweed, patches of wild roses, and lupines galore. We think that we are the only place on the trail that can't get lupines to grow. We've tried, but not much luck yet. In the meantime, we keep on enjoying the long stretches of them along the Gunflint Trail. In the past, I have dyed wool with lupine flowers. The dyebath is supposed to yield a green, and if you overdye with indigo, you get teal. We didn't quite make it to that color, but as soon as I am able to grow my own patch, I will try again.

Last week, we went for a Wednesday night boat ride with our guests Russ, Mary Lou, and Jordan. They have a twenty-foot john boat that was perfect for cruising on a beautiful evening. We went to Little Rock Falls, and were lucky enough to see some pink moccasin flowers still in bloom. These are close relatives to the showy Lady Slipper, but are a deeper pink and not as frilly. I have been on this trail in previous years and seen these flowers, so it seems to be an excellent spot for viewing them. But it is only for a short while in the early part of summer. The water was running hard through the falls, and the water trail to Sag, up the Pine and Granite Rivers, looked most inviting. We didn't see any canoe parties passing through, due to the hour of the day, but I imagine that it is getting busier. It is a favorite canoe route of many folks.

We have had reports of moose sightings on the trail, including at least one new baby. I haven't heard about many bears, but I'm sure they are out there. On a trip home from town last week, Robert and I saw three turtles on the road. This is the time of the year that they cross, to find an ideal spot for laying their eggs. Greg recalls seeing a large gas delivery truck stopped on the road ahead of him several years ago. He stopped,too, as the driver was out of the truck in the middle of the trail. Turns out he was using a broom to encourage a turtle across the road, so that she wouldn't get hit by a car. Now that is certainly a deed well done.

Addie has left us, and is now in Eagle, Alaska, with Grandma Sharlene and Grandpa Jim. She is working as a tour guide for the historical society, until mid-July. As she sends us notes, I will include some reports here. She flew in to Fairbanks, where she spent the first weekend of June. During that time, it was chilly, and it even snowed. After the eighty degree days of Memorial weekend, that was a bit hard to take. It has warmed up some now, and hopefully she won't see anymore of the white stuff until fall.

The Return of Warm Weather

It is amazing how the world changes when the warm weather finally arrives. This week, we got to see temps in the seventies, and I think that I was not the only one who was loving it. My little lettuce plants perked up, finally showing miniature curly leaves. The donkeys gleefully ate their way through fresh grass in front of the lodge. The resident yellow-bellied sapsucker busily called and flew from tree to tree near the lodge, so that we spotted him regularly. Everyone is feeling better, thanks to an increase in sunshine.

We had the opportunity in the last couple of weeks to meet some folks who were doing a lot of hiking in the area. Two fellows, Steve and Mike, hiked to here from Ely, following the Kekakabic Trail. They said that it was decent hiking, though there were some trees over the trail, and they also had some cold, wet weather to put up with. They stayed with us for a few nights, and were joined by two more companions. Then they took off and hiked the Border Route Trail, from Loon Lake all the way to McFarland Lake. Now that is a lot of hiking in just a couple of weeks! The two ends of the Border Route were in great shape, but the middle section was more challenging. In some places, the blowdowns were thick, and paths around them had been trodden often. In other places, there were beaver dams to cross over, with water several inches deep. The improved weather conditions also brought out the black flies and mosquitoes in the deep woods where they were, so that head nets were a welcome tool. Overall, they said that it was a good experience.

On Thursday, I did a shuttle trip for another fellow who set out to hike the Border Route on a solo journey. I met Scott at McFarland Lake, and we headed back to Loon Lake, so that he, too, could start from the same location as the other guys. We had the good fortune, while driving near the Laurentian Divide, to see a timber wolf crossing the Gunflint Trail. I was so excited! Scott had his camera nearby, and he was able to take a couple of photos. What amazed me about this wolf was his nonchalant manner as he crossed in front of us. He sauntered by, in a trot, and headed up a powerline cut. When I clicked my tongue at him, he paused to look down at us, then continued out of sight. As I mentioned during the winter, I knew that I was going to miss seeing these animals as often as we had. Maybe I'll get more chances like this one yet this summer.

