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Communities of the Northern Wilds
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If you live in the Northern Wilds, you live in a community. Of course, this is true for people living anywhere, but the word “community” takes on a deeper, more personal meeting when you reside in a lightly populated region such as ours. Even our cities, Thunder Bay and Duluth, are really just outsized small towns. We not only know our neighbors, we also know all sorts of folks around town. For most us, we see familiar faces just about anytime we are out and about. While we may grumble that “everyone knows your business” in a small town, we also will admit that “knowing your neighbors” is why many of us choose to live here. Folks who move here from more populated places are often struck by how quickly they get to know and become part of the community. Casey Fitchett points this out in her feature story chronicling her own move to Cook County six years ago. She also notes that people living in the Northern Wilds are rarely seeking fame or fortune, choosing instead to lead purposeful lives. Those are the kind of people who make good neighbors. Sometimes a community is formed by people who share a common interest. Rae Poynter introduces us to the mushing community; folks who raise and run sled dogs. January is an important month in the mushing community’s year, because two big local race events, the Gunflint Mail Run and John Beargrease Sled Dog Marathon, happen then. You can read about the races in this issue.
Communities may come together through necessity. High schools in Two Harbors, Silver Bay and Cook County have joined forces to provide kids with hockey and track-and-field programs, reports Joe Friedrichs. Communities also form around faith. Peter Fergus-Moore shares the story of the Spirit of the Wilderness Episcopalian Church. The Northland Foundation’s AGE to age program successfully brings together older adults and young people to create an “intergenerational community,” reports Ali Juten. In this issue you will also find the winners of the 2018 Northern Wilds Photo Contest. We had so many entries and so many excellent photos that selecting winners wasn’t easy. We also encourage you to read Shawn Perich’s interview with infectious disease expert Michael Osterholm, who warns of the potential human health risks associated with an always fatal illness in deer, Chronic Wasting Disease. CWD has not been discovered in the Northern Wilds, but it has been detected in both farmed and wild deer elsewhere in Minnesota. We are presenting this information as a service to our many readers who enjoy watching or hunting deer and moose, as well as eating venison. Finally, we are looking forward to our 15th year of covering the North Shore with Northern Wilds magazine. We wish everyone a healthy and happy New Year!—Shawn Perich and Amber Pratt
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VOLUME 1 6, I SSUE 1 w w w . n o r t h e r nw i l d s .c o m SERVING THE NORTH SHORE A ND T H E WI L D E R N E S S BE Y O N D PUBLISHERS Shawn Perich & Amber Pratt EDITORIAL Shawn Perich, Editor editor@northernwilds.com Breana Roy, Managing Editor breana@northernwilds.com ADVERTISING Sue O’Quinn, Sales Representative sue@northernwilds.com GRAPHIC DESIGN Katie Viren • katie@northernwilds.com Leah Pratt • print@northernwilds.com OFFICE Roseanne Cooley • billing@northernwilds.com Mandy Theiner • print@northernwilds.com CONTRIBUTORS Erin Altemus, Elle Andra-Warner, Eric Chandler, Gord Ellis, Peter Fergus-Moore, Casey Fitchett, Joe Friedrichs, Ali Juten, Will Moore, Deane Morrison, Rae Poynter, Julia Prinselaar, Amy Schmidt, Javier Serna, John Stember, Maren Webb Copyright 2019 by Northern Wilds Media, Inc. Published 12 times per year. Subscription rate is $28 per year or $52 for 2 years U.S. All rights reserved. Reproduction in whole or in part requires written permission from the publishers. Northern Wilds Media, Inc. P.O. Box 26, Grand Marais, MN 55604 (218) 387-9475 (phone/fax) PRINT & DESIGN print@northernwilds.com
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32 FEATURES 10 2018 Photo Contest Winners 12 A Community to Call My Own Moving from Virginia to Minnesota
32 Dog Sledding in the Northland
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aD dEADLINE January 18
Cover
Catchlight
Beargrease by Heidi Pinkerton
Bobcat by Paul Sundberg
NORTHERN WILDS
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Robert Burns Dinner
4th
Quarter Grants Awarded 2018 GRANT TOTAL IS NOW
$63,212
Restorative Justice of Cook County - $3,000 start up support Violence Prevention Center - $5,000 expand prevention education work Cook County Emergency Services - $16,330 ropes rescue equipment For more information about grants awarded go to: www.northshorehealthcarefoundation.org
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Creating an intergenerational community NORTH SHORE— An inclusive sense of community should be the goal of every small town. Luckily for 18 rural communities and three tribal nations in northeastern Minn., a program called “AGE to age” exists just for this purpose. AGE to age began 10 years ago by the Northland Foundation as a way to, “bring generations together, connecting young people to older adults to build friendships and community”. Lynn Haglin is the vice president of the Northland Foundation and the KIDS Plus director for programs like AGE to age. She says that the program started because they had an opportunity to interview older adults, one-on-one, to focus on what they would like to see happen in relation to their lives. They found common themes among the people they interviewed: the desire for more opportunities to volunteer within their communities and the desire to connect with local youth. “People think about the legacy in their community, and so it was important to them that these young people have this great childhood and feel like people really do care about them and that, hopefully if their jobs allow, they could return,” Haglin said. Today, there are AGE to age programs all along the North Shore, including: Two Harbors, Beaver Bay, Silver Bay, Finland, Isabella, and the Grand Portage Band of Chippewa. Colleen Wallin is the local coordinator for the North Shore area which includes Beaver Bay, Silver Bay, Finland and Isabella. Wallin has a background working in recreation for the elderly and was a natural fit for the job. The AGE to age programs in the North Shore area are in their second year and, with a core group of about 20 team lead volunteers, they have quite a variety of programs. There have been variety shows, photo journaling weekends, “food, farming & feasting” programs, and farmer’s markets, among other things. They’ve also held intergenerational movie nights where the group picks the movie and then has a discussion about it afterward. The programs have been doing so well, in fact, that they have been the catalyst for 13,100 hours of annual volunteer service throughout all participating communities. This volunteer service includes youth and adults within the AGE to age programs and is valued at $361,300 annually. For Wallin, she just loves to see the generations together. “Just that connection is, I think, very important these days. Because kids tend to not be very social but, once we get the ball rolling, it’s wonderful. It’s very social. And it’s really a fun thing to sit back and watch,” Wallin said. Wallin added that AGE to age is getting to be fairly well-known throughout the local communities. “People always know we’re all about having a little food snack or that we have
Many AGE to age sites undertake projects with older adults teaching kids various skills. | NORTHLAND FOUNDATION
[LEFT] An older adult shares knowledge of a cultural tradition at Fond du Lac Reservation during a summer Language Camp. | NORTHLAND FOUNDATION [RIGHT] Two Harbors was honored as Best Intergenerational Community by the
national association, Generations United, in 2017. | NORTHLAND FOUNDATION prizes. And that it’s a really nice gathering of multi-generational people,” said Wallin. The Northland Foundation has been tracking the impact of the AGE to age program since it began in 2008. According to their data, “97 percent of youth report increased leadership skills and opportunities to volunteer, and 95 percent of older adults report a renewed sense of purpose and community connections.” That’s not all. Across the communities involved, 9,475 people are engaged in the programs each year ranging from age five to 55-plus. Throughout all the communities involved, there are nearly 1,000 different inter-generational projects. Each com-
munity has unique programs that focus on what is deemed to be important in that area. For example, in Ely, many programs have an environmental component. Among the tribal communities involved, popular programs revolve around culture, language, and teaching traditions like maple syrup making and wild ricing to the younger generations. Since each area has a separate community coordinator, the word gets out about the programs however is normal among locals. Some communities have Facebook pages to share upcoming programs. Other communities use bulletin boards and community centers to get the word out.
lege students along with a stipend to help out in their AGE to age community. “Every age group is welcome, we are not exclusive. They love everybody who comes, each generation. But, we focus on youth and older adults since they are often overlooked,” Haglin said. She added that AGE to age is about possibility thinking and that, often, we don’t give enough thought to the idea of bringing young people together with the older adults, who they’re not related to. “They really have so much to offer to one another.”—Ali Juten
However the word gets out, all are welcome. Internships are also offered to colNORTHERN WILDS
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Duluth Biathlon Club on target DULUTH— Biathlon is the Olympic sport that combines cross-country skiing with rifle marksmanship. It’s a challenging combination: heart-pounding aerobic endurance matched with the quiet discipline of hitting a target. Like many winter sports, it’s heavily dependent on having a venue where athletes can train. In this case, the biathletes need cross-country ski trails paired with a rifle range. Duluth is one of few places with such a combination. At the Snowflake Nordic Center, John Graham manages the meticulously groomed ski trails that lead out to the biathlon range where the Duluth Biathlon Club trains. Eric Watson is entering his second winter leading the Duluth Biathlon Club. He got involved through the interest of his children. “I got involved with the club when my oldest daughter took up the sport at age 12,” Watson said via email. “I started helping out at practices and races, attended coaching workshops and training camps, and gradually picked up coaching along the way.”
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The sport is a hybrid of two disciplines and it’s challenging to merge the two. In sprint events, the athletes stop at the shooting range twice, once to shoot prone and a second time to shoot standing. They aim at five targets that are 50 meters away. The standing target is a black circle 4.5 inches in diameter. The sight is always visually the same to the athletes through the peep sights, but when shooting prone, they must hit the center 1.8 inches of the target. When the biathlete hits each target, it flips from black to white so athletes and spectators get immediate feedback. The skier must ski a penalty loop for each missed target. In longer events, the athletes stop to shoot four times (twice standing and twice prone) and get a time penalty for each miss instead of a penalty loop. There are several different formats of competition, but clearly shooting with the specially designed .22 caliber rifles is key.
Lucy Watson (Duluth Biathlon Club) coaches a Nordic North Stars athlete at a biathlon clinic for novices at Snowflake Nordic Center in Duluth. | ERIC WATSON Kara Salmela and Siiri Morse). I hope we can build more collaborations with other area Nordic sports groups.”
Watson described some of the shooting training that the club’s five athletes have done. “Kara Salmela has been running some of our shooting practices this summer and fall and helping refine technique. We have seen huge improvements in shooting speed as a result of her training.” Salmela is a biathlete who competed in the Nagano and Salt Lake City Olympic Winter Games for the United States.
The Duluth Biathlon Club is a chapter of the statewide sport organization called Minnesota Biathlon. The athletes participate in races, camps, and clinics in other parts of the state that have facilities: Elk River, Nisswa, and Coleraine (at the Mt. Itasca Winter Sports Center). There are five biathlon races as part of the Minnesota Cup series this winter, one of which is in Duluth.
Because of the unique demands of the sport, it’s challenging to find time to train, even with a local venue. “The club used to have a dedicated year-round training program. That had some advantages. However, it also conflicted with other sports, which forced athletes to choose, for example, between belonging to a Nordic ski team and belonging to the biathlon club,” Watson said. “Now, we are trying to layer biathlon training on top of Nordic training. We’ve had great collaboration with Marshall School (coached by Dave Johnson) and Nordic North Stars (coached by
“We have a race at Snowflake on Sunday, March 3. As part of that event, we plan to have a novice race where coaches and athletes will give a short clinic and help novices of all ages try out the sport,” Watson said.
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Watson is clearly motivated about biathlon. He said, “I like the sport itself—it’s a wonderful combination of movement and stillness. It requires a lot of grit.”
“John Gould [former Duluth Biathlon Club leader] would always say, ‘Ya gotta be tough to be a biathlete.’ And it’s really true—it’s a tough sport. It’s also a relatively unknown sport, which means that you have to scrap for opportunities to train. There are no school teams like there are in hockey or track or even Nordic skiing. But at the same time, the smallness of the sport has a lot of advantages—you get to race alongside elite athletes (there are currently four Minnesota athletes on the U.S. national development teams). You get to spend lots of time outside, in all weather. And when you hit five targets— ping, ping, ping, ping, ping—that’s a hard feeling to beat.” For details about biathlon in Minnesota, visit minnesotabiathlon.com. For questions about the Duluth Biathlon Club, email Eric Watson at: duluthbiathlon@ gmail.com.—Eric Chandler
Biathlon is a unique sport but the challenges can be rewarding for those who participate. Watson sums it up this way:
Ely Nordic Ski Club presents
ELY SKINNYFAT February 16, 2019 Hidden Valley, Ely MN
Bike Across the Bay Feb. 17, 2019 Fat Bike Birkie Mar. 9, 2019 More info and maps at:
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10k ski tour Kids races 10k night fat bike ride 20k night fat bike race Bonfire during and after for an afternoon and evening of fun!
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The North Shore Storm hockey teams feature youth from up and down Minnesota’s North Shore. | MICHELLE KETOLA
Youth sports showcase community GRAND MARAIS— Charles Christiansen takes the term carpooling to a new level. This is primarily because he has a child who plays hockey on Minnesota’s North Shore. “Along with the other adults, we rotate by the day who drives down to Two Harbors,” he said. “And when we get down there, I watch the kids take to the ice and watch them practice. It’s pretty entertaining, actually.” Hockey and skiing are two quintessential Minnesota activities during the winter months. This goes for people of all ages and to varying degrees of competition. For many of the region’s youth, competing in hockey or Nordic skiing are cherished activities. However, because of the sparsely populated area, fielding an entire roster can be challenging. And that’s where the sense of community comes in. With activities ranging from hockey to cross-country running, teams such as the North Shore Storm, Two Harbors Bantam youth hockey team and the Two Harbors and Cook County Nordic ski team are all popular and well-accomplished teams. For example, in late fall 2018, the North Shore Storm boys and girls cross-country teams competed at the state meet at St. Olaf College in Northfield. This year the boys finished ninth, and the girls placed 15th among all the other teams in the state. However, forming these teams does not come without some challenges. For example, each week Christiansen and two other families rotate which day they will drive a trio of eighth-grade students from Grand Marais to Two Harbors for hockey practice. The trip is just over 80 miles. Oneway. In the thick of winter. “It is a huge commitment to play North Shore hockey,” said Mike Guzzo, the head coach of the North Shore Storm boys’ team. “Players and parents are very dedicated. It allows the hockey program to have competitive teams.”
Guzzo said when it comes to the sense of community, the game of hockey is often a link bringing people who live in different North Shore towns together. “Players start at a young age and friendships are made,” he added, “but the driving force is the love of the game.” And while it never hurts to possess natural talent in the field of athletic competition, Guzzo said there is another key factor to success in the Northern Wilds. “Parent support is the most important part of being a North Shore hockey player,” he said. “I have so much respect for the parents of our players.” Among these parents is Silver Bay resident Michelle Ketola. Michelle and her husband, Mike, have four children who all played some level of competitive hockey on the North Shore. This year, their daughter, Jessie, is the captain of the girls’ Storm team. “You really have to love the game to commit this amount of time and energy into this one activity,” Ketola said. “It’s a lifestyle.” One aspect that comes into play when talking about student-athletes is balance. In this case, balance of sports with the classroom. Ketola said that remains a priority for many families and the coaching staff. “You see kids doing homework at the concession tables in both arena’s, in the car or on the bus, wherever they can fit it in,” she said. “It’s impressive that so many of these kids are also top students.” Indeed there is more than one of the largest bodies of freshwater in the world uniting the communities of Minnesota’s North Shore. For some student-athletes, that sense of community is found through coming together to play on the same team.—Joe Friedrichs
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JANUARY 2019
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Winter Gathering and Dance featuring the SplinterTones
Hovland Town Hall, 4957 E Hwy 61 Jan. 19, 7-10 PM Donations gratefully accepted 218-387-1272 northshoremusicassociation.com
Like many communities, Spirit of the Wilderness features a common purpose, shared values and outlook, and a “communal” sense of inclusiveness. | ELLEN STUBBS
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Community of faith— Spirit of the Wilderness GRAND MARAIS—The Spirit of the Wilderness Episcopal Church community began in an unusual way: with a piece of broken technology. In 2006, Layne and Rolf Lindquist, of Grand Marais, missed having an Episcopal church to attend, so they placed an ad in every local medium they could find. The volume of phone calls proved too much for their answering machine—it gave up the ghost. The evidence of considerable interest in an Episcopal congregation in Cook County and beyond led to a series of meetings in 2007. These culminated in the first scheduled services of the newly-minted group. As three respondents were Episcopal clergy, the matter of sacraments was not going to be an issue. Those meeting discussed who had personal talents to offer to a new church, and how these might be given room in the budding congregation. In a very insightful move, the group decided against building a new church, instead renting the Maple Hill Chapel for Sundays for an entire year at a time. This freed the group from the draining expense and worry of building and maintaining a structure. Those who attend the Spirit of the Wilderness (SoW) are unanimous about the community qualities of the group. In particular, the congregants are not seen as judgmental in any way. One member who has been attending for a bit more than a year “appreciate(s) the family atmosphere of SoW.” A typical Sunday service features a wide range of ages, and at least members of one additional species: “Our now year-old puppy, Rook, has grown up coming to church,” writes Karen Kobey. “She has her routine down, first politely greeting everyone, then sitting and watching or sleeping on her blanket on the pew next to us.”
dained person...All the other little pieces that go into a service are divided amongst the congregation.” Thunder Bay resident Joyce Fergus-Moore, who attends two or three times a year, observes that, “As we are not American citizens and do not reside in the Grand Marais area, and are not Episcopalian, we could be considered outsiders...(B)eing close-knit can give newcomers or visitors the sense that they are excluded from a closed club or clique. SoW has not fallen into this trap; the members always help newcomers get what they need to take part in worship, and ensure they have a name-tag.” So, like many communities, SoW features a common purpose, shared values and outlook, and a “communal” sense of inclusiveness. However, from the beginning, the congregation desired to make a positive difference for the people of Cook Country who are not Episcopalian, Christian, or even people of faith. “One of the things we did...was to think, ‘OK, Cook County has 5,000 people, 2,700 of them unchurched... Who are they and what might the Episcopal Church have for them?’” Rev. Mary Ellen Ashcroft writes. “So we decided that one of the groups was artists.” This has since led to several annual shows in collaboration with the Grand Marais Art Colony, with lectures and food and the works, she adds, where art is bringing the spiritual and the artistic together. “We also feel that one of our groups is the outdoor group, so we started a dragon boat team,” she smiles. “One year, we capsized our boat—we called it ‘mass baptism!’”
While many of those interviewed emphasized growth and deepening of their shared faith in attending SoW, most also say that the congregation is not there so much for answers to faith questions as a willingness to engage in the questions themselves: “We are welcoming to all regardless of where each is on his or her faith journey,” says Karen Halbersleben. “We can help folks who have been wounded by religion in their past.”
“Locally,” writes Dr. Schmidt, “we are the sponsor of Ruby’s Pantry (food bank), (have) organized and are the primary support of the Good Samaritan fund, (and) support a closet for kids at the school to get basic hygiene supplies in a discrete manner.” Beth Kennedy adds, “Almost everyone is also involved in the community through Violence Prevention or Care Partners, even in plays at the playhouse.”
Dr. Milan Schmidt feels that his practice as a physician is informed and supported by his attendance at SoW, and adds, “Our liturgy...tends more toward chaos than order, but the underling structure remains. This is like life...Only the consecration of the elements is reserved for an or-
Howard Hedstrom sums up SoW as having “openness, (being) welcoming, active in the community, making a difference.”—Peter Fergus-Moore
Points North Osterholm sees human health risk in CWD By Shawn Perich Dr. Michael Osterholm is deeply concerned that overall efforts to halt the spread of Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD) in captive and wild populations of deer, elk and other members of the deer family, known to zoologists as cervids, fall far short of what is needed to limit the spread among cervids and prevent potential transmission to humans. An expert in infectious disease and a public health scientist, Osterholm is the director of the Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy at the University of Minnesota. During his career, he has addressed world health issues such as biosecurity and antibiotic resistance, as well as diseases including HIV, influenza pandemics and Lyme disease. He frequently consults with national and international health organizations. Thus far, CWD is found in cervids only, but Osterholm believes the disease poses a serious risk to human health. In Great Britain, a related brain disorder in cattle, commonly called Mad Cow Disease, was transferred to people during the 1980s and 90s after disease-contaminated beef products entered the human food supply. Osterholm said existing research about the risk of transmissions to humans isn’t conclusive. However, he predicts CWD will follow a similar path as Mad Cow Disease. “I believe it’s just a matter of time until there is a deer-to-human transmission,” he says. Osterholm’s prediction is based upon his knowledge of transmissible spongiform encephalopathy (TSE), a degenerative brain disorder that creates tiny, sponge-like holes in brain tissue. CWD is a variant of the disorder, which includes the aforementioned Mad Cow Disease, scrapie in sheep and Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease in humans. These illnesses are caused by a modified form of a protein known as a prion. Scientists don’t understand why these prions enter and wreak havoc in the central nervous system. What they do know is that prion diseases are always fatal. The World Health Organization has recommended keeping agents of prion diseases out of the human food chain since 1997. Osterholm is concerned that many politicians and regulatory agencies are not taking the actions necessary to limit the spread of CWD in deer populations or prevent CWD-contaminated venison from entering the human food chain. Outbreaks of CWD seem to be accelerating in wild cervid populations across the U.S., often in the vicinity of where the disease was initially discovered on cervid farms. Osterholm and many wildlife biologists believe the move-
Dr. Michael Osterholm. | SUBMITTED ment of domesticated deer and elk among commercial operations has carried CWD across North America. “When you look at the management of cervid farms, there is limited meaningful enforcement of regulations regarding the movement and containment of animals,” he said. “When captive animals break out of containment areas, this is the perfect situation for spreading the disease to wild cervids.” In Minnesota, farmed cervids are regulated by the state Board of Animal Health. Wild cervids are the responsibility of the Minnesota DNR. A 2018 Legislative Audit was critical of the BAH’s CWD enforcement and record-keeping related to deer and elk farms in the state, concluding with a list of recommendations for the agency to improve its performance. “The Minnesota Board of Animal Health has been a day late and a dollar short in enforcing the containment of farmed cervids in Minnesota,” Osterholm said. “The captive cervid industry keeps making excuses for years to protect deer farmers, which is plain B.S.” Since 2002, CWD has been found on eight Minnesota deer farms, according to the DNR website. CWD was first found in a wild deer in 2010, within two miles of a CWD-positive elk farm in Olmstead County. Three years of intensive surveillance with the DNR testing over 4,000 deer did not turn up any more positives. Because CWD was present in bordering counties of Wisconsin and Iowa, the DNR began voluntary (for hunters) surveillance of wild deer in southeastern Minnesota in 2016, finding three CWD-positive bucks near Preston in Fillmore County. Special hunts and culling in early 2017 turned up eight more positives. Intensive surveillance
Chronic wasting disease is always fatal to deer. Dr. Osterholm predicts at some point the illness will be transmitted to humans. | STOCK has continued finding positives since then, as well as a 2018 discovery in adjacent Houston County, possibly indicating the outbreak is growing. The DNR created a CWD Management Zone to contain the outbreak, with strict restrictions on feeding deer or moving cervid carcasses. The agency is holding special hunts and taking steps to reduce the deer population in what is some of the state’s best whitetail habitat. Osterholm praised the DNR’s CWD response. Unfortunately, neighboring Wisconsin seems unable to contain the spread of CWD in wild or farmed deer. First discovered in 2001, the disease has now been detected in 23 of 72 Wisconsin counties. In some counties, CWD appears to be endemic in the wild deer population. “As far as I’m concerned, the Wisconsin deer herd is lost and gone,” Osterholm said. “Wisconsin’s CWD response has been irresponsible. I’m not sure what they can do now.” The prevalence of CWD in some of Wisconsin’s wild deer populations presents
a human health risk. It is inevitable the CWD-positive venison will wind up on somebody’s table or perhaps a lot of tables. “Think of all the sausage production out there,” Osterholm said. “When you consider what happened in England with Mad Cow Disease, I worry desperately about all of these meat processors.” The misshapen prions that cause TSEs contaminate the environment. He said that when surgeons operate on a patient with the similar TSE Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease, hospitals remove all of the equipment associated with the procedure, so it is never used again. Meat processors can’t effectively decontaminate their facility after processing CWD-positive deer. That may mean other products produced there are contaminated with CWD prions. Osterholm said prions can persist in the environment for hundreds or even thousands of years. “Given my experience with prion diseases, what we are doing right now is Russian roulette,” he said. “We haven’t given enough due to what CWD may do to human populations.”
Veteran outdoor writer Shawn Perich’s Points North column is available in an online format. Get the weekly stories by Shawn that don’t appear in the print edition of Northern Wilds by subscribing at northernwilds.com NORTHERN WILDS
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FOR THE LOVE OF THE NORTH
Photo Contest REGIONAL ICONS
2018 WINNERS! We received over 500 entries for our photo contest. The quality of photos were incredible, making judging extremely difficult. A big thank you to everyone who participated in the contest. The 2019 photo contest will begin later this year.
1st Place: Rock of Ages by Edward Lee
2nd Place: Hollow Cedar at Gooseberry Falls by Linda Dunlap
3rd Place: Johnson School in Maple, Wisc., by Cynthia Stark
WILDLIFE 2nd Place: First Steps by Susan Frei
1st Place: Rubies by Linda Dunlap 3rd Place: Barred Owl by Jeff Grotte
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LANDSCAPE
2nd Place: Porphyry Storm by Chris McEvoy
3rd Place: Lupine Sunset by Jeff Grotte
1st Place: Gateway to Morning by Christian Dalbec
PEOPLE & PETS
2nd Place: Water Girls by Brenda Hadrich
1st Place: Kayaker at Jay Cooke State Park by Walt Huss 3rd Place: Tasty Flowers by Jeff Grotte
NORTHERN  WILDS
JANUARY 2019
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Casey and co-workers from Cook County enjoy a costumed happy hour at Voyageur Brewing.
A Community to Call My Own Story and photos by Casey Fitchett “You’re in Michigan, right? How cold is it up there?” It’s an honest mistake, really. Midwest states that start with ‘M’ blend together to east coasters as much as Virginia and West Virginia do for midwesterners.
“I’m actually in Minnesota,” I laugh. No matter the time of year, the next statement is usually some version of, “It’s definitely colder than where you are.” I’m originally from Chesapeake, Virginia, a city of about 240,000 close to Virginia Beach in southeast Virginia. No one in my family has any connection to the North Shore of Minnesota, Lake Superior, or the middle of the country at all really. I’ll explain. Feeling young and adventurous as I sat on my bed in my fourth year college house in Charlottesville, VA, I chatted excitedly on Skype with the activities director at Lutsen Resort about my kayaking experience and my desire to spend a summer somewhere I had never been. Casey and best friend Marybeth are all smiles after a 13.1-mile fall run on the Superior Hiking Trail. 12
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“I’d love to work seasonally for a few years to be able to travel and really get a lit-
tle more invested in a place than just a vacation,” I explained, hoping he understood what I was trying to say. “I imagine I’ll try to work at a ski resort this coming winter, and continue to travel and maybe end up landing somewhere at some point.” The ski resort idea never came to fruition, and I landed sooner than I expected. That summer I spent leading guided kayak tours and hikes was over six years ago. I was outed by everyone as a non-native Minnesotan in a few different ways; during the first summer it was my confusion about why everyone thought I was from this place called “The Range”—no, I’m from Virginia the state—and my accent (or lack thereof). In the latter years, it was my absolute lack of Twin Cities suburb geography knowledge. My life choices continued to spark curiosity and puzzled looks when I mentioned my lack of Scandinavian heritage and ties to the area. “You moved here by yourself?” (Yes.) “How did you get here of all places?” (Like all great things, I found it on the Internet!)
