Northern Wilds

Foods from the Forest The Fisherman's Picnic Annual BIG FISH Contest

Here’s a question for you: Do you think the late Euell Gibbons was a forager? Some of you may not know who he was. Author of a book called Stalking the Wild Asparagus, Gibbons became famous during the 1970s for a series of television advertisements promoting a national cereal brand. One of his famous lines was, “Ever eat a pine tree? Many parts are edible…” Back then, he was regarded as an affable eccentric. Today he’d be mainstream.

Gathering food from the wild, something humans have always done, has seen a resurgence during the past decade as urban-oriented folks discover self-sufficiency and the outdoors. Many are choosing to grow their own food in gardens, while others augment their diet with food gathered from Nature. Foods known to our indigenous, pioneer and immigrant forbearers—fiddleheads, mushrooms, cattails and more—are finding their way to dinner tables. In fact, a cottage industry has developed among foodies for creating new recipes using these wild foods.

This new interest in wild foods is welcome, but it is fair to say that across the Northern Wilds, foraging in the forest is considered part of life. Fresh walleyes, venison, blueberry pie, maple syrup and chokecherry wine have long been on the menu. The ways of gathering and preparing wild foods are passed from one generation to the next. As Elle AndraWarner points out in her Strange Tales column, some foods have ancient, indige -

But it is also fair to say foodies have taken some aspects of foraging to the next level. In this issue, Eric Chandler visits with Duluth distillers who are incorporating locally foraged spruce tips into their gin. Emily Stone explains how to prepare cattail flower spikes for dinner guests. Julia Prinselaar reports that foraging has become so popular in some areas that relentless picking is threatening the local sustainability of some wild foods.

Other wild crops are so abundant you can pick them to your heart’s content. Blueberries are in this category. In fact, out in the blueberry patch, you may have wild competition. Black bears love them, too. Kelsey Roseth provides us with an informative story about blueberries, bears and more. In this land of endless lakes and rivers, there are plenty of fish to go around, too. Gord Ellis gives us a rundown of his favorite fish to eat.

Do you have a question for one of our writers? Or an interesting photo, recipe, or story you’d like to share with Northern Wilds? Please send it to breana@northernwilds.com.

July is also the month when you can count your friends by how many sacks of zucchini you find on your doorstep as garden production kicks into full swing. Kim Falter tells us everything we need to know about zucchinis. You’ll find a bunch of recipes for this prolific summer squash, too. And, if you want to “forage” for sweet treats, Maren Webb shares some of her favorite ice cream shops.

July isn’t all about eating. Many folks enjoy the plethora of events and festivals taking place across the region. You’ll find a complete guide to them inside. Breana Roy gives us a sneak peek at some of the artwork that will be available at the various art festivals in Spotlight. If you’d rather get out in the wilds and see the sights, Casey Fitchett shows the way to some of Cook County’s lesser known attractions. Julia Prinselaar takes us on a wilderness canoe trip to the famous White Otter Castle and the interior of Turtle River Provincial Park. Amy Schmidt has advice for avoiding ticks while you are out there.

The wealth of stories and color photography you find in Northern Wilds wouldn’t be possible without the loyal support of our many advertisers across the region. Many of our readers say they enjoy looking at the ads as much as they like reading the stories. If you patronize any of these businesses, tell them you saw them in Northern Wilds. They’ll appreciate it. And so will we. Have fun out there! —Shawn Perich and Amber Pratt

Corrections:

In the June issue of Northern Wilds, photo captions were switched in the Strange Tales “Celebrating Canada’s History” story, misidentifying the pictures of Sir John A. MacDonald and Alexander Ramsey.

The artwork on the cover for the June issue was incorrectly attributed to Walter S. Oschman, instead of Robert Addison.

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

Drew Johnson • drew@northernwilds.com

OFFICE

Roseanne Cooley billing@northernwilds.com

CONTRIBUTORS

Elle Andra-Warner, Eric Chandler, Gord Ellis, Kim Falter, Casey Fitchett, Ali Juten, Deane Morrison, Matthew Nesheim, Julia Prinselaar, Kelsey Roseth, Amy Schmidt, Javier Serna, Wayne P. Steffens, Emily Stone, Maren Webb, Eric Weicht, Bailey Wolding

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TWO HARBORS—The Gitchi-Gami Trail Association (GGTA) celebrates the summer construction season, the recent passage of the Minnesota Capital Investment and State Bonding Bill, and its upcoming annual bike ride.

Several trail construction and repair projects are taking place during the 2017 construction season. Trail users are advised that the Minnesota Department of Transportation (MnDOT) is working on a repair project on the Beaver River Bridge in Beaver Bay. This project will result in a slight redesign of the bridge and will allow for a safe, separated bike lane on the inland side of the bridge. MnDOT will also connect the current trail terminus at the Beaver Bay Wayside Rest over the bridge and beyond to the intersection with West Road. Here, the Minnesota DNR will oversee a project beginning July 6 on a portion of this road. The road will be paved and trail will be accommodated on the west side of West Road, closing a gap in the Gitchi-Gami State Trail (GGST) between the Beaver Bay trailhead and a current trail segment terminus on the West Road. This project will result in a continuous segment of trail beginning near the lake in Gooseberry State Park and navigating through Split Rock Lighthouse State Park, through Beaver Bay and lead to Silver Bay. This will become the longest trail segment at 17.2 miles—

thus celebrating 17 miles in 2017.

GGST projects were included in the state bonding bill signed by Governor Dayton on May 30. The DNR was awarded $3.1 million to construct trail in two Cook County locations. The first project will connect the current trail terminus in Grand Marais to the Cutface River Creek State Wayside. This important segment of trail will result in a five-mile trail segment. Additionally, this becomes an important step to an eventual connection to Cascade River State Park. Another project mentioned in the bonding bill addresses a one-mile gap in trail through Tofte. An 11+ mile trail segment from Schroeder to Ski Hill Road in Lutsen will result in connecting three communities, two state waysides and a state park.

The GGTA applauds MnDOT’s efforts in designating Minnesota’s second United States Bicycle Route. USBR41, the North Star Route, begins in St. Paul and ends at the Canadian Border, just beyond Grand Portage.

The 17th annual GGTA North Shore Bike Ride will take place on Saturday, August 19 on the GGST and connecting roads. In addition to 28, 37, and 55-mile ride options, GGTA added a new family-friendly 8-mile ride. More information and registration is available at: ggta.org/ride.php.

2017 First place Landscape: Sleeping Giant by Brad Muckenhirn, Mankato.

they patrol from Taconite Harbor to Isle Royale to the Canadian Border, an area roughly 1,400 square miles by my Google map calculations.

Grand Marais marina manager and sailor Dave Tersteeg sums it up: “I don’t sail the North Shore. Too cold, rocky and lonesome.”

Grand Marais was so-named not because it’s a “great marsh” but instead a rare refuge of placid water on an otherwise inhospitable coast. In the centuries before Highway 61, water dominated travel on the lake and safe harbors were sanctuaries from Lake Superior storms. Unlike Duluth, it never became a largescale industrial port, but a half-century of dredging did help create the 18-foot deep harbor, complete with concrete-clad breakwalls and a picturesque lighthouse. After the last load of pulpwood logs was hauled out, the Army Corps of Engineers allowed recreational boaters to set moorings, or the white and blue buoys attached to home-built concrete blocks with lengths of beefy chain. The City of Grand Marais now rents out a majority of those moorings on a nightly or seasonal basis. For more information on maritime history, the Cook County Historical Society recently produced a virtual harbor tour, available on YouTube, and I highly recommend a visit to their museum.

Even if you score a boat and arrange for a mooring, Lake Superior isn’t a great setting to learn how to sail. Big, cold water is a recipe for trouble on smaller boats, although a few folks have tried to make it a livelihood in Grand Marais. George Wilkes and Barb LaVigne taught for Northwind Sailing, Wilkes’ parents’ business. Although they operated for over a decade, it was an inherently fickle business model.

Even when conditions cooperated, LaVigne recalls that “buzzing in and out... it was a recipe for a fat butt.” And the rewards weren’t much better: “It was like throwing money out the window.”

So LaVigne and Wilkes opened the Angry Trout, and the rest is history.

But it’s this very remote quality that paradoxically makes the North Shore an attractive port for the cognoscenti. There are no rows of gleaming white hulls hauled out, nor the pincushion effect of hundreds of masts tied to a maze of docks; a common site on the Wisconsin side. The harbor offers some protection,

www.rossport.ca DISCOVERY CHARTERS

located in the largest Marine Conservation Area in the world

space and a unique community of eccentric folks, from inspired retirees to entrepreneurs to dirtbags and everything in-between. A hull bobbing on it’s mooring has the potential to take her crew to any number of corners of Lake Superior, accessible only by water. Quiet evenings at anchor, sunsets and sunrises over Superior and the Sawtooth Mountains...you might get a few each year if you’re lucky. And I’m pretty sure it’s worth it.

The romanticism of sailing is tempered by the realities of the North Shore. If all that sounds like too much work, you’re always welcome to take a ride on the Hjørdis and leave the worry to the professional worriers: North Shore sailors. —Matt Nesheim

All programs are at the Chik-Wauk Nature Center and FREE to the public unless noted

Ham Lake Fire Open House

Sunday, July 2, 11 am - 4 pm. Patti Johnson & Dawn Laybolt USFS, will answer any questions about the Ham Lake Fire. The Museum & Nature Center are FREE

Wolves at our Door

Sunday, July 16th, 2-3 pm

A presentation by the International Wolf Center

Gunflint & Lake Superior Railroad

Sunday, July 23, 2-3 pm.

A presentation by Dave Battistel

Local Spiders

Sunday, July 30, 2-3 pm. A presentation by Larry Weber

Weekly Events

Kids’ Day

Tuesdays, June 27 to August 22, 11 am to 4 pm Free Kids’ Activities Stories, hikes, journal-making & crafts

USFS Presentations Tuesdays, June 20 – August 22, 2 –3 pm

Various Northwoods-themed topics presented by U.S. Forest Service naturalists

Memorial Weekend - October 22 10 am - 5 pm Nature Center 11 am - 4 pm Admission Fee

28 Moose Pond Drive,Grand Marais 55 miles up the Gunflint Trail. 218-388-9915

info@chikwauk.com

www.chikwauk.com museum and nature center

Putt, zip and slide

COOK COUNTY—The North Shore is often thought of for its expansive views of Lake Superior, abundance of hikes, and of course, the Boundary Waters. It’s also a great place to cool off from the heat of the cities and a fun place to meander through quaint shops and restaurants. There is always plenty of options for family-friendly activities in Cook County, including the ones featured here.

Putt n’ Pets

When searching for a fun, family activity, look no further than Putt n’ Pets. The name essentially describes the operation, though there is a bit more to the fun-filled mini golf course than pets and putt-putt. First of all, the animals that surround the mini golf course are no ordinary house pets.

“We have wild turkeys, doves, Shetland sheep, peacocks and goats. The goats are trained to feed themselves, they pull the food up to them using a rope. I don’t know of anywhere else that combines animals and mini-golf,” said Randy Sjogren, owner of Putt n’ Pets.

Putt n’ Pets also offers a variety of other activities, such as gemstone mining and coin operated rides for children. The course is even lit for night golf.

“It’s great family time,” said Sjogren. “It keeps kids entertained when playing mini-golf.”

Putt n’ Pets is located south-west of downtown Grand Marais, just off of Highway 61. There is a large sign and a few cartoon statues that may catch the passerby’s eye. More information can be found at puttnpets.com or by calling (218) 387-3570.

Alpine Slide

Who thinks to visit a ski hill in the middle of summer? Well, actually, many people who visit the North Shore. Though no skiing is available in the summer sun, there are a few activities that draw people up the Ski Hill Road in Lutsen, one of them is the well-known alpine slide.

The alpine slide consists of two tracks that twist and turn all the way down Eagle Mountain. Visitors grab a cart from the bottom, ride a chair lift all the way up, are greeted by a magnificent view, and then speed their way back down to the bottom. But don’t worry, the carts have brakes.

Children especially seem to enjoy this unique attraction, and some visitors end up spending half of their day

zooming down Eagle Mountain. If one doesn’t want to spend all morning there, the mountain offers passes for one ride, two rides and unlimited rides. They even have a special that offers a lower price if you ride the alpine slide and the gondola.

Once you’ve ridden the slide to your heart’s content, head over to the gondola. Here you can ride to the top of Moose Mountain, grab a bite to eat for lunch at the Chalet while enjoying the expansive view of Lake Superior, and head back down. If rides aren’t really your thing, the Superior Hiking trail also connects with the Ski Hill Road. Each summer, many people ride the gondola up to Moose Mountain and then hike the four miles back down through the beautiful boreal forest.

More information and ticket prices can be found at lutsen.com under the “summer” tab.

Towering Pines Canopy

Tour

Driving up the historic Gunflint Trail is a beautiful way to spend the day, or even a few days, when visiting the North Shore. There’s plenty of places to stop for a bite to eat, many hikes to wander down, and adventure around every turn. One of the more unique adventure opportunities lies on Gunflint Lake, towards the end of the trail. The Towering Pines Canopy Tour at Gunflint Lodge will leave you in awe as you soar over the northwoods forest.

