Update

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Hello Early Summer

Water temps have been warming up fast and so is the fishing! Last time out, the water was 55°F…perfect for crappie fishing! Matt caught a nice pair of crappies out on Caribou Lake last Friday. Two really pretty fish, one was a male (14 in) and the other one was a female (13.5 in). Next time he will remember his camera. Michael Jr. and Dale were out fishing on Pike Lake last weekend too. They boated about 10 nice smallmouth bass with the biggest one weighing about 3lbs! The bass fishing should just keep getting better and better as they start to move into shallow water to spawn. When the water temp gets into the upper 50’s and low 60’s is when the real fun begins. Smallies will hit just about any top-water lure in your tackle box. If you’ve never experienced the thrill of seeing a smally rocket up through the tranquil surface and smash your bait you’re really missing out. Try it once and you will be hooked; I guarantee it! Top-water lures can be equally effective catching nice northerns too!
In other staff news, David and Lek have reported black bear sightings on a couple hikes way back in the woods since the last post. As is usually the case up here, the bears were more afraid of the humans than the humans were of them. Along with Marco our sleigh ride guy, they will all be attending a Twins vs. Red Sox game down at the dome this week. Lucky them, and go Twins! We’re still waiting for the annual moose sightings along Highway 61 that historically take place this time of year. Keep your eyes peeled!

Welcoming the first Summer Holiday Weekend

The resort is bustling with activity in preparation for the big Memorial Day Weekend Holiday. Grounds are being raked, flowers planted, grass mowed, buildings painted, cabins opened up, and outdoor furniture put out. Our yearly goal at Cascade is to have the whole resort looking great and ready for all the guests and visitors to enjoy. It seems like the entire county kind of comes out of winter hibernation in the few weeks before Memorial Day. Because winter and spring are so long in the arrowhead, there is usually just a short window of opportunity to get all this done. And what a load of work it turns out to be! We will be glad to see the finish line after all these chores are done. A nice hearty dinner and maybe a hot bath will certainly be in order.
The Superior Hiking Trail volunteer members were here recently to clear the trail of deadfall. After the strong autumn winds of last year and the ice storm late this winter, they had their hands full to say the least. They set up camp one night atop Lookout Mountain as they made their way down towards Lutsen. Some also stayed in the Main Lodge the night before they returned home. The Superior Hiking Trail (SHT) is a 205-mile long footpath that follows the rocky ridgeline above Lake Superior in northeastern Minnesota from Two Harbors to the Canadian border. There is an additional 39 miles of trail through the City of Duluth from Jay Cooke State to Martin Road. The SHT has trailheads with parking lots every 5-10 miles making it ideal for both day hikes and backpacking. The trail has 81 backcountry campsites! There are no fees, reservations, or permits required to hike or backpack on the trail. The famous trail has been nationally ranked in the top 5 most scenic trail systems in the United States. It’s funded by the Superior Hiking Trail Association, member’s dues, donations and cared for by volunteers. They do a great job with cleanup, signage and everything else that goes into maintaining a world-class hiking trail. Here’s wishing a fun, safe, happy Memorial Day Weekend to everyone from Cascade Lodge and Restaurant!

Gunflint Green Up Weekend

The stately looking front lawn at the Main Lodge is really starting to green up fast with all the rain that we keep getting. Our front lawn is one of the first to green in the county as it receives about 8 hours a day of direct sunlight. The rain keeps feeding the creeks and rivers and they just keep rising and flowing with even greater intensity. This spring waterfall season has really been amazing so far! The second annual “Gunflint Green Up” up the Gunflint Trail from Grand Marais will take place this weekend, May 1st-3rd. Volunteers will be planting hundreds of trees in the burned area of the big Ham Lake Fire of 2007. This fire devoured about 100,000 acres of forest in Minnesota and Canada. The trees planted will be red and white pine seedlings. The volunteers will also be tending to yearling trees planted at last year’s event to make sure they have room to grow. Other events include a Green Living Fair, thank you dinners, music and dancing. The finale on Sunday is once again…the running of the Ham Lake Half Marathon. I can think of no better way to welcome in spring and celebrate the rejuvenation the season brings than with a great event like this.
Superior National Golf Course in Lutsen is expected to open this weekend too. The “River 9” section of the 27-hole course will open to walkers only on Friday May 1st. Exciting news, considering the Gunflint 9 Municipal Course still has a foot of snow covering the whole course. Minnesota’s fishing opener is just one week away now, and many anglers are busy getting their boats and equipment ready for the big day. But, word has it that all area lakes at the time of this post are currently 100% iced over. Up until about a week ago, snowmobilers will still zipping around on most lakes. Here’s hoping for some warm weather soon to open up a few of them so we can get some fishing in!