“How are you adjusting to the winters?” (Not well, but I’ve heard about vitamin D pills, thank you.) Jumping into a tourist industry wasn’t exactly what gave me the truest sense of what it meant to be part of the North Shore community; the unexpected five subsequent years provided the real education. I was vaguely familiar with both the positive and negative stereotypes before moving to the small town of Grand Marais. When I looked beyond those preconceptions to make my own assessment, what I ultimately learned is that many people moved to and stay in this particular small community to live intentionally. To make conscious decisions and efforts to live a life of meaning, including the community and friends they keep, the food they eat, and the activities they pursue. Though not one of my original assumptions, small towns have a way of building a community that I hadn’t understood before. As is routine life for many Cook County residents, I jumped in with both feet. My typical MO was one full time job and one or two part time side gigs. While working the register at the Cook County Whole Foods Co-op, I began to match names to
faces, and the names I had heard in passing presented themselves as shoppers. As the hours of sunlight continued to wax and wane in the coming years, my northern network continued to expand. I interacted with group fitness participants during my spin classes at the Cook County YMCA, (hopefully) entertained listeners on WTIP community radio, communicated monthly with Northern Wilds readers about foreign (to me) topics like intricate Rosemaling and beloved Isle Royale, and rediscovered the softball skills of my youth during a summer playing in the community league. A connection with one of my teammates forged a friendship that eventually led to the best job I have ever had and one of the reasons I hit my stride in Cook County. Working as the events and promotions coordinator for Voyageur Brewing Company is akin to being the cruise director for a hometown bar (think: everyone knows your name). Creating community between locals and tourists by planning events in a stunning space further demonstrated how active and involved my neighbors are. I communed with the Thursday night Canteen Club, regularly hopping from table to table to catch up about the previous week.
There was never a dull moment meeting friends on the west end in Lutsen for a glass of wine at the North Shore Winery. My friends were as varied as the beers we drank; in my case fewer people around meant connections forged with many outside of my immediate peer group. Waves of gratitude often hit me when I least expected it. One particular Thanksgiving, the trek back to Chesapeake just wasn’t in the cards with my work schedule. Though I’m generally not big on tradition, I had spent the previous handful of years running a Turkey Trot race on the morning of the holiday. I began to hatch a plan that demonstrated perhaps my personal most telling anecdote of the North Shore activism and community. There were no advertising costs for my run, just a simple event on Facebook and word of mouth. There were no prizes promised, but also no entry fee. My best friend Marybeth and I went out the day before the “race” to pre-run the “course” and update participants as to the current status of the ice and other potential hazards on the Cascade Beach Road. I got approval from my bosses at the brewery to donate a beer token for each participant that donated an item for the Cook County Food Shelf. Just
about 30 runners donated 50 items. After giving of itself to me for over five years, the Cook County community allowed me to weave a piece of my own tradition into the gravel roads of the north. Friends and I met later that evening at a church in town and shared a meal prepared by familiar volunteers—former co-workers, Co-op regulars, and brewery acquaintances. Though I navigated the dearth of Cook County rental housing with as much grace as a dog with a peanut butter jar, I have never been without a safe place to stay. Though I didn’t always have plans when I stopped into Java Moose or Voyageur Brewing, I never sat alone. Though I knew not a soul when I first parked my car at Lutsen Resort in 2012, I now have a group of people that I call friends. This community cares about one another and puts effort into embracing togetherness. Just about the whole town shows up for the community dance recital, the focus on shopping locally means supporting your neighbors, and everyone has somewhere to go for Thanksgiving.
Thanksgiving dinner at a local church showed her the selfless giving of her friends and neighbors.
On assignment for Northern Wilds to try the traditional Lutefisk—thank goodness for butter and cream sauce!
At the starting line of the Lutsen 99er mountain bike race with friend Woody and a few thousand of our other friends.
Almost 40 people showed up for Casey’s fun run on Thanksgiving morning with no entry fee, prizes, t-shirts, or formalities. NORTHERN WILDS
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By Breana Roy
New Year, New Exhibits
A new year calls for new artwork and exhibitions, and galleries all along the shore seem to agree. Right now, the Thunder Bay Art Gallery has not one exhibit, but four, each one unique with its own message. Other exhibits include DOing: A Labor of Love by Matt Kania, located at the Zeitgeist Atrium Art Gallery in Duluth, and Intersections, One exhibit at the Thunder Bay Art at the Tweed Gallery is 21 Pillows by Cheryl Wilson-Smith. This is an interactive Museum of Art in installation featuring 21 pillows placed on the gallery floor. Duluth. | CHERYL WILSON-SMITH
“Lament of the Loon,” an acrylic on canvas by Moses Amik Beaver, is part of the exhibit Lessons: The Artistry of Learning at the Thunder Bay Art Gallery. | MOSES AMIK BEAVER
The third exhibit at the Thunder Bay Art Gallery is titled From the Permanent Collection: Carl Beam’s Exorcism, which is open until March 3. | CARL BEAM
“The Creative Oven,” an oil on canvas by Jim Denomie, is part of the Intersections exhibit at the Tweed Museum of Art. This exhibition features a selection of contemporary artworks by 18 Minnesota-based Native artists. | JIM DENOMIE The final exhibit at the Thunder Bay Art Gallery is Reclaimed, an exhibition of handrestored axes, hatchets and sledges by Curtis MacKay Wilson. The exhibit ends Jan. 13. | CURTIS MACKAY WILSON 14
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“Parisian Portraitist” by Matt Kania; on display at Zeitgeist Atrium Art Gallery as part of the DOing: A Labor of Love exhibition. His show features oil paintings of artists and artisans doing the art or craft that they love. | MATT KANIA
Despres Metal Artwork By Rae Poynter Luc Despres is the owner of Despres Metal Artwork in Thunder Bay. A longtime metal worker, he has owned the shop for two years, and has created many unique pieces of art, several of which can be found around Thunder Bay. Despres has been working both with metal and with art for most of his life. Then 25 years ago, he decided to combine his two interests. “I’ve always painted and drawn. I fell in love with liquid metal in ninth grade shop class, and have been addicted ever since,” he said. “I went to college for welding and metallurgy and worked in the industry for many years.” After his years working in the industry, Despres went back to school and started teaching fabrication. It was while he was teaching at Hillcrest High School that he began creating metal artwork. “It started as making small projects in class, and then we made a huge horse sculpture, our mascot, for the school. It was after that when I started getting calls from people asking about more projects,” he said. Despres said he began to get commissions from private collectors, restaurants, and hospitals. When he retired from teaching, he decided to dive into his love for metal art full-time, and two years ago he opened his shop, Despres Metal Artwork. “Ironically, now that I’m retired, I’m busier than ever before,” he mused.
Corporate pieces, like the recent installation for the Lakehead Regional Conservation Authority, double as public art that anyone can enjoy. | LUC DESPRES
Luc Despres’ artwork is characterized by the thought given to each specific piece. The variety that he produces is wide: some of his projects have included corporate signs, small standalone pieces, public art, and wearable designs. But from small to huge, each of them are done with care and attention. “We do all custom work. Customers want something specific, something personal and unique that means something,” Despres said. “A client will come to us with an idea, a dream, and we begin by making initial sketches. We work with the customer throughout the process, from the idea, concept, and choices of materials to designing and creating the metal artwork. During the process we try to not only meet but surpass expectations.” One of the unique aspects of metalworking is how a project can be at once intended for a specific client but also, in the case of signs and sculptures, public art to be enjoyed by everyone. Some of the pieces that work as public art include the new sign for the Lakehead Regional Conservation Authority and the sign for the Haven Hostel. Another form of art that Luc Despres has gotten into recently is making cosplay outfits, or costumes that closely resemble those worn by book and movie characters. “I got into cosplay outfits kind of by accident,” Despres said. “I did some collab-
Sign for the Haven Hostel in Thunder Bay. | LUC DESPRES
At Despres Metal Artwork, Luc Despres creates unique, personal designs. | LUC DESPRES oration with Katie Ball of Silver Cedar Studio for Derelicte, a wearable art show that takes place every year through Definitely Superior Art Gallery. It started by creating a metal crown for one of the costumes, and then grew into doing metal corsets, armor, and weapons. Our collection had a Game of Thrones twist to it. Getting to work with Katie Ball as co-designers was an awesome experience.”
Despres has continued to work on cosplay outfits, including some costumes for clients attending Thundercon. Some of his more recent costumes have included the armor for Hulk and Caiera, and Akasha from The Queen of the Damned.
Overall, Luc Despres said the best thing about operating Despres Metal Artwork is interacting with his clients and seeing their dream come to life. For those wishing to learn more about his work, he can be found at despresart.com or the Facebook page Despres Metal Artwork.
“The outfit for Akasha was Egyptian in style. Each piece was hand cut and carved, or formed on hammer and anvil, the more challenging the better,” he said. NORTHERN WILDS
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CRAIG BLACKLOCK PHOTOGRAPHY CLASS, FREE ARTIST TALK, AND ART EXHIBITION THIS FEBRUARY
NORTHERN
Fibers RETREAT
FEBRUARY 13 - 17, 2019 20+ courses lunch-and-learns fiber show-and-share Featured International Instructor KARIN FLATØY SVARSTAD www.northhouse.org for more info
MORE INFO ABOUT THESE EVENTS AT
GRAND MARAIS ART COLONY
GrandMaraisArtColony.org 218.387.2737
North House Folk School 500 W Hwy 61, Grand Marais www.northhouse.org 218-387-9762
Self-Publish with Northern Wilds
Have a novel in the works? A memoir? A family history?
We provide all aspects of book production:
Editing and proofing. Design and layout. Printing and binding.
print@northernwilds.com 218.387.9475 www.northernwilds.com
Superior Siren consists of [L TO R]: Rachel Gobin, Nyssa Krause, Laura Sellner, Emma Deaner. | WOLFSKULL CREATIVE
Superior Siren By Will Moore Laura Sellner says that when it comes to music, she likes to make people slightly uncomfortable. But, there’s a reason for that. “It may be strange, but I’m trying to connect with them; to look within themselves at something they haven’t before and just feel things,” she says. “When you look so deeply that it can be kind of uncomfortable. So the songs I write, some of the lines can be somewhat shocking, but it’s eye opening as well.” Sellner is the guitarist, vocalist and primary songwriter of the Duluth-based group Superior Siren, a group of four women who classify their sound as eerie folk music. “It’s darker than most common folk music,” says Sellner. “It’s very much connected to the lake and how the lake is very captivating and mesmerizing and ominous...or it matches the theme of the siren, alluring and sometimes dangerous.” Sellner started out as a solo artist in 2012 before forming the group in 2015. Alongside her are Emma Deaner on drums, Nyssa Krauss on drums, and Rachel Gobin on cello. Sellner says she sought out a different sort of musical arrangement for the band. “I worked with a previous band of guys that were in rock bands. A typical band of electric guitar, acoustic, electric bass, and drums. But it wasn’t the sound I wanted to make,” she says. “We wanted Nyssa to complete the all-female band and go with the siren theme…the rest is history.” The band also added Michelle Bennett as an assistant manager in October, during a year that involved large amounts of travel and touring to new places. Superior Siren brought their haunting folk outside Minnesota and Wisconsin for the first time, playing in Chicago, Iowa, and South Dakota. Sellner says that since the band still has day jobs, the tours were mostly long weekend trips back-to-back. “It was exhausting in a good way; such
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a huge part of being a musician. It fueled my desire to tour more,” she says. “I really enjoy being on the road and exploring new places and artist communities.” Superior Siren was playing shows in support of their debut self-titled album that was released in January of 2018. It features songs like “Swamp Creature,” with hypnotic guitar that builds alongside drums that start as just a ripple and then swell to a crash, like waves on the shore of the Great Lake. Gobin’s cello adds unique depth, and Sellner’s crystal clear voice soars over everything. Another song, “For Mother,” was the subject of a music video last month. Sellner’s mother passed away in the fall. “It’s a song I wrote for my mother and I wanted to pay tribute to her. We shot it along the lakeshore,” Sellner says.” I kind of wanted to do one last thing for that album before moving on to more albums and music, and it was fitting to do this song for my mother.” When it comes to creating, Sellner says she writes the foundations of the group’s songs and brings them to the band. She recognizes how vulnerable of a process it can be. “Sharing songs and the most innermost workings of myself can be very intimate, and I’m almost afraid to bring it to them because I fear of it becoming something I didn’t intend it to become. But I found in letting go of that fear, the songs I bring to them still stay true to themselves and develop into something I never could have expected; something more beautiful than I expected.” She says she hopes for Superior Siren to put out more music in 2019. For now though, their next big show is at Papa Charlie’s in Lutsen, as part of their GNDWIRE Records Ski Party. They’ll be playing January 5 at 9 p.m., opening for Charlie Parr and Lissie.
Breana’s
PICK OF THE MONTH Born and raised in Thunder Bay, artist Michael Garrett gets his inspiration from the outdoors and from his trips up north. His work is created from real birch bark, using trees harvested off his property for firewood. He then processes the bark, cleaning it until he gets “the perfect piece of paper.” Next, he uses a fine tip pen to draw his image on the birch bark. Garrett sells both the original, as well as prints of his work. He also takes custom orders. To see more of Garrett’s work, find him on Facebook under Betula Creations at: facebook.com/northernontaio.
EXHIBITS Permanent Exhibits
Thru Jan. 13
New Acquisitions Tweed Museum of Art, Duluth, d.umn.edu/tma Selections of Traditional & Contemporary Native Art Tweed Museum of Art, Duluth, d.umn.edu/tma
Thru Jan. 6 122 Conversations: Person to Person, Art Beyond Borders Tweed Museum of Art, Duluth, d.umn.edu/tma
Thru Jan. 12 Untamed: Annual Regional Juried Show Definitely Superior, Thunder Bay, definitelysuperior.com Comet Chaser: Sarah Mason: A Retrospective Definitely Superior, Thunder Bay, definitelysuperior.com
Remains of the Lake & The Northern Landscape: John Gregor & Tami Phillippi Johnson Heritage Post, Grand Marais, johnsonheritagepost.org Reclaimed: Curtis MacKay Wilson Thunder Bay Art Gallery, theag.ca
Thru Jan. 31 DOing: A Labor of Love: Matt Kania Zeitgeist Atrium Art Gallery, Duluth, zeitgeistarts.com
Thru March 3 21 Pillows: Cheryl WilsonSmith Thunder Bay Art Gallery, theag.ca Lessons: The Artistry of Learning (Reception Jan. 17 at 7:30 p.m.) Thunder Bay Art Gallery, theag.ca From the Permanent Collection: Carl Beam’s Exorcism Thunder Bay Art Gallery, theag.ca
Thru April 30 Moose of the Bold North: Root River Photography International Wolf Center, Ely, rootriverphotography.com
Thru May 26 Manifesto: Jonathan Thunder Tweed Museum of Art, Duluth, d.umn.edu/tma
Thru Spring Quiet Simplicity: Life in 19th and 20th Century America Tweed Museum of Art, Duluth, d.umn.edu/tma
Jan. 5-31 Terry Dunham: Acrylics Lakeside Gallery, Duluth, lakesidegalleryduluth.com
Jan. 17-April 15 62nd Annual Biennial Exhibition Duluth Art Institute, duluthartinstitute.org
Jan. 20-March 10 Beargrease Art Show Great Lakes Aquarium, Duluth, beargrease.com
Jan. 24-Feb. 24
Thru Aug. 18 Intersections Tweed Museum of Art, Duluth, d.umn.edu/tma
Annual Member Show Duluth Art Institute, duluthartinstitute.org
Jan. 7-31 Comedy Exhibition (Reception Jan. 7 at 5 p.m.) Art & Soul Gallery, Ely, facebook.com/artistinely
Johnson Heritage Post Art Gallery Painting with Acrylics
a workshop with Adam Swanson
January 19-20
Art Supplies
Remains of the Lake & The Northern Landscape A Photo Art Exhibit by John Gregor & Tami Phillippi
Through January 13
Winter Plein Air Exhibit
Opens Feb. 1
Gallery closed Jan. 14-31
Workshops & Classes
Check out our website for class lists and more!
theartcorner.net
301 W. Sheridan St. Ely 218.365.2263 Mon.-Fri. 10 am-6 pm
Winter Hours: Thursday-Saturday 10am - 4pm and Sunday 1-4 pm 115 W. Wisconsin St. | 218-387-2314 | www.johnsonheritagepost.org NORTHERN WILDS
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The Lake Superior Ice Festival, held on Barker’s Island in Superior, features everything from ice and snow sculptures to hockey tournaments, sledding, fireworks and craft activities. | TRAVEL SUPERIOR
GNDWIRE RECORDS SKI PARTY & MUSIC FESTIVAL
Jan. 4-5 The fourth annual Ski Party returns to Lutsen Mountains with performances from Trampled by Turtles, Lissie, Charlie Parr, Superior Siren, and Erik Koskinen. This is a weekend ski, snowboard and music festival curated by the folks at GNDWIRE Records. Concerts will be held at Papa Charlie’s. Doors open at 8 p.m. and music begins at 9 p.m. Two-day tickets can be purchased in advance ($50) and one-day tickets can be purchased at the door, if available ($30). Must be 21 or older to attend the concerts. lutsen.com/ skiparty
SUPERNATURAL LAKE SUPERIOR
NORPINE FAT BIKE CLASSIC
Jan. 5, Saturday Cycling fanatics will brave the cold at the annual Norpine Fat Bike Classic in Lutsen. The 24-mile long course and 16-mile short course will run predominately on the Norpine cross-country ski trails, requiring riders to be on 3.7inch or wider tires. The races start at 10 a.m. at the Superior National Golf Course Club House. Awards will be given to the top five male and female athletes in four groups. Limited to 200 racers; $50 race entry registration required. The Norpine is part of the 45NRTH Great Lakes Fat Bike Series, which showcases the best fat bike races in the Great Lakes region. norpinefatbikeclassic.com
BANFF MOUNTAIN FILM FESTIVAL
Jan. 5-6 The Banff Mountain Film Festival (BMFF) will return to Duluth Jan. 5-6, Saturday and Sunday, at the DECC Symphony 18
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Trampled by Turtles will perform at Papa Charlie’s in Lutsen during the GNDWIRE Records Ski Party and Music Festival, Jan. 4-5. | DAVID MCCLISTER Hall, hosted by the Duluth Cross-Country Ski Club (DXC). The BMFF is a compilation of high-energy outdoor films and documentaries with environmental messages. The film competition is held in Banff Alberta every fall, followed by a world tour featuring the winning films. Different films will be shown each night of the festival and there will be a raffle for outdoor gear, donated by local sponsors. Tickets are $15 in advance or $20 at the door. The festival will also be at the Thunder Bay Community Auditorium on Sunday, Jan. 27 at 7 p.m. duluthxc.com/banff
NORTHERN WILDS
GUNFLINT MAIL RUN
Jan. 5-6 The Gunflint Mail Run Sled Dog Race is a continuous race consisting of two legs of equal distance, separated by a mandatory layover. There are two classes in the race: a 12-dog, 100-mile race, and an 8-dog, 65-mile race. Races will start at 8 a.m. on Saturday at Trail Center Lodge, and an awards banquet will be held at the lodge at 10 a.m. on Sunday. Spectators can find great viewing spots at Trail Center Lodge, Big Bear Lodge, and Rockwood Lodge. Remember to leave your own dogs at home. gunflintmail.com
Jan. 7-8 Take a visit to the strange side of this Great Lake with a one-hour presentation, titled Supernatural Lake Superior with Chad Lewis, held at various locations on the North Shore. With bizarre tales of UFOs hovering over the water, phantom ships disappearing into thin air, haunted businesses along the shore, deadly sea serpents, mysterious creatures, and sinister men in black, this program will change the way you view the majestic lake. This is a free program for ages 13 and up. The first program will be held at the Two Harbors Public Library on Monday, Jan. 7 at 6 p.m. Other locations include the Grand Marais Public Library at 1 p.m. on Tuesday, Jan. 8, followed by the Silver Bay Public Library at 6 p.m. This program, sponsored by Arrowhead Library System, was funded in part or in whole with money from Minnesota’s Arts and Cultural Heritage Fund. alslib.info
SLEIGH & CUTTER RALLY
Jan. 12, Saturday The Northwoods Harness Club presents the 33rd Annual Sleigh and Cutter Rally on Saturday, Jan. 12, at the Northern Great Lakes Visitor Center
in Ashland, Wisc. The past comes alive as an array of horse-drawn vehicles and costumed passengers takes you back to a bygone era. Hook-up time is 11 a.m. and the narrated exhibition starts at 1 p.m. There will be free sleigh rides from 11 a.m.-12:30 p.m., sponsored by Northern State Bank. Food will be served on the grounds and admission is free. visitashland.com
ALMOST AN SNA: EXPLORING ICELANDITE COASTAL FEN
Jan. 18, Friday Enjoy a free outing to explore Icelandite Coastal Fen, a site just east of Colvill that boasts unique geology, a rare wetland, and undeveloped stretches of Lake Superior coastline. It has also been nominated for SNA status, a process that has involved many partners and may soon be coming to fruition. SNAs (Scientific and Natural Areas) protect the best of Minnesota’s remaining natural heritage—places like remnant prairies, old-growth forests, natural shorelines and rare species habitat. Come learn about what is involved in a site becoming an SNA and what has made Icelandite Coastal Fen a place of interest for over 20 years. Meet at the Grand Marais Whole Foods Co-op parking lot at 1 p.m. to carpool, or meet right at the site at 1:30 p.m. (mile marker 121, near Colvill). Warm, layered clothes and durable footwear are recommended. mndnr. gov/snas/events
WINTER GATHERING & DANCE
The Norpine Fat Bike Classic in Lutsen, held Saturday, Jan. 5, offers two courses: a 24-mile long course and a 16-mile short course. | SUBMITTED
JOHN BEARGREASE SLED DOG MARATHON
Jan. 19, Saturday On January 19, the North Shore Music Association, with support from the Opp-Hvidston Foundation, will host a winter gathering and dance, featuring the talented, high-octane band The SplinterTones. From 7-10 p.m. at Hovland Town Hall, people of all ages are invited to come listen to great music, dance, and socialize with friends and neighbors. The SplinterTones are a six-piece band that consist of: Leah Thomas, Rick Brandenburg, Jeff DeShaw, Mix Bichel, Liz Sivertson and John Gruber. Enjoy the light and warmth of community celebration during this dark, cold time of year. There is no admission charge, but donations are appreciated. northshoremusicassociation.com
FROSTED FATTY BIKE FESTIVAL
Jan. 19-20 Held at Spirit Mountain in Duluth, the fourth annual Frosted Fatty Bike Festival features all sorts of activities and excitement. This year’s races include Fat Bike XC, Staged Downhill, and Head-toHead Dual Slalom, where bikers, skiers and snowboarders race it out for a $500 cash prize. There will be male and female categories for all races, except the Headto-Head Slalom, and over $5,000 in cash and prizes. There will also be a Nordic skate discipline added, as well as a Wild Winter Wipeout 5k run. Other activities include fat bike demos, live music, food and beverages, and a silent auction from 1-7 p.m. on Saturday. Register to take part in the races, or simply come and watch. spiritmt.com
NORTHLAND 300
Jan. 23-27 The Northland 300 is a 300mile, three-day, charity snowmobile ride, made up of volunteer participants who
Jan. 25-30 Established in 1980, the John Beargrease Sled Dog Marathon is the longest sled dog race in the lower 48 states. It’s also a qualifier for the famed Iditarod in Alaska. There are four races for mushers of all experience levels to enter: the full distance marathon, the Beargrease 120, the Beargrease 40, and the Beargrease 120 Junior Class. The races start at noon on Sunday, Jan. 27 at Billy’s Bar in Duluth. Other Beargrease events include the KQDS mini sled dog races at 7 a.m. at Canal Park Brewing on Jan. 25, and the cutest puppy contest at noon at Fitger’s on Jan. 26, followed by a musher mingle, happy hour and silent auction at 3:30 p.m. at Lake Superior College. beargrease.com The SplinterTones will perform at the Hovland Town Hall on Saturday, Jan. 19 as part of the Winter Gathering and Dance party. | SUBMITTED raise funds to support Special Olympics Minnesota. Held in Ely, this year marks the 31st anniversary ride. A drawing will be held for 10 raffle prizes on Saturday, Jan. 26 at 9:30 p.m. at the Grand Ely Lodge. Prizes include various $500 gift cards, a $1,000 Amazon gift card, and a 2018 Indian Scout 60 motorcycle. The Northland 300 is never cancelled and 100 percent of all funds raised goes directly to the Special Olympics Minnesota. Registration is required to participate. northland300.org
LAKE SUPERIOR ICE FESTIVAL
Jan. 25-27 The Lake Superior Ice Festival, held on Barker’s Island in Superior, Wisc., features fun activities for the entire family. The event kicks off at 5 p.m. Friday with the Great Lakes Pond Hockey Classic Tour-
nament’s opening ceremonies, followed by the first game and a bonfire party. The hockey games continue through Sunday. There will be a variety of activities on Saturday, including LSIRA stock car ice racing at noon on Allouez Bay, a bonfire with s’mores, fireworks at 7 p.m., and a kid’s zone with a craft activities table, scavenger hunts, a photo booth, and more. There will also be MIRA ice racing next to the SS Meteor Whaleback at 11 a.m., featuring motorcycles and ATV’s from beginner to pro classes. Weekend activities include the snow slide and ice sculptures, and new this year is an igloo building contest, a Big Pond Curling Bonspiel, and a clue/trivia contest with the ice sculptures. lakesuperioricefestival.com
RIDGE RIDERS DRAG RACES
Jan. 26, Saturday Join the annual Drag Races on Devil Track Lake, held by the Ridge Riders Cook County Snowmobile Club. Signup starts at 11 a.m. and racing starts at noon. Classes include 600cc, 700cc, 800cc, and Open. Prizes will be awarded inside Skyport Lodge after the races. There will also be live music and food and beverage specials all day through Skyport Lodge and Raven Rock Grill. And mark your calendars for the annual Snowmobile Fun Run on the Gunflint Trail, held Saturday, Feb. 2. Also coming up is the annual Hungry Jack Drag Races at 11 a.m. on Saturday, Feb. 16. cookcountysnowmobileclub.com
SAWMILL LAKE CLASSIC TOUR
Jan. 26, Saturday Hosted by The Beaten Path Nordic Trails and Quetico Park Staff, the Sawmill Lake Classic Tour is an old
NORTHERN WILDS
JANUARY 2019
19
T B AY ON
WHERE OFF THE BEATEN PATH MEANS YOU’RE ON THE RIGHT TRACK
This year marks the 10th anniversary of the Winter Plein Air Retreat. An exhibition with paintings from the past 10 years will take place Feb. 1-24 at the Johnson Heritage Post in Grand Marais. | SUBMITTED time tradition ski tour within Quetico Provincial Park. The narrow twisty trails will have skiers meandering through mixed forests alongside the Pickerel River, over creeks and through lowland bogs, to a halfway point at Sawmill Lake. This tour is not a race and if you carry your lunch and drinks on your back you can enjoy them around an open fire before the last half of the loop back. Once past Sawmill Lake, the tour follows what was once an old logging road; now a narrow trail with longer flat sections and gradual hills. There is a final warmup before the last stretch back. Refreshing beverages and a fire will be waiting at the Heritage Pavilion (Visitor Centre) upon your return. Distances include 12km or 24km options and the tour will be held from 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Registration is required; $20 fee. traveltheheart. org/things
ROBERT BURNS DINNER
Jan. 26, Saturday The traditional birthday celebration of Scottish poet Robert Burns will return to Cook County for a dinner and program on Jan. 26 at the Wunderbar. The event will include piping in of the haggis, toasting the haggis, and a full course dinner prepared by Chef Chris Callender. After the meal, professional actors Zach and Nissa Morgan will recite the various toasts and a selection of Burns’ po-
ems. There will be a sing-a-long of some of Burns’ well-known folk tunes throughout the program, and rumor has it that Robert Burns, himself, will be reciting his own poetry. A social hour with live music and a cash bar will be from 5:30-6:30 p.m. Dinner is from 7-8 p.m. and costs $40 per person. Dinner reservations can be made with Jeff Morgan and Mary MacDonald; deadline is Jan. 19 to sign up. You don’t have to be Scottish to attend. Call (218) 387-1221 or email for more info: creative@boreal.org.