“Nowhere else can you experience the boreal forest by walking off the edge of a 70-foot cliff and zipping into the air in the canopy of 300-yearold white pines. The views from the towers of the zipline overlooking Gunflint Lake into Magnetic Lake and the Canadian wilderness are simply breathtaking,” said John Fredrickson, owner of the Gunflint Lodge.

The zipline offers an adrenaline rush one is unlikely to find anywhere else on the shore. Though stepping off the platform may seem a bit daunting at first, safety is a priority for the zipline staff.

“We work with an adventure engineering company on the east coast that has been designing and building zipline courses for many years and are an industry leader. The same company comes up to Gunflint Lodge every spring to inspect our course and train our Sky Guides,” said Fredrickson.

The Sky Guides, the people who lead guests through the course, are also first aid and CPR certified.

If interested in booking a tour, call 800-328-3325 or visit gunflint.com.—Bailey Wolding

Vikre Distillery Foraging for good spirits

DULUTH—Duluth’s first craft distillery made a big splash last year. Vikre Distillery was founded in 2012 and started selling gin and aquavit in 2014. It only took two years for USA Today to choose them as the 2016 Best Craft Specialty Spirits Distillery in the Country—Best in the Nation in under five years. That probably helps Emily and Joel Vikre (pronounced “VEEkruh”) feel good about switching to this career from their previous desk jobs. They produce aquavit, vodka and whiskey, but their three boreal gins (juniper, spruce and cedar) were among the first spirits they sold.

When you think of gin, you think of botanicals. Many Vikre Distillery ingredients are foraged locally. Springtime means rhubarb. Rhubarb is used in the juniper gin recipe.

“We get this right from our backyard. It’s almost a rhubarb farm,” said Emily. Spruce tips are used in the spruce variety, of course.

“This only happens during the spring. We rely on staff and friends to get together. We go to private land. Yards of friends who have a lot of spruce trees,” said Emily. Fall is when sumac berries are foraged and then dried to use all year in the cedar gin.

They use juniper berries in all three gin varieties. But this ingredient is a lesson on the limits of foraging.

“We forage for some of this locally, but it’s not enough. And there’s variability in flavor from one area of juniper berries to the next. So, we use a mix of some of our foraged juniper berries with juniper berries that we purchase in order to get more consistent flavors,” said Emily.

She said that other distillers have found the same limitations when it comes to this staple of gin production.

Some other items seem like they’d be good choices to forage, but aren’t, like coriander, for example. Coriander is cilantro that has gone to seed. Vikre uses a lot of coriander so they need volume. Emily said they tried to harvest this themselves. She also said that, without the right tools to harvest the seed, it’s the “worst experience ever.” So they purchase this ingredient to get the amount they need.

Foraging limits how much you can harvest, the consistency of the ingredients, and may increase the labor involved. There are also mental limits.

“I’m a cautious person. We only forage if we are 100 percent sure of what it is, that it’s edible, that we have people who can recognize what they’re foraging for

Foraging for spruce tips. | VIKRE DISTILLERY

and in places where we have permission. Not being 100 percent certain freaks me out,” said Emily. “We want to make sure we don’t hurt wild populations.”

Foraged items are an important part of the whole product line. Sugarbush whiskey includes maple syrup harvested by close family-friends. Many other syrups and infusions used in their cocktails include foraged ingredients like lilac, for example.

Emily doesn’t see foraging as a fad.

“We don’t forage for its own sake,” she said. “We don’t forage because, ‘foraging is so hot right now.’ Foraging is just part of getting food. For example, picking berries is just one of many different ways of

getting food. It’s more about the flavors I want.”

Sometimes they buy spices (coriander), sometimes they harvest fruit from farms (black currants from Bayfield, Wisc.) and sometimes they forage. Judging by their acclaim at the national level, they’re foraging for the right things, in the right amount, in the right way.

Find out where you can raise a glass of their product at: vikredistillery.com

—Eric Chandler

PLANNING FOR WILDFIRE

2017 Cook County Firewise

Demonstration Day

Interested in learning steps you can take to protect your home and neighborhood against wildfire? Join us for a FREE Firewise Demonstration Day on Friday, July 7, to discuss how all of us living in the forest can best prepare for wildfire. This is an opportunity to learn about ways you can reduce risk to your home by implementing wildfire prevention strategies.

Event Details

Presented by:

Jeffery Jackson, NE Region Firewise Specialist, Minnesota Department of Natural Resources

Two locations:

Mid-Gunflint Trail Demo Day

Friday, July 7, 9-11 am 104 Voyageurs Point (Off Gunflint Trail on Poplar Lake)

Lutsen Demo Day

Friday, July 7, 2-4 pm 37 South Caps Trail (Off Caribou Trail on Tait Lake)

Contact: Todd Armbruster

Cook County Firewise Coordinator toddarmbrust@gmail.com, 218-235-0899

Can’t make Demo Day, but interested in making your home firewise?

Go to cookcountyfirewise.org

Foraging in the forest: Cattails

NORTH SHORE—Starting around the Fourth of July, I begin watching my local cattail marsh like a hawk. Slowing my car and rubbernecking shamelessly, I search through the sea of green.

As summer heats up, cattail flowering stalks begin to emerge shyly out of the tight bundles of leaves. Signs of this emergence are what I’m scanning for. The stalk is round, and the top is sheathed in leafy green husks like an ear of corn. If you peel back the husks, what you’ll find looks like a pair of skinny green hot dogs on a skewer— ready to roast. Corn-on-the-cob and broccoli are two of my favorite vegetables, and cattail flowers combine the best of both worlds.

The top dog is the male flower spike. The lower hot dog contains female flowers. Later in the month, the male flowers will erupt in a cloud of yellow pollen, which drifts on the wind to female flowers. Once the pollen is gone, the part of the stem that held the male flowers often dries up and falls off. The female flowers develop into thousands of tiny seeds, each with its own fluffy parachute. They are the classic, big brown cylinders you see in autumn marshes, which burst open in a mass of fluff over the winter.

If you run your fingers down the stalk, you can feel the joint between the male and female flowers, even inside the husk. To harvest your dinner, simply break off the male flower spike at the joint and stick it in whatever bag, sack or pocket you have handy. I’ve found that dinner guests tend to eat about six spikes apiece before the novelty wears off.

The cooking process is remarkably like sweetcorn: remove the husk, boil for 10 minutes, and eat with butter and salt. The half-inch diameter vegetable tastes a little like broccoli, which is a flavor I often describe as “green.” It is composed of thousands of tiny flowers packed around a slender center “cob.” I sometimes nibble at them from the side like you would corn, but I’ve also held the flower spike in my mouth like a cigar, clamped it in my teeth, and pulled the flowers off of the cob that way. You can

even scrape the florets off the cob and bake them in a casserole. Cattail flowers are my favorite wild vegetable.

Cattail flowers quickly progress from the husked spike stage to the bursting-with-pollen stage. A benefit of this phase is that the bright yellow flowers show up well against the green, so spotting them is easy. The pollen is a tasty and protein-rich addition to any baked good. Just bring a paper lunch bag with you to the marsh. You can tip the powdery flower spikes inside the bag and give them a good shake to knock the pollen off.

I’ve sometimes processed the pollen painstakingly with a wire mesh strainer and several siftings to remove the bugs. Recently, though, I’ve decided to embrace all but the biggest bugs as just another source of protein. They are really too small to worry about. Aim to collect at least a quarter of a cup of pollen. You can add it to just about any recipe for pancakes, cookies or biscuits, and it will impart a lovely yellow color to the batter.

If you miss both the broccoli-on-a-cob stage and the golden flour stage, you can still find a treat to eat in a cattail marsh. Just squish or paddle up next to a cluster of cattail leaves, and grasp the center leaf as close to the base as possible. By tugging with firm, even, pressure, you can coax the leaf to slide out of its holster. Go ahead and nibble at the tender, white base. It tastes like cucumber and is a refreshing snack on a hot day.

I’ve been warned about giardia enough times that I’m always a little wary of eating something that’s been in contact with lake water. I’ve learned, though, that the bases of cattail leaves are covered in antimicrobial gel that protects the plant from microbes and from drying out during water level fluctuations. So, I’ll keep eating cattail leaves that weren’t submerged in muck, and believing that the gel kills giardia, too.

Some people harvest the cattail’s starchy roots and rhizomes, which are available year round. That’s too much work for me. The flowering spikes, pollen and leaf bases are all tasty and easy to collect wild foods—I’ll stick with those. Bon appétit! —Emily M. Stone

A male cattail flower with pollen. | EMILY STONE

Harvesting cattail pollen into a paper bag. | EMILY STONE

Cattail male flower spikes ready to eat. | EMILY STONE

TBSO appoints new music director

THUNDER BAY—After a widespread and intensive twoyear search, the Thunder Bay Symphony Orchestra (TBSO) is thrilled to announce the appointment of Paul Haas as its new music director, effective July 1.

Haas steps into the position after maestro Arthur Post ended his seven-season tenure as music director of the TBSO this past April.

Haas, a truly dynamic and innovative musician, composer and conductor, is the founder and artistic director of Sympho, a New York-based contemporary music ensemble dedicated to the creation and performance of radically engaging musical experiences in unusual venues and unexpected contexts.

Haas is former music director of the acclaimed New York Youth Symphony and since 2010 has also been the music director of the Symphony of Northwest Arkansas (SoNA), which has more than tripled its yearly budget since he began his tenure. As composer, Haas has been commissioned by iconic venues like the Park Avenue Armory and Rubin Museum in New York, Grace Cathedral in San Francisco, and the Anchorage Museum of Art in Alaska. He is a graduate of Yale University and The Juilliard School, where he studied orchestral conducting.

During the 2016-2017 season, the TBSO worked with seven finalists for the position of music director. Each candidate conducted the orchestra during at least two concerts over the course of the past two seasons, Haas leading both the second Cabaret series concert and the fifth Masterworks series concert. His visits, along with all of the candidates, involved a tour of the city and the opportunity to meet with board members, TBSO musicians and chorus, and members of the organization’s administrative team.

“I knew from the first time I stood in front of the TBSO that this was a special group,” said Haas. “The level of

artistry, the camaraderie, and the commitment to excellence was palpable. I felt a kinship with these musicians, a special connection. I’m honoured to have been chosen to lead this exceptional ensemble, and I’m excited to continue working together for the benefit of the Thunder Bay community.”

BECOME A hunger Hero

July is more than just summer fun in Minnesota—it’s another opportunity for food shelves to have their donations matched through participating programs. That’s why NSFCU will be making another round of donations to our local food shelves through our North Shore Hunger Hero initiative.

Our Hunger Hero goal is to DOUBLE the annual funding of local anti-hunger programs.

How? That’s where you come in. It’s a simple challenge: we are asking our members to pledge a monthly donation to our North Shore Hunger Hero initiative. Any amount of support makes a difference –even $1 a month adds up.

Your part is simple

The next time you visit a branch, just tell us you want to be a North Shore Hunger Hero, and how much you’d like to give. Sign a permission slip and we will do the rest. Even easier, sign up online through NSFCU E-Branch under “My Account”. As a team of North Shore Hunger Heroes, we can help end hunger in our communities! How cool is that?

Paul Haas is the new music director, effective July 1. | TBSO

Happy pigs at Yker Acres Farm

CARLTON—After many years of homesteading and growing their own food, Matt and Sara Weik decided to become fulltime farmers. In January 2014, Yker Acres Farm came to be with the purpose of providing food to the local community. But, the Weik’s are not your typical farmers. They love bicycling almost as much as farming, and pride themselves in growing “happy pigs” from farrow to finish. Meaning, their pigs live on the farm from the time they’re born until they are processed into food. These pigs are outside 365 days a year, but have access to housing, fresh water, mud and, according to the Weik’s, “lots of love.”

A visit to Yker Acres, pronounced WHY-ker, would show you the “love” in the way they treat, pet and talk to their 35 sows, three boars, and many litters of piglets.

“We find them a challenge and we like that we can interact with them. Not saying chickens aren’t smart, but we like the social interaction of pigs. They’re just a joy to raise,” said Sara.

Being a direct to consumer farm, the Weiks think of themselves as farmers, marketers, sales, delivery and mechanics. And, with more restaurants wanting to serve local food, Matt would love to eventually help link other local farmers to restaurants.

“Some farmers are really good at farming, but may not have the time to build relationships with the restaurants,” he said.

Yker Acres direct to consumer farming model has given them a bit of success. They recently had to move their operation to a larger farm; from a nearly 20-acre farm to a 160-acre farm. They also attribute their success to having great tasting meat.

“Sometimes it’s like having 600-pound black labs or golden retrievers, or 20 of them. Sometimes you pet them and they roll right over on their back like a dog,” Matt said.

In general, pigs are known to be social animals that like routine and, Yker Acres pigs can definitely tell when new people come around.

According to Matt, the way they achieve great tasting meat is by giving their pigs a low stress life and a low stress, humane end. In fact, they went through seven different butchers before choosing Lake Haven Meats in Sturgeon Lake, Minn. to process their pigs. He says that chefs that work with the meat say that they

Yker Acres owner Matt Weik and farm manager Tiffany Edholm with their boar, Clark Kent. | ALI JUTEN

can tell the difference between a stressful or non-stressful butcher.

“It is complex, but we don’t take it lightly. The harvesting process could ruin the meat if not done correctly,” he said.

Full-time Yker Acres Farm manager, Tiffany Edholm, says she feels good about the way that they run the farm. She says that the goal is to ultimately produce a healthy and great-tasting protein source for the community.