Spring Fever

Rivers and creeks broke wide open across the arrowhead region the past few days. Water is flowing from every nook and cranny as it thunders from higher terrains down to Lake Superior. What a site to behold, absolutely breathtaking! Air temperatures can vary widely from location to location this time of year. The popular saying “cooler by the lake” comes into play here. High pressure has settled in this last week or so and when the wind comes in from the north or northeast off the lake it has been in the upper 30’s, low 40’s along the shoreline. At the same time, temps of upper 50’s and low 60’s have been reported at inland locations. This is a unique phenomenon indeed. Use caution when traveling in lowlight conditions because thousands of deer are staged along the Highway 61 corridor feeding on open vegetation. These deer are patiently waiting for all the snow to melt at their summer getaway spots. Birders in the area are pleased that the northern spring migration of our “feathered friends” is well underway. Hundreds of different bird species are being identified around the area. Recently, this blogger happened upon a pair of Golden Eagles perched atop Lookout Mountain. The couple was watching for dinner down in the Cascade River Valley when I scared them off. The wingspan on these beautiful birds of prey is over 8 feet in length! A big gaggle of bright blue-wing teal ducks was seen swimming by the resort shoreline yesterday. This group was enjoying a sunny spring day with the rest of us. The ducks were already decked out in the rich hues of their summer plumage.
In staff news, David and Lek have returned to Cascade Lodge after spending the last 5 months in Thailand. David kept us posted via email all winter about their adventures in travel, food and way of life in Thailand. We are very happy to have them back. As you may know David is a great cook over at our restaurant so a very welcome addition again. Matt and Michael Jr. went to Lutsen Mountains last weekend to take part in the “Mountain Meltdown Festival.” It was the last weekend the hills were open, the crowd was huge, and the skiing was fantastic. Some years Lutsen can only open about 10-15 runs because of a lack of snow in March and April. This year however, that massive dumping of 15-20 inches of fresh snow on April 1st prolonged what was already a great ski season. Over 50 runs were still open and all the skiers and snowboarders could not have been happier about it! An outdoor BBQ and live stage music by local bands capped off an awesome weekend.

In like a Lion, out like a Lamb?

You know the saying about the month that officially marks the start of spring. March comes “In like a Lion, out like a Lamb.” While this saying may hold true most years, 2009 was definitely an exception. The last three Tuesdays of the month have not been very Lamb-like. We should have predicted this I guess because it was “tournament time” after all. Three weeks ago on Tuesday the area received anywhere between 5-8 inches of snow. That snow was a welcome sight because it gave hope to many skiers the season would be prolonged for a few more weeks. A massive warm-up began after that as sunny temperatures in the low 50’s zapped ski trail bases thin and even bare in some spots. This weather buildup led to a severe ice storm two weeks ago on Tuesday, March 24th. Rain, sleet and strong winds whipped through Cook County leaving downed power lines, snapped trees and debris everywhere. Power outages throughout the county were reported as Arrowhead Electric Co-op and MN DOT scrambled to restore power and clean up the mess. Hardest hit were the towns of Silver Bay and Finland. Some residents were without power for several days. On Tuesday, March 31st another big storm coming from the Dakotas was barreling down on the Arrowhead Region. Initial reports suggested we were to receive between 5-8 inches of snow. As it grew closer that amount was increased to 8-12. It started snowing that morning at about 8:00am, growing stronger as the day went on. School was called off early at 1:30pm. Fueled by strong east winds off the lake, this storm turned into a two day event that dropped about 15-20 inches of heavy, wet, lake-effect snow! Ski conditions at Lutsen Mountains the next day were perfectly described by one skier… “Lots of Powder Man”! With all this new snow and no serious warm-ups in the near future, downhill skiing at Lutsen should be excellent right up through “Mountain Meltdown Weekend,” April 11-13th.