WINTER PLEIN AIR RETREAT & EXHIBIT
Jan. 27-Feb. 1 The Outdoor Painters of Minnesota (OPM) will gather at YMCA Camp Menogyn up the Gunflint Trail for the annual Winter Plein Air retreat, where artists will paint the winter wonderland of the Northern Wilds. Cost to participate is $275 per person, which includes all meals and lodging. After the retreat, the public is invited to a special Plein Air exhibit, held Feb. 1-24 at the Johnson Heritage Post in Grand Marais. Since this year marks the 10th anniversary of the retreat, the exhibit will include paintings from the last 10 years. An opening reception will be held Friday, Feb. 1 from 5-7 p.m. outdoorpaintersofminnesota.org
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Good Times Await Four unique exhibits remain on display at the Thunder Bay Art Gallery this month. First up, we have Reclaimed, an exhibition of hand-restored axes, sledges and hatchets by Curtis MacKay Wilson of Fablewood Homestead. The handles are hand carved and flame hardened from reclaimed wood. The exhibit continues until Sunday, Jan. 13. Next up, Lessons: The Artistry of Learning, features work by artists dedicated to the accumulation and sharing of knowledge. Artists include Moses Amik Beaver, Zoe Gordon, Sarah Link, Jean Marshall, Riaz Mehmood, Crystal Nielsen, and Mavourneen Trainor. While it’s already open, an opening reception will be held on Thursday, Jan. 17 at 7:30 p.m. The exhibit remains on display until March 3. From the Permanent Collection: Carl Beam’s Exorcism also remains on display until March 3. Last but not least, 21 Pillows, by Cheryl Wilson-Smith, is an interactive installation featuring 21 pillows placed on the gallery floor. Cheryl invites visitors to enter the dimly lit gallery, reminiscent of dusk, and pick a glass rock—one from thousands, all designed and kiln-fired by the artist—to place on the pillows. This collective shaping of the environment allows us to consider the passage of time and the vulnerability of both humanity and the natural world. The exhibit is open until March 3. theag.ca Christmas Tree Recycling will take place after the holidays. From Dec. 26-Jan. 12., bring your tree to one of the many Christmas tree collection sites. Remove all ornaments and remove plastic tree wrap before dropping your tree off. Do not put trees out for curbside
North of the Border
garbage collection. The chipped trees are added to the compost pile at the City’s landfill site. In the spring, when the compost is mature, it is provided to residents free of charge to enrich flower gardens and lawns across Thunder Bay. A list of drop-off locations can be found online. thunderbay.ca/christmas Every Sunday, from Dec. 30 until March 17, embrace winter by taking part in a different fun outdoor activity for free with Winter FunDay. Held from 2 p.m.-4 p.m. at Prince Arthur’s Landing, upcoming activities include winter programming with Parks Canada (Jan. 6 and Jan. 13). Jan. 20 is FIS World Snow Day activities, and Jan. 27 features dogsledding with Boreal Journeys Sled Dog Kennel (this activity is held from noon to 4 p.m. for ages 14 and under only). After you’ve enjoyed the Winter FunDay activity outside, you can warm up with a creative activity inside the Baggage Building Arts Centre from 1-3 p.m. thunderbay.ca/winterfunday You’re Invited to the Industry Christmas Party: Christmas Comes to Those Who Wait, held Sunday, Jan. 13 at Red Lion Smokehouse. Do you work in retail or hospitality? Did you miss all of the holiday season’s events because you had to work? Well now it’s your turn to party. There will be music with DJ Steve Smits, dancing, and beer. So dust off your smoking jackets and sparkles. This event is a fundraiser for CMHA Thunder Bay and will take place from 9 p.m.-2 a.m. Then, take part in Quiz Night on Wednesday, Jan. 30 at 8:30 p.m. Create a team of up to six players; $2 per person. Bring
MARCH 2 2019
Remember, Thunder Bay is on Eastern Time— 1 hour ahead of MN time.
your own pen and try and win a prize. Bookings recommended, but walk-ins are welcome. facebook.com/ redlionsmokehouse The Thunder Bay Community Auditorium will host various shows throughout the month, starting with a Mainstage performance by the Thunder Bay Symphony Orchestra, titled Life Concert: Breathe the Music, held Thursday, Jan. 17 at 7:30 p.m. Then, on Saturday, Jan. 26, the biggest concert dance party arrives: Mini Pop Kids Take Flight Concert Tour. Don’t miss this high energy, interactive concert that will give every boy, girl, and anyone of any age the chance to party like a popstar. Mini Pop Kids is a concert jam-packed with kid-friendly versions of today’s biggest hits by popstars like Justin Bieber, Taylor Swift, Bruno Mars, and more. The concert will take place at 2:30 p.m. Next up at the Auditorium is the Banff Mountain Film Festival World Tour, held Sunday, Jan. 27 at 7 p.m. This film festival is a compilation of high-energy outdoor films and documentaries with environmental messages. And on Saturday, Feb. 2 is an all new Yuk Yuk’s Comedy show at 7:30 p.m. tbca.com And mark your calendars as Paramount Live presents Mamma Mia, held Feb. 6-23 at 7:30 p.m. Tickets are available from Maple Tops. facebook.com/plivetbay
Presented By:
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Northern Wilds Calendar of Events Dec. 7-Jan. 13
Remains of the Lake & the Northern Landscape Exhibit: John Gregor & Tami Phillippi Johnson Heritage Post, Grand Marais, johnsonheritagepost.org
Jan.4-5
Live Your Best Life! Vision 2019 The Boat Club, Fitger’s, Duluth, yourlifelifecoach.com
Jan. 4-6
Two Person Champagne Open Bonspiel Cook County Community Center, Grand Marais, cookcountycurlingclub.com
Dec. 30-31
Michael Monroe Log Cabin Concert 7 p.m. Grand Marais, michaelmonroemusic.com
Meet a Sloth & More: Little Ray’s Wildlife Festival 10 a.m. Victoriaville Mall, Thunder Bay, facebook.com/littlerayshamilton
Dec. 31, Monday
GNDWIRE Records Ski Party &
Live Music by the Fireplace
Bluefin Grille, Tofte, bluefinbay.com New Year’s By the Lake 5:30 p.m. Downtown Duluth, newyearsbythelake.com
Music Festival 9 p.m. Papa Charlie’s, Lutsen, lutsen.com
Jan. 5, Saturday
New Year’s Eve Celebration
with Live Music 5:30 p.m. Justine’s at Gunflint Lodge, Gunflint Trail, gunflint.com New Year’s Eve Family Frolic 6 p.m. Fort William Historical Park, Thunder Bay, fwhp.ca
New Year’s Eve Gala with
Live Band: 21 Gun Fun 6 p.m. Slovak Legion, Thunder Bay, calendar.thunderbay.ca
Gunflint Mail Run 8 a.m. Trail Center Lodge, Gunflint Trail, gunflintmail.com Pop Up Play 9 a.m. Duluth Decc, decc.org Gunflint Mail Run Fun Day 9 a.m. Gunflint Lodge, Gunflint Trail, gunflint.com Norpine Fat Bike Classic 10 a.m. Lutsen, norpinefatbikeclassic.com
Van & the Free Candies CD Release Party 5 p.m. Amicis Event Center, Ely, amiciseventcenter.com
DSSO: New Year’s Journey
Woodblind 8 p.m. Gun Flint Tavern,
7 p.m. Duluth DECC, decc.org
New Year’s Eve Party 8:30 p.m. Grandma Ray’s, Grand Marais, facebook.com/grandmarays
New Year’s Eve Party & Fireworks 9:30 p.m. Papa Charlie’s, Lutsen, lutsen.com
Jan. 1, Tuesday
Grand Marais, gunflinttavern.com
Consortium Aurora Borealis:
From Beethoven to Borodin 8 p.m. St. Paul’s United Church, Thunder Bay, consortiumauroraborealis.org
Jan. 5-6
Open Mic Night Papa Charlie’s, Lutsen, lutsen.com
Banff Mountain Film Festival World Tour Duluth Decc, duluthxc.com/banff
Jan. 1-8
Jan. 6, Sunday
Try the Y For Free Cook County YMCA, Grand Marais, cookcountyymca.org
Jan. 3, Thursday
Dance Party with DJ Beavstar
Papa Charlie’s, Lutsen, lutsen.com
Superior Singers: Good Tidings Now We Bring 5:30 p.m. Holy Assumption Church, Superior, superiorsingers.com
Classic Albums Live Presents:
Film Fiesta: Pitch Perfect 2 p.m. Ely Public Library, elylibrary.org
Fleetwood Mac ‘Rumours’ 8 p.m. NorShor Theatre, Duluth, norshortheatre.com
Winter Farmers Market 4 p.m. Duluth Folk School, facebook.com/duluthfolkschool
Jan. 7, Monday
Supernatural Lake Superior with Chad Lewis 6 p.m. Two Harbors Public Library, alslib.info
Jan. 8, Tuesday
Open Mic Night Papa Charlie’s, Lutsen, lutsen.com
Supernatural Lake Superior with Chad Lewis 1 p.m. Grand Marais Public Library, alslib.info Ruby’s Pantry 5 p.m. Cook County High School, Grand Marais, facebook.com/rubyspantrycc Supernatural Lake Superior with Chad Lewis 6 p.m. Silver Bay Public Library, alslib.info
Jan. 9, Wednesday
Supernatural Lake Superior with Chad Lewis 10:30 a.m. Ely Public Library, elylibrary.org
JANUARY 2019
NORTHERN WILDS
Artist Talk: Approaches to Water with Karen Owsley Nease 7 p.m. Grand Marais Art Colony, grandmaraisartcolony.org
Gag Me With A Spoon 7 p.m. Zeitgeist Teatro Zuccone, Duluth, facebook.com/gmwasduluth
Jan. 19, Saturday
Jan. 14, Monday
Cub Run 1 p.m. Silver Creek Town Hall, Two Harbors, beargrease.com
Film Series: On the Waterfront 7 p.m. NorShor Theatre, Duluth, norshortheatre.com
Chess Time 4 p.m. Two Harbors Public Library, twoharborspubliclibrary.com Healthy Two Harbors Walking Club Kick-off 4:30 p.m. Two Harbors High School Community Room, lakecountycalendars.org
Jan. 15-March 24
Jan. 10, Thursday
BBAC Fibre Arts Exhibition Baggage Building Arts Centre, Thunder Bay,
Papa Charlie’s, Lutsen, lutsen.com
Jan. 16, Wednesday
Dance Party with DJ Beavstar
Backcountry Film Festival 6 p.m. North House Folk School, Grand Marais, superiorhighlandbc.org
Jan. 10-26
Ruthless! The Musical
7:30 p.m. The Underground, Duluth, duluthplayhouse.org
Jan. 11, Friday
‘The Princess Bride’ Screening 7 p.m. Zeitgeist Zinema, Duluth, zeitgeistarts.com
Jan. 11-12
Tony Peterson & Colleen Myhre 8 p.m. Gun Flint Tavern, Grand Marais, gunflinttavern.com
Jan. 12, Saturday
Duluth Wedding Show 10 a.m. Duluth Decc, duluthbridalshow.com Nice Girls of the North Marketplace 10 a.m. Lakeside Lester Park Community Center, Duluth, nicegirlsofthenorth.com Annual Sleigh & Cutter Rally 11 a.m. Northern Great Lakes Visitor Center, Ashland, visitashland.com Explore the Winter Wonderland 5 p.m. Sugarloaf Cove, Schroeder, sugarloafnorthshore.org Backcountry Film Festival 6 p.m. Zeitgeist Teatro, Duluth, superiorhighlandbc.org
Jade Presents: Martin Sexton with
Chris Trapper 8 p.m. NorShor Theatre, Duluth, norshortheatre.com
22
Jan. 13, Sunday
Community Conversation: The 100DayProject Information Session Noon, Grand Marais Art Colony, grandmaraisartcolony.org Antique Appraisal Noon, St. Louis County Heritage & Arts Center, Duluth, thehistorypeople.org Pinterest Projects 3:30 p.m. Ely Public Library, elylibrary.org Ted at the Teatro 7:30 p.m. Zeitgeist Teatro Zuccone, Duluth, zeitgeistarts.com
Jan. 17, Thursday
Winter Farmers Market 4 p.m. Duluth Folk School, facebook.com/duluthfolkschool
10th Annual More Cowbell
Event 5 p.m. Grandma’s Sports Garden in Canal Park, Duluth, northernlightsfoundation.org
Rock a Billy Revue Grand Portage Lodge & Casino, grandportage.com
Apres le Adventure: Billy Johnson 3 p.m. North Shore Winery, Lutsen, northshorewinery.us
Winter Gathering & Dance with
SplinterTones 7 p.m. Hovland Town Hall, northshoremusicassociation.com
Jan. 19-20
Frosted Fatty Spirit Mountain, Duluth, spiritmt.com
Jan. 19-Feb. 3
Puss in Boots 1 p.m. & 4 p.m. Saturdays (2 p.m. Sun.) Duluth Playhouse, duluthplayhouse.org/family-theatre
Jan. 20, Sunday Billy Johnson 7 p.m.
Gun Flint Tavern, Grand Marais, gunflinttavern.com
Jan. 21, Monday Martin Luther King Day Rally 10:45 a.m. Duluth, duluthnaacp.org/mlk
Jan. 23-27
Northland 300 Snowmobiling for Special Olympics Grand Ely Lodge, Ely, northland300.org
TBSO Mainstage Series: Breathe
Jan. 24, Thursday
Opening Reception: Lessons: The Artistry of Learning 7:30 p.m. Thunder Bay Art Gallery, theag.ca
7 West Taphouse Tap Takeover 5 p.m. Miller Hill Mall, Duluth, beargrease.com
the Music 7:30 p.m. Thunder Bay Community Auditorium, tbso.ca
Billy Johnson 8 p.m.
Gun Flint Tavern, Grand Marais, gunflinttavern.com
Jan. 18, Friday
Almost an SNA: Exploring Icelandite Coastal Fen 1 p.m. Meet at Co-op, Grand Marais, mndnr.gov/snas/events Whiskeys of the World 5:30 p.m. Dubh Linn Irish Pub, Duluth, beargrease.com
Ely Winter Festival Wine Tasting Fundraiser 5 p.m. Ely, elywinterfestival.com
Critical Response Critique Session with Natalie Sobanja 6 p.m. Grand Marais Art Colony, grandmaraisartcolony.org
Jan. 25, Friday
KQDS Mini Sled Dog Races 7 a.m. Canal Park Brewing, Duluth, beargrease.com
Downtown Duluth Arts Walk 5 p.m. Downtown Duluth, downtowndulutharts.org
Cook County Snowmobile Club Ridge Riders Drag Races 11 a.m. Devil Track Lake, Grand Marais, cookcountysnowmobileclub.com
BEERGrease 6 p.m. Glensheen Estate, Duluth, beargrease.com
Cutest Puppy Contest Noon, Fitgers, Duluth, beargrease.com
Free Movie Night: Sponsored by NHS 6:30 p.m. WKHS Auditorium, Silver Bay, lakecountycalendars.org
Mini Pop Kids: Take Flight
Concert Tour 2:30 p.m. Thunder Bay Community Auditorium, tbca.com
Jan. 25-27
Beargrease Musher Mingle, Happy Hour & Silent Auction 3:30 p.m. Lake Superior College, Duluth, beargrease.com
Lake Superior Ice Festival Superior, lakesuperioricefestival.com
Jan. 26, Saturday
Robert Burns Dinner 5:30 p.m. Wunderbar, Grand Marais, creative@boreal.org
Beargrease Sled Dog Fun Day 9 a.m. Gunflint Lodge, Gunflint Trail, gunflint.com
John Beargrease Opening Ceremonies Dinner 5:30 p.m. Lake Superior College, Duluth, beargrease.com
Barkers Island Craft Festival 9 a.m. Barkers Island Inn Conference Center, Superior, barkersislandinn.com Sawmill Lake Classic Ski Tour 10 a.m. Quetico Provincial Park, Ontario, traveltheheart.org/things
Boulder Night Ski and Snowshoe 6 p.m. Boulder Lake Environmental Learning Center, Duluth, d.umn.edu/boulder
Flea Market 10 a.m. South Neebing Community Centre, Thunder Bay, calendar.thunderbay.ca
John Beargrease 40 Finish 5 p.m. Highway 2 Checkpoint, Two Harbors, beargrease.com Banff Mountain Film Festival World Tour 7 p.m. Thunder Bay Community Auditorium, tbca.com John Beargrease 120 Finish 7 a.m. Lutsen, beargrease.com
Jan. 29, Tuesday
John Beargrease Marathon Finish 3:30 p.m. Grand Portage, beargrease.com Superior Shorts 7:30 p.m. Zeitgeist Teatro Zuccone, Duluth, facebook.com/superiorshorts
Preschool Storytime 11:15 a.m. Two Harbors Public Library, twoharborspubliclibrary.com Open Knitting 6:30 p.m. Sisu Designs Yarn Shop, Ely, sisudesigns.org
Open Mic Night 8 p.m.
Grandma Rays, Grand Marais, facebook.com/grandmarays
Songwriter Series
8:30 p.m. Papa Charlie’s, Lutsen, lutsen.com
Tuesday
Community Yoga 5:30 p.m. 1st Congregational UCC: Lower Level, Grand Marais, facebook.com/ yogagrandmarais
Live Music 6 p.m. Lutsen
Resort, Lutsen, lutsenresort.com Trivia Night 7 p.m. Grandma Rays, Grand Marais, facebook.com/grandmarays
Open Knitting 1 p.m. Sisu Designs Yarn Shop, Ely, sisudesigns.org
Voyageur Brewing, Grand Marais, voyageurbrewing.com
Free: Tour the North House Campus 2 p.m. North House Folk School, Grand Marais, northhouse.org
Live Music 6 p.m.
Live Music 6 p.m.
Live Music 9:30 p.m.
What’s For Dinner? 7 p.m. International Wolf Center, Ely, wolf.org
Renegade Improv 10:30 p.m. Zeitgeist Teatro Zuccone, Duluth, zeitgeistarts.com
Live Music 7 p.m.
Live Music 4 p.m.
Cascade Lodge & Restaurant, Lutsen, cascadelodgemn.com Papa Charlie’s, Lutsen, lutsen.com
Saturday
Country Market 8 a.m. CLE Dove Building, Thunder Bay, tbcm.ca Voyageur Brewing Tours 11 a.m. Voyageur Brewing, Grand Marais, voyageurbrewing.com
Jan. 31-Feb. 3 Northland Figure Skating Competition Duluth Decc, decc.org
Don’t Dress for Dinner 7:30 p.m. (2 p.m. Sun.) Duluth Playhouse, duluthplayhouse.org
Feb. 2, Saturday
Ridge Riders Snowmobile Fun Run Devil Track Clubhouse & Gunflint Trail, cookcountysnowmobileclub.com
Feb. 2-3
Test Drive Ontario Snowmobile Trails Ontario, permits.ofsc.on.ca
Feb. 7-17
Ely Winter Festival Ely, elywinterfestival.com
Joh Beargrease Closing Ceremonies 9 a.m. Grand Portage Lodge & Casino, beargrease.com
John Beargrease Marathon Start Noon, Billy’s Bar, Duluth, beargrease.com
Read to Lucy the Whippet Noon, Two Harbors Public Library, twoharborspubliclibrary.com
One Act Play Performance 6 p.m. WKHS Auditorium, Silver Bay, lakecountycalendars.org
Jan. 31-Feb. 10
Jan. 30, Wednesday
WEEKLY EVENTS Monday
Movie Matinee 3:30 p.m. Ely Public Library, elylibrary.org Spaghetti Dinner 4:30 p.m. WKHS Cafeteria, Silver Bay, lakecountycalendars.org
Jan. 28, Monday
Jan. 27, Sunday
Nordic Spirit Ski Race & Tour 10 a.m. Upper Spirit Mountain Nordic Trail System, Duluth, duluthxc.com/nordic-spirit
Career & Job Fair 10 a.m. Confederation College: Shuniah Building, Thunder Bay, calendar.thunderbay.ca
Cascade Lodge & Restaurant, Lutsen, cascadelodgemn.com
Lutsen Resort, lutsenresort.com Renegade Improv 10:30 p.m. Zeitgeist Teatro Zuccone, Duluth, zeitgeistarts.com
Sunday
Winter FunDays 1 p.m. Prince Arthur’s Landing, Thunder Bay, thunderbay.ca/winterfundays
Sven & Ole’s January Specials Sunday's SUNDAE SPECIAL Regular Size Bridgeman's Ice Cream Sundae - $.50 OFF
Monday's BUY ONE GET ONE HALF OFF Buy Any Pizza Of Your Choice At Regular Price And Get A 2nd Pizza Of Equal Or Less Value For Half Price
Tuesday's MEXICAN TACO SUPREME PIZZA
Thin Crust topped with seasoned taco beef, mozzarella and cheddar/jack cheeses, shredded lettuce, tomatoes, black olives, salsa and sour cream with jalapeno peppers on the side.
Wednesday's HUMP DAY BUFFET 11 AM - 2 PM.
WING DAY WEDNESDAY, $1.00 OFF a 1 lb. Order of Bone-In or Boneless Chicken Wing's. All day.
Thursday's $4.00 OFF
Wednesday
Any Baked 16" Thin or Thick Crust Pizza with 3 toppings or more.
Open Mic 5 p.m.
Friday's BETTY B'S FRIDAY NIGHT PIZZA
Country Market 3:30 p.m. CLE Dove Building, Thunder Bay, tbcm.ca Gun Flint Tavern, Grand Marais, gunflinttavern.com
Thursday
Date Night with Live Music 6 p.m. North Shore Winery, Lutsen, northshorewinery.us
Live Music 6 p.m.
Lutsen Resort, lutsenresort.com
Friday
Preschool Storytime 11 a.m. Ely Public Library, elylibrary.org
The North Shore’s full-fiber broadband network, providing phone & internet service throughout Cook County.
The Pizza We Grew Up With ... Pepperoni, Seasoned Hamburger, Onions and Mozzarella Cheese. Available all day.
218-663-9030
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JANUARY 2019
23
Join us at the Bluefin Grille for New Year’s Eve
come to
ashland wisconsin for the best in
Shopping, Lodging and Dining
10% LOCALS DISCOUNT
Full menu available 5 – 9 pm 1/2 price wine features Champagne toast at midnight NYE Featured Dinner Entrees: • Pan Seared Duck Breast with Blueberry Sauce • Beef Wellington with Tri Color Roasted Potatoes • Cedar Planked Salmon with Local Maple Mustard Glaze • Tuna Niçoise Salad
Open daily 8 am – 9 pm • Bar & Late Night Menu until 11 pm HWY 61 Tofte • 1-800-BLUEFIN BLUEFIN • bluefinbay.com
see our annual
sleigh & cutter rally
LUNCH AT THE TAVERN GUN FLINT TAVERN ON THE LAKE DOWNTOWN GRAND MARAIS, MINNESOTA
January 12, 2019 Hook-up time is 11 am Exhibition will be at 1 pm Northwoods Harness Club presents the 33rd Annual Sleigh & Cutter Rally. 1800s costumes, antique sleighs, food served on the grounds. Free admission. FOR MORE INFORMATION:
www.visitashland.com
UNDER $10 MONDAY THROUGH FRIDAY 11:00 - 4:00 HOT DAGO
9.95
HOT TURKEY OLD SCHOOL
9.95
PHILLY STEAK AND CHEESE ON A HOAGIE
9.95
MACARONI AND CHEESE WITH KIELBASA
9.95
CHEDDAR TUNA MELT ON FRENCH
9.95
BOWL OF SOUP AND ALL YOU CAN EAT SALAD
9.95
GRILLED SALAMI AND SWISS
8.95
We use Grass fed beef and pork sausage for our italian seasoned patty, grill it, toast our baguette, slather with our house marinara and melted mozzarella.**
Organic house roasted turkey served open faced with Tavern mash and turkey gravy, side of cranberry compote Sauteed ribeye strips, green pepper, onions, provolone cheese and horsey sauce.** Baked, bubbly and delicious like grandma would do.
Baked open faced with tomatoes, pickles, celery and onions in our mix .** Your choice of our soup of the day and salad with a chunk of buttered warm bread. On french with honey dijon, tomatoes, onions and greens.**
CAPERED EGG SALAD
On toasted french, open faced.**
8.95 ** choice of greens w/vinaigrette or ripple chips
WHAT ELSE? with your lunch meal.
Add a cup of soup for $4 Add a salad for $4
HAPPY HOUR
$1
00
MON-THURS 4-7PM
off rail drinks, house wines & tap beers.
FREE CHIPS & SALSA IN THE RAVEN PUB $200 OFF APPETIZERS 24
JANUARY 2019
NORTHERN WILDS
The North Shore Dish Ring in the New Year with Healthier Eating Tony and Sacha Vande Weghe, a local couple with a passion for environmentally-friendly living, animal rights, and delicious food. Zimmer and her team are well positioned to continue this mission. “Health to us means adapting a clean and happy lifestyle, creating no harm to any living being. We are guided by the simple Buddhist philosophy of kindness to all living things. For a lot of us, the most suffering we cause as we go through life is when we decide what to eat,” said Zimmer. No matter your philosophy or background, we can all agree on delicious, healthful food being a good thing in our lives. Bonobo’s Foods takes veggie burgers, salads, and other plant-based meals and will cater them to your diet (vegan, gluten-free, and other food sensitivities) and preferences.
By Maren Webb
The start of the New Year has many of us thinking about changes to make in January and healthier eating is often a top New Year’s resolution. Dining out may not be the obvious choice for healthy eating, but many restaurants are working to change this assumption. In a society where eating outside the home has become the norm, healthier options at restaurants and cafes are needed. Thankfully, establishments in the Northern Wilds are recognizing this need and opportunity, offering delicious plant-based menus and other options that contribute to a healthy lifestyle. And don’t forget, eating healthier doesn’t mean you have to sacrifice taste or the enjoyment of eating out, as a visit to one of these eateries will confirm.
Bonobo’s Foods (493A Oliver Road, Thunder Bay) is open Tuesday through Friday 11 a.m.-7 p.m., and Saturday 11 a.m.-5 p.m. The business is closed over the holidays, but reopens January 8. The Juice Pharm is serving up nutrient-dense, plant-based juices, smoothies, and other meals to bring healthier eating options to Duluth, while not losing out on flavor. “Our drinks are an easy way to get your fruits and veggie servings in a 16 oz cup and enjoy it,” said co-owner, Desiree Jenkins. In 2018, The Juice Pharm expanded with a second location in Downtown Duluth. This year, expect another big announcement from The Juice Pharm, as well as New Year specials to help their customers kickstart a healthy 2019, shared co-owners Jenkins and Giselle Hernandez.