“We choose to eat meat—it’s hard to get used to the life and death part. We try to give them the best possible life. I am proud of that and can honestly enjoy eating the meat,” she said.

Although about 90 percent of their piglets are born right in their barn, they do buy piglets from other farms at times. If they do buy young pigs from other farms, it is only to be sure that they have enough in the herd to meet the demand for their meat. Each month, they bring 20-25 hogs to Lake Haven Meats to be processed for area restaurants like Duluth Grill, Crooked Spoon Café and Red Table Meat Co based out of Minneapolis.

The relationship with Red Table Meats was the catalyst that started Yker Acres; and that relationship began because of a fundraiser for cycling. That’s right, bicycling. In order for the Weik’s son, Josey, to go to Europe to race cyclocross, he needed to raise money. And raising pigs was his way of doing that. Mike Phillips, who is an avid cyclist himself and now the owner of Red Table Meats, bought one of these fundraiser pigs and liked it so much

that he wanted more. So Yker Acres came to be and, today, Red Table Meats is still their biggest customer.

Today, when it comes to working with local businesses, Matt and Sara choose their partnerships with those who are authentically committed to local food and not just to boost their marketing image. They feel that these relationships are important so that money is able to stay in the local economy. Matt added that businesses that want local food have to make a timing commitment and plan their menus around the realities of local food production.

“When restaurants commit to local food, it’s a big deal,” he said. “One example is Duluth Grill. They use real lard from us for their pies, it’s pretty amazing.”

For the foreseeable future, Yker Acres will continue to refine their product by listening to feedback from local chefs, cross breeding, and ultimately trying to create the “perfect pig.” They are also starting to grow their own feed by planting peas and barley, with the goal of reducing the amount that needs to be trucked in. And, by adding cattle to graze on about 80 acres of pasture, they hope to improve the farm’s biodiversity.

“From the beginning, we knew what kind of farm we wanted to be, and we feel good about raising animals like this,” Matt said.

For more information about the Yker Acres Farm and to find out where you can purchase their meat, visit their website at: ykeracres.com —Ali Juten

THUNDER BAY—Are you thinking about getting out on the water this summer, but don’t know where to start? The Lakehead Canoe Club (LCC) is calling paddlers new and old to think about getting out on Boulevard Lake.

Once the ice melts in the spring, the club is out and getting ready for a season on the water. The boathouse is ready to welcome young and old, experienced and first-timers, to paddle all kinds of vessels—from kayaks and canoes, to stand up paddle (SUP) boards and dragon boats.

This summer, the LCC is hosting paddle camps for kids, group paddle nights, casual rentals and dragon boat paddling. All equipment and life jackets are provided.

Many of the dragon boaters are already getting in shape for the annual Family of Dragons Festival on August 12. Festival organizers are putting out the call to get more dragon boats back on the water this year.

As Justin Pucci, vice commodore of LCC, said, “Without a doubt, it is one of the most fun team activities

you can have on the water with 21 of your friends, coworkers and family.”

According to Pucci, there’s still plenty of time to get a team together and get some practices in before the August event.

Last year’s festival also saw the introduction of some other races for paddlers of all kinds. The club added some relay races involving canoes, kayaks and stand up paddle boards.

Another great opportunity to try your hand at paddling will come at this year’s big Canada Day 150th celebration on the city’s Lake Superior waterfront, held July 1.

“What’s more Canadian than paddling a canoe?” asks Pucci.

Everyone is welcome and the club will have everything needed to paddle.

For more information on the Lakehead Canoe Club and Family of Dragons Festival, visit: paddlesport.org. Or, find the Thunder Bay Dragon Boat Festival on Facebook.

Lakehead Canoe Club

Festival of India

THUNDER BAY—India is a land of festivals. As an ethnically diverse country with rich history, there was a time when there was a festival every day of the year. Among these festivals, some are religious, some are based on seasons, while some are of national importance—all are celebrated with enthusiasm and colour.

panied by live music. The chariot represents universal love and brotherhood, and everyone is encouraged to join in the dancing and lend a hand with pulling the chariot.

As in years past, there will be displays of classical dance such as bhratnatyam (an athletic interpretation of mythological stories, believed to have originated 3,000 years ago) and odissi (a fluid form of dance with intricate movements and footwork, which developed in temples), as well as traditional music showcasing instruments like the sitar, tabalas, kartals and harmonium. These displays feature talented performers from India, Canada and the U.S., clad in colourful traditional costumes and jewelry. As well, you can gain a better understanding of the great ancient histories of the Ramayana and the Mahabharata through openair theatre performances.

India and its vibrant colours, music and foods may be more than 12,000 kilometers away, but on July 15 you can experience India’s fascinating arts and culture in Thunder Bay.

Now celebrating its eighth year, the Festival of India will be held at Marina Park on Saturday, July 15 from 3-8 p.m. and features a variety of examples of India’s traditional East Indian culture. In keeping with Krishna principles of love and service to the community, the entrance fee is whatever you wish to donate, and the events within the festival, including the delicious vegetarian feast, are free.

The main attraction at Festival of India is the Chariot Parade (4 p.m.), where an 18-foot-high chariot is pulled by ropes, accom -

More than 100 exhibits on the grounds portray aspects of Indian culture, such artwork and architecture, reincarnation, vegetarianism and the Vedic histories, which promote peace, respect and social harmony. The free vegetarian feast includes naan bread, curries, rice, sweet dishes, fruits and juice. Be sure to pay a visit to the spiritual fashion and gift shop, view the transcendental art exhibit, enter the door prize to win two Bearskin tickets to Winnipeg, and get a temporary henna design on your skin. The interactive children’s area offers a bouncy castle, face painting and friendly clowns.

Growing from about 1,500 people in its first year to more than 8,000 in 2016, the festival attracts visitors from northwestern communities like Dryden, Kenora, Marathon and Terrace Bay, as well as larger centres like Winnipeg and Duluth, says festival organizer Dr. Prashant Jani.

“With the generous help and support of the local community, the Festival of India has become a very successful cultural and educational event here in Thunder Bay.”

The Festival of India is presented by the Vedic Cultural Centre of Thunder Bay. Visit indiafesttbay.com for more information.

Alexander Henry is coming home to Thunder Bay

THUNDER BAY—Wondering what ever happened to bringing back to Thunder Bay the former Canadian Coast Guard icebreaker Alexander Henry, which was built in 1958 in Thunder Bay and in 1985 became a museum ship in Kingston, Ontario? Well, the good news update (as we go to press) is the Henry is now on her way home, being towed from Kingston to Thunder Bay by tugs from Toronto Drydock Ltd. (See “Saving the Iconic Icebreaker Alexander Henry” in the October 2016 issue of Northern Wilds.)

Since September 2016, the volunteer board of the non-profit Lakehead Transportation Museum Society (LTMS) have been working to save the Henry from being scrapped or sunk, after Kingston’s Marine Museum property was sold and Kingston had no place to put the Henry. It became an LTMS priority to save the Henry as part of Thunder Bay’s transportation history as well as bring to the city a first-class tourist attraction.

Things started to move quickly after June 12 when the City of Thunder Bay approved $125,000 to assist LTMS in the tow costs of $250,000. Five days later on Saturday, June 17, the tug Radium Yellowknife left for Picton where the Henry was moored. She was towed to Toronto, and then in the early morning hours of June 20 with the tug Salvage Monarch taking over the tow, the Henry left on the final part of the approximately 1,000 mile tow. At press time, expected arrival in Thunder Bay harbour was June 27; official opening to public scheduled for early August.

Charlie Brown, the president of LTMS, said “The Henry is on the move back home and we’re all really excited about bringing the ship back to where she was born almost 60 years ago. We had to move quickly on the tow, taking ownership late Friday afternoon June 16 and by weekend, the tow had started.”

However, Brown explains there is a small glitch.

“Where she will go is the real question. Although we have approval from the city to dock her at the Kam River Heritage Park, our preferred site is still the Pool 6 dock at the Marina Park. We are waiting for the city and the Port Authority to come to an agreement on whether we can use the Pool 6 site. At the Kam site, we may not have the security up in time for Henry to be docked there, but if necessary in the interim, we can dock the Henry at a private facility until all sorted out in the next few weeks.”

Brown said it had been a “real rush” to get everything together since the LTMS took on the project just over nine months ago.

“So we look at the Henry as our baby. And our baby is coming home sooner than we expected, but we’ll just go with the flow and work through whatever comes our way to make this project a success.”

The October article in Northern Wilds ended with a question from Thunder Bay’s Chronicle-Journal, “Let us

not waste this one….Can we do it?” Thunder Bay residents responded loudly with “Yes we can,” and can now add, “And yes we did.”

Alexander Henry updates will be posted on the LTMS’ Facebook page and website: ltms.ca.—Elle Andra-Warner

FOR YOUTH DEVELOPMENT

Happy Summer, Healthy Fun!

The Y has something for everyone! Visitors and all members of the community can play for just one day or longer with these programs.

PASS RATES: Adult $10, Youth $5, Family $20 plus tax

SUMMER PROGRAMS

Summer Kids Camp for ages 5-12

Parent’s Night Out events

Fitness Classes: Yoga, Zumba, Pilates, ForeverWell, Kickbox, etc.

Drop-in care for on-site workouts

Two-week accelerated swim class

Summer programs: Cheer Camp, Archery, Kettlebells,

Prevention Program, Adult Swim, etc.

Join any day before July 15th!

Blueberries: NorthShore’s TastyTreat

By Kelsey Roseth

GARY FIEDLER

“It was a trip of experiences, not one of conquests,” writes Gary Fiedler.

Fiedler was on an ambitious seven-month solo canoe journey through the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness and Quetico Provincial Park when he saw a mother black bear and two cubs wandering the shore, foraging for blueberries. On the water, in his canoe, and about 100 feet away from the bears, he captured the brilliant black intensity of their coats up close.

“It was really living with the rhythms of nature, living at a more natural pace, and enjoying all the experiences that came across his path,” said Fiedler’s wife Dawn LaPointe.

On the trip, Fiedler captured 40,000 photographs and ate four gallons of blueberries.

“I climb to a hilltop recently renewed by fire,” writes Fiedler in a piece published in the Boundary Waters Journal in the summer of 2015. “Unexpectedly, I stumble upon a large patch of blueberries! Dropping to my knees, I pick the last berries of the season. They are large and plump, warm from the sunshine, and bursting with sweetness.”

The day was August 23, 2014, and day 157 of his trip, which took place from March 20 to October 26 that year. On the 221-day trip, the photographer paddled 811 miles, hiked 178 miles, and encountered 83 lakes/rivers with more than 350 pounds of gear, eagerly enjoying blueberries as he stumbled upon a patch.

“I’d mix them with cereal, pancakes, oatmeal, stuff like that,” he said. “I knew there were going to be blueberries, but you don’t know if it’s going to be a good or a bad season. That year, it happened to be a bumper crop, so I just ate, and ate, and ate, until I got sick of them,” said Fiedler.

A bumper crop means the conditions are just right so that each flower makes a berry.

“You just have to get there before other people do, or the bears do,” he joked.

Fiedler and LaPointe are a husband-and-wife photography team that own Radiant Spirit Gallery in Hermantown and focus on nature photography. LaPointe began shooting with intention in 2009 with Fiedler as a guide, and Fiedler started in 1985 on film cameras and taught himself the art form.

They often encounter the Northland’s tasty summer treat while hiking or canoeing on local lakes. They gather their photography equipment and their golden retriever Daisy, and each climb into their own Souris River Quetico tandem canoe, a Kevlar wilderness tripping canoe that’s built for stability. The pair seek to record nature, and often encounter wild, juicy berries while taking photographs.

A blueberry blossom. |

Finding Fresh Berries

Blueberries are often found in full sun. The plants tolerate partial shade, but the shaded plants will produce fewer blossoms and fruit. The plants thrive in acidic soil that’s well drained, loose and high in organic matter.

According to the University of Minnesota Extension, plants grow well when trees are not surrounding the blueberry patch. That’s because the berry shrubs compete with trees for water and nutrients, and trees interfere with air movement around the plants. Poor air movement can lead to disease and increase the danger of spring frost injury to blossoms.

Popular blueberry spots in northern Minnesota include Palisade Head, just off

the North Shore Drive, and burned areas along the Gunflint Trail. You can eat and gather blueberries on most state and federal parks, forests and refuges for personal use only. Just to be safe, check with local authorities before foraging.

Fiedler and LaPointe often notice blueberries in burned areas, about three to four years after the burn. They’ve successfully found berries in sunny, rocky areas, often by shore.

“Eat ‘em by the handful, and if there are enough to take back to camp,” said LaPointe of their gathering techniques.

FIREWOOD IS LOCAL FIREWOOD.

Prevent The Spread Of Invasive Plants And Animals.

• REMOVE plants, animals & mud from boots, gear, pets & vehicle.

• CLEAN your gear before entering & leaving the recreation site.

• STAY on designated roads & trails.

• USE CERTIFIED or local rewood &

Gary Fielder foraging for blueberries. | DAWN LAPOINTE

Blueberries make a tasty summer treat. | GARY FIEDLER

The calm waters of the Turtle River made for easy paddling and nice tans. We hoped to spot a moose, but only found a set of old tracks along a cold spring that fed into the river. How refreshing it was to taste ice-cold water for the first time in nearly a week!