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

Did you know that St. Patrick was not even Irish? He was born on the west coast of England and received his call to preach the gospel and spread Christianity around Ireland. He used a shamrock to explain the Holy Trinity with its three green leaves. St. Patrick might not have been Irish, but the O’Phelan family is! They organized a very festive weekend to celebrate the holiday complete with traditional Irish food and live music. Sassanatch played some live pub music Saturday and Sunday and Max Bichel was on the violin on Friday night. The server girls all dressed in green hats and bling all weekend long. The customers had a ball being dined and entertained at the same time! One of the reasons for the great attendance was the fact that March is spring break time for schools all around the Midwest. A lot of families and college students use this time to get their last ski in before all the snow melts. What’s good for local businesses is that we have lots of guests and customers midweek too, rather than just on the weekends.

Speaking of snow melt, a sudden warm up came within the last few weeks and has really done a number on our snow. Along the Lake Superior shoreline has been hardest hit with lesser effects farther inland. Decent spring skiing and snowmobiling can still be had, but one needs to head back into the woods a little ways to find it. We are crossing our fingers for cooler temps and one more decent snowfall to happen sometime soon. The warm conditions have also caused the cancellation of the Horse Drawn Sleigh Rides for the rest of the season. Jack and Julie, the two big Belgium Horses, step down with so much force that they punch through the weak snow base all the way to the ground. This could cause major damage to their hooves and legs. It’s always better to be safe than sorry. Marco and his team entertained hundreds of happy riders over the course of the winter. A special thanks goes out to Marco Good, Jack and Julie! You will be missed. The ice along the shoreline is gone now as well and all you can see is the royal blue waters of Gitchee Gummee. Rivers and creeks are starting to break too. Spring is just around the corner.

March Madness

The shoreline of Lake Superior around the area is usually open water most of the winter. In the last few weeks however, ice has settled in massive amounts. Our food vendor Ed ventured out on the ice to snap this seldom seen look at the main lodge from out on ice. Several of our guests were also out there too. These people are truly some brave souls. We have recently added a Facebook Cascade Lodge & Restaurant Business Page. It’s really neat with lots of info, cool pictures, events and links. It’s a great way to promote the resort and restaurant and doesn’t cost us anything. Check it out if you have Facebook and we welcome you to become a fan! To keep the lodge and cabins up to date, over the winter we have installed a new wood floor in cabin 14, and painted in room 202 and 212. Room 202 is a mint green now and very refreshing. That was done just in time for the St. Patrick’s Week Celebration. As you know the O’Phelan’s are a proud Irish family and celebrate the holiday big time. We have a lodging special that week where you can get free ski and snowshoe rentals for the whole family if you stay 3 or more nights. The restaurant will have traditional Irish Food and Music. On Friday, March 13 from 6:30-8:30pm Max Bichel will be playing Irish tunes on the Violin. That Saturday and Sunday from 6:30-9pm the group Sassanach, will be playing live Celtic pub music. The food features will be Corn Beef and Cabbage, Mulligan Stew, Irish Fish n’ Chips, Colcannon and Lamb Chops. Should be a festive time with everything going on, because nobody knows how to celebrate St. Patty’s like the O’Phelan clan!

Presidents, Valentines, and Wolves oh my!

Love was in the air and throngs of guests and visitors flocked to the North Shore for our biggest holiday weekend of the ski season. Conditions were perfect and everybody had a great time skiing, snowshoeing, and snowmobiling. It seems like every party brought along their sleds as at least 75 machines were seen coming down from the trail on Saturday alone! The Lodge and the Restaurant were full from Friday through Sunday. Cascade Restaurant had some romantic Valentine’s Day food specials highlighted by Alaskan Snow Crab Legs and succulent Steak….Yum! Results of the Volks Ski Fest were pretty good for a 1st annual festival. The specific set events were the most well attended, such as the Candlelit Skis, Guided Ski/Snowshoe Hikes, Waxing Seminars and Adventure Presentations. Hopefully the Volks Fest will gain more steam next year and grow bigger and bigger every year.
It seems like there are more Timber Wolves around the area this winter than ever before. Leftover meals have been dragged off ski trails by our groomer Michael Jr. Matt reported seeing the same Wolf three times in two weeks! It is described as being a really handsome fellow, with a caramel and white coat, and enormous! Each time spotted it was about an eigth of a mile down the highway from the Main Lodge, which is scary close! A church van load of international student workers including our own Jonathon and Laura, saw a different Wolf just passed the Cascade River Wayside. They were all really excited.
Speaking of Jonathon, he is proud of his new Miss Pac-Man arcade record down in the game room. He annihilated the previous record of 12,500 points and finished with 20,345 points. Quite the accomplishment! He had his picture taken next to the game and score and noted that he would put it on his facebook. Michael Sr. turned 50 years young the other day and celebrated by skiing 50 KM all in one day! His journey first took him over to Solbakken Resort and around the Hall and Massie Loops. From there he proceeded to ski back to Cascade Lodge and then out to ski the entire Deer Yard Lake system and finally back down to Cascade. Whew, I’m winded just typing that!