A family-owned business in Nipigon is serving up healthy fare with a side of community building. Caitlin Brown, and her husband, Daniel Howells, started the business in 2014 selling soups and bread weekly and doing catering, which transformed into La Luna Café in August 2015. “Our vision is to inspire community gatherings with wholesome, delicious food and beverages, as well as provide a welcoming space for the sharing of stories, culture, and traditions,” said Brown. They continue to grow the business, offering a from-scratch menu and incorporating fresh vegetables whenever possible, with items like the roasted chicken wrap, roasted veggie sandwich, and a veggie-laden rice bowl. Even the “less healthy” menu items at La Luna are more nutritious, being made with high-quality, fresh ingredients. La Luna’s menu includes options for vegetarians, vegans, and meat-eaters, with local, organic, and homegrown produce used when possible. “Our lifestyle and focus on healthy living definitely impacts our menu and business. Many of our specials are inspired from meals we try making for our family or by the produce we buy from Sleepy G Farm,” said Brown. This organic farm is not just a source of fresh produce for the café; this year they plan to include La Luna soup and fresh baked bread in their CSA shares. The community connections also extend to the café space, where a variety of events are held, from open mic to knitting groups to board game nights. In the New Year, La Luna plans to add more live music, cooking classes, and Caring Café, an evening event
The Juice Pharm in Duluth offers full meals, as well as plant-based juices and smoothies. | THE JUICE PHARM put on by Hospice Northwest Services. A downstairs yoga/wellness space, called Soleil, is also planned to open this year, with renovations starting in January. Family is part of the inspiration, with their almost two-year-old daughter, Rose, a regular at the café and a happy taste tester. “To us, health is the balance of eating healthy (lots of veggies), being active, and finding a peaceful mind (at least for a few minutes of the day),” said Brown. As a mom, I appreciate Brown’s New Year’s resolution of “eating more plants, especially greens [as] I am trying to be a good role model for my daughter.” La Luna Café (46 Front Street, Nipigon) is open Tuesday through Friday 8:30 a.m.5:30 p.m., Saturday 9 a.m.-5 p.m., and pizza is available for take-out or delivery until 8 p.m. The Café will be closed starting Christmas Eve, reopening in February. In 2019, Morgan Zimmer will be taking
the reins of Bonobo’s Foods in Thunder Bay, continuing the legacy of this plantbased restaurant and store, known for its veggie burgers. A plant-based diet is growing in popularity, for its health and environmental benefits among others, and Bonobo’s has been ahead of the trend, operating since 2010. “Our goal and mission as a business is to not only continue to provide the vegans and vegetarians with hearty, wholesome foods, but to reach out to the community as a whole and show them how healthy, meat-free meals can be loaded with amazing flavours and keep you full longer,” said Zimmer. More than a few customers, and sets of taste buds, have been won over by their menu. Bonobo’s also offers vegetarian and vegan groceries available for purchase, for those looking to experiment at home with a plant-based diet, whether for a meal a week or full-time. The business was originally started by
“We take our favorite global foods and treats and turn them into a healthy, nutrient-dense meal,” said Hernandez. Many are surprised to hear that the menu is more than drinkable meals, with acai bowls and rotating menu options such as bibimbop/ Korean tacos and Bahn Mi/Vietnamese sandwiches. For the owners of The Juice Pharm, health is mental and physical well-being, and doing what works for you. They work to make sure they can meet the needs of their customers, including those with allergies, strict diets, etc., knowing that it is vital to stay healthy. “We have the friendliest staff, so if you are new to the Juice Pharm, please ask us about our favorite smoothies, juices, and meals,” said Jenkins. For a 2019 New Year’s resolution, The Juice Pharm shared that they would like “to be more involved in the community, work with more local farmers, and continue to work towards going 100 percent organic.” The Juice Pharm has two locations in Duluth. The Eastside location (12 South 15th Avenue East) is open Tuesday through Friday 8 a.m.-5 p.m. and Saturday 11 a.m.-3 p.m. The downtown location (in the Skywalk, 31 West Superior Street) is open Monday through Friday 7 a.m.-3 p.m. Happy 2019! May it be a healthy and happy year, filled with delicious food.
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By Javier Serna I’ll admit, Starfire Pale Ale was the first beer I thought of when I first heard that Fitger’s had figured out some legal work-around to Minnesota’s draconian brewpub rules that otherwise banned brewpubs from distribution. Duluth Brewhouse, which is brewing 16-ounce cans (sold in four packs) of Fitger’s recipes out of New Richmond, Wisc., started out with a couple of obvious choices in Apricot Wheat and Superior Trail IPA.
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Give credit to Duluth Brewhouse, which is a wholly separate entity from Fitger’s Brewhouse. They have nailed these first three flagship recipes down, and allowed Fitger’s beers to occupy a little Minnesota beer cooler real estate. Starfire is Fitger’s base pale ale recipe, and it runs a little more bitter than your average American pale ale, a style I feel has been taking a back seat to hoppier, more bitter IPAs these days. I wish there was a little more emphasis on this style, especially APAs like this at the higher end of the alcohol by volume spectrum, which are still more drinkable than heavier IPAs. It checks in with a 6 percent ABV. Starfire pours a deep golden, and has a citric nose, with notes of grapefruit and orange. There’s breadiness, and a bit of bitterness layered on top of some balanced sweetness. This could be a go-to beer for some folks, and I’m thinking it has a far better chance of being that for me on some occasion now that it’s easy to get. I stopped in at Bent Paddle’s taproom recently to find most everything on tap, including a Cold Press Black Ale infused with hazelnut, was available to take home in a crowler. I could not resist. While the taproom is the best place to hunt down CPBA on nitro (I have found this on tap at a few fine beer bars), it’s about the only place to find infusions of their standards.
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CPBA is the coffee-infused version of Bent Paddle’s Black Ale, which is somewhat of a cross between a stout and porter, with a 6 percent ABV. So, in a sense, this take is an infusion of an infusion, and you will notice both the aroma and taste of hazelnut upon opening a crowler of this beer, which pours with some cream on the head.
Starfire is Fitger’s base pale ale recipe and it runs a little more bitter than your average APA. | SUBMITTED
M A I L R U N F U E L : Voyageur Brewing Company’s Sled Hound Session IPA, reviewed in the last edition of this column, will be generating money for the Gunflint Mail Run sled dog race, which starts on Jan. 5. The brewery, which is hosting a Mail Run gathering on Jan. 2, announced it would be donating $1 from every pint sold of the beer to the two-day dog race. T A N K S O N S I G H T: While it was noted in last month’s column that the first (Duluth Cider) of two cideries opened in Duluth’s Lincoln Park on Nov. 14, the second of those operations does not seem far off.
The tanks arrived at Wild State Cider in mid December. Stay tuned for an opening date. R . I . P. , D A N G E R A L E : Castle Danger Brewery in Two Harbors announced recently that they were retiring Danger Ale from their year-round lineup next year. It was a matter of the brewers realizing that the beer was not brewed frequently enough to “keep the yeast strain happy.” Kudos to Castle Danger for putting quality first in making a tough decision. I will always remember and connect Danger Ale to the brewery’s roots on the grounds of Castle Haven Cabins, where I had the occasion to stay a few times (and loved being able to walk a few feet over to the taproom for growler fills).
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January is the month where we all buckle down on resolutions set to make us happier, healthier and better. But before you cement your resolve too much, take a moment to consider possible resolutions that don’t readily come to mind, or to Google. | STOCK
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By Amy Schmidt Happy New Year! Welcome to the month where we all buckle down on resolutions set to make us healthier, happier, better. Don’t know what resolution to pick? Google “what resolution should I make” and you’ll have more ideas than you could possibly resolve to keep. In 2018, the most common New Year’s resolutions were as follows: eat healthier, exercise more, save more money, improve self-care, read more, make new friends, learn a new skill, get a new job, and start a new hobby. All of these are fabulous ideas, sure to lead to the healthier, happier, better self that resolutions seek to find. If one of these piques your interest, resolve away. But, before you cement your resolve too much, take a moment to consider possible resolutions that don’t readily come to mind, or to Google. Think outside of the box, past the typical ways our culture attempts to better itself. Are physical health, financial security and a robust creative life important? Absolutely! But there’s more to a person than their body, their money and their hobbies. And there is certainly more to a community than whether or not its members are secure in all these areas. What about the health of your relationships? You might have excess cash, but do you have the excess resources of empathy and love to fill your neighbor’s various needs? And how about your apology abilities? Are they as robust as your artistic ones? Resolutions can, and maybe should, involve the interpersonal aspects of a healthy day-to-day life. How we interact with each
other, whether parent to child, partner to partner, neighbor to neighbor or, simply, human to human is vastly important to the overall health of a person and, ultimately, of their community. If everyone in a community can run three miles in 25 minutes, but can’t remember how to display empathy, it is a sad community indeed. Take, for example, the ability to apologize. At first glance, this seems like an absurd thing to even mention. Who doesn’t know how to apologize? But saying I’m sorry isn’t always easy, nor does blithely stating the words pass for a sincere apology. Apologizing, and doing it well, is hard work and requires, to be frank, a lot of practice. But an ability (and willingness) to apologize sincerely is a crucial skill, able to profoundly heal both the giver and the receiver. Can we look honestly enough at our lives, at our relationships, to admit that maybe this is something we could work on? Or maybe it’s the opposite. Maybe, when we ditch the lens of pride, we’ll see that we need to practice forgiving more; equally as hard, but equally as necessary. A recent article from John Hopkins cited forgiveness as critically related to overall health. Harboring anger can ultimately “increase the risk of depression, heart disease and diabetes, among other conditions.” Forgiveness, like exercise, is a must. This year, resolve to explore a resolution that addresses more than just your waistline. And if someone catches you mouthing the words “I really am sorry” over and over while you’re running on the treadmill, just tell them you’re multi-tasking. They’ll be impressed.
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Cook County Ridge Riders Close up of a winter lake trout. | GORD ELLIS
Special Events & Dates Jan 26 Drag Races on Devil Track Lake Food and Music at Skyport Feb 2 Cash...For Fun Run! Bingo, Raffles, Music & Food at The Club House on Devil Track Feb 16 Drag Race on Hungry Jack Lake Food at Hungry Jack Lodge Mar 2 Trout Derby on West Bearskin Mar 9 Drag Races on Poplar Lake Food and Fun at Poplar Haus Check FaceBook for more info and updates
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Lake Trout: Perfect Winter Fish Not all species of fish are active during the winter season. In fact, certain popular game fish, such as smallmouth and largemouth bass, are all but dormant in the winter. Even popular winter game like walleye are more lethargic when the ice moves over the lakes. Catchable they are. But the walleye bite can get very, very slow when the thermometer bottoms out. Then there is the lake trout. I sometimes think the good Lord designed the laker to give us ice fisherman species you could at least semi-rely on to catch in the dead of winter. In fact, the colder the day and the bluer the sky, the better lake trout seem to bite. They love high pressure systems and in January, February and March, that usually equals a snappy cold. Why lake trout are such dynamos under the ice is a secret only Mother Nature knows, but it makes them the best winter fish in the swim.
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I’ve had too many memorable winter lake trout days to even recount. I’ve chased them out on Lake Superior, and on remote lakes deep in the northwestern Ontario wilderness. No matter where you find them, lakers are a pretty consistent creature come winter. Sure, they can be fussy, and you can get skunked. Yet put your time in, give them what they want, and odds are good you will feel the powerful surge of a laker under the ice.
Jigging Artificial Lures One of the coolest things about winter lake trout is they can be caught regularly on artificial lures. In fact, there are times when artificial lures work a whole lot better than live bait. You can also fish relatively aggressively for lake trout, jigging a spoon, jigging rapala or tube jig with a lot of action. The most aggressive presentation
By Gord Ellis
will come via a jigging spoon like the Hopkins, Krocodile or Swedish Pimple. Spoon weights of a half-ounce to one-ounce will do the job in most lakes. The key here is to jig the spoon with large sweeps, and then follow the spoon on the drop with the tip of your jigging rod. You need to keep the line tight at all times. Lake trout sometimes hit on the upswing, and this is the most classic and exciting winter strike. The dead weight of lake trout that inhaled your spoon is an exciting feeling. As often as not, however, trout will scoop up a spoon as it drops, and all you will see is your line curled up on the ice fishing hole. This is when you reel up and set the hook hard. Trout won’t hold a spoon long, so you need to be on your toes. Trout will hang on to a plastic jig, scented or not. White tube jigs of about 4 inches in length are my go-to lure, but plastic shads or grub bodies can also work very well. The jigging motion is a bit more subtle with these lures, and it’s almost a slow swim as opposed to the more aggressive jerk/drop of a spoon. The slower descent of a plastic jig also makes it very appealing to trout that are looking for baitfish like smelt or herring that may be dying under the ice. Several years ago, I dropped a white tube into a hole and let it free fall to the bottom.
I had an ice fishing flasher on and knew it was about 40 feet deep, but as I let line out, I noticed it seemed to be dropping down the hole at an unusually fast rate. On top of that, I was well into my spool and the line was way past where it should have been bottom. Could it be? I closed the bail, reeled up slack and felt weight. A hard hook set was followed by a line screaming run. A lake trout had inhaled that tube as it dropped and had been swimming off with it. After an exciting fight, a scrappy 8-pound lake trout was slid onto the ice. The sheer unpredictability of winter lake trout is another of the traits that make them so fun to fish for in winter. My ace-in-the-hole lure is a smelt coloured bucktail jig tied by Mighty Mitch and Jungle Joe Jigflies in Terrace Bay, Ont. The smelt bucktail looks a little different than plastic in the water, and the action really appeals to larger lake trout. Some of the very largest winter trout I’ve seen ate a bucktail jig.
Run and Gun Because lake trout tend to be more active more often than most fish under ice, it doesn’t pay dividends to wait all day for a bite on the first spot you hit. If you drill a few holes, and nothing happens within 30 minutes, I recommend you move. It doesn’t even have to be that far. There are times lake trout will be on fire in one spot and non-existent just 100 feet away. Drill a lot of holes and move around as much as possible. At times I will simply hit each hole that’s been dug for 5 minutes of jigging, without even putting a second baited line down the hole. If no fish strike the spoon or tube, I’ll pack up and move. It’s amazing how quick the strikes come when you find active fish. Often they will slam a lure within the first few minutes of fishing. Double headers on good spots are not unusual.
Gord Ellis Senior and Jr. with a nice lake trout. | GORD ELLIS
I also highly recommend some kind of ice flasher or depth finder when chasing lakers. Not only can you mark fish with them, but you can see if they’re chasing your lure and not striking. This happens quite a lot. If a fish appears on the screen, but keeps rejecting your lure, switch it up. If the spoon is drawing them in, but without a strike, try dropping a white tube or plastic minnow down there. When lake trout are looking at a tube jig, but not hitting, try pulling it way from them as they chase it. I’ve had lake trout chase a tube almost to the bottom of the ice before finally nailing it. If that doesn’t work, a tail-hooked minnow on a light weight jig is very tempting. Lake trout are great fighters, can be found in a lot of different lakes and are good to eat. If you love to battle big fish and haven’t tried winter fish lakers you are missing out. They are the perfect winter fish.
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Wild Traditions The Value of Mentorship tional cultures and how they interpret life on our planet. For all of Western society’s technological sophistication, we seem to have lost our way.
By Julia Prinselaar
Late last year, my parents and I got together to butcher a lamb. While some of us were familiar with processing game and small livestock, none of us really knew exactly how to approach this little farm-raised yearling. In that moment, we lamented the fact that my late grandfather wasn’t there. He had a garage filled with tools, made his own wine, grew vegetables, raised rabbits, and prepared specialty meats that would cure in the cold cellar of his basement. To my mother, her dad was the trailblazer in the family who mastered many practical skills. “He would know what to do,” she said. So in his absence we consulted YouTube, which has become an invaluable bank of recorded knowledge for people like us, who were without a physical mentor. We found a very helpful video featuring Justin Williams of the New York-based butcher shop, Harlem Shambles. As he broke down the main cuts of the animal, we learned about its anatomy and some of the more complex techniques, like Frenching a rack of lamb. Our results weren’t perfect, but we got the job done. As the afternoon wore on, our work pace became more fluid; we grew confident in our roles and bonded as a team.
In The Wayfinders: Why Ancient Wisdom Matters in the Modern World, he begins by stating that of the 7,000 languages spoken in the world at that time, fully half are not being passed down to younger generations—are not being “whispered into the ears of infants,” he so lamentingly phrased it. Different ways of navigating the world are being lost, as Davis bears witness:
My great-grandmother’s pincushion. | JULIA PRINSELAAR
“One of the intense pleasures of travel is the opportunity to live amongst those who have not forgotten the Old Ways. Who still feel their past in the wind…taste it in the bitter leaves of plants. The world into which you were born does not exist in some absolute sense, but is just one model of reality…All of these peoples teach us that there are other options, other possibilities, other ways of thinking and orienteering yourself in social and spiritual space; other ways of interacting with the Earth itself.”
There have been many instances throughout the course of my learning that I have sought someone, be it in person or otherwise, outside of my immediate social circle to learn a basic life skill. Some people I know share similar stories.
Fifty years ago, the idea of paying a guide to hunt in northwestern Ontario would have probably been unheard of. But when it comes to learning land-based survival skills today, my friend’s statement speaks to our modern, urbanized times.
Along with the decline of linguistic diversity, many of the world’s cultures are endangered as they become absorbed into post-colonial society. In May 2018, the United Nations announced that it projects 68 percent of the world’s population will live in urban areas by 2050.
One friend is, like me, someone who doesn’t come from a lineage of hunters. She’s extremely passionate about fly fishing, but as for hunting wild game, she’s had to start from scratch.
You could spend hours scrolling through the Internet researching outdoor survival schools and programs around the world (I know I have), especially in the United States, where access to life in the wilderness is at a premium. More recently, I found an instructor who runs a mentorship program in Washington State called Path of the Hunter.
“I need someone I can shadow hunt for a while,” she told me, feeling discouraged in her first season. Her words carried a tone of desperate resolve: “I’m thinking of just paying a guide.”
“At Earthwalk Northwest, we recognize that, more and more, people do not have the opportunity to learn from their elders. Because of this, we have felt a need to offer a program emphasizing these traditions,” reads a statement from its website. Elders, synonymous with wisdom, are the guiding light within a culture. They tell stories that carry valuable life lessons and speak from experience. But at some point, in Western society, younger generations seem to have stopped listening to what they had to say.
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So, millennials like me tend to be missing something. Having been raised in a smaller city, it was acceptable, if not encouraged, for me to move away from home to seek out a higher education during my formative years. The concept of leaving home for the lofty promises of wealth and prosperity is further amplified in the writings of Wade Davis, the anthropologist and National Geographic Explorer-In-Residence who delivered the CBC Massey Lectures across Canada in 2009. He is a passionate advocate for a better understanding of tradi-
With this month’s issue being devoted to community, it has me thinking about intergenerational relationships, and who we have around us to enrich our lives and offer us mutual purpose. What can happen when we start listening to the stories of our elders again? The question reminds me of when my grandmother took me shopping before I left home for university in another province. She didn’t buy me new shoes or a new coffeemaker for my apartment. Instead, we went to the fabric store and put together a sewing kit. She also gave me my great grandmother’s handmade pincushion, and her denim laundry bag. My grandmother’s actions never escaped an element of practicality, as if she were saying, “Now, there’s no need to buy something new when you can fix the one you have.” As it happens, I used my sewing kit to stitch a new strap to that laundry bag when the old one wore out. In a culture that celebrates fast and shiny and new, it’s worth spending some time to mend the parts that are wearing thin. We would be better for it, and in a position to be a stronger support for future generations.
Hugo hunt welcomes the National Guard home DULUTH— Members of the 148th Fighter Wing of the Minnesota Air National Guard, based in Duluth, recently enjoyed a day of hunting and target shooting at Wild Wings of Oneka hunt club through the generosity of the Yellow Ribbon Network of Hugo. Newly returned from a deployment in an undisclosed location in the Middle East, the event was intended as a “welcome home” for the 148th. It was the 20th such event the organization has hosted since 2010. “We’ve hosted 1,800 to 2,000 members of the Guard over the years,” says Chuck Haas, chair of Hugo Yellow Ribbon Network and member of the Hugo City Council. “Our events are all funded by donations.” The hunts were initially conceived by Haas and his hunting buddy, Mike Polehna, who at the time was on the Stillwater City Council. Missing a day of hunting due to rain, they mused about how Minnesota National Guard members were missing a whole hunting season when they were on deployment. So, they went to work creating the first welcome home hunt in March of 2010 when the 34 th Infantry Division returned from Basra, Iraq. They discovered the local community strongly supported the idea. Donations began rolling in and
have continued to do so. Wild Wings owner Jeff Hughes donates the use of his facility, while his guides donate their time for the hunts and club members donate birds for the day’s luncheon. Local businesses donate $1,000 to be field sponsors, which allows four guard members and the sponsor to spend the day hunting and shooting sporting clays. Many of the business donors have been with the programs since the beginning. Wild Wings has 14 hunting fields and all were in use morning and afternoon during the 148th’s hunt. As for Haas, he spends two or three hours daily working on “Yellow Ribbon stuff.” In addition to coordinating the hunts, the Hugo Yellow Ribbon Network prepares care packages for deployed Guard members. So far, they’ve sent off 40,000 pounds of care packages oversees. “We’re working with National Guard units all over the state,” he says. They work with each unit’s support service program, helping out however they can. Recently, they helped to organize a moving crew to assist a member of the 148th who was moving from the Twin Cities to Duluth.
Jason Amiot, Jason Dahms, Brandon Yetter and Joseph Zervas with pheasants taken at the Wild Wings of Oneka Hunt Club during an event hosted by the Hugo Yellow Ribbon Network. | SHAWN PERICH “Whenever someone calls and asks for something, we do what we can to respond,” Haas says. What motivates Haas is the fact that National Guard units now take a more active role in military operations world-
wide. Their deployments are often largely unnoticed by their local communities. He believes it is important to show appreciation for their service and sacrifices. —Shawn Perich
KNIFE LAKE WHY GO: This expansive border lake requires some effort to reach, but could be worth it for the angler that knows where and how to sort out this two-story fishery, with big lake trout down deep, and walleyes and fat smallmouth bass that are more shallow. It’s a beautiful border lake with an arm that reaches south
Illustrating the delicate nature of this lake trout population, of the fish that were aged from the survey, they ranged from 2 to 28 years of age. Canada United States DNR pointed out that a 26 -inch to Bonnie Lake lake
ACCESS: There are 11 portages from Knife to other lakes (not including a couple of portages that connect one arm of the lake to the other), but the most common access to the lake is through the lake and river system to the west of Knife from Ely-based entry points. It can also be approached from Gunflint Trail-based entry points, with Sea Gull Lake or the border route via Saganaga Lake. There’s about 50 campsites in the Boundary Waters Canoe Area to Wilderness (BWCAW) portion of this lake Portage VITALS: Most of Knife’s 4,919 acres are in Minnesota, with 3,711 acres south of the border, and another 1,208 acres in Ontario. Stateside, it is entirely within Lake County and the BWCAW. In Canada, the lake is entirely inside Quetico Provincial Park. The lake has a maximum depth of 179 feet GAME SPECIES PRESENT: Bluegill, burbot, cisco, lake trout, lake whitefish, northern pike, rock bass, smallmouth bass, walleyes and white sucker. BIG LAKERS: The lake was most recently surveyed in 2017 out of Minnesota DNR’s Tower area office, which noted the lake deep, cold, well-oxygenated water that support a cold-water fishery including lake trout, lake whitefish, cisco and burbot. Those high-calorie cisco help propel an excellent lake trout population on Knife, which produced better than average gillnet catch rates of lakers, with fish up to 32.5 inches, and an average at just over 22 inches. The aver-
to Hanson Lake
age laker in the survey weighed just over 4 pounds. South Arm Knife Lake to Toe Lake to Nave Lake
to Knife Lake
to Eddy Lake
DNR’s aging data suggested that growth rates were good on this lake, and fish up to 11 years old turned up.
Lake
to Vera Lake
trout from Knife, on average, would be about 20 years old.
Canoe country walleyes are a typically difficult catch come wintertime, but spring and summer in these parts can offer some of the best action anywhere, in my opinion.
You’ll have to get at them shallow in the spring, trolling in-line spinners in transition areas between shallow and steep drop-offs. Flipping a lure along the front of a sheer rock face can often get a couple of younger “eater” trout.
THE REST: There’s northern pike in Knife, and the average weight in the survey was just under 4 pounds. The longest pike surveyed was 38 inches. Smallmouth bass, which were the only species on record ever to be stocked in the lake (back in 1941), appear to be doing well. Bluegill were sampled in the lake for the first time in 2017, with 10 fish caught in one net on the far east end, and a single ‘gill caught in a net on the far west end. The biggest bluegill sampled was 8 inches. Knife’s whitefish catch was considered average for the area, and the largest fish was 21 inches. Deep-water cisco were captured, with the average size at 7 inches. These are a major forage for the lake’s predator fish.—Javier Serna
WALLEYES: The 2017 survey turned up a catch rate of 9.2 walleye per net, which is the highest on record for the lake. The largest walleye caught was 23.5 inches and the average was just over 16 inches.
View our complete collection of Fishing Hole Maps online at: northernwilds.com/fishingholemaps
It could be a long haul getting to Knife in the winter, or for the May opener. It could also be worth it, if you’re into big lakers. Because its entire U.S. portion sits inside the BWCAW, the trout season on Knife opens up Dec. 29. Search for them over deep water with big jigs and other chunky metal baits and dead stinkbait, such as cisco or smelt.
NORTHERN WILDS
JANUARY 2019
31
Dog Sledding in the Northland By Rae Poynter North of Hovland, a narrow road cuts through the dense, snowy forest. As the road continues on, signs begin to appear advising drivers to watch for sled dog traffic. This deep in the woods, all is quiet except for the barking of Mary Manning’s sled dogs. Her Alaskan huskies—all different shapes and colors—had just been out for a training run on the latticework of trails that cut through the woods of Cook County. The energy they exhibit, even after a morning run, is astounding. “The dogs just love this,” Manning says. “It’s what they’re born to do. They absolutely love it.” Mary Manning is just one of a sizeable community of mushers that call northern Minnesota home. The roots of dog sledding run deep here: once a travel necessity, today mushing continues to be both a competitive sport and a unique winter activity for visitors to the area. Those who still practice mushing in this area share strong connections with each other, and work to reconnect others with this part of our history. When Mary Manning started mushing, she had just three dogs and a sled. But that was enough to spark a love of dog sledding that would snowball into running a kennel of over 30 dogs and competing in races such as the Beargrease Marathon, the longest dog sled race in the continental U.S. Behind the scenes of the victories, however, is year-round dedication to make sure the dogs are cared for the best they can be. “It’s a commitment,” Manning says. “There’s the everyday food, water, and shelter. There’s the medical care and making sure they get trained. A huge part, too, is socializing. You want the dogs to have manners. It’s my job to make sure they’re cared for, safe, and have the best time possible.”
Mary Manning and one of her Alaskan huskies. | PUPPARAZZI
Her dedication to the dogs certainly shows. In her first mid-distance Beargrease, she won the best cared-for team. “We had a great handler team. The handlers take care of everything the dogs need. They’re rockstars,” she said. Manning says one of the factors in deciding to move up here was the welcoming sled dog community in Cook County. “We have a really good group of folks here,” she says. “We had the opportunity to move up here and got most of our dogs from other kennels in the area.”
At Manitou Crossing kennels, Jennifer and Blake Freking race Siberian huskies. | JENNIFER FREKING 32
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NORTHERN WILDS
Jennifer Freking’s team of Siberian huskies. | JENNIFER FREKING
Preparing a team for a long-distance race like the Beargrease is a huge commitment both in terms of time and cost. The last several years has seen a decline in the number of mushers entering long races. Last year, only 10 mushers entered
the Beargrease marathon, with six teams finishing. This year will be the first with a new course that shortens the race by about 75 miles. The hope is that the shorter distance will attract more entries.
he seeks to share his love of dog sledding with others. “We specialize in hands-on dog sledding trips where people learn how to handle dogs,” he says. “We do shared sled trips or solo where everyone has their own team.”
While maintaining a kennel is hard work, groups like the Cook County Dog Mushers seek to support mushers in the area and promote the tradition of racing. The support among the community is essential to keeping the tradition alive.
White Wilderness’ remote location in the Superior National Forest and the chance to work with the dogs (or even camp overnight in a yurt) provides guests with an opportunity to appreciate dog sledding firsthand. It also connects people with an important aspect of the past. “Humans became humans because we work with animals,” says McClelland. “If we lose this ability to work with animals we lose a part of ourselves.”