PADDLING THE TURTLE RIVER White Otter Castle and Beyond

STORY

AND

PHOTOS BY JULIA PRINSELAAR

This July, Canada marks 150 years since its British colonies unified to form a single country. But long before confederation, and the railroads and highways that followed, the original pathways of the land were connected by water—from the St. Lawrence Seaway into the Great Lakes Basin; across the northern prairie provinces, reaching high into the Arctic. From watershed to watershed, travel and commerce into uncharted wilderness was made possible with one of the oldest modes of transportation in existence: the canoe.

Across the abundance of freshwater lakes and tributaries in Canada, there have been countless journeys by canoe. Each of them has held its own purpose and meaning. Joseph Boyden’s bestselling novel, Three Day Road, chronicles the voyage of a wounded Cree soldier, guided by his aunt who paddles them back home to the far north of Ontario.

Some of today’s more adventurous Canadians pay homage to our heritage by paddling across the entire country. Atikokan-born Mike Ranta and his dog Spitzii are currently on their fourth such expedition, this time to commemorate Canada’s 150th anniversary.

When I think about what water means to me, and my connection with place, I think of one particular journey. It wasn’t a summer-long expedition, but a nine-day, point-to-point route through Turtle River Provincial Park, northwest of Quetico and the Boundary Waters.

We took the advice of some friends and camped on this island—and loved it so much that we decided to make it home for a couple of days. On one clear and starry night, we paddled to the middle of the lake and watched shooting stars bordered by a glowing ring of Northern Lights.

Stepping foot in White Otter Castle, a legendary landmark accessible in the summer by boat or float plane only, was on my Northern Ontario bucket list. So on the morning of July 23, 2016, my paddling partner and I launched our Alumacraft canoe from the glassy waters of Clearwater Lake, located about 35 miles northwest of Atikokan. We headed for the Castle, and continued to follow a 90-mile counter-clockwise loop through several lakes that swelled and tapered along the Turtle River.

We faced our share of challenges from the beginning. We got lost (briefly) within the first couple of hours after paddling a small corner of our route without a map, and mistaking the wrong inlet for our first set of portages. (We like to wing it sometimes.) We packed a blanket but no sleeping bags—an oversight that forced us to sleep in all of our clothes, including rain gear and a crinkly emergency blanket. Did I mention we like to wing it sometimes? Well, this is not a great example. But trials like these were far outweighed by the gains we made as a team. Free from the stresses of day-to-day life, the wilderness led us to work together. We rarely needed words to set up and tear down camp, or orchestrate 17 or so portages (we lost count after that). As with most challenges, these were means for bonding, entertaining posttrip stories, and the reassurance that together, we were stronger.

All things considered, the weather was on our side. We experienced some rain, but not a single storm. Our closest encounter was watching an ominous tower of gray clouds and lightning head straight for us, only to drift to the east before it hit. This is the view from our campsite overlooking Eltrut Lake.

At the turn of the 20th century, an eccentric hermit named James Alexander “Jimmy” McQuat built this log home on the shore of White Otter Lake, south of Ignace, Ontario. The story goes that he single-handedly constructed this enigmatic mansion from red pine logs that he felled, hauled and interlocked. Just a few years later, he drowned nearby. White Otter Castle has now been restored through local efforts and is without road access, but sees a number of visitors each year by motor boat, canoe and snow machine.

Camped about a mile south of White Otter Castle, this was our reward for paddling almost a third of our total route on the first day. Incredibly, we were spoiled by orange and red skies every single evening of our trip: a blessed reminder that we were officially in Sunset Country.

We enjoyed pike, walleye and smallmouth bass for many of our meals. But the lively bass, introduced to many lakes of Northwestern Ontario, dominated. We caught only a single walleye the entire trip.

We foraged for summertime edibles to supplement our meals, picking blueberries at every opportunity, and finding interesting and edible mushrooms at our camp sites and along portage routes. These included lobster mushrooms, which are actually a type of parasitized fungus, and a variety of boletes. We packed frozen fiddleheads and ate them on the first night, sautéed with freshpicked chanterelles.

Ancient pictographs like this one are etched onto numerous rock faces along the path of the Turtle River.

Bringing Down the Haus

BY CASEY FITCHETT

He performs solo and with a group, cover songs and original songs, in front of intimate crowds and sold out theaters. His voice is recognizable all the way down the North Shore because of bar gigs and across the country because of commercial radio jingles. From covers of Snoop Dogg’s “Gin and Juice” to Beck’s “Loser,” Timmy Haussner, also known as Timmy Haus, is an entertainer in every sense of the word.

The musical notes started flowing from the piano keys when Haussner was just four years old. A solid 10-year foundation on that instrument was a segue into picking the strings on a guitar at age 17. It took just two years of practicing strumming chords before he played his first professional gig at age 19.

The North Shore has been lucky enough to host Haussner and his combination guitar and vocal talent for eight years now. He has played in many of the establishments that have live music including Papa Charlie’s and Moguls in Lutsen, Voyageur Brewing Company in Grand Marais, and Lucky 13 in Duluth.

“I play shows all over. I do private events, festivals, bars. Papa Charlie’s is one of the main stays; I’m there most Saturdays in the summer and Fridays in the winter,” said Haussner. “I do travel a ton as well.”

Though he has played many venues, the ones that he likes best are theater gigs.

“I get to play with a band called the Fabulous Armadillos usually once or twice a year. We’ll do a themed theater run,” he explained. “The last one was called the ‘Songs of the Wrecking Crew.’ The Wrecking Crew were a studio band out of LA that played on just about everyone’s records at one point.”

While some performers might slow down around the holidays, Haussner ramps up a performance and travel schedule. For the entire month of December, he travels around the state with a show called Rock ‘n Roll Christmas.

“It’s cool to walk out on a stage with big lights, big sound, a great band behind you and 900 people in the audience, sold out,” he said.

For inquiring minds, playing as a musician three to five nights a week does leave him with some quirky and memorable stories from the stage. Though he has tales galore, they aren’t exactly the kind he felt he could share.

“Most of my stories are not suitable for print,” he laughs. “Being a musician is an interesting ride, that’s for sure.”

Audiences are always left guessing because of his eclectic sound and broad range of genres in his wheelhouse. Putting his own spin on some popular reggae, rap, country, rock and pop tunes gives his performances a unique touch.

“I choose the covers that I play selfishly. I’ve been playing music for a long time,” he said. “I’ve always played what I liked.”

Though many on the North Shore currently recognize Timmy Haus as a solo act, he does have experience in bands and in recording studios. He wrote almost all of the material for the Friends of Yoder band’s CD, which was released in 2007. A few years later he released another “rootsy, bluesy” recording.

Along with his regular bar and restaurant circuit, Haussner will also perform at the Hopped Up Caribou Beer Festival in Lutsen on July 15 and the Blueberry Festival in Ely on July 28.

Breana’s Pick OF THE MONTH

The Thunder Bay community was recently abuzz with the rare sighting of a female violetgreen swallow. While watching some tree swallows, Christine Johnston noticed the bird carrying a feather to her nesting box, setting up house with a male tree swallow. Johnston was able to capture a photo, saying “I feel very fortunate to have found this bird and enjoy her presence while she nests here.” Violet-green swallows are normally found on the west coast, from Alaska to Mexico.

Jill Ewald’s paintings will be on display at the Johnson Heritage Post, starting July 21. | JILL EWALD

Permanent Exhibit

On the Line: A Military History of Cook County Cook County Historical Society, Grand Marais, cookcountyhistory.org

May 23-March 11, 2018

1000 Words Tweed Museum of Art, Duluth, d.umn.edu/tma

May 26-Oct. 21

Boom Town to Ghost Town: Taconite Harbor Cross River Heritage Center, Schroeder, crossriverheritage.org

May 30-Sept. 24

Sinew: Female Native Artists of the Twin Cities Tweed Museum of Art, Duluth, d.umn.edu/tma

June 6-Aug. 20

Mounties Tweed Museum of Art, Duluth, d.umn.edu/tma

June 22-Sept. 24

The Perspective From Here: 150 Artists from the North Thunder Bay Art Gallery, theag.ca

June 23-July 16

Minneapolis College of Art & Design Exhibit Johnson Heritage Post, Grand Marais, johnsonheritagepost.org

June 29-Sept. 4

Peripheral Vignettes: Jonathan Thunder Duluth Art Institute, duluthartinstitute.org

Play: Robert Dewitt Adams, Elizabeth LaPensee & Christopher Selleck Duluth Art Institute, duluthartinstitute.org

July 1-31

Red, White & Blueberries Exhibition (reception July 3 at 5 p.m.) Art & Soul Gallery, Ely, elyartandsoul.com

Linda Naughton Watercolors (reception July 8 at 1 p.m.) Lakeside Gallery, Duluth, lakesidegalleryduluth.com

July 15-Aug. 27

Plein Air Duluth: Paint du Nord Exhibit Blacklist Artisan Ales, Duluth, duluthartinstitute.org

July 16, Sunday

Unveiling of Mural Installation by Paul LaJeunesse 3 p.m. Frost River, Duluth, duluthartinstitute.org

July 21-Aug. 13

Marie Westerman & Jill Ewald Johnson Heritage Post, Grand Marais, johnsonheritagepost.org

Haussner played his first professional gig at age 19. | SUBMITTED

Come Dine with Us!

June 1 thru September 30

By Reservation Only

Take-Out Available

All-You-Care-To-Eat Loon Lake Breakfast $11.95

Reserve the day before

Served from 8:00 - 9:30 am

Includes:

 Swedish Pancakes

 Made to order eggs

 Shore lunch potatoes (sausage, peppers, onions, potatoes)

 Hash browns

 Bacon, Sausage links or patties

 French toast

 Toast

 Served with unlimited juice, milk, coffee, or tea.

Dinner Menu

Reserve by Noon

Served at 5:30 pm with bread, cottage cheese, a salad or applesauce. Also a vegetable, dessert and coffee or hot tea.

 BBQ Baby Back Ribs

 Roasted Duck

 10 oz Ribeye Steak

 Chicken Alice

 Rack of Lamb w/ Blueberry Sauce

 Walleye

 Wild-caught Salmon

 Meatloaf (Mondays)

 Homemade Lasagna (Wednesdays)

 Vegetarian and Children’s options available.

39 miles up the Gunflint Trail  visitloonlake.com Call 218-388-2232 to Make Reservations

Friday, July 28,

1PM-5PM

We are midway through our construction and want to invite you to see the progress with the North Shore Health Renovation. Guided tours will show the

Care

Continue

Between ropes courses, animal-tracking and canoeing, you'll learn something new every time you open your eyes.

,��. WOLF RIDCE ™ 4\�

Learn about our family & youth camps and trips. wolf-ridge.org.

Adventures in learning.

Household Hazardous Waste Collection Event

Safely dispose of household hazardous waste and pick up usable household products. Free of charge!

Saturday, July 22rd, 9 a.m.-1 p.m.

Cook County Recycling Center, Grand Marais

Acceptable wastes include (but not limited to):

- Adhesives - Button & rechargeable batteries

- Home & garden pesticides - PCB ballasts

- Paints & stains - Acids & bases - Aerosols

HOVLAND ARTS FESTIVAL

JULY 1-2 The 12th annual Hovland Summer Arts Festival, held at the Hovland Town Hall, will showcase over 25 artists, featuring everything from jewelry, pottery and photography, to paintings, basketry and carvings. There will also be live music all day, and food provided by Trinity Lutheran Church. The festival will be held from 10 a.m.-3 p.m. both days. hovlandartsfestival.com

TOFTE TREK

- Automotive products - Fluorescent tubes - Thinners & solvents

For more information, contact Cook County Solid Waste Office at (218) 387-3630 Types of wastes NOT accepted: - Business waste - Empty containers - Compressed gas - Tires - Radioactive material - Alkaline batteries - Explosives

Upcoming Event: Save the Date!

Electronics Recycling Collection Saturday, August 26th, 9am to 1pm

- Unique access by train and floatplane.

- The only full-service canoe outfitter for Wabakimi.

- Main base B&B plus 6 remote fishing outposts.

- Full or partial outfitting, with or without guides.

- Permits, maps, route planning and shuttles.

- Quote this Code # NW0516 for a free $100 gift certificate.

- Call Bruce Hyer (park co-creator) anytime for free advice. - 40-years experience.