Super Weekend

Last weekend was an eventful one for sure at Cascade Lodge. It was kicked off Saturday night when about 50 skiers of all ages showed up for our Candlelit Ski. It was part of the first annual Volks Ski Fest that has different events and activities going on all over Cook County from January 31st-February 8th. Michael Sr. led the ski on the trail down to the snowmobile parking lot and back with luminaries lighting the way. What a beautiful night for a ski with temperatures in the 20’s and lots of stars. At the same time that was going on, Marco was driving the horse drawn sleigh with 3 full rides of 15 people! It was his first time out on our newly opened Deer Trap Trail. What a busy night! It is great to see that many visitors coming to experience how wonderful our trail systems are. Cascade Lodge is also hosting the Family Fun Ski Race and the Snowshoe Scavenger Hunt as part of the Volks Ski Fest. The next post will let you know how it all turns out. On Super Bowl Sunday the staff got together to watch the big game. Michael Jr. and Amanda were the gracious hosts and their 52 inch Plasma TV is perfect for watching sports. The potluck style appetizers and food was fabulous, and the tasty beverages wash it all down nicely. The crew was split down the middle with whom they were rooting for; half Pittsburg Steelers fans, half Arizona Cardinals fans. The game itself did not disappoint, coming right down to the wire and almost going into overtime. And “The Boss” cranked loud, really brought the house down at half time. All in all an excellent weekend!

Happy 2009!

Staff members enjoyed visiting family and friends over Christmas, but then it was back to work as the resort filled quickly during the week leading up to New Years. Guests were treated to some excellent snow conditions for playing around in. For the season to date we have received 50 inches of snow! All the ski trails were open and machine groomed several times over the holidays. One big storm brought in about a foot of snow one day! Needless to say, there were some sore muscles around here after shoveling and plowing all that! The horse drawn sleigh rides have been a big success and have drawn in hundreds of people to Cascade Lodge. The rides started on the 20th of December and went out everyday, 3 times a day starting after Christmas. Marco is the driver and a great guy to have leading the rides. His two big Belgium Draft Horses Jack and Julie, are strong enough to pull a sleigh loaded with a driver and 15 people! The ride through the woods lasts about one hour and is followed up with hot chocolate and a bonfire to warm up. The horses are brother and sister, weigh about 1700 lbs each, stand 15 ½ hands tall, and are 10 years old. They eat lots of hay, oats, and love when people feed them carrots and apples. They are living on the property here all winter long behind the maintenance garage on top of the hill. In the off-season they enjoy logging massive trees and plowing earth. Say hi to them on your way up for a ski or snowshoe!
In staff news Cascade Restaurant has hired two new local servers, Shannah and Breanna. They are really friendly and excellent servers too! Our two foreign students, Johnathan and Laura from Columbia are really great workers. They work both in housekeeping and in the restaurant. Their advanced English speaking abilities allow them to easily communicate with guests and other workers. Johnathan has even been trained by Matt in the fine art of snow shoveling. Michael Jr. and Matt each received ice fishing gear for Christmas and look forward to hitting the “hardwater” many times this season. We were said to see a long time front desk worker Tim, have to leave us this January. Tim is a very likable guy, easy to get along with, and a fantastic salesperson. He will stay in the area, but his new full-time job will be managing the Stille Havet vacation home. He will be sorely missed. Michael Jr. will be taking his shifts from here on out. Hope to see you all out on the trails sometime this winter!