“If someone needs something, we call each other,” Manning says. “Keeping up the trails is a challenge, especially with recent ice. We use the same sets of trails, and working together for upkeep helps.” The association also does things like highway cleanup, participating in the former Dragon Boat Festival, and sponsoring the Gunflint Mail Run. Even where there aren’t official mushing associations, the sense of support remains strong along the various mushing communities in the Northland. In Finland, Jennifer Freking and her husband own Manitou Crossing Kennels where they keep Siberian huskies. “I love our mushing community,” she says. Freking started working with sled dogs when she was only eight years old. “My mom had a team before I was born. When I was younger we had border collies, but they didn’t want to be sled dogs and I wanted to race,” she says. “When I was eight we started raising sled dogs, and I did my first race at nine.” Her love of racing led her to do her first mid-distance Beargrease at 14. “I didn’t come in last,” she smiles. After she met her husband, Blake Freking, the two decided to open Manitou Crossing
Freking also says that mushing is not just a hobby but a connection to something deeper. “Some people wonder why I want to be out in the woods with dogs all day. But being out there with them is magical, almost spiritual. There’s no place I’d rather be.” Teaching the next generation of sled dogs and mushers. | JENNIFER FREKING Kennels to raise and train Siberian huskies for racing. They have an impressive track record: they’ve each completed the Iditarod and they finished 2nd and 3rd in the 2006 Beargrease marathon. Blake also won the 2004 Beargrease marathon, and Jennifer is a veterinarian at the Ely Veterinary Clinic; and together they have 42 dogs in training. “My husband and I met in 1999, and have run the kennel officially since 2003. Siberian huskies are our passion. They haven’t been crossed with other breeds,” she says. Siberian huskies, like many purebred dogs, have been bred less for working and
more for looks over the recent decades. By keeping a line of working Siberians, the Frekings are helping to preserve the health and working abilities of the breed. “It can be a disadvantage to race Siberians because they haven’t always been bred for racing,” said Freking. “They are one mph slower than Alaskans. But they’re heartier, and great in cold weather.” Apart from racing, many sled dog owners in northern Minnesota also give tours. Such is the case in nearby Ely, where Peter McClelland operates White Wilderness. McClelland was introduced to dog sledding in college, and at White Wilderness,
“The dogs will take you places you’d never imagine otherwise,” says Mary Manning. “They bring you out on adventures you’d never had before.” Through their dedication and hard work, the sled dog communities of the Northland are keeping tradition alive for years to come. For those wishing to see a race this season, the Gunflint Mail Run begins on Saturday, January 5, at Trail Center Lodge. The 2019 Beargrease races will begin on Sunday, January 27 at Billy’s Bar in Duluth.
Beargrease to finish in Grand Portage By Shawn Perich
in Duluth at noon, although activities there will begin in the morning. Spectators can meet the mushers at 10 a.m. There is parking on site and shuttles will be available. No dogs are allowed. Look for details closer to race time on the Beargrease Facebook page and website.
A big change is in store for the 35th annual John Beargrease Sled Dog Marathon, which begins Jan. 27. For the first time, marathon mushers will cross the finish line in Grand Portage, rather than returning to Duluth as in the past.
The winning marathon teams are expected to reach the Grand Portage finish line around 3 p.m. Tuesday, depending on trail conditions, giving spectators the opportunity to watch arriving teams in daylight.
The new, shorter route came at the request of mushers, who cited the difficulty and expense of preparing for formerly 420-mile race. The new marathon is over 300 miles in length and remains the longest sled dog race in the Lower 48. It also remains a qualifier for Alaska’s famed Iditarod, said Monica Hendrickson, who handles marketing and public relations for Beargrease.
At present, Hendrickson said race organizers are seeking volunteers to man checkpoints and road crossings and perform myriad other tasks. Volunteer meetings are scheduled for Jan. 8 at the Grand Portage Log Building and the Amercinn South in Proctor. Both meetings start at 5:30 p.m. On Jan. 9 a volunteer meeting will be held at Voyageur Brewing in Grand Marais. Starting at 5 p.m.
Mushers will begin the race with 12-dog hitch, rather than 14 dogs, also at the request of mushers. Due to costs, many of today’s mushers keep smaller kennels of sled dogs. Hendrickson said young women are taking up mushing. They can change the dynamic of the race, because they are lighter, allowing their teams to go faster. Veteran mushers are stepping up to mentor the newbies. “That’s been great to see,” Hendrickson said.
The Beargrease Marathon will end in Grand Portage. | JESSICA SHOLD Hendrickson said race entries were still coming in, but organizers are hopeful the shorter distance will encourage more mushers to enter the marathon. Some mushers who competed in the mid-distance race in the past are signing up for the marathon.
In addition to the long race, there is the Beargrease 120 from Duluth to Lutsen and the Beargrease 40 from Duluth to Two Harbors. There is also a cub race for children. The marathon will begin at Billy’s Bar
While the race offers a purse totaling about $30,000, the chance to win cash isn’t what compels mushers to enter. “When we ask mushers why they run the Beargrease, they all say that something magical happens out on the trail,” Hendrickson said.
NORTHERN WILDS
JANUARY 2019
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Stay 2 nights, Get the 3rd night
northern sky JANUARY 2019 By Deane Morrison, MN STARWATCH
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open all winter! Across 1 Mischievous little guy 4 Cleo’s nemesis 7 Speedo reading 10 Angle between leaf and stem 11 Down with e.g. the flu 12 Bar stocks 14 Myriad 15 Work needing no-one else 16 Severe blow 17 In the middle of 19 Asked after a personal disaster 20 Give thanks at the end of it 21 Always, to a poet 22 Just over 57 degrees 25 Where the black stuff comes from - no farmers needed 30 Checked out 32 Gridiron official, for short 33 Swain 34 S American republic with plenty of 25 across 37 Food additive 38 Undergrad degrees 39 “That’s disgusting!” 41 Money substitute 44 Souvenir 48 Verse master 49 Junior 50 Mover and shaker 51 “Green Gables” girl 52 Hill dweller
January opens on the first steps in a graceful predawn dance between Venus and Jupiter. Not to be outdone, the evening sky answers with a total eclipse of a “supermoon” in mid-month.
53 Kit 54 Go-ahead 55 Trig. function 56 Freddy’s street Down 1 Midterm, for one 2 A floor covering 3 “Gone Girl” writer Gillian 4 Helps microbe, but no-one who catches it 5 Long narrow opening 6 Engineered wood 7 Region of northwest Africa
8 9 10 13 18 19 21 22 23 24 26 27 28 29
Latitude Steering wheel Doctors’ organization Jurisdiction of a bishop Schmaltz Any of several imperial dynasties of China Pollutants Gun Reply to a captain Cozy room General in gray Low power light source Calendar square Good name for a
lawyer? 31 Charged 35 Wipe out 36 Regular event for almost any body 40 Border growth 41 Where to take the waters 42 N Y neighbor 43 Gambling mecca 44 Saline Calif. lake 45 Christmas carol 46 Bulls or Bears 47 Bobby of the Bruins 49 Bag-like cavity
As the sky awaits the first sunrise of 2019, we’re treated to a crescent moon hanging above bright Venus, with Jupiter far below. Off to the right of Jupiter shines Antares, the red heart of Scorpius. Over the next three mornings, the moon thins as it drops past Venus and then Jupiter. On the 4th, look 45 minutes before sunrise to see a skinny old crescent just above the east-southeast horizon. After the 6th, Venus moves slowly nearer to the rising sun. But Jupiter climbs away from it, thanks to Earth catching up to Jupiter in the orbital race. The two planets pass each other on the 22nd. Starting on the 30th, the moon repeats its early-January performance, this time sweeping by Jupiter first. Don’t miss the show on the 31st, when a waning crescent moon rises next to Venus. Late in the month, you may spy Saturn low in the southeast as the
ringed planet, like Jupiter, begins a climb into the morning sky. The moon celebrates its first full phase of the year by plowing through Earth’s shadow in a spectacular lunar eclipse. On the night of Sunday, the 20th, the moon will be very close and appear large and bright—hence its supermoon status. It starts to disappear into the dark inner shadow, or umbra, at 9:34 p.m., with totality beginning at 10:41 p.m. and the moon in deepest eclipse at 11:12 p.m. During or close to totality, grab some binoculars and look below and east of the moon for the lovely Beehive star cluster. Totality ends at 11:43 p.m., when the first silver sliver peeks out from the curtain of Earth’s shadow. The last vestiges of umbra drop away at 12:51 a.m. on the 21st. The University of Minnesota offers public viewings of the night sky at its Duluth and Twin Cities campuses. For more information and viewing schedules in Duluth, see the Marshall W. Alworth Planetarium: d.umn.edu/planet.
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NORTHERN WILDS
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MUSH LAKE RACING DOG BLOG
When auditioning for the job, a dog is automatically fired if they turn the entire team around and head toward home, or, turn around and start a fight. A dog that looks back a lot or dives off into the snow on the side of the trail might come around, but it’s unlikely. Sometimes, a new dog in lead takes off great—full throttle, pulling tight, and then several miles into the run seems to suddenly realize what has happened—“Wait a minute, there’s no one in front of me!” And that is the end of that.
BY ERIN ALTEMUS
Leaders of
Major Tom has been doing well in lead—he just turned three, so he could be a great asset to the leader pool in the years ahead. I had a great run recently with him and Gabby. We had to break trail on one of the snowmobile trails where no one had ventured yet. Tom had no problem cruising through the deep snow—he kept his tugline tight and the team moving. Gabby however, did not thrive in trail-breaking mode. I finally replaced her with Victory who did a better job keeping up with Tom. But as we approached a road crossing, I put Gabby back up front—as I didn’t trust Tom and Victory to keep me from turning left and then onto the Gunflint Trail. Gabby and Tom cruised across the plowed road fine—much to my relief. But then we found two trees across the trail and they chose to go over the first one and under the second. I hooked down, praying that the hooks would hold, less my sled end up mangled between the two trees ahead. I hauled Gabby and Tom backward and steered everyone around the downed trees. Luckily my snowhooks did hold and we ventured on toward home.
the Pack
A leader can make or break a run. There are many things that can hinder a good run—weather, trail conditions, a dog in heat, a distracted or injured dog and sometimes just circumstances beyond anyone’s control, but with a good leader, many of these things are merely conquered challenges. When a leader falters however, loses confidence or flat out does the opposite of what the musher wants—it can make for a bad time. Our very best leader, Beezus, who has led our past four Beargrease marathon teams and the two Beargrease mid-distance races we ran before that and just about every other race we have run in between, came up with an injury almost a month ago—a strained muscle that necessitated some time off. We knew the day would come when Beezus no longer charged up front—he is seven after all, and likely only a few years from retirement. But his sudden departure to the injured bench was not expected and he is not easy to replace. The last few weeks have been a lesson in how to get by without Beezus…and I’m telling you that this one incredible talented dog has clearly been the driving force in our team because I feel his absence every day. What to do then when you need more leaders? Start putting new dogs in lead. We have two solid female leaders—Gabby and Nancy, and they won’t run with each other. Nancy is a creature of routine. She doesn’t like dogs she doesn’t know. So before we can run her with anyone else, we have to introduce them. We do this by placing the dog next to Nancy in the kennel. Nancy is intact so only neutered males will suffice. Major Tom has been a willing candidate. They live next to each other now and Nancy has decided Tom can lead next to her. Unfortunately, Tom doesn’t know his commands and Nancy is too stubborn to listen to me, so some of our runs have involved trying to turn “gee” or right, the lead-
Fig auditions for a place in lead next to Nancy. So far, so good. | ERIN ALTEMUS ers turning left, me trying to hook down, not able to because we don’t have enough snow, and the rest of us being dragged left against our will. A few times I have attempted to hook down, almost lost the sled, grabbed on or flopped on in act of heroism to hang on to the team, and dragging for ¼ mile down the trail before righting the sled. The qualities of a great leader are many: gender doesn’t matter. Leaders must keep their heads pointing forward— not turn around and talk to the dogs behind them. They must keep a tight tug. The musher and the leaders control the speed—if the leaders are slow, there is no speeding up. If the leaders are fast, the musher can slow the team if needed. They must turn if the musher asks them to. They must find the trail if there isn’t one or listen to the mushers directions about where to go—say if on a big lake. They must break trail and push through wind and snowstorms and occasionally lead the team through an icy stream or pond. They must listen.
_ ^ Kekekabic Trail 19.4 Miles ! > ! >
" ) 12
County Road 47 19.2 Miles
_ ^
gunflintmail.com
Trail Center Lodge /Race Start & Finish Gunflint Mail Run Race Course
^ _ _ ^ # * # * # *
^!> _
Kings Road 8-Dog Race Turn-Around 15.8 Miles
" )
! >
12
Tucker Lake Road 10.6 Miles
Legend
! >
For more information go to
Our first race of the season is just weeks away. I think we are mostly on schedule with our training. We hold out hope that Beezus may recover in time to lead an eight-dog team in the Mail Run but until he comes back, we’ll just have to rely on new dogs. One of my favorite things about racing sled dogs is watching dogs step up and show their greatness. Pinto, Bruce, Roxanne, Fig, Taco, Ozzie, Hush and Stevie have all auditioned for lead. We will give them all call-backs in the future. It would be nice if someone just raised their paw, as if to say, “I’ll do it. I’ll take the job.” J
Blankenburg Pit 12-Dog Race Turn-Around 24.0 Miles
Races start at 8 a.m.
Trail Center Lodge 7611 Gunflint Trail
So, we sled on.
Gunflint Mail Run Sled Dog Race Course
January 5
Race Start and Finish
We turned onto Pine Mountain Road, close to where we live. Somehow Tom became all tangled in the gangline up front. I tried to hook down in the ditch. I ran up toward the front, fixed Tom just in time to see the hooks go flying and the sled coming towards me. I grabbed the gangline and held on. Dragging, I moved hand over hand until I reached the back of the sled and tried to hook down again. By then, another dog was tangled in her harness and I needed to fix it. Again, the hooks popped out. One could argue at this point that perhaps we shouldn’t be running sleds, but rather keep using the ATV to train until snow conditions improved. Anyone toting this line of thought is probably right. But, the ATV just isn’t as fun as a sled.
" ) 92
! >
92 East 4.0 Miles
! >! >
# *# *# *
92 West 8.6 Miles
Spectator Viewing: Rockwood Lodge
" ) 21
_ ^
" ) 12
Spectator Viewing: Big Bear Lodge Spectator Viewing: Poplar Haus
Road Crossing
Trail Center Lodge
Kings Road
Gunflint Mail Run Start & Finish
Blankenburg Pit Spectator Viewing: Rockwood Lodge Spectator Viewing: Big Bear Lodge Spectator Viewing: Poplar Haus County Road Snowmobile Trail Lakes
Rivers
NORTHERN WILDS
JANUARY 2019
35
The People of the Road Story and photos by John Stember
Carol offered me $20 as she sucked down a cigarette in a Montana city park. She wore scrubs and softball cleats and needed help driving a car. Carol grew up in Tillamook, Oregon. We dropped off her rickety RV on the edge of a reservoir and sped back in her 150,000 mile, 18-bucks-to-fill, Honda civic. She’s a construction flagger—the third worst job in the U.S. “Takes 45 minutes online to get the certification and you can print out the answers,” she says. “Forty bucks an hour.”
Friends of the author, Walter Chiarella of Indiana and Anna Hennessy of Minnesota, excitedly pose under a sign in British Columbia on their way to Alaska via bicycle.
It
was hard to point out to people why we pedaled 3,000 miles by bicycle. It could have been the immense absence of responsibility, or the ecstasy one receives when straddling the ragged edge of life. One year later, as I look back on all the miles, what I remember are the people. The inkling to bike began with a silly invitation: my partner Anna Hennessy was offered a house-sitting gig in Anchorage. It was only then that we decided, with cash in our pockets after a season of work, why not make a trip out of it. Why not bicycle? We plotted over the possibilities of inviting people. It was a good idea to be picky, for how can one know what a person is like two months and 10 days and three hours into a rainy, tire-popping, kind of day. After a few finicky lists, we managed to convince Walter Chiarella, one of our coworkers from Menogyn. The three of us had met up the Gunflint Trail guiding wilderness trips for youth and running dogs in the winter.
There is a grizzly bear about 50 feet away in the willows nibbling and pawing the decomposing bodies of dog salmon. She does not know we are watching her. Walter and I swallowed our breaths and did not dare whisper—we communicated only with eye-panic. Linda was hunting grizzly with her .30-06, the adolescent bear was sniffing the wind for scent, and we were uncomfortably close in dense brush. 36
JANUARY 2019
NORTHERN WILDS
The bicycle journey took 2.5 months in total. We rolled across Minnesota and the great plains of North Dakota and Montana in about a month. From there, we turned north. Alberta and British Columbia, in between the drizzle and the Canadian Rockies, threw winter into sharp focus. We decided to catch a ferry up the inside passage to Alaska, skipping a few hundred miles. By this time, it was October in the
Yukon and temperatures were declining. For a few nights we got lucky, stumbling upon remote cabins with wood stoves or sleeping upon the floors of tolerant folks’ sheds. Only a couple hundred miles from completing our cross-continental bicycle tour, so tantalizingly close to the end, a week-long blizzard hit. In a heartbeat, we were stuck. So, we threw up our thumbs and caught a ride to Anchorage, ending our 3,000-mile bicycle ride from Minnesota to Alaska in a truck. The reason I like to do trips like these—the reason it really resonates— is because of the people you meet along the way. Yes, moving across the land, unable to escape its moods behind the window shield of a car, reveal a different rhythm of time and pace and beauty. But the community of wanderers, the people of the road, mysteriously cling to memory. Total strangers invite you inside to share an intimate piece of their lives for a few hours, never to be seen again. These serendipitous encounters—down the aisle of a grocery store or over the side of a hospital bed—connect you with the people you would never, ever, meet in this life. Despite what we are told, human beings inherently trust strangers and believe deeply in goodness. This unlikely community of people has taught me so. And to Walter and Anna, the other two riders in this extraordinary journey, thank you for making me laugh all the way to Alaska.
Late in the gold of evening in Streeter, North Dakota, a rusty Dodge pickup truck pulled onto the gravel path behind the church and lingered. I was sitting there on the grass talking to my sister on the phone. I yelped hello and the old man introduced himself as Gordon and invited me next door. I headed over with two empty water bottles hoping for a fill. He’d been working on the garden all day and his jeans showed it: tomato, rhubarb, peppers, jalapeños, cabbage, potatoes, onions. While running through the where-you-from and what’s-your-story, I couldn’t figure out if he lived alone. About an hour passed and the day leaned over into night while Gordon spoke about the deer that nibble his garden and the mother fox with kits that visits his yard. Perhaps he sensed then the running out of things, having covered most of the important questions of life, for he mentioned a collection and invited me inside. I followed Gordon down into the basement where 45 years of work covered the walls: pheasants, swans, ducks, geese, quail, pronghorn, white tail, mule deer. Gordon was a taxidermist.
Maria Garus of Poland is a solo female cyclist attempting to ride from Alaska to Argentina. She’s currently making her way through Central America, nearly one year later.
A Field Guide to the Natural World of the Twin Cities By John J. Moriarty Photography by Siah L. St. Clair University of Minnesota Press, $29.95
Though the Twin Cities area have proven to be a fine habitat for one particular species, the three million humans who call the area home share the 3,000 square miles with many different animals and plants from various ecosystems. This easy-touse guide gives both novice and long-time naturalists the tools to find and explore these natural places in the metropolitan Twin Cities, some within the city limits and all within an hour’s drive of downtown Minneapolis. The book is sectioned into habitats, such as prairies, big woods, and wetlands, and each habitat includes four destinations. Listed under the habitats you’ll find various plants and critters, such as otters, snapping turtles, wild lupines, blackberries, and Cooper’s hawks. —Breana Roy
The Book of One Hundred Riddles of the Fairy Bellaria By Charles G. Leland Edited by Jack Zipes
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Open 24/7 Online drurylanebooks.com
University of Minnesota Press, $24.95
Charles Godfrey Leland was one of the most popular American writers and artists of the 19th century, publishing more than 20 books of legends, fairy tales, humor and essays. Today, however, he is a woefully underappreciated writer. Written, designed, and illustrated by Leland in 1892, The Book of One Hundred Riddles of the Fairy Bellaria is a forgotten classic. The book features the Scheherazade-like fairy goddess Bellaria: powerful and mysterious, courageous and clever, goddess of spring, flowers, love, fate, and death. In this story, Bellaria engages in a duel of wits with an evil king, a death match of 100 riddles. Each riddle is spoken as a rhyme and beautifully illustrated by an original engraving by Leland.—Breana Roy
m
3:30 p.m.
12 E. Wisconsin St., Grand Marais
218-387-3370
Opening Ceremonies, Dinner & Bib Draw
Happy New Year!
Sunday, January 27
RACE DAY!
Races start at Billy’s Bar, Duluth, MN Beargrease Marathon Start Noon Beargrease 40 Finish
Toxic Waters By David G. Ferguson
5:00 p.m. Two Harbors
North Channel Novels, $15.50
Take an Ontario conservation officer and put him on a sailboat on Lake Huron. Mix in the crooked owner of a waste management company who is secretly dumping barrels of toxic material in the lake. Add a beautiful environmental activist and her father, the judge. Now you have the makings for a fast-paced tale of suspense and adventure. In his first novel, Ferguson, a retired conservation officer, delivers the goods.—Shawn Perich
5:30 p.m.
Monday, January 28
From
Beargrease 120 Finish
WTIP Community Radio Proud to serve our North Shore community for over 20 years! 90.7 FM Grand Marais 90.1 FM Grand Portage 89.1 FM Gunflint Trail
7:00 a.m. Lutsen
Beargrease 120 Banquet 3:00 p.m. Papa Charlie’s
Tuesday, January 29
Beargrease Marathon Finish 5:00 p.m. Grand Portage
Wednesday, January 30
wtip.org
Closing Ceremonies 9:00 a.m. Grand Portage
Beargrease.com Follow us on Facebook @Beargrease
NORTHERN WILDS
JANUARY 2019
37
Leah Pratt
ry a n i d r No O& Dime! Five 218-387-2233 • Grand Marais
Sled Dogs JoynesBenFranklin The Genuine. The Original.
HEAD DOOR OVER
Overhead Door Company of Duluth Feeding Your Adventures for Over 40 Years! Grab & Go Deli with Cafe Seating Organic, Local & Natural Groceries Open 7 Days a Week | 9 am - 7 pm
Located on the beautiful East Bay of Grand Marais 20 East First St | Grand Marais, MN cookcounty.coop | 218.387.2503
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JANUARY 2019
NORTHERN WILDS
24 hour service
Phone 218-722-2884 www.ohdnorthernmn.com 4214 Airpark Blvd. Duluth, MN 55811
Gunflint Pines Year-Round Cabins Ski/Snowshoe Rentals Ice Fishing Gift Shop & Grocery Pizza & Ice Cream Open to the Public 218.388.4454 www.gunflintpines.com 217 South Gunflint Lake Grand Marais, MN 55604
12
All About Snow
Sponsored by
Mark D. Consulting, LLC
January in the Northern Wilds means cold and with the cold comes snow. While snow may appear to be as simple as a form of frozen water, it is in fact quite complex. For several months—and as many as six months a year—we live with snow; playing in it, driving in it, avoiding it, making it (if you are a ski business), even seeking shelter in it. Snow plays a huge role in our lives, so it may be helpful to know a little more about the white stuff. In short, snow forms when a drop of water vapor freezes onto a dust particle in the sky. As the crystal of ice drops toward the ground, water vapor can continue building on the crystal which builds a complex, six-sided shape. Yes, snowflakes always have six arms. But just what that shape looks like depends on the air temperature. Long
needle-like crystals form when the temperature is in the 20s (F) while plate-like crystals form as the temperature approaches zero. Beyond needles and plates, snow can also form dendrites, stars, and columns. None of these snowflakes are ever alike. Have you ever wondered if there is a difference between man-made snow— such as at a ski resort—and natural snow? Man-made snow has a higher water content—often 50-60 percent—whereas natural snow is often closer to 35 percent water. In addition, man-made snow forms from water droplets so the result is a much less complex structure than the six-sided snowflake that forms from water vapor in the air. But the man-made snow is more durable and will last longer on the slopes and create a smoother pack than natural snow.
Serving Businesses and Residential Customers. 218-663-7149 Mark@MarkDConsulting.com
Get Cozy with Someone Special This Winter
Activities for a snowy day Make Snow Cream I included this in a column last year, but it was so good I am including it again. Mix 8-10 cups of fresh white snow with a can of sweetened condensed milk and any other flavor you desire, such as vanilla flavor, chocolate or strawberries. Eat and enjoy—delicious!
Keep a Snow Journal Make a It can be fun to look back at our winter Snow Maze weather from year to year. Keep a journal through the winter—note each time how much it snows. What is the temperature outside while snowing? What is the texture of the snow—heavy and wet, or light and dry? Does the snow stick around or does it melt? When do you last see snow in the spring?
Feeling ambitious? How about a snow maze in your backyard instead of corn maze? You might need a parent’s help, but this can be a fun place to spend your time all winter if the snow holds and the weather stays cold. Try using water color paint to decorate the walls, and maybe place snow lanterns along the way for lighting.
At Legendary
GUNFLINT LODGE & OUTFITTERS
As Featured in 1,000 Places to See Before You Die—U.S. & Canada
Fireplace Cabins with In-Suite Sauna, Hot Tubs, Kitchen & Laundry Sleep 2-14 Full-Service Restaurant & Bar Ski & Snowshoe Trails Snowmobile Rental
(800) 328-3325
gunflint.com
43 miles from Grand Marais on the historic Gunflint Trail NORTHERN WILDS
JANUARY 2019
39
Strange Tales Minnesota Iceman By Elle AndraWarner
It’s a bizarre story that still have some believing the Minnesota Iceman was ‘real’—perhaps a Neanderthal or a Bigfoot— while others say it was always a hoax, a fake figure encased in an ice coffin. The quirky saga had its beginnings in 1968 when a University of Minnesota zoology student Terry Cullen paid 25 cents to see “The Siberskoye Creature” at Chicago’s International Livestock Exhibition. What he saw was a brightly lit, glass-topped 3,000 pound block of solid ice containing a large, hairy Bigfoot-like creature, about six feet tall. The exhibitor was ex-Air Force pilot Frank D. Hansen from Rollingstone, Minnesota; he had been displaying the Iceman in shopping malls and state fairs in the U.S. and Canada since 1967.
So intrigued—and convinced the corpse was real—Cullen contacted, and got the attention of, two well-known and respected zoologists: American Dr. Ivan T. Sanderson and Belgian Dr. Bernard Heuvelmans. The two men made their way to Minnesota in mid-December 1968 to examine the frozen creature in ice, housed in a refrigerated trailer on Hansen’s farm when not being exhibited. After three days of studying, making sketches and taking detailed pictures of the Iceman, the two scientists agreed—Iceman was a real, genuine creature. And that’s when the story gains traction and speed. Heuvelmans concluded the Iceman was a new species of Neanderthal and in a published article in February 1969 in Bulletin of the Royal Institute of Natural Sciences of Belgium, called it an “unknown form of living hominid” and named it “Homo pongoides” [Apelike Man]. Sanderson—who was also a TV personality, as well as science editor of Argosy magazine—was telling the world about the discovery. As a guest on Johnny Carson’s The Tonight Show during Christmas week 1968, he mentioned the Minnesota Iceman. In the spring of 1969, Sanderson’s article in Argosy magazine asked the question, “Is this the
Lynne Luban
Over 12 years selling downtown MPLS Condo living. Currently representing this developers 10th project PORTLAND TOWER & THE LEGACY. I am available to meet with you in Grand Marais or Minneapolis to go over prices & floor plans.
Cell: 612-599-6986
Email: lynneluban@mac.com Website: thelegacyminneapolis.com
263 OLD 240 S
ANCY OCCUP 8 1 FALL 20
BALCONY MASTER BEDROOM 15'-6" x 17'-11"
BEDROOM 15'-2" x 12'-9"
LIVING 38'-2" x 14'-0"
CLOSET
BEDROOM 15'-2" x 12'-9"
BALCONY
MASTER BEDROOM 15'-6" x 17'-11"
CLOSET
LIVING 38'-2" x 14'-0"
KITCHEN/DINING 35'-4" x 14'-8"
BATH
CLOSET
CLOSET
KITCHEN/DINING BATH 35'-4" x 14'-8"
BATH BEDROOM CLOSET
BEDROOM 17'-4" x 11'-8"
BATH
LAUNDRY
Unit 1424 2774 Square Feet Balcony: 184 Square Feet
CLOSINGS ARE BOOKED SOLID FOR AUGUST, SEPTEMBER, OCTOBER , NOVEMBER, DECEMBER!