JULY 4, TUESDAY The annual Tofte Trek 10k trail run is a favorite of locals and visitors alike. Held as a fundraiser for the Sugarbush Trail Association, the run starts and finishes at the Birch Grove School in Tofte. Pre-registration closes July 1, but same day registration begins at 8 a.m. at the Birch Grove Community Center. There will also be kid’s sprint races and a youth mile run. Races will begin at 9 a.m., followed by music, food and fun. sugarbushtrail.org

HERITAGE DAYS

JULY 6-9 The annual Two Harbors Heritage Days features three-days of family-fun. Activities include live music and stage skits, a scavenger hunt, pancake breakfasts, library book sales, a street dance featuring Northwoods Band, a lutefisk toss, golf scramble, helicopter rides, arts and crafts, street vendors, a silent auction and a 5k run/walk. There will also be free face painting, games and a bubble party for kids. A kiddie parade will take place at 6:30 p.m. on Thursday and the Heritage Days parade will take place at 1 p.m. on Saturday. A full list of events can be found online. twoharborschamber.com

FIREWISE DEMONSTRATIONS

JULY 7-8

Learn the steps you can take to protect your home and neighborhood against wildfire by attending a free Cook County Firewise demonstration on Friday, July 7. The first demo will be held from 9-11 a.m. at 104 Voyageurs Point; up the Gunflint Trail on Poplar Lake. Another demo will be held near Lutsen from 2-4 p.m. at 37 South Caps Trail; off Caribou Trail on Tait Lake. Demos will be performed by DNR firewise specialist Jeffery

Jackson. Call (218) 235-0899 for more info. Then, head to Ely on July 8 for the Living with Fire day, featuring free workshops, demos, tours, discussions and activities. There will also be vendor exhibits, a prize drawing, and activities for the kids, like meeting Smokey the Bear. The event will be held from 8 a.m.-5 p.m. at Vermilion Community College; registration required. tinyurl.com/elylivingwithfire

BAY DAYS

JULY 7-9 This year’s Bay Days festival, held in Silver Bay and Beaver Bay, features live music, vendors, kids activities, pancake breakfasts, a dunk tank, a karaoke contest, bean bag tournaments, a raffle drawing, Friends of the Library book sale, a silent auction, a street dance and more. There will also be an Alumni Golf Scramble Friday afternoon, followed by the Bay Days Parade at 6 p.m. The Bay to Bay Run/Walk will be held Saturday morning, followed by the Soap Box Derby. The Classic Car and Motorcycle Show will be held on Sunday. bay-days.org

DOM FLEMONS

JULY 8, SATURDAY The North Shore Music Association presents Dom Flemons, Grammy-award-winning musician, singer-songwriter, slam poet and co-founder of the Carolina Chocolate Drops. Flemons mixes traditional music forms with a contemporary approach to create new sounds. His latest solo album, Prospect Hill, draws from a wide range of styles, including ragtime, Piedmont blues, spirituals, Southern traditional, string-band, fife-and-drum, and jug-band music. On July 8, Flemons will perform at 7:30 p.m. at the Arrowhead Center for the Arts in Grand Marais. Tickets can be purchased at the door or online in advance: aca.tix.com. Flemons will also host two free events at the Grand Marais Public Library on July 8, open to

Canoeing & Fishing Outfitters

Tofte Trek races will begin at 9 a.m. on Tuesday, July 4. | SUBMITTED

ARTS FESTIVAL

DULUTH SIDEWALK DAYS

JULY 12-14 Enjoy three days of shopping, food, entertainment and family-fun with the annual Sidewalk Days in Duluth, held on Superior Street. Special events include the Sidewalk Shuffle 5k at noon on Wednesday, July 12, followed by the Kolar Classic Car Show from 5-8 p.m. There will also be a First Street Dance hosted by Aces on First at 8 p.m. on Friday, July 14, and a Superior Street Dance hosted by Dubh Linn Brew Pub at 8 p.m. on Saturday, July 15. downtownduluth.com

LAKE SUPERIOR SALMON CLASSIC

JULY 15-16

The 17th annual Lake Superior Salmon Classic Fishing Tournament, hosted by the Silver Bay PTSO, will take place in the Silver Bay Marina. There are three contest divisions with five places in each division: coho salmon, king salmon and lake trout. The entry fee is $20 per person and can be purchased at various Lake County businesses. There will also be a raffle drawing with cash prizes, totaling $1,500; tickets are $5. A full list of ticket locations and rules can be found online. silverbay-marina.com/salmon.php

GUNFLINT TRAIL CANOE RACES

JULY 19, WEDNESDAY This year marks the 40th Gunflint Trail Canoe Races, a fundraiser for the Gunflint Trail Volunteer Fire Department. This year’s events include 16 canoe races for multiple ages and abilities; both silent and live auctions; a food tent with sloppy joes, hot dogs, veggies and homemade desserts; and more than 100 raffle items. Raffle tickets are $2 and can be purchased on-site or at local resorts.

There will also be a raffle to win a yellow Current Designs Solara 120 Kayak, worth $900. The event begins at 4:30 p.m. at the Gunflint Lodge waterfront.

KARNIVAL ON THE KAM

JULY 20-23 Fort William Historical Park will hold a four-day, family-friendly carnival to celebrate Canada’s 150th birthday. Karnival on the Kam will feature thrilling spectacles, such as skydiving stunts and aerial coordination, a big top circus, jet ski, flyboard and water ski stunt shows, human cannonball stunts, timber sports and lumberjack shows, trapeze and high wire acts, acrobats and chainsaw jugglers. There will be musical entertainment and videogames in the Game RV, and visitors can take a flyboard ride on the Kaministiquia River. The festival will also include a large, multi-component fireworks show, combining fireworks and narration to tell the story of Fort William. The carnival will be held from noon to midnight, daily. Purchase a four-day event pass or a daily ticket. fwhp.ca

SUMMER THEATER FESTIVAL

JULY 20-AUG. 13 The Grand Marais Playhouse will be performing The Game’s Afoot and The Pajama Game musical. Shows will alternate each night, beginning at 7 p.m. Thursdays through Saturdays, and 2 p.m. on Sundays. Tickets are $20 for adults and $10 for ages 18 and under; can be purchased online or at the door. Performances will be held at the Arrowhead Center for the Arts in Grand Marais. grandmaraisplayhouse.com

BOARD ACROSS THE BAY

JULY 21-22

The Washburn Board Across the Bay Race is a unique stand up paddle board event for all paddling enthusiasts. Held on Lake Superior’s Chequamegon Bay in Washburn, Wisc., categories include a 3-mile, 7-mile and 14-mile race. Activities will begin at 3 p.m. on Friday, with a dedication to Tom Blake at Memorial Park, followed by a historic paddle. Races will begin at 8 a.m. on Saturday; registration required. There will also be SUP demos, challenges, relays, obstacles and fun prizes from 10 a.m.-1 p.m. at West End Park. An awards ceremony will be held at 1 p.m. boardacrossthebay.com

The North Shore Water Festival will include demos and a free SUP yoga class.

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The tour will take place from 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Tickets are $25 and available for purchase at the visitor services desk at the Thunder Bay Art Gallery, Landale Gardens and Vaillant Florist. All proceeds from the event will support exhibition and education programming at the Thunder Bay Art Gallery. For more info, call (807) 5776427 or email: visitorservices@theag.ca.

BLUEBERRY/ART FESTIVAL

JULY 28-30

Ely’s signature summer event, the Blueberry/Art Festival features more than 260 artists and crafters selling their unique hand-crafted items, 30 food vendors and local musicians. Held at Whiteside Park, the festival includes a blueberry pancake breakfast, live music

each day and activities for the kids. Local stores and restaurants will offer specials and tasty concoctions with a blueberry theme, such as blueberry lemonade, scones, tea, muffins and smoothies. The festival will take place from noon to 7 p.m. on Friday, 10 a.m.-6 p.m. on Saturday, and 10 a.m.-4 p.m. on Sunday; attendance is free. ely.org/events/ blueberry-art-festival

TWO HARBORS KAYAK FESTIVAL

JULY 29-30 Held on Lake Superior, the 20th annual Two Harbors Kayak Festival features multiple races, local exhibitors, SUP classes and demos, kayak demos, kids kayaking and activities, clinics and tours, live music, food and fun for the whole family. Competitive races consist of the Betty’s Pies 5-Mile Race, Ellen Anderson 10-Mile Race and the John Abrahams 18-Mile Marathon, all with various age groups and boat categories. Race registration required. The festival will take place at Burlington Beach in Two Harbors. kayakfestival.org

The Bay Algoma Buskers Festival in Thunder Bay will be held July 29-30. See page 23 for more info. | SUBMITTED

Northern Wilds Calendar of Events

June 29-July 9

Thomas Carnival Duluth DECC, thomascarnival.com

July 1, Saturday

Canada Day

Prairie Fire Children’s Theater presents Jack and the Beanstalk Vermilion Theatre, Ely, northernlakesarts.org

Volunteer Project: Poplar to Lizz Portage Boardwalk Installation

8 a.m. Rockwood Lodge & Outfitters, Gunflint Trail, mnnvc.org

Open House: Free Activities 10 a.m. Wolf Ridge, Finland, wolf-ridge.org

Taste of Duluth 11 a.m. Bayfront Festival Park, Duluth, tasteofduluth.com

Grand Opening & Ride of Flume Mountain Bike Trail 3 p.m. Britton Peak Parking Lot, Tofte, superiorcycling.org

Canada Day Party 3 p.m.

Red Lion Smokehouse, Thunder Bay, redlionsmokehouse.ca

Canada Day on the Waterfront 5 p.m. Marina Park, Thunder Bay, thunderbay.ca

Brothers in Arms 8:30 p.m. Gun Flint Tavern, Grand Marais, gunflinttavern.com

July 1-2

Hovland Arts Festival 10 a.m. Hovland Town Hall, hovlandartsfestival.com

July 2, Sunday

Open House Presentation:

Remembering the Ham Lake Fire

2007 Exhibit 11 a.m. Chik-Wauk Museum & Nature Center, Gunflint Trail, chikwauk.com

Patriotic Choir Concert 2 p.m. Washington Auditorium, Ely, ely.org

Briand Morrison 2 p.m.

Gun Flint Tavern, Grand Marais, briandmorrison.com

July 3-7

Scavenger Hunt Week Ely Public Library, elylibrary.org

July 4, Tuesday Independence Day

Fireworks at Dawn Silver Bay Shopping Center Parking Lot

Janet Gensler Memorial 4 on the 4th Walk/Run 8 a.m. Trezona Trailhead, Ely, northlandrunner.com

Tofte Trek

9 a.m. Tofte, sugarbushtrail.org

Fireman’s Races: All Ages

10 a.m. Lake County Arena, Two Harbors

Tofte 4th of July Celebration

11 a.m. (Parade 2 p.m.) Tofte Town Hall, toftemn.com

Ely 4th of July Parade

1 p.m. (Fireworks 10 p.m.) Ely, ely.org

Fourth Fest 4 p.m. Bayfront Festival Park, Duluth, bayfrontfestivalpark.com

Ice Cream Social 6:30 p.m.

First Congregational Church, Grand Marais, visitcookcounty.com

SplinterTones 8 p.m. Harbor Park, Grand Marais, splintertones.com

Plucked Up String Band

8 p.m. Gun Flint Tavern, Grand Marais, gunflinttavern.com

Fireworks 10 p.m. Grand Marais, Tofte, Grand Portage, Two Harbors

July 5, Wednesday

Free: Ely Field Naturalists

Nature Night 7 p.m. Vermilion Community College, Ely, ely.org

Rock, Paper, Scissors Tournament 8 p.m. Red Lion Smokehouse, Thunder Bay, redlionsmokehouse.ca

July 6, Thursday

Writers Read 5 p.m.

Boathouse Brewpub, Ely, ely.org

Jon Miller 7:30 p.m. Gun Flint Tavern, Grand Marais, gunflinttavern.com

July 6-9

Heritage Days Two Harbors, twoharborschamber.com

July 6-11

“Summer of Love” Membership Drive WTIP, Grand Marais, wtip.org

July 7, Friday

Free Firewise Demonstration Day

9 a.m. Gunflint Trail 2 p.m. Lutsen, cookcountyfirewise.org

Game Night with Dungeon’s End 6 p.m. Duluth Art Institute, duluthartinstitute.org

July 7-8

The Wrong Omar 9 p.m. Gun Flint Tavern, Grand Marais, gunflinttavern.com

July 7-9

Thunder Bay Blues Fest Marina Park, Thunder Bay, tbayblues.ca

Bay Days

Beaver Bay & Silver Bay, bay-days.org

July 8, Saturday

Lundie Vacation Home Tour

Cross River Heritage Center, Schroeder, crossriverheritage.org

Living with Fire 8 a.m. Vermilion Community College, Ely, ely.org

10th Annual Rummage Sale

9 a.m. Lutheran Church, Lutsen

Nice Girls of the North Marketplace

10 a.m. Lakeside Lester Park Community Center, Duluth, nicegirlsofthenorth.com

Heritage Days Parade 1 p.m. Two Harbors, twoharborschamber.com

Free: American Folk Music History

Talk & Demo with Dom Flemons

1 p.m. Grand Marais Public Library, grandmaraislibrary.org

Free: Rhythm Bones Workshop with Dom Flemons 2 p.m. Grand Marais Public Library, grandmaraislibrary.org

Hippo Campus, Polica & Low

4:30 p.m. Bayfront Festival Park, Duluth, bayfrontfestivalpark.com

Planked Trout Dinner Benefit

5:30 p.m. Grand Marais Rec Park & Campground, cookcountyhistory.org

Writer’s Salon with Ann Marie Mershon 7 p.m. Drury Lane Books, Grand Marais, drurylanebooks.com

NSMA presents Dom Flemons 7:30 p.m. Arrowhead Center for the Arts, Grand Marais, northshoremusicassociation.com

July 8-9

Grand Marais Arts Festival Downtown Grand Marais, grandmaraisartcolony.org

Clothesline Art Sale Fundraiser Grand Marais Art Colony, grandmaraisartcolony.org

Ely Greenstone’s Art Show & Sale

10 a.m. Miners Dry House, Ely Arts & Heritage Center, elygreenstone.org

July 8-23

Imaginarium: Superheroes! The Underground, Duluth, duluthplayhouse.org/childrens-theatre

July 9, Sunday

Jim & Michele Miller 7:30 p.m. Gun Flint Tavern, Grand Marais, gunflinttavern.com