It's been a good week for spotting moose, too. On a trip to Duluth, we saw two "teenage" moose on the Trail. One was in a pond, but the other was on the road, like a new teenage driver. Those young guys are all long legs, and they don't quite know what to do when a car comes along. Fortunately, we knew what to do, and I just stopped to let him find his way to the roadside and off into the woods. On our way home that night, near Lutsen, we got to see a nice bull in a pond off the highway. He was munching away on the grasses, oblivious to the traffic. He had a small set of antlers that were rich in velvet. I don't often see bulls in the summer--more likely the cows and calves. We should get some glimpses soon of baby moose, as they follow their moms and seek relief from the heat and bugs in the roadside lakes and ponds.

The trout have been biting well for some folks. We got a report today of a 36" laker caught and released! I saw the photo of it, and as soon as the fisherman gets home, he will send me a copy of it to post here. It looked like a beauty. The bass also have been biting. The Cross River Bridge opened as of last night for walleye fishing. With any luck, I may get a chance this week to go over there and wet a line. It's a good place for me to try to fish, since I can drive there and I don't have to operate a boat and fish at the same time--something I am not very good at doing!

The days are so long now, as we approach the solstice. It is after 9 p.m. and the sky is still a beautiful pink and lavendar from the sunset. It's the best time of the year.

The Catch of the Day

Despite the cold and the wind, our dedicated fisher-men and women arrived on Gunflint Lake last weekend ready to hit the water. Every year seems to bring us the same weather forecast, so these folks always come prepared. Those who go for walleye often fish at night, which means even more layers of clothing to wear. Some folks used to bring snowmobile suits to go out there for the late night forays. Fortunately, the excellent fabrics we have available now mean that it is easier to stay warm and comfortable while pursuing our favorite pastimes.

I only heard a few boats go by at 10:30 p.m. before the midnight opener. The wind was strong, so that probably kept some boats at home. Sharlene used to tell me about what a sight it was to see, down in Little Gunflint Lake, with all of the lighted bobbers floating on the surface, each one waiting for the hungry walleye to come along and pop the bait into its mouth. I still haven't made it there to witness this, some twenty years later. But I have gone fishing at the Cross River at night, and seen the lighted bobbers there. I wonder what the fish think of those?

Early reports were spotty, but by the end of the weekend, we did have some stories to tell. The walleye were biting fairly well, and not just during the night. One couple went home with close to their limit, while others generally had at least some in their coolers. The trout were a bit slower, with reports of both 20 feet and 72 feet for their hang-outs. The water temp in the big lake started out at 41 degrees on Friday, but had warmed to 47 by Tuesday.

My favorite story is about our friend Remy, who is five years old. Remy went out fishing on Saturday night with her mom and her grandpa. She is the fourth generation in this family to fish on Gunflint Lake for opener. Some of my favorite stories about spring fishing are from her grandpa. They went out to try their luck, and sure enough, her mom caught a walleye big enough to be kept. Then Remy had her turn. She got a big bite, and started to reel in. It wasn't long before she was worn out and had to hand the rod over to mom. Her grandpa got the net ready, and then had a chance to see the fish. It was a nice one, and he quickly netted it, and brought it in to the boat. A six-pound walleye---definitely a keeper! Remy watched as her grandpa put the fish on the stringer. She hollered with dismay when he tossed it back overboard---"Papa, don't throw my fish back in to the water!" He explained that it was still there, just tied to the side of the boat to keep it cold. They started back for the cabin, and every few minutes she would give out a direction. "Papa, check that line, make sure my fish is still there!" When they pulled up on shore, Remy took the stringer and ran up to the cabin. She burst inside, dragging the fish behind her, to show her dad, her grandma, and her little sister Morgan. (They tell me that the floor needs washing after that! It's worth it, just for the picture of it in my mind.) It always makes my day when young kids catch nice fish like that. On Sunday morning, Remy let us weigh the fish and take some photos. Nice work, Remy!