LAUNDRY
CLOSET
KEY PLAN
LIVE OUT YOUR LEGACY IN NEW CONDOS IN MILLS DISTRICT BY THE GUTHRIE!
BATH
17'-4" x 11'-8"
BATH
Contact me for a personal viewing of floor plans photos of construction views and pricing.
NORTH
10/14/16 ALL DIMENSIONS ARE APPROXIMATE PLAN SUBJECT TO CHANGE VERIFY CURRENT PLAN WITH PROJECT MANAGER Riverdale Ventures, LLC. © 2016. All rights reserved.
Unit 1424 2774 Square Feet Balcony: 184 Square Feet
NORTH
THere’s a NEW CONDO BUILDING in DOWNTOWN MINNEAPOLIS 10/14/16
ALL DIMENSIONS ARE APPROXIMATE PLAN SUBJECT TO CHANGE VERIFY CURRENT PLAN WITH PROJECT MANAGER
112 units with 79 SOLD! • 7 units available for immediate occupancy • 40 still available to customize.
KEY PLAN
Riverdale Ventures, LLC. © 2016. All rights reserved.
A New Luxury Condo Development 740 Portland Avenue • Downtown Minneapolis
40
JANUARY 2019
• 17 story New Contsruction • Pet-friendly building • High end standard features • Community and Fully equipped exercise room, and outdoor roof top green space • Climate controlled parking • Just a few blocks from US Bank Stadium • Additional garage stalls available for purchase • Walk the Skyway for all your needs
NORTHERN WILDS
• Within a few blocks of Lightrail • Close to the Nicollet Mall • Choose from many restaurants close by! • Walk two blocks to the new 9 arce Commons Park that extends from the US Bank Stadium to Portland Avenue. • Choose from many available options to customize your unit.
A depiction of the Minnesota Iceman, as described by Bernard Hauvelmans and Ivan T. Sanderson. | WIKIMEDIA missing link between man and apes?” He declared about the creature, “Let me say, simply, that one look was actually enough to convince us that this was—from our point of view at least—the ‘genuine article’.” However, Hansen requested Sanderson and Heuvelmans not to publicize the creature as authentic, a request the two scientists had ignored. The Smithsonian Institution became aware of the creature and wanted to carry out scientific examinations, but Hansen refused their request and they eventually lost interest. Hansen wanted to keep the discovery secret. Why? Perhaps it was because of the two high-velocity bullet holes in the corpse, which would lead to all kinds of questions. What was the origin of the creature? Where did it come from? Why was it encased in ice? Who owned it? Where is it now? Was it murder? The Minnesota Iceman became international news. On March 23, 1969, England’s The Sunday Times of London published an article by Magnus Linklater “Neanderthal Man?” which read, “A strange ape-like creature frozen in block of ice is providing American anthropologists with one of the most intriguing questions they have faced in recent years. Is it a fraud, a freak, or is it a form of human being believed to have been extinct since prehistoric times? One thing is certain: it has two large bullet holes in it. Just a precaution the FBI have been called in.” (The FBI chose not to investigate.) Was the Iceman a fake? As the story goes, in 1967 Hansen had a latex rubber and hair replica of the creature manufactured in California, and sometime in 1969, Hansen supposedly replaced the original
corpse with the model. But both Sanderson and Heuvelmans documented 15 discrepancies between the ‘genuine’ Iceman they had examined and the model. But where did the original corpse go, if there was one? Speculation runs rampant, from the body being buried in a nearby forest by Hansen in 1969, to his later story that the original corpse was returned to its real owner, a California millionaire who was famous in movies but Hansen never revealed the identity. There continues to be debate about the origin and nature of the Iceman. Hansen’s early version of the story was the creature had been floating in the Bering Sea in a huge block of ice, was recovered by fisherman, eventually ended up in a refrigeration plant in Hong Kong and then sold to the California millionaire who asked Hansen to exhibit it. Some theorize it could be a Neanderthal man, killed in Vietnam during war and smuggled in a body bag into the U.S. Alternate theories have it related to Homo Erectus (extinct human) from south-central Asia or perhaps a North American subspecies of Bigfoot. And there are those who believed Hansen’s later version that he shot the creature in 1960 while on a deer-hunting trip with friends (all military officers) near Aurora in northern Minnesota. Though Hansen died before 2004, the Minnesota Iceman has been reappearing in the news. In 2013, the Iceman replica was advertised on eBay, bought by Steve Busti and is now on display at his Museum of the Weird in Austin, Texas. In 2016, the first English-translated version of Heuvelmans’ book Neanderthal: The Strange Saga of the Minnesota Iceman was published.
Own a slice of Minnesota’s Favorite Resorts We bring you closer. To the lake, each other and your vacation property dreams.
Surfside on Lake Superior
Bluefin Bay Condos & Townhomes Bluefin Unit 7
Bluefin Unit 18
3 BR, 2 BA. Recent $130K elegant remodel. Only a few feet from shore. $419,900
2 BR, 2 BA floorplan. Unique to the whole resort. A guest favorite. $340,000
New townhomes, total coastal luxury right on the shore of Lake Superior. 3,000 s/f, 3BR, 3BA. Quarter-share ownership w/ flexibility for personal use & rental income. Excellent family retreat or investment property. Prices from $174K-$215K, includes furnishings.
Bluefin Unit 32
Bluefin Unit 26
1 BR, 1 BA. Charming unit with brand new bath, kitchen, and fireplace. $50K in Rental Income. $275,000
1 BR/1 BA. Ideal location. Exceptional value and solid investment at reasonable price. $259,900
Eric Frost Sales Agent, Bluefin Bay Family of Resorts
PENDING
Bluefin Unit 37
Bluefin Unit 38
2 BR, 2 BA. Upper level unit affords panoramic lake views. Over $60K in rental income. $315,000
2 BR, BA turn-key rental property. Newly remodeled and tastefully decorated. $319,000 SOLD
Bluefin Unit 55
Bluefin Unit 61
Deb Niemisto 218-370-8434
LAKE SUPERIOR CONDOS
Chateau 1 BD 1 BA Turn-Key Rented Units
Newly remodeled log lodge Upgraded cottage cabin like condo with spec- themed condo. Great tacular lake views. rental income! MLS 6077019 $79,900 MLS 6077201 $69,900
218-663-6886 | eric@bluefinbay.com
3 BR, 3 BA Bluefin’s largest town home. Grosses over $110K in rental income. Absolutely stunning. $564,000
3 BR and 3 BA. Beautiful upgrades and appointments. Great location near outdoor pool. $569,000
NORTHWOODS REALTY
Let Eric, exclusive sales agent for Bluefin Bay Family of Resorts, provide the details about each property and guide you through the process. Contact him today to learn more.
Nan Bradley 218-370-8433
lockport@boreal.org
www.coldwellbankernorthwoods.com 7072 Two Moose Trail Wilson Lake - Finland
Experience Solitude on one of the most beautiful lakes around. Acreage with many amenities ready for use & enjoyment. MLS 608329 $246,900
Caribou Lake - Lutsen 38 Sawmill Lane
Commercial 126 Airport Rd Grand Marais Airport
Priceed c redu
sale g in Pend
WOW 4 BD, 2 BA custom built home on Lutsen’s #1 premier lake. Gazebo, dock, fire pit, large family room, open concept one level living. MLS 6074363 $449,900
Commercial hangar, heated, insulated, rental income MLS 2116969 $275,000
Lake Superior - Lutsen 19 Norwood Shores East
3 BD, 3 BA Townhome, open Concept, Fireplace, garage MLS 6078350 $369,000
NORTHERN WILDS
JANUARY 2019
41
Cheers to the New Year! Wishing All a Happy and Healthy 2019!
Call TimberWolff for Your Personal Tour of Homes & Land!!!
Local 663 - 8777 • I n f o @ T i m b e r W o l f f R e a l t y . c o m To l l f r e e ( 8 7 7 ) 6 6 4 - 8 7 7 7 LakeshOr e hOmes On the big Lake Or inLand Lakes! DReamIng on THe noRTH SHoRe! Overlooking blueFin bay on Lake superior, this tofte home has amazing Lake superior views! top notch Construction, with thoughtful design centered around family gatherings and individual spaces. gourmet kitchen which will satisfy the fussiest chef, with kitchen island and breakfast bar. Wall of windows face Lake
superior, really fantastic interior spaces focused on the big Lake. master loft bedroom with nice views. Lower level bedrooms with rec space, your guests will love their own space, with Lake Views too! Large garage with guest space above. gorgeous land, gorgeous home.
SeRenITY noW aT TaIT Lake!
Comfortable family lake cabin in Lutsen, on some sweet swimming shoreline! 3 bedrooms, full bath, and two half baths! awesome screened porch, nice family room open to kitchen, great entertaining space! Oversized for boat storage 2 car detached garage! move in ready with a Civilized sense of seclusion!
mLS#6073605 $345,000
mLS#6076479 $549,000
DeSIgn anD eLeganCe on DeeRYaRD Lake, LuTSen.
Lindal Cedar home, dramatic stone fireplace set amongst posts & beams of douglas Fir. designer kitchen, sunroom, secluded master bedroom and bath with soaker tub. Wood fired oven, timberframe sauna, Woodshop and
a large garage. end of the road 4.48 acres, 175’ of frontage, adjacent public land buffers and beckons. Leave everything behind and just enjoy the good Life on deeryard Lake!
mLS#6028689 $579,000
e L Sa Ing D n e P
neW! LuTSen’S CaSCaDe BeaCH RD auTHenTIC Lake CaBIn! mLS#6079179 $670,000
PeaCe anD SoLITuDe aT a maxImum on LuTSen’S Lake SuPeRIoR!
simple and solid Lake superior Cottage. located on Lutsen’s Cascade beach road, all the folks that don’t like to hear the highway, this is the place for you! no sounds but the waves rolling up the sprawling ledgerock shoreline. a very unique and incredible piece of land and lakeshore, the long tree lined driveway opens up to an expansive view of Lake superior, with the cottage centered in the middle of the nearly 200 ft of shoreline, with 3.4 acres of land! The cottage is all that you need, two bedrooms, a nice large bathroom, living room with fireplace and a walk through galley style kitchen. Well maintained, new roof, new furnace, and a cozy fireplace...it’s a very warm and inviting space ready for you to enjoy!
mLS#6079647 $575,000
CheCk Us OUt On FaCebOOk and Like timberWOLFF r eaLty! 42
JANUARY 2019
NORTHERN WILDS
Call TimberWolff for Your Personal Tour of Homes & Land!!!
Cheers to the New Year! Wishing All a Happy and Healthy 2019!
I n f o @ T i m b e r Wo l f f R e a l t y. c o m RUSTIC CABINS ANd GETAWAYS!
Local 663 - 8777 • To l l f r e e ( 8 7 7 ) 6 6 4 - 8 7 7 7
COMMERCIAL ON ThE NORTh ShORE!
SImPLY moDeRn RuSTIC STYLe!
Lutsen cabin is a mUst see if you enjoy the simple things in Life! two bedrooms, open kitchen/dining spaces, covered porch area and a sauna house! no well nor septic, but there’s an Outhouse! must see to appreciate.
mLS#6076115 $132,000
Come on! aRen’T You a LITTLe TIReD of SLeePIng In a TenT? Very near the public
access to gunflint Lake, these rustic cabins are CUte, with Log sauna (needs a wood stove). don’t worry, we aren’t talking 4 star accomodations, it’s stiLL a Camp near gunflint Lake Up the trail! a must see for the adventurous!!
mLS#6076146 $129,900
SWeeT TofTe LoCaTIon, eSTaBLISHeD BuILD SITe!
Old trailer home that needs vision, or easily removed so that you have a nice cabin site with drilled well, driveway in place.
mLS#6074783 $54,500
RuSTIC LIVIng a HoP SkIP & a JumP fRom gRanD maRIaS! Charming rustic cabin on 10 acres of south facing forest with distant views of Lake superior. bordering public lands, great for hunting or hiking!
mLS#6020031 $85,500
LoW maInTenanCe RenTaL InVeSTmenT oPPoRTunITY! enjoy solid long term rentals, self-sustaining solid local businesses. highway frontage and room to expand Up! support the Local economy and enjoy some passive income, buy now and bring your ideas for expansion!
mLS#6028366 $324,900
foRmeR SITe of THe CRoSS RIVeR Café! Lots of Opportunities, river Frontage and established site.
mLS#6078629 $72,000
MOUNTAIN RESORT hOMES ANd LAKE SUPERIOR VACATION RETREATS BeST of THe HIgHLanDS!
SImPLICITY oVeRLookIng mooSe mounTaIn!
Lutsen mountain ski and summer resort, if you love Lutsen Vacations, then these Condos and townhomes are for you! Use as often as you like and make money when you aren’t here! “hands off or on Ownership” means flexibility for keeping all to yourself for family and friends, or choose a management company that will fit your needs. some are newly renovated exterior and out, some are not. From studios (with huge decks) to 3+ bedrms, see them all to find yOUr right fit!
108 BRIDge Run $89,900 mLS#6027475 124B BRIDge Run $99,900 mLS#6032522 114 BRIDge Run $109,999 mLS#6028015 128 BRIDge Run $111,900 mLS#2120739 120a BRIDge Run $109,000 BIg VaLue! mLS#6074478 670 mooSe mounTaIn ToWnHome! $338,000 TonS of VaLue! mLS#6077716
This Lutsen mountains ski in/Out Condo was renovated from top to bottom, inside & Out! new exterior- windows, slider doors in bedrm and family room, stylish dry-stacked stone fireplace. inCredibLe Cottage style kitchen w/ Quartz Countertops! moose mtn Views from the hUge double sized deck! mLS#6032522 $99,900
aSPenWooD on Lake SuPeRIoR, exPanSIVe VIeWS! Upper level incredible master bedroom en suite, huge Views of Lake superior from bathtub and king bed! Fantastic Layout, stylish Living on Lake superior with little maintenance! gourmet kitchen, dining area, step down to the great room with fireplace and Fantastic Lake views!
mLS#603110 $309,900
unIT 1 aT BLuefIn BaY ReSoRT!
excellent Vacation getaway on the north shore, this 2 bedroom Condo has modern design with vaulted ceilings and tOns of Lake superior views, just a stone’s throw to Lake superior! super rental revenues, excellent amenities!
mLS#6077000 $349,900
CheCk Us OUt On FaCebOOk and Like timberWOLFF r eaLty! NORTHERN WILDS
JANUARY 2019
43
Cheers to the New Year! Wishing All a Happy and Healthy 2019!
think snOW!
Call TimberWolff for Your Personal Tour of Homes & Land!!!
i n fo @ t i m b e r wo l f f r e a l t y. c o m I n f o @ T i m b e r Wo l f f R e a l t y. c o m
Local 663 - 8777 • To l l f r e e ( 8 7 7 ) 6 6 4 - 8 7 7 7
nOrthWOOds hOmes and Cabins, in tOWn Or in the WOOds!
famILY fun In SILVeR BaY!
Large family kitchen will WOW you, three main level bedrooms and bath, and lower level rec room/bath/bunk space allows for plenty of elbow room! 2 car detached on a spectacular hays Circle lot! you’ll LOVe the backyard patio! mLS#6075984 $155,900
BIg VaLue!
WeLCome To THe noRTHWooDS!
Located 20 minutes from Lake superior and the Cross river in schroeder, this Finland home is all about Family Fun! Open kitchen to dining area overlooking a maple Forest, Large family room with fireplace, sun room nook, and great Views! Lower level two bedrooms and a master en suite bath, tons of Family space! includes mint bunkhouse, and barrel sauna. Wowser of a home!
mLS#6079618 $223,000
HanD CRafTeD on THe HoneYmoon TRaIL!
shake off your worries as you pull up to this beauty of a home! Unload and enjoy the Peaceful Oasis this wilderness home offers. bordering superior national Forest and state Forest to Christine Lake in Lutsen. hike the “Portage” to Christine, or trailer the boat to a mULtitUde of excellent fishing lakes within 10 minutes. sounds like it’s in the middle of nO Where, correct? nOt sO! This gem is only 12 miles to downtown Lutsen; with year round access and fiber optic/electric. and when you see the hand Crafted Log home with updated kitchen, remodeled bathrooms and really great design, you’ll fall in love. This home WiLL nOt disaPPOint. year round recreation from your front door, gotta love it. 2 PLUs car garage.
mLS#6078599 $399,900
JuST eaST of gRanD maRaIS, JeffReY Lane Home!
Lots of square footage for the money! solid home, good well and septic, gOrgeOUs piece of land. The home needs a little tLC but has great Living space upstairs with incredible views from the deck!
mLS#6078550 $189,900
neW! TeRRIfIC gRanD maRaIS Home, the big Lake is just a couple blocks away:
you’ll hear it churning in november and all summer long the cool gitche gumee breeze envelopes this home in a light and airy goodness. energy efficient home, off-peak heating. 2 bedrms, plus a bunkroom or office in lower level. 2 baths. big living room upstairs, giant family room downstairs. sprawling deck wraps around the home with a stairway to the lawn, partially fenced for Fido! attached garage. mLS#6079776 $250,000
LuTSen-TofTe aRea Home!
Come take a Look at this tofte home with acreage! Lots to offer, the home is solid and has a nice flow. The kitchen has been upgraded! Large windows allow for lots of light, and accessory buildings are perfect for a workshop and garage! Curious? give us a call to see this gem!
mLS#6022904 $177,500
neW! BIg LIVIng on BIg CeDaR TRaIL aT THe BaSe of LuTSen mounTaInS! Large kitchen to die for: center
HumPHReY CIRCLe Home In gRanD maRaIS!
newer siP energy efficient construction, and fun layout! Wooded land envelopes this 3 bedrm 2 bath home that has some finishing left to do. Light flows throughout the home, bright and sunny!
mLS#6078699 $239,000
island, granite countertops, breakfast bar with stools… where the life of the party is! dining area open to kitchen and living room. Vaulted ceilings cover it all, floors are warm with in floor-heat. The woods and light spill in through so many windows! den/Office, extra sleeping space or to sequester the tV viewing. Owners bedroom is light-filled, spacious, with private entrance to deck, walk-in closet, great master bath! sunroom off the master bath awaits your vision. additional bedrooms accommodate friends and family in style. attached 2-car garage. Walk out to the golf course, jog up to the ski hill! Fabulous location, Fabulous home!
mLS#6079278 $429,000
Call TImBeRWoLff ReaLTY or visit www.timberwolffrealty.com for more information! 44
JANUARY 2019
NORTHERN WILDS
Cheers to the New Year! Wishing All a Happy and Healthy 2019!
Call TimberWolff for Your Personal Tour of Homes & Land!!!
Local 663 - 8777 • To l l f r e e ( 8 7 7 ) 6 6 4 - 8 7 7 7
I n f o @ T i m b e r Wo l f f R e a l t y. c o m
CamPn’, hUntn’, FUn getaWay Land, inVest in yOUr FUtUre! feel with year round access, great build sites!
10 ac site, minutes to Lutsen Mtn’s.
$99,900 mLS#6074084
Wowser Lake Superior views on Overlook Tr!
Whitetail Ridge Overlooking Lake Superior! Just off highway 1, enjoy sprawling Lake and ridgeline views and rugged terrain! yr round access, electric.
Woodland Foothills Build Ready lots, shared Water & Community septic from
Maples with lots of Elbow Room, year round access and nice location between Cross river in schroeder and Finland!
ROCKY WALL outskirts of Silver Bay! huge Lake superior Views, driveway and Campsite in Place! maple Forest, electric, developed build site!
mLS# 6024856 $95,000 ReDuCeD! 30 acres Wilderness, borders lands next to Little manitou river!
mLS#2309327 $129,000
mLS#2070509 Prices from $24,900!!
mLS#2296509 $79,900
mLS#6028422 $53,000 ReDuCeD! BIG TIME VIEWS of Lake superior-tofte, excellent value at Johannes toftey mLS#6029322 $59,900
Ridgetop 5+ ac in Lutsen, Fantastic location, minutes to the ski hill, yr round Living with some Lake superior Views, perfect for 2 story walk out home.
$62,500 mLS#6077523
mLS#2309328+ fRom $39,000
mLS# 603266 $49,900 ReDuCeD!
Heartland of Lutsen, 80 ac at the Foothill on turnagain trail, Fabulous Wilderness build s of ski hill ridge, near downtown Lutsen!
mLS#2312987 $119,000 Over 8 ac of Wilderness on turnagain trail in Lutsen!
High Ridge Maples in Lutsen bordering public land. 44 ac of wild country, short distance to carry in access to deeryard & Ward Lakes. year round, power & fiber close.
mLS#6078431 $99,000 PenDIng neW! 18 Maple Leaf, Hillside
Overlook at LeVeaux Mountain-Tofte! serene Woodsy setting with Lake Views!
mLS#2216560 $45,000
mLS#6076558 $37,000
Beaver Ponds, 40 acres, awesome wild life habitat in shcroeder/Finland area.
Build New in the Heart of Lutsen at Jonvick Creek! hillside builds with some lakeviews!
mLS#6079411 $49,000
neW! Crosswinds in Tofte, Walk to Coho!
LeVeaux Creek runs Through this sweet build site, minutes to Lutsen ski resort! Lake Views!
Gorgeous 5 acre parcels in the heart of Lutsen paved Caribou trail locale bordering UsFs lands! mLS#2174799 From $54,900 - $77,500
neW! 1xx 4th Avenice build site close to schools and hospital. great trees!
30 acres of Prime Wilderness Land with year round access and electric at street with Views of Lutsen’s famed Clara Lake!
build ready in town location, level site.
Lakeshore on Ninemile Lake at the Village, common water and septic, build ready, borderscommon land!
mLS#6029324 $49,000 mLS#6029593 $99,000
Large pkg lots, great Value.
fRom $45,000 mLS#6077966 10 Ac Parcels of Maples! rolling terrain of mature maples to a sweet building site Parcels Over a mixed boreal Forest. year round access and electric at road! mLS#2024250
$49,900 ReDuCeD!
DRAMATIC Mountain Top Views, rolling hills, maple Forests fading in to spruce and Pine and year round access. $70,000 mLS#2090659 39 aCReS! Sawbill Trail Tofte Lake Superior Views, mature spruce forest with driveway and well in place!
mLS#6031876 $65,000 PenDIng New! Wilderness land with canoe access to Tait Lake! 3+ ac a stone’s throw to tait Lake!
mLS#6078839 $42,000
5 ac in the heart of Lutsen, just above TimberWolff! great location for family home or Vaca Cabin!
LeVeaux Mountain, super Views and Wildlife Ponds! Just Up the Sawbill Trail grab your little piece of the northwoods, rolling terrain and small community
2 ac at the Foothills of Eagle Mountain at Turnagain Trail! $29,900 mLS#6077521
mLS#2220050 $69,000
mLS#2240533 $49,000
mLS#6078781 5 aC $40,000
Jonvick Creek Runs Through It! enjoy the sounds of the Creek running by your future build site, Fabulous Lutsen Location just off the Caribou trail! Tait Lake area, Legend Trail parcel bordering UsFs lands with views of Wills and Williams Lake!
LAKE SUPERIOR views, rolling terrain with creek meandering through the land. beautiful setting less than five minutes to grand marais!
Wilderness Lutsen location at tait Lake- backlot with driveway in place! yr round and electric
Gorgeous 42 acres near Pike Lake, yr round access, electric at street and inCredibLe ridgetop views!
mLS#6074179 $55,000
mLS#6028619 $67,500
Lake Superior LandS neW! neaRLY 8 aCReS anD 473 fT of CoBBLe BeaCH SHoReLIne on Lake SuPeRIoR! nice build sites, rugged terrain! grand Portage area.
mLS#6078704 $266,000 gReaT VaLue!
JuST noRTH of SILVeR BaY, PaLISaDe VIeWS of Lake SuPeRIoR! gorgeous Lakeshore, Priced Way below tax assessed Value! gorgeous Views down the Coastline and Well buffered from hwy.
mLS#2313255 $198,000 ReDuCeD!
SCHRoeDeR, JuST oVeR an HouR fRom DuLuTH! home site just 40 ft from the big Lake, level easy access, well buffered from hwy!
mLS#6032752 $250,000
mLS#6029115 $33,000
$189,900 mLS#6033095
CHRISTIne Lake 10 aC bordering superior national Forest, yr round access, electric/broadband avail. hill top build site overlooking mature white pine, cedar lined shoreline on Christine. serenity now!
mLS#6023288 $99,900
mLS#6032772 $499,900
mLS#2308906 $299,000
mLS#6073655 $109,900 PenDIng
CLaRa Lake In LuTSen! Wilderness Lakeshore site with cleared build site, driveway in place. electric at road, 200 ft Prime shoreline.
rolling terrain, level shoreline, and nearly 600 ft of it! enjoy your own paradise on Lake superior!
gently sloping hillside buffers the build site from highway noise. Lovely setting with easy access to the ledge rock shoreline. minute’s to the Lutsen mountains ski & summer resort! Perfect for your Lake superior getaway home!
mLS#6029849 $65,000
inLand Lake LandS
LaRge Lake SuPeRIoR PaRCeL, JuST an HouR fRom DuLuTH!
JuST ImagIne, a moDeRn neW ConSTRuCTIon BungaLoW on LuTSen’S CaSCaDe BeaCH RD!
mLS#6079772 $75,000 neW! 5xx 4th Ave-
mLS#6079773 $60,000 neW! Cty 44 and Pike Lk Road! 10 acres of high level ground, easy build site at a great price! $45,000 mLS#6076094
mLS#2080599 $137,500
mLS#6077951 $39,000
Caribou Hillside in Lutsen! maple hillside above Ward Lake and Caribou Lake, FabULOUs location for summer and winter fun! must see land!
mLS#6030129 $99,900
build site with lake views!
PIke Lake LuTSen SIDe!
Premium shoreline, nice and rocky! south facing build site, boreal forest. Lot 6 Willard Lane, must see! mLS#6031145 $190,000
fISHeRman’S DReam geTaWaY, WaLTeR IS WaITIng! end of the bay bordering UsFs lands and some super
shoreline! Call today for details!
mLS# 6027279 $219,000
ReDuCeD! neW! WILLaRD Lane PIke Lake VIeW LanD WITH Lake aCCeSS!
rugged elevation, great build site. shared 20 ft access to Pike Lake for
$75,000 mLS#6078799 neW! WHITe PIne Lake In LuTSen
RuSTIC geTaWaY LakeSHoRe, build ready with drilled well, new septic system, garage and Fabulous ISaBeLLa aRea. mature pines, end of the road location on swallow Lakeshore bordering Federal land, stroll to the tait river for moose Lake! mLS#2300576 $64,900
Viewing! mLS#6079880 $229,000
LuTSen LakeSHoRe on DeeRYaRD!
neW! PeaCe anD WHITe PIneS aT TaIT Lake!
year round access, elec/broadband. maple hillside, rocky prime shoreline! gorgeous piece of lakeshore, mature White Pines, driveway from days gone by leads to sweet build site area. must see on tait Lake in Lutsen!
mLS#6074179 $185,000 ReDuCeD! Owner is licensed REALTOR
mLS#6079968 $219,000
Visit Us at WWW.timberWOLFFr eaLty.COm FOr PiCtUr e sLideshOW! NORTHERN WILDS
JANUARY 2019
45
Grand Marais Area
Lutsen/Tofte Townhomes and Condo’s
Lutsen Real Estate Group Office 218-663-7971
lutsenrealestategroup.com
Meet Our Awesome Agents!