Full Moon Reading with Erin Watson & Reed Schmidt 8 p.m. Drury Lane Books, Grand Marais, drurylanebooks.com

July 9-14

Plein Air Duluth: Paint du Nord Festival Duluth, duluthartinstitute.org

July 10, Monday

Mad Science of Minnesota

9:30 a.m. Ely Public Library, elylibrary.org

GTHS Membership Meeting 1:30 p.m. Seagull Lake Community Center, Gunflint Trail, chikwauk.com

July 10-16

Mackenzie Tour Canada: Staal Foundation Open Whitewater Golf Club, Rosslyn, thunderbay.ca

July 11, Tuesday

Teddy Bears Picnic Noon, Vickers Park, Thunder Bay, thunderbay.ca

Ruby’s Pantry 5 p.m. Cook County High School, Grand Marais, facebook.com/rubyspantrycc

July 12, Wednesday

Wilderness Project #2: Granite River Portage Repair 8 a.m. Gunflint Ranger Station, Grand Marais, mnnvc.org

Estate Planning: Cabin Succession Planning 4 p.m. Ely Public Library, elylibrary.org

North Shore Poets & Writers 6 p.m. Two Harbors Public Library, twoharborschamber.com

July 12-14

Sidewalk Days Downtown Duluth, downtownduluth.com

July 13, Thursday

Garden Club Meeting & Tour

6 p.m. Ely Flower & Seed, ely.org

Northern Lights Music Festival Chamber Music Concert 7 p.m. Vermilion Community College, Ely, northernlightsmusic.org

Mysterious Ways 9 p.m. Gun Flint Tavern, Grand Marais, gunflinttavern.com

July 13-16

Duluth Kennel Club All-Breed Dog Show Duluth DECC, duluthkennelclub.org

July 13-30

Billy Elliot : The Musical 7:30 p.m. (2 p.m. Sun.) Duluth Playhouse, duluthplayhouse.org

July 14, Friday

Kamview Mid-Summer Mudslinger Run Kamview Nordic Centre, Thunder Bay, tbnordictrails.com

Free: Northern Lights Music Festival Kids for Kids Concert 10:30 a.m. Ely Public Library, elylibrary.org

July 14-15

Chris Silver Band 8 p.m. Gun Flint Tavern, Grand Marais, gunflinttavern.com

July 14-16

Hopped Up Caribou Festival Caribou Highlands Lodge, Lutsen, caribouhighlands.com/ hoppedupcaribou

July 15, Saturday

Reggae & World Music Festival Bayfront Festival Park, Duluth, bayfrontworldmusic.com

Festival of India 3 p.m. Marina Park, Thunder Bay, indiafesttbay.com

Avant Garden 5 p.m. Glensheen Mansion, Duluth, duluthloveslocal.com

NLMF Opera Scenes

7:30 p.m. Grand Marais Playhouse, northernlightsmusic.org

July 15-16

Lake Superior Salmon Classic Silver Bay Marina, silverbay-marina.com/salmon.php

Finland Fireman’s Annual Wooden Bat Softball Tournament Clair Nelson Center, Finland

July 16, Sunday

Pints & Poses 10 a.m. Voyageur Brewing, Grand Marais, voyageurbrewing.com

Free: Wolves at our Door 2 p.m. Chik-Wauk Museum & Nature Center, Gunflint Trail, chikwauk.com

Honor Earth presents: Love Water Not Oil Tour 7 p.m. Bayfront Festival Park, Duluth, honorearth.org

July 17, Monday

Tchaikovsky’s Eugene Onegin Opera 7 p.m. Washington Auditorium, Ely, northernlightsmusic.org

July 18, Tuesday

Free: Fishing Basics for Kids

9 a.m.Chik-Wauk Museum & Nature Center, Gunflint Trail, chikwauk.com

Downtown Farmers’ Market

11 a.m. Lake Superior Plaza, Duluth, downtownduluth.com

Free: Night at the Museum

7 p.m. Dorothy Molter Museum, Ely, rootbeerlady.com

Take It With You: Live Theatre Radio

7:30 p.m. The Underground, Duluth, duluthplayhouse.org

July 19, Wednesday

Kim Casey: Thunder Bay District’s True Murder Investigations Book Launch

4 p.m. Gallery 33, Thunder Bay (807) 286-4233

Library Scientists: STEM at the Library 12:30 p.m. Ely Public Library, elylibrary.org

Gunflint Trail Canoe Races

4:30 p.m. Gunflint Lodge Waterfront, Gunflint Trail (218) 388-2246

Free Artist Talk: Artistic Collaborations with Dan Clark & Martha McQuade

4:30 p.m. Grand Marais Art Colony, grandmaraisartcolony.org



NLMF Opera Scenes 7 p.m.

Vermilion Community College, Ely, northernlightsmusic.org

Free: Ely Field Naturalists Nature Night

7 p.m. Vermilion Community College, Ely, ely.org

Game Night 8 p.m.

Red Lion Smokehouse, Thunder Bay, redlionsmokehouse.ca

July 19-22

Ely Watercolor Show & Sale Miners Dry House, Ely Arts & Heritage Center, ely.org

July 20, Thursday

Taw Connors: Tribute to Tom Connors 7 p.m. CLE Coliseum, Thunder Bay, tbca.com

Jonathan Thunder Film Screening 7 p.m. Teatro Zuccone, Duluth, duluthartinstitute.org

Gordon Thorne 8 p.m. Gun Flint Tavern, Grand Marais, gunflinttavern.com

July 20-23

Karnival on the Kam Noon, Fort William Historical Park, Thunder Bay, fwhp.ca

July 20-Aug. 13

Summer Theater Festival: The Game’s Afoot & The Pajama Game Arrowhead Center for the Arts, Grand Marais, grandmaraisplayhouse.com

July 21, Friday

Water Film Festival 6 p.m. Voyageur Brewing, Grand Marais, voyageurbrewing.com

July 21-22

Washburn Board Across the Bay Races Washburn, WI, boardacrossthebay.com

Crazy Chester 9 p.m. Gun Flint Tavern, Grand Marais, gunflinttavern.com

July 21-23

North Shore Water Festival Grand Marais Harbor, stoneharborws.com Northern Exposure Hockey Tournament Duluth, northernexposureaaahockey.com

Driving Miss Daisy Vermilion Theatre, Ely, northernlakesarts.org

July 22, Saturday

Die Active Y.Art Sale Bay & Algoma Midsummer Garden, Thunder Bay, definitelysuperior.com

Household Hazardous Waste Collection

9 a.m. Cook County Recycling Center, Grand Marais (218) 387-3630

Volunteer Invasive Plant Project 9:30 a.m. Mitawan Lake Rd, Isabella, MN, mnnvc.org

Guided Hike: Bally Creek Road to Pincushion Mountain Trailhead

10 a.m. Pincushion Trailhead Parking Lot, Gunflint Trail, shta.org

Lakehead Antique Car Club Car Show & Shine 10 a.m. Current River Park, Thunder Bay (807) 623-5413

Fat Guys Auto Parts Car Show

11 a.m. Memorial Avenue, Thunder Bay, fatguyscarshow.com

Contain It: West End Garden Club Flower Show 1 p.m. Schroeder Town Hall

July 23, Sunday

Annual Garden Tour 10 a.m. Throughout Thunder Bay and Slate River (807) 577-6427

Free: Gunflint & Lake Superior

2 p.m. Chik-Wauk Museum & Nature Center, Gunflint Trail, chikwauk.com

Writer’s Salon with Mark Neuzil 5 p.m. Drury Lane Books, Grand Marais, drurylanebooks.com

July 25, Tuesday

Downtown Farmers’ Market 11 a.m. Lake Superior Plaza, Duluth, downtownduluth.com

July 26, Wednesday

Free Artist Talk: Investigating the Ceramic Form with Ernest Miller 4:30 p.m. Johnson Heritage Post, Grand Marais, grandmaraisartcolony.org

Quiz Night 8 p.m. Red Lion Smokehouse, Thunder Bay, redlionsmokehouse.ca

July 27, Thursday

Free: Batty About Bats 7:30 p.m. Soudan Underground Mine, Soudan, ely.org

July 27-30

Superior Theatre Festival

Prince Arthur’s Landing, Thunder Bay, superiortheatrefestival.com

July 28, Friday

Dead Pigeons 8:30 p.m. Gun Flint Tavern, Grand Marais, gunflinttavern.com

July 28-29

Ely Fine Art & Artisan Fair Amici’s Event Center, Ely, amiciseventcenter.com

July 28-30

Blueberry/Art Festival Whiteside Park, Ely, ely.org/events/blueberry-art-festival

Stars of the North Music Festival Harbor Park, Grand Marais, grandmaraismusic.org

July 29, Saturday

Karen McTavish Quilt Trunk Show 11 a.m. Cross River Heritage Center, Schroeder, crossriverheritage.org

Floral Fiesta: Grand Marais Garden Club Flower Show Noon, Community Center, Grand Marais

Free Artist Talk: Integrative Medical Practices and Community Engagement with Donna Bruni Noon, Grand Marais Art Colony, grandmaraisartcolony.org

Bridging the Gap: Celebration of the Outlaw Bridge 1 p.m. Johnson Heritage Post, Grand Marais (218) 387-2883

All Pints North 3 p.m. Bayfront Festival Park, Duluth, mncraftbrew.org/events

Plucked Up String Band, Summer Carols & Bluebird 3 p.m. Gun Flint Tavern, Grand Marais, gunflinttavern.com

July 29-30

Two Harbors Kayak Festival Burlington Bay, Two Harbors, kayakfestival.org

Bay Algoma Buskers Festival Bay & Algoma Shopping District, Thunder Bay, bayalgoma.com/buskers-festival

July 30, Sunday

Free: Getting Acquainted with Local Spiders 2 p.m. Chik-Wauk Museum & Nature Center, Gunflint Trail, chikwauk.com

Plucked Up String Band 8:30 p.m. Gun Flint Tavern, Grand Marais, gunflinttavern.com

Mondays

Open Mic 6 p.m. Grandma Ray’s, Grand Marais (218) 387-2974

Live Music 9 p.m. Bluefin Grille, Tofte, blufinbay.com

Tuesdays

Kids’ Day 11 a.m. Chik-Wauk Museum & Nature Center, Gunflint Trail, chikwauk.com

Art Canopy (Starts July 11) 11:15 a.m. Duluth Depot, Duluth, duluthartinstitute.org

Sawmill Tours 12:30 p.m. Hedstrom Lumber Company, Gunflint Trail (218) 877-7030

Free USFS Presentation 2 p.m. Chik-Wauk Museum & Nature Center, Gunflint Trail, chikwauk.com

Tuesday Nite Live 4 p.m. Downtown Ely, ely.org

Ely Farmers Market & Artists Market

5 p.m. Whiteside Park, Ely, ely.org

Help with a Project & Open Knitting

6:30 p.m. Sisu Designs Yarn Shop, Ely, sisudesigns.org

Tuesday Trivia 7 p.m. Grandma Ray’s, Grand Marais (218) 387-2974

Wednesdays

Up & Out with the Birds & Nature Hike

6 a.m. & 9 a.m. Ely Visitor Center, ely.org

Country Market 3:30 p.m. CLE Dove Building, Thunder Bay, thunderbaycountrymarket.com

Open Mic 5 p.m. Gun Flint Tavern, Grand Marais, gunflinttavern.com

Live on the Waterfront (begins

July 12) 6 p.m. Marina Park, Thunder Bay, thunderbay.ca

Free: Concerts on the Pier

7 p.m. Glensheen Mansion, Duluth, glensheen.org

Date Night with Live Music

7 p.m. North Shore Winery, Lutsen, northshorewinery.us

Live Music 9 p.m. Bluefin Grille, Tofte, bluefinbay.com

Thursdays

Bird Banding 7 a.m. Sugarloaf Cove, Schroeder, sugarloafnorthshore.org

Instructor-in-Residence Demos & Mini

Classes 10 a.m. North House Folk School, Grand Marais, northhouse.org

Finland Farmer’s Market 5 p.m.

Clair Nelson Center, Finland, friendsoffinland.org

Group Bike Rides 6 p.m. Trezona Trailhead, Ely, bikeely.com/community

Beach Bonfire Music 6 p.m.

Lutsen Resort, Lutsen, lutsenresort.com

DJ Trivia 7 p.m. Kamloops, Two Harbors, superiorshores.com

Celtic Night 7:30 p.m.

Red Lion Smokehouse, Thunder Bay, redlionsmokehouse.ca

Two Harbors City Band 7:30 p.m.

Thomas Owens Park, Two Harbors

Karaoke 9 p.m. Grandma Ray’s, Grand Marais (218) 387-2974

Fridays

Sawmill Tours 10 a.m. Hedstrom Lumber Company, Gunflint Trail (218) 877-7030

Instructor-in-Residence Demos & Mini

Classes 10 a.m. North House Folk School, Grand Marais, northhouse.org

Preschool Storytime 10:30 a.m. Ely Public Library, elylibrary.org

Live Music Grandma Ray’s, Grand Marais (218) 387-2974

Live Music 4 p.m. Voyageur Brewing, Grand Marais, voyageurbrewing.com

Live Music 8 p.m. Kamloops, Two Harbors, superiorshores.com

Live Music 7 p.m.

Castle Danger Brewery, Two Harbors, castledangerbrewery.com

Live Music 7:30 p.m.