Coveted Cobblestone Cove Villa on Grand Marais Harbor. The most
coveted location on the entire North shore. This beautiful two bedroom townhome front faces the Grand Marais Harbor with the Sawtooth Mountain ridgeline and north coast of Lake Superior serving as the backdrop. Walking distant to an eclectic selection of foodie restaurants and cool art scene with so much more. Call today for your private showing. MLS 6080023 $375,000
PRICEED C REDU
a North Shore getaway. Use it when you like, and rent it at other times to offset your costs of ownership. Upper level end unit with panoramic views of Lake Superior. Open concept main level includes living, dining & kitchen along with private deck. Distressed hdwd floors, rainfall showerhead, glass bowl sink, fireplace & sleek Scandinavian décor make this a stunning place to hang out. Added windows for both south and west exposures. Chateau comes with many amenities, including pool, whirlpool, sauna and their spectacular deck for those big sky views. Tofte is close to all the action on the shore, such as the ski hill, hiking trails & golf, plus great restaurants and cool music. MLS 6079941 $123,000
Jack McHugh 218-370-2602
Sandy McHugh 218-370-7841
Just West of Grand Marais.
Nicely appointed and extremely well maintained beautiful 3 bedroom home just west of Grand Marais. Home includes a two stall garage with adjacent office, workshop, wine room and more. Many wonderful upgrades made to home in 2010. Nice clean yard and garden areas. Move in ready. All you need is the key. Call our office today to schedule your private showing. MLS 6029508 $329,900
Mike Larson 218-370-1536
Frank Lehto 218-387-4955
44 Caspers Hill Rd. Peaceful country home w/ 3 bdrms, 3 baths & 3 gorgeous stone fireplaces. Eat-in kitchen has a wood-burning fireplace to warm those winter nights. Huge master bedroom with a stone fireplace and whirlpool tub. Upper level includes loft family room, office and large bedroom with dormers. Walkout LL has Fam room & bathroom. Exterior includes cedar-shingled roof, deck, detached dbl garage w/loft bunk rm, circle driveway & 5 acres. Located on a county-maintained road with close proximity to Grand Marais for work or leisure activities. MLS 6078471 $269,900
Bruce Kerfoot 218-388-2294
Stunning End Unit at Chateau. Chateau LeVeaux is the ideal choice for
Steve Surbaugh 218-663-7971
PRICEED C REDU
Kelly’s Hill.
Very nice and well-kept 2 bedroom 2 bath home on nearly five acres just east of Grand Marais. Private trails cut on land with the Superior Hiking trail nearby. Yard and large garden areas surrounded by mature forest and some wonderful large White Pine trees. Beautiful sunrise and sunsets with Lake Superior views from the second level master bedroom and deck. MLS 6077096 $219,900
Lutsen Heritage Townhome with Superior Views Panoramic views of Lake Superior & Lutsen Mountains can be enjoyed from nearly every room. High end finishes, including maple woodwork, stainless appliances, granite counters, Mission-style raised panel doors, and two gas fireplaces with drystacked stone. Maintenance-free living and part of a distinctive neighborhood. Main floor bedroom allows one-level living. Has successfully been offered as a vacation rental, helping to offset the cost of ownership. For the right price, furnishings included with sale, allowing turn-key use and/or rental. Proximity to many activities & venues, including Lutsen Ski Hill, North Shore Winery, Superior Hiking Trail, restaurants and shops. Call today! MLS 6077102 $315,000 104 C Bridge Run Ln. Nicely remodeled Nordic whirlpool studio condo at Caribou Highlands ski-in ski-out resort in Lutsen. With many amenities at the resort as well as hiking and biking trails on the ski hill, you won’t have a lack of options during the day. Enjoy relaxing on the new deck overlooking Moose Mountain, with distant views of Lake Superior. With new siding, roof and deck all part of the updates in the past few years this Nordic studio is not one to overlook! MLS 6077413 $69,000 562 Poplar River Road
562 Poplar River Road – MLS 6075178 $379,000 582 Poplar River Road – MLS 6078045 $339,000 Experience North Shore resort living at its finest. This luxurious 3 bedroom, 3 bath, 3 fireplace Poplar River condominium is part of the historic Lutsen Resort on Lake Superior. Excellent track record of rental income due to high demand for units like this with amazing views. Enjoy all of the comforts and amenities of the resort including fine dining, swimming pool, and daily resort activities. Walk the trails to enjoy an evening bonfire on the beach, or just enjoy the beautiful scenery along the Poplar River. Just minutes from Superior National Golf course and Lutsen Mountains ski hill.
EARN MONEY WHEN YOU ARE AWAY BY PLACING YOUR HOME IN OUR VACATION RENTAL PROGRAM. Give Andrew a call at 218-663-7971 When you visit our website www.lutsenrealestategroup.com you will find additional information on all properties in the area accompanied by multiple photographs for a more comprehensive overview of properties you may be interested in. 46
JANUARY 2019
NORTHERN WILDS
Lutsen Real Estate Group
Using a fundamental business approach for all your real estate needs Office 218-663-7971
lutsenrealestategroup.com
WE HAVE SOMETHING FOR EVERYONE Gunflint Trail Area Lakeshore lot on Poplar Lake with a new 2
stall garage, electric, driveway, nicely wooded, great views to the north and west, 200’ lake frontage, 1.8 acres, on a private road with year around access. MLS 6074074 $158,000
Lake Superior Vacant Parcels and Homes
1 Bedroom log cabin on Gunflint Lake,
306’ of lake frontage, 5.3 acres, approved septic permit, electricity, 3 Season, $229,000
Other Vacant Land Parcels
ue – Great Val ffer! make an o
D
SOL
Lund Road off Honeymoon Trail.
Looking for a peaceful spot close to some lakes? This 5+ acres is tucked 15 min from downtown Lutsen, close to Christine Lake, White Pine Lake and Tait River, a great location for exploring the lakes and woods while still being close to the ski hill. A great quality on this land is gravel! Since the gravel is already on the property it can be used for the driveway, site prep and other. No hauling required! MLS 6075805 $45,900
xxx 342 Rd Finland.
Large parcel covered in Maples, Birch, and other mixed forest. Can be sold as parcels. No gravel mining for 10 years from date of purchase. 160 acres MLS 1968744 Price $299,000
Murmur Creek Near Pike Lake.
Have you ever wanted your very own 20 acres in a remote, peaceful place with a diverse forest and absolute privacy? Look no further than this sweet spot. Beautiful parcel with building and septic sites located. Call for specific directions for finding this pristine and secluded forested property. MLS 6076404 $35,000
Mountain Ash Lane. Cedar covered hillside overlooking Lake Superior in Lutsen. Roads and survey completed for small subdivision. Perfect opportunity to own large acreage in Lutsen overlooking Lake Superior or develop a small subdivision. Final plat not recorded. 30.89 acres. MLS 1600605 Price $649,000
Tait Lake, Lutsen. Recent sales of undeveloped lakeshore lots show prices exceeding $200,000. Lots 16 and 17 have the benefit of Tait Lake access without lakeshore prices. Tucked hillside overlooking Tait Lake on Caps Trail, Lot 16 offers 2.8 acres with convenient and deeded access to the association’s private dock. Lot 17 provides the same with 3.3 acres. Beautiful, wild and unspoiled and simply outstanding values.
Lake A cce Lakesh ss without ore pri ces!
Lot 16 MLS 2143246 $49,499
NOW $39,999
Lot 17 MLS 6032097 $54,499
NOW $49,499 PRICES REDUCED! GREAT VALUES!
Superior National Golf Course Homesites Few Golf Courses
have been built on land as spectacular as Superior National. And more recently the golf course just completed its nearly $4.5 million course improvement project on the River and Canyon Nines. The homesites listed below are tucked within the Cedar Forest along River 6 fairway and River 6 green. With water, sewer, power and broadband available, combined the sounds of the Poplar River just across the fairway and so much more beauty, the value offered simply is unbelievable. Act now, the golf course will launch its new marketing campaign in 2018 announcing the grand-re-opening – with that, lot prices will likely increase next year. Lot 4 Block 2. This lot sits adjacent to #4 fairway on River 9 at Superior National Golf Course. Very nice build site with easy access from Ski Hill Road. Water, Sewer, power and broadband available curbside. This is an excellent value. $59,900
Stonegate in Hovland.
Looking to build on beautiful Lake Superior? Check out this lot and all it has to offer. With septic already installed, electric to build site, driveway and cleared build-site, and an accessible cobblestone shoreline, this lot is ready for a home! The build-site is complemented with additional and nicely forested property and a very cool creek to hang out by. A great spot to build a guest home or studio. With both Lake Superior and a creek, this lot is simply waiting for the perfect home and homeowner. And a great bonus – the property is 5.4 acres with 200’ of shoreline. In addition, the property is located on the quiet road of Stonegate – distanced from Hwy 61.
MLS 6076045 $249,000
CE
PRI NEW
Rosebush Lane near Grand Marais.
Thinking of building your Lake Superior dream home and want to be close to all that Grand Marais has to offer? Look no further! West Rosebush Lane extends onto a point giving you seclusion and buffer from highway noise that you want and is so close to Grand Marais you might want to walk to town! Add to the convenient location the amazing panoramic views of the big lake with sunrise and sunset viewing. Watch 4th of July fireworks lighting the sky over Artist’s Point from your sprawling ledgerock beach! Not many lots left like this one. Electric and broadband available at the edge of the property.
MLS 6074324 $325,000 9480 Hwy 61
Unique 4 bedroom, 2 bath Dome home on Lake Superior near Schroeder. Outstanding lake views with useable and accessible shoreline allowing for kayak and other access on calm days. Bonus two-car garage near main home entry and an additional detached deck near the lake for any kind of occasion.
MLS 6076429
CE
PRI NEW
$449,999
Gorgeous Chateau LeVeaux Condo
Quality finishes along with tasteful new furnishings make this an ideal choice for anyone’s North Shore getaway. Open concept layout, with a high-end look and those ever-changing moods of Lake Superior. Walk-out to a private patio to watch the sunrise. Or take in the morning views of the big lake tucked into your cozy bed. Plus a wood-burning fireplace for those chilly nights. Chateau LeVeaux comes with many amenities, including pool, whirlpool, sauna, and their spectacular common deck for those big sky views. Tofte is close to all the action on the shore, including the ski hill, hiking trails, golf, and great restaurants & cool music. This one is not to be missed! Showing appointments being taken now. MLS 6078779 $76,000
Jonvick Creek Sites in Lutsen Winding through the Sawtooth Mountain highlands, the private
road takes you through a mature maple forest: you have found your new homesite nestled in the hills, overlooking a trout stream with views of Lake Superior. Build the home of your dreams in the woodland paradise, only minutes from everything Lutsen has to offer; connect with a network of groomed cross-country ski trails, or set off on a snowmobile adventure on the adjacent trail system. Deer, fox, lynx and maybe the occasional moose will be your neighbors visiting your backyard. Several lots to choose from, ready for you to plan your Lutsen getaway home. Our featured Jonvick Creek lot is Lot 41–beautiful red maples on a rolling and wooded 2.65 acre lot. This parcel includes pond frontage and possible seasonal Lake Superior views. MLS 1599050 $54,900
EARN MONEY WHEN YOU ARE AWAY BY PLACING YOUR HOME IN OUR VACATION RENTAL PROGRAM. Give Andrew a call at 218-663-7971 NORTHERN WILDS
JANUARY 2019
47
Talk to Terry! Terry R. Backlund Broker/Owner
Lori A. Backlund Real Estate Agent
Phone: 218-387-1501 Cell: 218-370-8977 Terry@BacklundRealty.com 635 cty. Rd. 6 GRand MaRais, Mn
New Listing
69 BiRcH dRivE GRand MaRais, Mn
Sold
2+ Bedroom 2 Bath 1176 sq.ft.home on 5 acres MLS# 6079593 Price: $179,000
list your property here For results! 319 2nd avE w. GRand MaRais, Mn
Sold Classic 4 Bedroom 2 Bath with large porch. Additional 440 sq. ft. cabin MLS# TBD Price: $362,000
1620 E Hwy 61 GRand MaRais, Mn
Priceed c u d e R
1170 Sq. Ft. on 4.75 Acres MLS# 6078632 Price: $154,900
4 Bedroom 5 Bath 2 Car Garage Huge home at 3900 sq. ft. MLS# 6077992 Price: $318,750
East PinE Mtn. Rd. GRand MaRais
10 OnGstad Rd. HOvland
6.7 acre parcel. Close to GM MLS# 6074988 Price: $39,500
338 ft. of Lake Superior on 14.53 acres. 1 Bedroom Cabin, Garage, Dock MLS# 6029532 Price: $319,000
list your property here For results!
207 E dEERyaRd Rd GRand MaRais, Mn
Priceed c u d e R
864 sq. ft. home 2 Car Garage 7.26 Acres MLS# 6078073 Price: $169,900
list your property here For results!
4038 cascadE BEacH Rd. lutsEn, Mn
Sold 2 Bed 1 Bath 780 sq. ft. cabin 3 Car Garage with 1277 sq. ft. loft 3.93 acres on 248 ft of Lake Superior shoreline. MLS# TBD Price: $780,000
Phone: 218-387-1501 Cell: 218-370-8977 Terry@BacklundRealty.com 48
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www.CBNorthShore.com NORTH SHORE
Serving Cook County since 1971
(218) 387-2131 (800) 732-2131
101 West Hwy. 61 Grand Marais, MN 55604 info@cbnorthshore.com
On Lake Superior
68 Trailsyde
Extremely rare opportunity to purchase over 1000’of beautifully rugged and secluded Hovland Lake Superior shoreline with over 30 acres of land to ensure ample exclusivity and privacy. Property is amazing and includes an unfinished concrete mansion structure plus a guest cabin. Whether you subdivide or keep it as an exclusive retreat, you won’t find another property like this one!
MLS 6026201 - $995,000
16 Beargrease Crossing
Spectacular 4BR, 3BA Lake Superior home on a private 5.26 lot that includes a waterfall, 276 ft. of ledgerock, gravel beach shoreline and minutes from Grand Marais. Gourmet kitchen with huge island, stainless steel appliances & a lovely farm kitchen sink; floor to ceiling fireplace; walk out guest suite; south facing windows for views & sunlight. Includes a large heated garage with a studio.
MLS 6077977 - $770,000
D L SO 22 E Rosebush Lane
Marvel at the views of Artist Point from this stunning 4 bedroom, 4 bath premier home located west of Grand Marais. Must see to appreciate the custom tile work, built-ins, floor to ceiling windows, cobblestone fireplace, decks and expansive gourmet kitchen & much more. Home is complete with AC, back-up generator & oversized garage. Private 2.96 acre lot with 243’ of gravel shoreline.
MLS 6075855 - $890,000
Lake Superior Lots Schroeder Lots
Fabulous views of both Artist Point and the Sawtooth Mountains! Stunning Lake Superior lot with 1.24A, 200’ ledgerock shoreline embedded with Thomsonite Stones, making this piece of Lake Superior Shoreline truly unique.
MLS 6076120 $239,900
Lovely Lake Superior lot, located on the scenic Chicago Bay Road. Nicely wooded, private, and well insulated from Highway 61, this lot offers an escape with no inconvenience.
MLS 6030329 $189,900 and 6030330 $194,900
MLS 6074208 $499,900
8650 W Hwy 61
Talk about your Lake Superior value!!!!! This 2 acre Schroeder lot has plenty of privacy, year round creek AND an incredibly beautiful Lake Superior ledgerock beach with a private inlet to launch your kayaks. Large, roomy 3 bedroom, 2 bath manufactured home.
MLS 6078585 - $269,900
condos East Bay Suites
8 N.Broadway
Prime commercial property has immediate income. Two upper level apartments with space for more, plus storefront, and grounds rental. For Grand Marais the location could hardly be better for tourism and traffic potential.
MLS 6078583 $299,900 and 6078584 $339,900
Stonegate Rd, Hovland
Quality built, well designed 3 BR, 2 BA Lake Superior home complete with a floor to ceiling cobblestone fireplace; fantastic kitchen with plenty of storage; vaulted ceilings; updated bathrooms and a sunny 4 season porch.
Commercial
Massively expansive ledge rock shoreline make these two lots some of the most amazing shoreline you will see on the North Shore. Lots are 2+ acres and 200 ft wide with significantly more meandering shoreline.
2888 W Hwy 61, Grand Marais
4794 Chicago Bay, Hovland
MLS 6029037 $437,900
Check out these condos
located in the heart of Grand Marais on the shores of Lake Superior. Great property if you are wanting a 2nd home or an investment property.
UNIT 202 MLS 6074935 $319,900 2 BR, 2 BA
Bluefin Bay Tofte
1st Ave West
Great opportunity in the downtown business district! This building is located on 1st Avenue West close to the harbor, Wisconsin Street, and Highway 61. Busy retail area year round--heavy foot traffic all summer long! A cafe, jewelry store, and t-shirt shop have all prospered at this location--what is your dream business?
MLS 6078520 Unit 26, 1BR, 1BA $259,900 MLS 6074681 Unit 32, 1 BR, 1BA $275,000 MLS 6078275 Unit 18, 2 BR, 2 BA $340,000
MLS 6075583 $224,900
NORTHERN WILDS
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Homes
&
Cabins
G N I D N PE
D L SO
16 Cliff Cove Spacious 4BR, 2BA home with lots of woodwork and old world charm, on a landscaped 4.64A lot in Schroeder. Enjoy the open floor plan, with a wood burning fireplace, and the 3 season sunporch, perfect for sunsets. MLS 6077691 - $229,900
54 Morgan Rd Special one room getaway in the woods on 40A of mature trees, abuts Cascade State Park and Federal land! Beautiful Lake Superior Views. Garage and bonus space is quite functional as it is, or remodel as you desire. MLS 6073759 - $239,900
210 Bloomquist Mtn Rd This 2BR, 2BA year-round home has all the modern amenities together with an open floor plan that is perfect for entertaining. Detached garage, ready for your toys all on 6+ acres of fields and amazing views of Lake Superior. MLS 6032433 - $176,000
68 Springdale Rd, Tofte Sweet 1+ bedroom home that has been lovingly updated with many new features to include wood floors and an updated kitchen. Attractive neighborhood with a nice lot, featuring a stream. Motivated Seller! MLS 6079139 - $133,900
418 4th Ave W Spacious 4 BR home on a large corner lot with a 5-stall garage & 24x24 workshop. Features vaulted ceilings, open floor plan, huge windows surrounding the gas fireplace and an updated kitchen. MLS 6075590 - $375,000
319 E 2nd Ave Three rental units for the price of a single home, or the lower units can be combined leaving a family home with a studio apartment overhead. Or restore home into a two story single family home. MLS 6027869 - $168,000
NEW
117 W 6th Ave Classic 3+BR, 3BA home in a quiet neighborhood, but a short walk from the lake and downtown. Wonderful natural light, hardwood floors, a stone fireplace, updated kitchen, & finished lower level. MLS 6079902 - $319,000
NEW 11 Wildflower Lane, Lutsen Beautiful 4 BR, 4 BA home with lots of special touches - gourmet designed kitchen, hickory floors, fireplace, eagle nest style loft, custom tilework and a separate w/o apartment, Lake Superior Views, Large Deck all on 6+ acres in Lutsen. MLS TBD - $489,900
Inland
Lake
2877 E Hwy 61 Eleven acres with outstanding views of Lake Superior. Bordered on the north by hundreds of acres of Federal land. You will love this charming, cozy timber-frame sauna/cabin. MLS 6078377 - $99,900
NEW 413 3rd Ave E. Affordable Grand Marais living that is located on a very quiet street. Cute 3BR, 1BA home will remind you of a cabin in the woods with the spacious .29A heavily wooded lot. MLS 6079884 - $214,900
NEW 234 W 10th Ave W Lovely traditional 4 BR, 3 BA home with floor to ceiling FP, dining nook overlooking the creek, open floor plan, spacious kitchen, w/o lower level and det’d 2 car garage. This is a totally move-in-ready masterpiece. MLS 6079966 - $389,900
Homes
D L SO
D L SO 113 Winter Wren One room cabin is situated on 1.5A with 263’ of shoreline on West Twin Lake. Wonderful views of the surrounding hills and bluffs and the user-friendly lake-shore makes it easy to launch your canoe or kayak. MLS 6075942 - $125,000
NORTH SHORE 50
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NORTHERN WILDS
REDUCED Birch Lake 42 Soderberg Lane SERIOUSLY! Check out one of the only grandfathered-in Boat Houses in Cook County. This lot features 412 ft of shoreline with 3+ acres; plus there is add’l acreage available. Property includes an older rustic cabin, is fully surveyed, year round access. $199,900 - MLS TBD
101 West Hwy . 61 Grand Marais, MN 55604 info@cbnorthshore.com
Greenwood Lake Private cabin on the coveted Greenwood Lake! Very private lot with 4.59A, 366’ shoreline , private bay, very accessible waterfront, dock, sandy swimming area, walking trails, mature trees and year round access. MLS 6078729 - $179,900
(218) 387-2131
•
(800) 732-2131
www.CBNorthShore.com
e with re. Priced
Land
Large
14x Bloomquist Mtn Rd Ten acres of mature trees including huge White Pines! Sloping lot with lots of southern exposure for sunshine all year long. MLS 6075850 - $59,900
Whispering Pine Private lot at the end of Wes Hedstrom Trail, just high enough for a view of Leo Lake. Convenient location mid-Gunflint Trail. MLS 6077021 - $45,000
County Road 7 Check out this property with 2.27 acres within city limits. Build your home or consider doing a subdivision. MLS 6075749 - $55,000
19XX Camp 20 Road Affordably priced 20 acre parcel with privacy, situated near Federal land to the north. Seasonal access off of of the Camp 15 Loop Rd in Hovland. MLS 6076349 - $24,900
North Rd – Hovland Affordably price 20 acre lot that is perfect for a private, year round retreat. Power, phone and broadband available at the road. MLS 6024552 - $39,900
West Hwy 61 – Grand Marais Attractive & affordable building site with 3+ acres & easy access right off of Hwy 61. Minutes from town and connects to the Superior Hiking Trail. MLS 6078588 - $44,000
XX Boulder Point Rd Attractive YR building site with 3.22 A; private driveway; seasonal creek and gentle southern slope with some partial views of Lake Superior. MLS 6078705 - $59,900
Railroad Drive – Lutsen Sweet 1.7 A building site located in the heart of Lutsen. Gently rolling topography, mature trees – easy building site and near many recreational opportunities. MLS 6023743 - $39,900 23XX Co Rd 7 Cabin or future home site? Beautiful lot with 6.83 acres, abundant with trails, flowing creek and abutting State land! Includes a camper with a nice deck & outhouse. MLS 6079966 - $57,500
County Road 67 – Grand Marais Breathtaking views of Lake Superior from this 2.24 A lot. Year round access, surveyed, private driveway and directly abuts State land to the east. MLS 6029973 - $39,900 10 Murphy Mtn Rd – Grand Marais Dream about your future home while relaxing in the screened in porch. Lake Superior views, 5+ acres of rolling topography, driveway & utilities in place. MLS 6073521 - $49,900
Inland
Lake
3143 East Highway 61 Attractive 1.84 acre, year round lot with a south facing elevation, perfect for a walk out. Additional land available and owner will carry a CD. MLS 6079521 - $39,900 313X East Highway 61 Fantastic lot with 20.89 acres, that could be subdivided. Features a pond, great views & healthy trees. Owner will carry a CD. MLS 6079768 - $159,900 310X East Highway 61 Nice lot east of town with 5.56 Acres; excellent topography lines. Lake Superior Access across the road. Owner will Carry a CD. $59,900
1643 Caribou Trail Location, location, location! 40 A, surrounded by Federal land, yet features year-round access, electricity, broadband and phone for a truly convenient home site. Rare acreage with frontage on The Caribou Trail! Potential to subdivide and a motivated seller!! MLS 6079699 - $129,900
Lots
Squint Lake Mid-Gunflint Trail lot with 2.13A & 221’ shoreline. Gently rolling topography, old white pine trees & abuts USFS! YR access, elec & broadband. MLS 6028920 - $75,000 Tom Lake Enjoy stunning sunsets and views of the Palisades! Year round access, 171’ shoreline, driveway and a cleared building site plus a stairs to the lake for easy access. MLS 6076516 - $49,900
Tom Lake One of the nicest lots on Tom Lake w/300’ of shoreline Poplar Lake in a private bay with spectacular views of the Palisades Convenient mid-Gunflint Trail 2.75 acre building site and your own private peninsula. Year round access, featuring deeded lakeshore access. Building site cleared, driveway and cleared building site. driveway in, utilities available. MLS 6076298 - $97,900 MLS 2158160 - $52,500 Birch Lake Reduced Onagon Lake Appealing 4.15 A lot with private driveway and Amazing building spots with views overlooking both cleared building site. Over 300’ of shoreline on this Onagon and Cupid Lake. 5 A and over 1000’ of fabulous lot in the heart of the Gunflint Trail. Can be shoreline between both lakes. subdivided. MLS 6078278 - $99,900 MLS TBD - $179,900 Greenwood Lake Attractively priced lakeshore lot with 4.2A and 300’ rocky shoreline. Coveted trout lake, year round access – perfect for cabin or home site. MLS 6073512 - $139,900
Chester Lake Imagine being the private owner on this lake? Property consists of 40A surrounded by USFS & 300’ frontage! Rough cabin sold “as is”. MLS 6079842 $149,900
NORTH SHORE
160 Acres Gunflint Trail Remote, yet not far away from many mid-Gunflint Trail resorts. Incredibly unique chunk of land surrounded by USFS & abutting the BWCA for the ultimate northwoods getaway. Extremely close to Iron Lake. Access is a little rough! MLS 6074802 - $139,900
110 Acres 180X W Gauthier Rd 110 acres of privately owned acreage directly abutting Judge Magney State Park, with distant Lake Superior views. Direct access to the Superior Hiking Trail, with plenty of wildlife to observe! MLS 6079702 - $110,000
170 Acres Camp 20 Rd Heavily forested land that has been replanted with pine trees. Rolling topography, many building sites and hiking trails. Features a gravel pit on the northwest corner and a small wildlife pond to the south. State land to the south & east. MLS 6074422 - $149,900
Lot 7 LeVeaux Ridge Beautiful and affordable lot, with electricity, phone and broadband on site, abuts to State land for added privacy! Close proximity to many recreation options! MLS 6077826 - $29,900
Poplar Lake Private lot with over 2 acres & 250’ of rocky shoreline on Fireplace Road. Great open lake views and a Southeastern exposure provides a perfect building site. MLS 6077828 - $139,900
Wilson Lake HUGE savings with this oversized lot with 4 plus acres & over 335’ of shoreline. Many improvements in place – a driveway; site prep work - partially completed; a septic system and a well!!! Grab your floorplans and start dreaming! MLS 6075594 $168,000
Acreage
Moose Valley Land Imagine owning 700 acres of contiguous land that abuts State Land & is 2 ½ miles in length? Multiple road access points from Highway 61 to Moose Valley Road to Whippoorwill Road. Property is abundant with wildlife; natural ponds; spectacular Lake Superior views; driveways and trails! Whether you keep this as one parcel or subdivide, the options are endless. Priced to sell and Owner will Carry a CD. MLS 6079583 $399,900
Lake
Moosehorn Lake AMAZING 220 acre parcel, totally surrounded by Government Land. This includes the only private ownership on Moosehorn Lake, which is known for Trout Fishing. There is a private driveway off of the Arrowhead. Stunning views overlooking Stevens Lake; rolling topography; lots of privacy & wildlife; and relatively close to year round access. Priced to sell and Owner will Carry a CD. MLS 6079579 $269,900
Superior
View
Raven Feather Road
Seriously amazing Lake Superior views, including Alligator Island from the rock outcroppings on this stunning lot. Property consists of 6.65 acres, end of the road location AND abuts Federal land to the west. Close to town & all amenities
MLS 6075126 $119,900
County Road 67
Check out the Lake Superior views from these properties! 2 .7 - 3.48 acres with all utilities readily available - electric, broadband & telephone. DNR owned Lake Superior shoreline across the road so you can have the enjoyment of the lake without the cost.
MLS 6029971 $69,900 MLS 6029972 $82,000
Birch Drive
Dream big or dream small--most likely it will involve huge windows facing South! Bordering Cascade State Park, this lot is ready for outdoor activities. Features a partial driveway, 4.9 acres & year round access.
MLS 6075803 $79,900
101 West Hwy . 61 (218) Grand Marais, MN 55604 info@cbnorthshore.com
387-2131
County Road 60
Gunflint Trail
MLS 6073592 $99,900
MLS 6033168 $87,500
Secluded 20 acres located on a County Road with all amenities to include electricity & broadband and is a short drive to town. Lot has excellent views of Lake Superior, abuts State land to the north, close to hiking trails, cross-country ski areas.
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Year round 6.46A on county maintained road with amazing views of the lake. The cleared path up the property will help you visualize your future home on the North Shore! Also in close proximity to down town, hiking, biking & skiing trails!
(800) 732-2131
www.CBNorthShore.com NORTHERN WILDS
JANUARY 2019
51
REALTORS®: Mike Raymond, Broker • Gail J. Englund, GRI • Linda Garrity, Realtor Cathy Hahn, ABR/GRI • Larry Dean, Realtor • Bruce Block, Realtor • Jake Patten, Realtor
Red Pine Realty • (800) 387-9599 (218) 387-9599 • Fax (218) 387-9598 • info@RedPineRealty.com PO Box 938, 14 S. Broadway, Grand Marais, MN 55604
LAKE SUPERIOR PROPERTIES PANORAMIC LAKE SUPERIOR. Gorgeous 10 acres with panoramic views on Lake Superior. 545 feet of beautiful sand/gravel beach with a stream running through the property. Located only 1.5 miles from Gooseberry State Park. Septic hook up is at the road. MLS# 6031490 $399,000 NEW! LAKE SUPERIOR – OLD FISHERMAN’S CABIN. Tucked in the corner of beautiful Big Bay on the shores of Lake Superior lies the old fishing cabin and remains of an old pier and boat from a bygone era. This lot has great lake views, and looking east to the ridges running up the coast. The cabin could be renovated and is situated right along the shore. There are nice home sites with access to power and Broadband. The woods is deep and enchanting with large spruce and moss covered boulders. End of the road privacy. This is a unique spot for your home or cabin, and maybe a great place to launch your own fishing adventures. MLS# 6079826 $255,000 LAKE SUPERIOR, BIG BAY, BIG VIEWS. Dense spruce forest, moss covered boulders and privacy make this a classic Lake Superior lot. 200' shoreline with partial driveway in place, shared road maintenance, power and Broadband. Easy access from Hwy 61, yet private and secluded feeling. MLS# 6075213 $189,900 NEW! BIG BAY LOT. Lake Superior lot with views, deep spruce forest, adjoining state land and outstanding sunrises and sunsets with the east view of the lake. The forest is enchanting with huge mosscovered boulders. Build your home or North Shore cabin here and enjoy the feeling of seclusion with all the charm and peacefulness of the Hovland area on the east end of Cook County. MLS# 6079835 $179,900
INLAND WATER PROPERTIES
6075756 $749,900 REMODELED DEVIL TRACK HOME. Like new! 2 bdrm, 2 bath home with all new interior. Many nice features and upgrades including tile and hardwood floors, Marvin windows, wood siding, deck, fixtures, appliances, and more. Two levels, 2 kitchens, incredible lake views! MLS# 6078755 $375,000
HERMITAGE OR HERITAGE – LARGE INLAND LAKE RETREAT. Charming 4-season, 2 bdrm home on 46+ acres with over 1600’ beautiful frontage on Two Island Lake. Privacy assured with US Forest surrounding you. Development potential. Located just 20 minutes from Grand Marais.MLS#
INLAND WATER PROPERTIES PRIVATE LAKESHORE – WILDERNESS LAKE. Eggers Lake is surrounded by the Superior National Forest and has only one private land owner on its shore. This 160 acre island of private property sits within the scenic and rugged Misquah Hills with remote privacy plus a large wildlife pond. MLS# 6076498 $349,900 QUALITY GARAGE ON WILSON LAKE. The perfect place for your north woods dream. The Timberland garage is well built and provides an excellent cabin while you build your dream home on a great walleye lake. Knotty pine, wood burning stove, outhouse, and dock with 313' shoreline. Year round access. MLS# 6078042 $239,900 DEVIL TRACK LAKE – REMOTE CABIN. Quality 2 bdrm cabin featuring lrg windows, cathedral ceiling in the great room, loft, and beautiful kitchen. New well, compliant outhouse. Unique, secluded location with 150 ft frontage in a sheltered bay. 4.78 acres adjoins remote public lands. MLS# 6078684 $225,000 WILDERNESS SETTING - TUCKER LAKE. A perfect place for your cabin or home with unspoiled views and lots of Gunflint Trail privacy. 3.68 acres and 554’ shoreline. Tucker Lake is a protected lake with added setbacks to protect the lake and views. Direct BWCAW access. MLS# 2309237 $199,000 PRICE REDUCED! WILSON LAKE WILDERNESS - FINLAND. True Solitude! Over 5 acres and 355' shoreline with great build sites near the lake or tucked around the bluff for gorgeous views. Appreciate the stunning sunrises and paddle the bays in a canoe or kayak. Wilson Lake is also a great fishery! MLS#: 6074552 $199,500 CABIN WITH BWCAW VIEW ON MCFARLAND. This super 2 bdrm cabin has great views of the Palisades and the west end of McFarland Lake. Just a stone’s throw from the BWCAW! Comes furnished including pontoon boat, fishing boats, canoe, dock, and two Onan generators. MLS# 6029644 $199,000 LEVEL LOTS, NICE WOODS, EASY SHORE. These Devil Track Lake lots have easy access from a county road, power, phone and great building sites. South shore, 200+ ft. frontage, great views. Build your home on the lake here! MLS# 6033181, 6078259 - $198,900 Each MARK LAKE - 159 ACRES. The only private land on Mark Lake! Good northern fishing. 200ft. Shoreline, forestry road or snowmoblie access. Motivated Seller! MLS# 6026299 $197,000 LOON LAKE GETAWAY. Lovely furnished cabin on pristine Loon Lake. Includes a newer 1 bdrm addition, cozy loft, open living/dining room, sturdy deck, and 24' dock on 142' shoreline. Cabin easily sleeps 6. Lakewater system, septic holding tank. Great lake views! MLS# 6030355 $186,000
RARE GUNFLINT LAKE PARCEL. Exceptional lot with 344' of waterfront features unreal views and privacy. Use the slope of this lot to your advantage when considering what style to build. Power and broadband available. Borders public land! MLS# 6073686 $175,000 NORTH FOWL LAKE CABIN. Only a lucky few get to own cabins here. Remote water access from the US side, or drive in to the landing on Ontario side. Stunning views, easy access to the BWCA. The 2 bdrm cabin is one of the nicest remote cabins you'll find. Includes a great sauna. MLS# 6023214 $149,900 SOLITUDE ON LOON LAKE. These 1-2 acre lots are located on the south side of Loon Lake and offer great lake views, 152-218’ beautiful shoreline and many nice trees. The main road is in place and power is on the lot line. MLS# 6032216-18, 6032220 $120,000+ NICE TOM LAKE LOT. Gently sloped 4.34 acre lakeshore lot that would offer some incredible views. Situated in a quiet and peaceful private bay. MLS# 6076728 $110,000 LEGENDARY SAWMILL BAY. Magnificent old-growth cedars and maples frame a corner lot with a high and dry build site. Yearround road access and a terrific wildlife habitat awaits your cabin in the woods. 185' of Caribou Lake frontage. MLS# 6032953 $89,000 ESCAPE TO NINEMILE LAKE. Nice, quiet lake between Tofte and Finland known for its recreational opportunities. Very near the BWCAW. Good snowmobile access to the Tomahawk Trail and miles of trail riding. 2.90 acres, 184' frontage. MLS# 6077701 $59,900 PRIVACY AND VIEWS AT SISTER LAKE. Nice lake lot with great forest, and beautiful new building site. There's a high point of the surrounding area with awesome views. Excellent, accessible shoreline. New driveway to a great building site. This is a great area for fishing many lakes in the area. You're also close to Tofte/Lutsen on the North Shore. Priced to sell!! MLS# 6073911 $51,900 GREAT PRICE LAKE LOTS. Deep woods, seclusion and nice views from these Tom Lake lots. This is the desired west side of the lake with access from the Camp 20 Rd. Enjoy a peaceful lake property with good access. Great back roads to explore. Adjacent land available. MLS# 6030741, 6030742 $44,900 each PRIVATE COVE ON TOM LAKE. Nice private lot with vibrant, wooded 255' lake shore. Desirable old growth cedar grove supports a great build site. Driveway and cedar walk corridor complete. Great recreational opportunities. MLS# 6077180 $46,000
CONDOMINIUMS WELCOME TO LAKE SUPERIOR. Warm & beautiful lightfilled end unit Aspenwood Townhome. The 2-story walkout style leaves you with plenty of options to get outside and close to the Big Lake. This 2 bdrm, 3 bath home includes 98% of all furnishings & personal property. It is also part of a successful vacation rental pool. MLS# 6022175 $280,000
www.RedPineRealty.com • Locally owned and operated since 1996 • info@RedPineRealty.com 52
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CONDOMINIUMS CARIBOU HIGHLANDS CONDO 113A. This is the epitome of a northwoods vacation get-away. Ski-in/skiout from this condo overlooking Bridge Run, offering unreal views of the ski hills. Remodeled exterior and remodeled and updated interior. Walk to Lutsen Mountains activities. Comes furnished! MLS# 6074164 $81,700
HOMES & CABINS HOME WITH DRAMATIC VIEWS. This large, efficient 3bdrm home has panoramic views of Lake Superior and the surrounding hills. Secluded with landscaped yard and 20 acres bordering Gov't lands. Quality features, many windows, shop building and more! MLS#6033328 $429,900 CHARMING HOME NEAR TAIT LAKE. This 2 bdrm, 2 bath cabin is cozied up to a giant beaver pond that is part of the Tait River. Updated through the years but still has the lake cabin charm that is often sought after in the North Shore area. Close to the boat landing and borders public land. MLS# 6078290 $304,900 HOME IN PARADISE. This 2 bdrm, 3 bath home enjoys the view and proximity to Lake Superior's beauty without the lake-front taxes. Home could be converted to a duplex for extra income. Huge garage/ workshop with lake-view windows. MLS# 6074449 $275,900 REMOTE HIDE-AWAY. Charming custom built 2 bdrm, 2 bath cabin tucked in the woods overlooking a beaver pond. A screened porch for summer dining. The living room is open and includes the kitchen and dining. A cozy Franklin stove warms the whole building. The full basement is a complete guest space. Generator power and over 100 acres to explore. MLS# 6029349 $244,000
HOMES & CABINS COUNTRY LIVING CLOSE TO TOWN. Enjoy country living in a renovated, contemporary, energy efficient 3-4 bedroom home. 1900+ sq. ft. of living space only 10 minutes from Grand Marais. Many quality and custom features. Large 2 car garage with room for workshop and storage.
MLS#: 6079399 $239,000 COTTAGE HOME ACROSS FROM LAKE SUPERIOR. This cute home sits just across the highway from the big lake shoreline. The 2 bdrm, 1 bath cottage has wood floors, beamed ceilings, and a warm, comfortable feel. Septic and well, a small shed and 11 acres of privacy. MLS# 6030154 $167,900 TIMBER FRAMED LOG HOME OVERLOOKING TOM LAKE. Charming log cabin on 78 acres with seasonal views of Tom Lake. Large loft bedroom and covered porch with swing. Stone fireplace, hardwood floors, and metal roof. Year-round access. Furnishings and generator included. MLS# 6027412 $159,900 COMFORTABLE LOG HOME IN BEAUTIFUL WOODS. This 2 bdrm cabin was set up for a simple lifestyle with solar electric, hand pumped well and composting toilet. Charming living room with stone fireplace, large kitchen and comfortable bedrooms. 12 private acres with mature white pine and cedar. MLS# 6076755 $139,900 CABIN RETREAT NEAR TWO ISLAND LAKE. This sweet off-grid, log sided cabin is in excellent condition with plenty of room and a comfortable feel. Located about 12 miles from Grand Marais. Public land adjoins the 20 acre property with many fishing opportunities nearby. MLS# 6073794 $129,900 RUSTIC RECREATIONAL CABIN ON 40+ ACRES. Very private recreational 42 acres with rustic cabin and a beautiful, large pond for wildlife. Great grouse hunting and deer hunting. The timber cabin can easily sleep 6 in the loft. Offering to sell furnished! MLS# 6079154 $109,900 BEAUTIFUL SMALL HOME. This incredible home has all you need in just about 120 sq ft of space. Kitchen, full size bed plus sleeper sofa, storage loft, electric and broadband, fabulous deck, fire pit, shed, and a really cool outhouse. Year round living, close to hiking trails. MLS# 6077550 $67,000
SALIENG PE N D
COMMERCIAL PROPERTIES GREAT HISTORY, GREAT LAKE. Devil Track Cabins is a long standing seasonal resort on the beautiful north shore of Devil Track Lake. The 5 charming cabins + owner’s cabin each have a private setting and lake view. Great beach with docking for guests. A wonderful family retreat! MLS# 6033556, 6033557 $374,900 MARKET, DELI, LIQUOR STORE – HOVLAND. A bustling business in a beautiful rural community on the North Shore. Bakery, deli, pizza, convenience store, and liquor store under one roof. Large seating area & outdoor patio. Expansion/home site possible! MLS# 6030800 $329,900 PRIME RETAIL DOWNTOWN GRAND MARAIS. Main traffic location in the heart of down town. Located on Wisconsin St between Blue Water Cafe and Sivertson Gallery, with 25 ft street frontage and over 2300 sq ft each. Build up for a lake view – lots of possibilities! MLS# 6029930, 6029951 $144,900 each PRIME COMMERCIAL LOTS IN LUTSEN.Two acre-sized lots with Highway 61 frontage-road access and great visibility in downtown Lutsen. Nice creek borders the east property line, nice mature forest. Great location for a small gallery, retail or restaurant. A residential lot is available adjoining to the north. MLS# 6032971 $97,900 • MLS# 6032972 $89,900
RIVER/CREEK FRONTAGE LARGE TRACT WITH CREEK. This 319 acre parcel has ponds & creek frontage on the Flute Reed River. Has been in DNR management program. Great for hunting or homesteading. Access is by unimproved easement from the Camp 20 Road, near county maintenance. The land may be split - take your pick of "40's"! MLS# 6027384 $258,000 SUGARBUSH, BEAVER, TROUT. Remote 80 acres ,10 miles from Grand Marais with easy access. Surrounded by public land. 700’ of Durfee Creek frontage. MLS# 6024638 $149,000 LOG HOME ON FLUTE REED RIVER. Charming homesteader log cabin with pasture. The river flows beautifully through the property. Private and secluded setting with some high views and heavy timber. The cabin is large and comfortable with a drilled well for carry-in water. MLS# 6077654 $132,900 BRULE RIVER RETREAT. Remote 40 acre parcel with small bunk house, covered camp shelter and outhouse. Walk the path to the river with 660' shoreline where you can launch your canoe and fish this placid stretch. Surrounded by wildlife and thousands of US and State Forest land. MLS# 6076495 $99,900 TWENTY ACRES – GREAT LOCATION. Great larger parcel near Grand Marais with road in to the “top” of the property. Lake views, maple and mixed forest, small creek. County road access with power and broadband close by, borders public land on three sides. MLS# 6030517 $89,900 WOODS, WATER & SECLUSION. Three 40 acre lots with 600 to 1000 ft frontage on Mons Creek. Also includes deeded access to Lost Lake. Private and secluded. MLS# 6073876 $59,900 or MLS# 6073877 $69,900 or MLS# 6073878 $74,900.
www.RedPineRealty.com • (800) 387-9599 Fax (218) 387-9598 • info@RedPineRealty.com NORTHERN WILDS
JANUARY 2019
53
REALTORS®: Mike Raymond, Broker • Gail J. Englund, GRI • Linda Garrity, Realtor Cathy Hahn, ABR/GRI • Larry Dean, Realtor • Bruce Block, Realtor • Jake Patten, Realtor
Red Pine Realty • (800) 387-9599 (218) 387-9599 • Fax (218) 387-9598 • info@RedPineRealty.com PO Box 938, 14 S. Broadway, Grand Marais, MN 55604
RIVER/CREEK FRONTAGE HIGH PROPERTY, DRIVEWAY, CREEK FRONTAGE. This 25 acre parcel has great southern exposure and views from a nice building site at the end of a long driveway. Very private setting and frontage on Irish Creek. This property is ready for your cabin in the woods, with good solar potential and lots of seclusion. Easy year-round access. MLS# 6077020 $69,900 NICE HOME SITE NEAR GRAND MARAIS. Nice elevation and views from this 6.75 acre lot off of County Rd 6 just minutes from town. Frontage on Little Devil Track River, with lowland and highlands. Nice forest and privacy for your home or cabin in the woods. MLS# 6031740 $51,000 FLUTE REED RIVER HOME SITES. These two heavily wooded parcels have the seclusion of 11-13 acres and about 330' frontage each on the trout stream Flute Reed River. Access is easy from frontage on a county road. Power and broadband are available. These lots are the perfect place for a retreat property or a year-round home. MLS# 6030884, 6030885 $49,900 each 500’ ON MOHNS CREEK. Mixed topography of beautiful rolling land with many great build sites on 25 acres. Old growth cedar, spruce, pine and birch. Abuts state land. MLS# 6029353 $37,000
LAND/BUILDING SITES LOCATION, VIEWS, PRIVACY – 80 ACRES. This former homesteaders property has it all: rolling topography, ravines, grassy meadows, mature timber, flowing creek and expansive Lake Superior views! Minutes from Grand Marais, adjoins USFS land. MLS# 6076511 $279,000 TOP OF BIRCH CLIFF. See 50 miles across Lake Superior – incredible 180 degree views! Private drive and buried power in place. 15+ acres with nice mature trees and public lands on 2 sides. More land is available. This site will rock your world. MLS# 6033563 $249,900 BEAUTIFUL LAND, TUCKED AWAY PRIVACY, LOG CABIN AND POLE BARN. This 36 acre parcel is tucked up against the "Hovland mountain range" with mature forest, easy road access and a moderated Lake Superior climate. Charming log cabin/home plus lrg 34' X 56 pole building. Build a future home amongst the pines and with a lake view. Property can be split, utilities are nearby. MLS# 6076757 $229,800 ACREAGE ADJOINS WILDERNESS - LAKE ACCESS. This 42 acre parcel includes 400 feet of shoreline on McFarland Lake. Building sites are located across the road on the hillside with potential lake views. Easy access to the BWCAW and Border Route Hiking Trail. MLS# 6024602 $179,000 INCREASINGLY RARE, LARGE RECREATIONAL PARCEL. 190 arces fully surveyed. The perfect retreat. Has a rich variety of trees, ponds, high and low lands, some meadow land and wetlands. MLS# 6029820 $139,000 PROVEN GREAT HUNTING AREA - 80 ACRES. Prime hunting land in Schroeder. Rolling land with great wildlife habitat incl. stream, beaver dam with large pond, and a good mixture of trees and low vegetation. Older 2 bdrm cabin in a beautiful park like setting overlooking large beaver pond. MLS# 6032712 $112,500 LARGE ACREAGE NEAR TOM LAKE. 128 acres with good road access and an easy walk to the Tom Lake boat landing. Year-round road, power is possible here. The 3 forties may be split - take your pick. MLS# 6027383 $111,000 TWO INCREDIBLE LUTSEN PARCELS. Driveway, electric/broadband, survey and a cozy camper/RV are all set on Lot 3, while Lot 4 offers unending privacy as it abuts federal land. Christine Lake public boat landing is within walking distance with Poplar and Tait rivers nearby as well. MLS# 6032903 $89,000
LAND/BUILDING SITES HUGE POND-HUGE PRIVACY. Large 45+ acre wooded parcel located across from Tom Lake. Huge pond/lake in the very center of the acreage. MLS# 6029352 $90,000 LARGE UNDEVELOPED CITY TRACT.This large Central Addition property is perfect for a lot development plan, or as a private home site. City utilities are close, street access on two sides. Many possibilities. MLS# 6076673 $89,900 RESORT COMMERCIAL/RESIDENTIAL LOT – TOFTE. This 8.64 acre parcel has over 900 feet of Highway 61 frontage with great visibility. Utilities are on the lot. Lake Superior views. If you have a lodging idea in mind this might be the perfect spot. Great location between Tofte and Lutsen. The bike trail is just across the highway. MLS# 6079287 $82,900 LAND NEAR WILSON LAKE. A special piece of the Northwoods – 16 acres with deeded access to Wilson Lake! USA-owned forest is your backyard. Driveway, electric, and a small bunkhouse/shed are in place. MLS# 6028685 $80,000 HIDDEN GEM IN HOVLAND. Explore the 40 acres of seclusion with dramatic views from the south facing bluff. Enjoy the beautiful mixed forest and abundant wildlife. It even has a small gravel pit for your future building needs. The neighbors have electricity and the road has been kept open all winter through a road association. MLS# 6076192 $75,000 FORTY WITH PONDS – COUNTY RD FRONTAGE. This 40 acre parcel has beaver ponds, adjoining federal land and easy access with frontage on County Rd 14. Just 15 minutes from Grand Marais, this would be a great large home parcel, or rec land with 1000s of acres of USFS lands on the west border. MLS# 6076727 $69,900 GREAT BUILDING LOT NEAR TOFTE. This 5.82 acre parcel has privacy, adjoins US Forest land and has Lake Superior views. Utilities are at the lot. It's also zoned Resort Commercial if you have a lodging idea in mind this might be the perfect location. Great location between Tofte and Lutsen. The bike trail is just across the highway. MLS# 6079285 $66,900 LARGE LAND, POND, LAKE RIGHTS. Densely wooded 60 acre parcel with beaver ponds and access to Lost Lake. Good seasonal road access, many great building sites and southerly exposure. Lots of elbow room, privacy, and miles of forest roads to explore. MLS# 6033463 $63,900 GREAT LOCATION FOR YOUR HOME. 7.5 acres located just 5 miles from Grand Marais on County Rd 7 blacktop. Some lake views, good building sites, driveway and a tiny cabin set up for your camp outs until you build. MLS# 6078360 $64,900 ROLLING LAND, PINES, HOME SITES. Two 10 acre parcels of heavily wooded land within 10 minutes of Grand Marais. Great location with remote feel near trails and thousands of acres of Federal land, yet close to town and the big lake. County road with utilities. MLS# 6076524, 6076539 $62,900 - $64,900 LARGE LAND, MAPLES, LAKE ACCESS. This 67 acre parcel has high maple ridges, a pond, and an easement to walk to Tom Lake. Good seasonal road access, many nice building sites. A perfect escape property in an area with many trails to ride and forest to explore. MLS# 6030705 $62,900 WOODED SECLUSION IN GRAND MARAIS. Six great wooded lots on the west side of Grand Marais. Build your home within a short distance of the bike trail and just a mile to downtown. Septic systems and wells are allowed here with power and broadband. Privacy on a dead end road. MLS#: 6079335-40 $49,500 – 59,500
SUNNY 5 ACRES NEAR GRAND MARAIS. Beautiful sunny hillside with distant Lake Superior views. This is country living only 2 miles from Grand Marais. Large lot, great home sites with abundant wildlife. Driveway partially in place. MLS# 6077083 $54,900 DEEP WOODS NEAR GRAND MARAIS. Two 5+ acre lots adjoining USFS land with power/phone/broadband. Great location near Grand Marais with good road access and very secluded location with mature trees. Ready for you to build your country home. First time on the market. MLS# 6076518/6076517 $49,900 – $52,900 LAND FOR FUN OR HOMESTEADING. Heavily wooded 39 acres with a large variety of trees and easy road access on Camp 20 Rd. Southern exposure great for solar set up. The Superior Hiking Trail is steps away. Close to county maintained road. MLS#: 6075981 $48,900 NICE 20 WITH BEAVER POND. The driveway and trails are in place on this nice 20 acre parcel with maples, cedar and variety of forest types. Large beaver pond adds a water feature for wildlife! MLS# 6077902 $45,900 MAPLES ON SECLUDED 20 ACRES. This mature maple forest is enchanted and full of neat places to build a home or cabin. Rough driveway was put in years back. Trails lead to public lands. Good road access. MLS# 6077903 $45,900 BUILDING SITE OVERLOOKING MCFARLAND. This pine studded 7 acre property has easy walking access to the county beach on McFarland Lake. Nice elevated build site with easy county road access. MLS# 6024601 $43,000 GREAT LOCATION HOME SITES. Just minutes from Grand Marais on black top County Rd 7 are two 5+ acre lots with easy access to power and Broadband. Good building sites. MLS# 6079612 - $42,900 • MLS# 6079615 - $64,900 20 ACRES OF RECREATIONAL PARADISE. Nice parcel bordered by state lands. Perfect for hunters and set up with trailer, shed, and outhouse. Just a short hike to the Greenwood Lake Helipad (1/2 mile) overlooking the magnificent lake. Have a picnic and a great day. MLS#: 6079410 $39,500 BEAUTIFUL WOODED LUTSEN LOT. Beautiful level lot with an open build site for your cabin or new home in a quiet and peaceful area of Lutsen. You'll be minutes away from every type of northwoods activity, including Lutsen Mountains and Superior National Golf Course. MLS# 6033068 $32,900 5 ACRES NEAR CARIBOU LAKE. Gorgeous corner lot with colorful maples and majestic cedars. Plenty of privacy. Close to hiking trails and the Caribou Lake boat landing. Year round access with power! MLS# 2279179 $35,000 LAND FOR ESCAPE AND RECREATION. remote yet accessible 20 acres near Judge Magney State Park. Good mix of trees, high building site, some distant Lake Superior views. MLS# 6025397 $33,900 GREAT LOCATION HOME SITE. Wooded home or cabin site near Devil Track Lake. The 1.72 acre lot has nice trees and maybe a view of the lake from a second story. The boat landing is just down the road, as are many other lakes and trails. MLS# 6029872 $33,000 REMOTE SECLUSION/HUNTING LAND. Forty acres of remote seclusion with Flute Reed River frontage. Good hunting area. Rough access, but walk or ATV. Adjoins State land to the north, with thousands of acres of USFS lands north of that. Want privacy? Here it is! MLS#: 6075271 $29,900
www.RedPineRealty.com • Your easy source for new MLS listings daily • info@RedPineRealty.com 54
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CATCHLIGHT
Bobcat I heard about a family of bobcat that was hanging out not far off the Gunflint Trail north of Grand Marais. I decided to see if I could photograph them. When I arrived, mom was just coming out of the woods with one of her kittens. The second one came out minutes later. Notice that the kitten’s right ear has been torn. The little guy must have had a close call with another predator.—Paul Sundberg NORTHERN WILDS
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on the Gunflint Trail
Unspoiled. Serene. Spectacular. Unforgettable.
W
elcome to Golden Eagle Lodge, a family oriented, year-round resort located on the Gunflint Trail of Northeastern Minnesota, only 30 miles north of Grand Marais. As the only residents on Flour Lake, and nestled in within the 3 million acres of the Superior National Forest, you can look forward to the quiet and solitude offered only from a true wilderness setting. Golden Eagle Lodge Nordic Ski Center is world class, nationally-known, and silent sports only. We are located on the Central Gunflint Ski Trail System, a well-marked network of more than 70km of beautifully groomed trails that begin right from your cabin’s doorstep. This trail system was built specifically for cross-country skiing and
is tracked for both traditional and skate skiers alike. All ski trail passes are offered at no charge to our cabin guests! We offer complete skiing and snowshoe rentals for all ages, a heated ski waxing room, a trail lit 7 days a week, and a private use sauna. All our modern housekeeping cabins have a fireplace, either wood, gas, or electric. We know much time, effort, and expense is invested in a vacation. We would be honored if you considered us as your vacation destination. We go out of our way to ensure every aspect of your visit will convince you to come back and see us again. You won’t be disappointed!
800-346-2203 • 218-388-2203
Golden-Eagle.com
Check out our Live Webcam! Stay updated on ski 56 JANUARY 2019 NORTHERN WILDStrail conditions and snow totals