Thomas Owens Park, Two Harbors Movies in the Park At Sunset Leif Erikson Park, Duluth, downtownduluth.com

Live Music 9 p.m. Bluefin Grille, Tofte, bluefinbay.com

Live Music 9:30 p.m. Red Lion Smokehouse, Thunder Bay, redlionsmokehouse.ca

Saturdays

Country Market 8 a.m. CLE Dove Building, Thunder Bay, thunderbaycountrymarket.com

Cook County Market 9 a.m.

Downtown Grand Marais

Two Harbors Farmers Market 9 a.m.

Thomas Owens Park, Two Harbors, twoharborsfarmersmarket.com

Instructor-in-Residence Demos & Mini

Classes 10 a.m. North House Folk School, Grand Marais, northhouse.org

Children’s Story Hour with the Muffin Man 11 a.m. Drury Lane Books, Grand Marais, drurylanebooks.com

Voyageur Brewing Company Tour

11:30 a.m. & 1 p.m. Voyageur Brewing, Grand Marais, voyageurbrewing.com

Interpretive Hikes 12:30 p.m.

Chik-Wauk Museum & Nature Center, Gunflint Trail, chikwauk.com

Saturdays in the Studio: Free Art Demos 1 p.m. Grand Marais Art Colony, grandmaraisartcolony.org

Harbor History Walking Tour 1 p.m.

Cook County Historical Museum, Grand Marais, cookcountyhistory.org

Open Knitting 1 p.m. Sisu Designs Yarn Shop, Ely, sisudesigns.org

Nature Related Films 1 p.m.

US Forest Service Kawishiwi Ranger Station, Ely, ely.org

Tour the North House Campus

2 p.m. North House Folk School, Grand Marais, northhouse.org

Bronze Pour Demo 4 p.m. Last Chance Gallery, Lutsen, lastchancefab.com

Live Music 4 p.m. Voyageur Brewing, Grand Marais, voyageurbrewing.com

What’s for Dinner? 7 p.m.

International Wolf Center, Ely, wolf.org

Live Music 7 p.m. Lutsen Resort, Lutsen, lutsenresort.com

Live Music 7 p.m.

Cascade Lodge & Restaurant, Lutsen, cascadelodgemn.com

Michael Monroe Log Cabin Concert 7 p.m. Grand Marais, michaelmonroemusic.com

Campfire Music 7 p.m.

Bluefin Bay, Tofte, bluefinbay.com

Live Music Grandma Ray’s, Grand Marais (218) 387-2974

Live Music 9:30 p.m.

Red Lion Smokehouse, Thunder Bay, redlionsmokehouse.ca

Sundays

Instructor-in-Residence Demos & Mini Classes 10 a.m. North House Folk School, Grand Marais, northhouse.org

Voyageur Brewing Company Tour

1 p.m. Voyageur Brewing, Grand Marais, voyageurbrewing.com

NCCA Fat Bike Adventure Safari Rides

1 p.m. Washburn/Ashland, WI, northcoastcycling.com

Nature Related Films 1 p.m.

US Forest Service Kawishiwi Ranger Station, Ely, ely.org

Music by the Lake 5 p.m. Skyport Lodge, Devil Track Lake, skyportlodge.com

Grand

$300

Kids

$1762

Care

The North Shore Dish

Surprise Spots for Frozen Treats

By Maren Webb

Summer has arrived on the North Shore. While many of us may be willing to indulge in frozen desserts year round, July is prime time for enjoying ice cream and its counterparts. The local ice cream shop is almost always a known entity, but there are also restaurants and cafes serving up frozen treats that may have flown under the radar. These establishments offer more than dessert and often have more than the typical ice cream offerings. Be sure to check out one of these spots for a refreshing treat this summer.

Java Moose in Grand Marais is the go-to coffee shop for a caffeine fix, but did you also know they scoop ice cream? Whether you want a coffee and ice cream or just the cool treat, Java Moose offers eight flavors and an outdoor deck with seating overlooking the Grand Marais Harbor, as well as indoor seating for chilly days. If you are looking for a coffee fix with your ice cream, you are in luck: their most popular flavor is java chunk, a coffee ice cream with chocolate chunks.

This family-owned and run business is open year round at its Highway 61 location, with ice cream available during the summer season. This year, Java Moose is celebrating its 25th year of operation. Coinciding with this anniversary, they have done a remodel of the indoor location’s order and pick-up counter. But don’t worry, the ice cream is still there for viewing on the end. There is something about looking at the ice cream flavors through the glass case that adds to the experience. I always seem to take longer to make my choice when I can see the options—my apologies if you end up behind me in line. I’ll be the one going back and forth between raspberry sherbet and sea salt caramel.

Java Moose features Kemps ice cream, which is a Minnesota-based company. In addition to the popular java chunk, other popular options available this season are maple nut, peppermint bon bon, and peanut butter revel.

“We have pretty traditional customers, but the kids get creative with their flavor combinations. My kids love java chunk and peppermint bon bon together,” said Sarah Jorgenson Hallberg, one of the family members that runs Java Moose.

Located adjacent to the Grand Marais harbor, Java Moose offers the perfect match of an ice cream cone and a walk around the

harbor or sitting on the beach, enjoying the lake and surroundings.

This summer, Java Moose is open 6 a.m.8 p.m., seven days a week (218 W. Hwy 61). The outdoor location, next to Lake Superior Trading Post in downtown Grand Marais, is open 8 a.m-5 p.m., seven days a week, but ice cream is only available at the indoor location.

In Silver Bay, one restaurant is serving up two guilty pleasures: ice cream and pizza. Jimmy’s Pizza & Ice Cream Shoppe offers soft serve ice cream served up in all the best ways, from cones to sundaes and more.

It was coincidental that ice cream was added to the Jimmy’s Pizza menu: the building purchased to open Jimmy’s was

the old Dairy Queen and still had all the ice cream equipment. As owner, Roger Jacobson, said, “Pizza and ice cream, why not?” So for the past 12 years, Jacobson and his staff have been offering the best of both to their customers.

Lovers of twist cones, look no further. Jimmy’s offers chocolate, vanilla and twist soft serve, which is not always easy to find these days. If you usually go for Dairy Queen’s Blizzards, Jimmy’s has its own version called Storms for you to try. All the usual flavors are available, from peanut butter cup to banana cream pie. Cones and Storms are the most popular dessert fare, as well as Jimmy’s cinnamon pizza. While Jimmy’s Pizza does deliver pizza, don’t try to order ice cream for delivery—too messy.

Jimmy’s Pizza & Ice Cream Shoppe is open Sunday through Thursday, 11 a.m.-9 p.m. and Friday and Saturday, 11 a.m.-10 p.m. (96 Outer Drive, Silver Bay).

If you are looking for an international frozen treat or simply a delicious alternative to the standard ice cream, Va Bene Caffe in Duluth has you covered with 12 rotating flavors of gelato and sorbetto available every day.

This Italian-focused cafe aims to bring the tastes of Italy to the North Shore, from the appetizers to desserts. Gelato and sorbetto are the frozen desserts offered. Gelato is European-style ice cream, made with very little air whipped into it and with less butterfat than most premium ice creams. Sorbetto, or sorbet, is a frozen dessert made

MaTaya Fairbanks and Andrew Hallberg enjoy an ice cream cone from Java Moose. | JAVA MOOSE

from sweetened water with flavoring, without dairy. As they prepared to open the restaurant, owners Jim and Mary Kay Berarducci tasted many kinds of gelato, but they chose Palaz zolos from Michigan as it was most like the gelato they ate in Italy.

As the gelato orderer, Mary Kay said “I like to stretch people’s gelato comfort zone, so I occasionally order something a little out there.”

While she recognizes that this some times results in a flop, it is also sometimes a hit. The flavors available do rotate, but there are several that are almost always available due to their popularity, includ ing salted caramel and Mackinac Island fudge. As the 2017 summer season started, the honey lavender sorbetto

wiches with chocolate sambuca cookies. If you don’t have time for a full meal, the gelato and sorbetto are also available for take-away in compostable dishes. Va Bene Caffe is open 11 a.m.-10 p.m., seven days a week (723 E. Superior Street, Duluth).

This summer, there are plenty of options for you to choose from for a frozen treat, including these three gems. You might just have to try one of each: a twist cone, a hard-pack scoop of java chunk, and a salted caramel gelato. Enjoy!

Recipes The Abundant Zucchini

By Kim Falter

Gardening on the North Shore can be a challenge, but one vegetable you can count on in abundance is the bountiful zucchini. Technically a fruit, although used primarily in savory dishes like a vegetable, the zucchini finds its origins in the Americas. This can be misleading as the zucchini we all grow or purchase in our grocery stores is actually a cultivated variety founded in Italy. The zucchini is a member of the Cucurbita family, which includes pumpkins, winter squash and all other varieties of summer squash. The Cucurbita family of squash grew in wild abundance and variety throughout the Americas as far back as 7,000 years ago. A mainstay to the Native American diet, it was introduced to the European settlers and became readily adopted sustenance. Many explorers and settlers made the mistake of calling it a melon, as squash was unknown in Europe at that time. In the 1800s in northern Italy, Italian immigrants to the Americas brought back these wild squash and developed it into the zucchini we currently recognize. It was only around the 1920s that this zucchini cultivar was reintroduced back to the Americas and began large production in California. By 1928, there were records of over 60 zucchini varieties growing in the U.S.

Now prolific around the world, the zucchini goes by many names. The original English word for squash is derived from the Narragansett (a tribe known to reside in what is currently Massachusetts) word askutasquash, which means “eaten when raw or green.” The term zucchini we know today was derived from the Italian word zucchina, from the diminutive zucca, which means “gourd, marrow, pumpkin, squash.” In France, Belgium and throughout the Scandinavian countries, the zucchini is known as a courgette, derived from the French diminutive courge, which means “gourd, marrow.” In the U.K.,

New Zealand and Ireland, they refer to a courgette as a marrow. In South Africa, the zucchini is harvested when finger-sized and called baby marrows.

Members of the Cucurbita family can be divided into two groups: summer and winter squash. The zucchini would be considered of the summer squash variety in that it has thinner skin and does not store well. In contrast, the winter squash has a long growing season, tougher skin and storable. There are many varieties of summer squash. The zucchini variety alone comes in yellow, striped and dark green cultivars. You can also find round, patty pan and crooked neck varieties. When shopping for zucchini, you want to purchase them around 6-8 inches in length. They store well in your refrigerator for 3-5 days. Nutritionally, the zucchini is low in calories and high in folate, vitamin A, potassium and vitamin C. They are also a great source of antioxidants and fiber.

Zucchini love to grow in temperate environments. Just give them enough sun and space and you will reap the benefits of this abundant crop. They prefer light, well-drained soil, so it is ideal to plant seeds a week after the chance of frost has past, in mounds, spaced approximately 3 feet apart. Zucchini need bees to produce fruit; if you notice female flowers shriveling up and dropping off, this is typically because they were under fertilized. You can self-pollinate by taking a small paint brush to collect pollen from the male flowers and transferring to the female flowers. Although all summer squash enjoy temperate climates, they are very sensitive to cold, so plan to lose your crop when that first frost looms. Production will begin mid to late summer and will be quite prolific. If conditions are correct you can expect to be overrun with zucchini. Don’t forget, August 8 is Leave a Zucchini on Your Neighbors Porch Day.

Boathouse Brew Pub Alimony Ale ESB

By Eric Weicht

It’s summer—everything’s green, the woods are buzzing with life and everyone’s out enjoying the sun. Summer’s the season for paddling, swimming, mosquitoes, and, of course, crisp session beer.

I’ve been spending a lot of time this summer canoeing in the Boundary Waters, so an inland brewery seemed a fitting place to check out for the month of July. This quest for an inland brew led me to the Boathouse Brew Pub in Ely and culminated in me getting my hands on a growler of their Extra Special Bitter (ESB); the Alimony Ale.

Located on the edge of one of the largest wilderness areas in the lower 48 states, the Boathouse Brew Pub is an awesome place to check out before any trip into the northwoods. With their low ABV’s and smooth, approachable flavors, ESB’s tend to make good summer beers. I went with the Alimony Ale and was far from disappointed.

Smooth, crisp and refreshing, the Alimony Ale is an easy drinking beer with enough flavor to keep things interesting. The malt body is balanced well by a subtle layer of bitterness, with definite notes of caramel accompanying a clean finish. Boathouse’s ESB is complex yet drinkable—exactly what a good ESB should be.

While summer rages on and the warm air keeps us out and about in this beautiful place, there’s no better way to end a day than with a crisp, cool pint of something local. Cheers to summer!

While technically a fruit, the zucchini is used in many savory dishes. | STOCK

Don’t let ticks have all the fun this summer

By Amy Schmidt

Summer is officially here; and so are the ticks. From mid-May to mid-July, ticks are at their peak and, for a multitude of reasons, it pays to be aware.

Formerly considered a simple nuisance, ticks are now known to carry germs that can cause at least 15 different human diseases, including Lyme’s and Powassan, with some diseases being transmitted from tick to host (the host being you, me and any other animal) in a matter of minutes. With facts like these, it is tempting to avoid the outdoors altogether. But what fun would that be? Summer on the beautiful North Shore is meant for delightful days spent in nature. Nature can’t be enjoyed from the couch.

First, it needs to be mentioned that not all ticks carry disease and that not all animals bit by a tick will get a disease. That said, a brief overview of ticks and how they operate is warranted. Drawn to grassy, brushy or wooded areas, ticks spend their days waiting for a host to pass by. Because they cannot jump or fly, ticks perch themselves in a position called questing, with back legs attached to the grass blade or leaf they are sitting on and their front legs reaching forward toward an impending host. When the host passes, they quickly climb aboard. Some ticks will attach almost immediately,

while others will crawl around in search of an area where the skin is thin, such as the ear. Once attached, they slowly feed on the blood of the host until they drop off and prepare for the next stage of their life.

After that last paragraph, the couch is starting to look pretty nice, right? Fortunately, there are ways to decrease your chance of attracting ticks and, if all else fails, of removing them quickly. Because ticks like grassy, wooded areas, keep your property mowed and walk in the center of hiking trails when in the woods. Wearing long-sleeve shirts and tucking pants into socks creates a barrier against ticks, while light-colored clothing makes it easier to spot ticks that have attached to the clothing. Repellents can be used (make sure to follow the manufacturer’s guidelines) and there are even some pre-treated clothing items on the market.

Every evening, do a “tick check,” paying close attention to hidden areas such as the groin, arm pits, backs of knees, ears and hairline. When you shower, use a washcloth to dislodge any ticks that haven’t embedded. When doing laundry, use a dryer on high heat to dry clothing.

If you do find an embedded tick, stick with the basics for removal and forget all the fancy methods. Simply grasp the tick as if you have them) and pull with a steady, even pressure. Wash the area thoroughly with alcohol and then with soap and water. If, in the next weeks, you develop a rash, fever or achiness, make an appointment with your doctor.

precautions and some common sense, you can reclaim the joy of summer in the great outdoors.

More information can be found at: cdc. gov/ticks.

Don’t let ticks be the only ones out enjoying the beautiful weather. With a few

Northern Trails My Favourite Fish to Eat

By Gord Ellis

Eating fish is something I’ve enjoyed throughout my life. It is both the perfect counterpoint to wild game and a great source of healthy protein that is full of good things. A meal of fresh fish is just one of the rewards an angler gets to enjoy after a day on the water.

However, picking my favourite fish to eat is not a simple task. There are many that are excellent on the table, for all sorts of different reasons. So here, rated from 1-to-6, are my favourite fish to eat. So let’s work down the list.

6. Brook trout

Specs are easily the most beautiful fish in the swim, and they are not too bad in a frying pan either. One of my fondest childhood memories is coming home from McVicar Creek, with two or three fresh caught 10-inch specs in my creel. I would gut them, remove the head and then roll the fish in flour. Then, I’d put a big chunk of butter in a frying pan, heat it up and drop those specs in. The sound and smell of that trout frying is still vivid today, 40 years later. Once the meat was cooked white, I’d put them on the plate, split the back and pull out the rib cage. Salt, pepper and lemon would be the finishing touch. The remaining fish was eaten, crunchy skin, fins and all. Delicious.

5. Pike

Yes, Pike have Y bones. But five minutes on YouTube will answer any questions about how to remove them. It’s easy. So the only other question is whether pike meat tastes good? Pike is both delicious and—some would say—better than walleye. I’m not convinced of that, but having eaten

Mike Harding of Thunder Bay with a chinook salmon. | GORD ELLIS

much pike in my life, I’m quite satisfied to have them on this list. The colder the water the pike comes from, the better the meat quality seems to be. I’ve caught pike in the Nipigon system that had meat the colour of salmon. Try using baked pike fillets as the base for a “pizza” with cheese, pepperoni and pineapple. Truly delicious.

4. Splake

A hatchery hybrid of lake trout and brook trout, the splake is better tasting than both of its parents. Perhaps it is hybrid vigour, or maybe it is some genetic anomaly, but splake are truly a unique delight. Smoked, fried, baked or grilled, it is tough to beat them. They are stocked into put-and-take lakes to be caught, so it is a 100 percent guilt-free harvest. Fill that limit and eat like a king.

3. Salmon

Whether it be a chinook or coho, the Pacific salmon of Lake Superior are fantastic to eat. A grilled salmon slab, drizzled with a little lemon pepper and butter, is a meal to die for. The meat of a salmon is firm, red and a unique flavour compared to all other fish. Smoked Pacific salmon is delicious, and canned salmon makes a fabulous sandwich. If you are the kind of person who shares what you catch, a chunk of salmon will make you a very welcome guest indeed.

2. Walleye

It goes without saying that walleye are fantastic to eat. The meat is white, firm and flaky. It has no hint of fishiness and is almost impossible to wreck when cooked, no matter how hard someone tries. My only quibble with walleye is that as they get larger, the meat seems to be a little coarser and the flavour not quite as pleasant. So these days, my “eater” walleye top out at about 18 inches. Yet the fillets of a walleye from 15-17 inches, rolled in crumbs and deep fried to a golden brown, is truly about as good as it gets.

1. Perch

Although small in size and lacking some of the sporting attributes of other sporting gamefish on this list, perch are my favourite fish to eat. The meat is light, sweet and truly delicious. They are fantastic deep fried, but broiled perch fillets with some parmesan and butter drizzled on them is about as good as fish gets. Sure, they are labour intensive to clean and you need quite a few to feed a family, but that is the cost of doing business. There is a reason why so many people spend so much time chasing perch each winter. They are that good to eat.

So that is my half dozen favourite fish to eat. My apologies to lake trout, rainbow trout, burbot, smallmouth bass and crappie, all of which likely deserve a place on the list. Variety truly is the spice of life. Enjoy the summer and don’t forget to have a fish-based shore lunch at least once before the leaves turn.

• Guestrooms with separate living room area and sofa sleeper

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• 30,000 sq. ft. indoor waterpark is largest in Brainerd area

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• Sand Volleyball Court, Children’s Play Ground and Yard Games

• Flexible meeting and banquet space for up to 300 people

Author Gord Ellis with a large northern pike. Good to eat, just lose the Y bones. | GORD ELLIS

By Casey Fitchett

It happens to even the most seasoned hikers and explorers: you get stuck in a rut. Thankfully, it’s not typically a literal rut; it’s the repetition rut. It can make you wonder what you haven’t seen—or don’t even know about— yet. Perhaps you’ve hit some of the popular highlights of the North Shore already—Artist

Point in Grand Marais, Oberg Mountain in Lutsen, High Falls in Grand Portage—and you are looking to switch it up. If the quest is for a never-before-seen waterfall, historic site, or geologic phenomenon, here are five of the more “hidden” gems that will nudge you right out of that routine.

Be sure to bring a compass when visiting Magnetic Rock, located up the Gunflint Trail. | TRAVIS NOVITSKY

Kelso Lake Rock

Kelso Lake Rock makes a fun day trip.

On the far side of Kelso Lake on a small, bald island is a large boulder perched on three smaller rocks. Though no one is exactly sure, some believe this to be a dolmen, a navigational aide placed deliberately by Vikings in the fifth century. It is thought that the Vikings’ quest for gold led them through Kelso Lake, all the way to Lujenida Lake. Others believe that the formation is just a happenstance from when the glacial ice retreated around 10,000 years ago.

Bill Hansen, the owner of Sawbill Canoe Outfitters on the Sawbill Trail, is a wealth of information about the Kelso Lake Rock.

“In the 1970s a Harvard professor wrote a book about the formation and all of a sudden we had people coming out of the woodwork to look at it,” said Hansen.

“Back in the 1920s there was a lookout tower on Kelso. The guys that built the lookout tower could have done it and used it as a marker for the trail. It really could be ancient, or it could be 100 years old.”

Magnetic Rock

Hikers looking for real solitude will find it up the Gunflint Trail.

Despite the name, the Gunflint Trail (County Road 12) is actually a paved road that runs out of Grand Marais 63 miles to the Canadian border. Roughly 50 minutes from town up the trail is a parking lot on the east side of the road with a path leading to Magnetic Rock. Because the trek goes through the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness, hiking it requires a self-issued day permit that is available at the trailhead.

The path leads hikers across Larch Creek and through the burn of 1974 to the massive 60-foot rock

White Sky Rock

phenomenon, Magnetic Rock. It has a strong magnetic attraction and is a remnant of the Glacial Period. Be sure to take your compass to see how the rock makes it spin. This three-mile round trip is classified as easy with not much elevation change. Though the trail does continue onto the Gunflint Lake Hiking Trails past the rock, it is recommended that hikers get a trails map before attempting.

White Sky Rock is a short one-mile hike that is accessible from the Caribou Trail (County Road 4) in Lutsen. A parking lot is located approximately four miles up the Caribou Trail on the right side of the road at the public boat launch. A Superior Hiking Trail sign marks the path, which ventures across the street and uphill into the woods.

Kjersti Vick is a Lutsen-ite and a frequenter of the White Sky Rock jaunt.

“There are numerous stunning vistas and canyons around Cook County, but a few of these hidden gems lure you back time and time again,” said Vick, who is also the marketing manager at Visit Cook County, the local area tourism marketing organization.

“White Sky Rock in Lutsen is nearly in my backyard, but is always one of my favorite go-to’s when I’m in the mood for a quick workout with an outstanding view.”

Curious visitors anxious to make their own determination about the origins of the boulder should know that it is in the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness and a trip will require a permit.

“It’s a fun day trip,” said Hansen. “It takes about 1.5 hours to paddle to it, so just about three hours round trip.”

Whether hiking on popular trails or seeking out the hidden gems, trail safety is important. Weather can change at a moment’s notice on the North Shore, so be sure to bring layers. The trails and rocks can be slippery, especially after a rain, so take extra caution near ledges and on downhill sections. As most visitors and residents of the North Shore can attest to, sunscreen and bug repellant are particularly useful in the summer months. Last, but of course not least: hydrate, hydrate, hydrate!

Father Baraga’s Cross

More than 150 years ago, Father Frederic Baraga had just completed a stormy canoe trip on Lake Superior and wanted to offer a “thank you” to the Lord. He was so grateful to have lived through his harrowing experience that he built a small wooden cross at the mouth of the Cross River in what is now the township of Schroeder.

Father Baraga was born in Eastern Europe and came to the North Shore in 1830 to minister to the Ottawa and Ojibwe tribes. He was nicknamed the “snowshoe priest” because of his travels in the winter. One stormy day, Father Baraga learned of a possible epidemic in Grand Portage and set out in his canoe to reach the community there. As the storm became more violent, he and his Ojibwe companion battled the swells and were eventually blown into the mouth of the Cross River. That Thanksgiving, Father Baraga showed his appreciation with a small wooden cross. His original cross has since been replaced with a granite one and is accompanied by a plaque that tells the story.

The Cross River is at Mile Marker 78 on Highway 61. For a quick leg-stretcher on the way to or from Duluth, park at the Father Baraga’s Cross Wayside; the monument hike is 0.3 miles one way.

Though the trek is just a mile round trip, there is about a 230-foot elevation gain in that short distance. For hikers who are keen to see the stars, White Sky Rock is a great option if you have a headlamp.

“It also happens to be a great spot to watch the full moon rise because you get a great aerial perspective of the moon rising over the Sawtooth Mountain Range,” said Vick.

Fall is also an extraordinary time to summit White Sky Rock, as the foliage around Caribou Lake explodes with vibrant oranges and yellows.

| PAUL SUNDBERG

White Sky Rock provides an amazing view. | KJERSTI VICK

Magnetic Rock is a three-mile round trip hike.

| KATIE VIREN

Father Baraga’s Cross is located on Highway 61. | SCOTT COSTELLO

White Birch, Red Hawthorn

By Nora Murphy University of Minnesota Press, $17.95

Words spoken by a Dakota women, “This is conquered land,” haunted author Nora Murphy. Her own Irish great-great grandparents had fled the potato famine and laid claim to 160 acres in a maple grove in Minnesota. Knowing that her dispossessed ancestors’ homestead was built upon another, far more brutal dispossession, is the hard truth underlying White Birch, Red Hawthorn

In this memoir, Murphy searches for the deeper connections between this contested land and the communities that call it home, giving us hope that despite all the suffering, healing can follow if we simply listen.

—Breana Roy

At the Cabin

By Cheryl Wilke & Rebecca Stouffer Raven Productions, Inc.

$9.95

At the Cabin tells the story of a child who would rather stay home with access to electronics than drive to their cabin in the woods. But after discovering the joy of rock skipping, cooking over a campfire, and watching an eagle soar, the child quickly falls in love with the North Woods and is reluctant to return home. Written by Highlights Magazine story contributor Cheryl Wilkes, with watercolor illustrations by Rebecca Stouffer, At the Cabin is a wonderful children’s book that reminds us all to spend a little more time outdoors. At the Cabin will be released July 15.—Breana Roy

Going Coastal

By Lake Superior Writers

North Star Press, $12.95

Written by nine different writers from Minnesota and Wisconsin, Going Coastal is an anthology of fictional short stories set in and around Lake Superior; stories were selected from the Lake Superior Writers’ 2016 contest.

Authors include Phil Fitzpatrick, Maxwell Reagan, Judy Budreau, Marie Zhuikov and Eric Chandler. Purchase of this book supports Lake Superior Writers, a nonprofit organization located in Duluth.—Breana Roy

WHY GO: This relatively shallow lake north of Lutsen, nestled in the Superior National Forest, has a mix of species, including northern pike, walleye, bluegills and yellow perch. It also offers the opportunity for camping.

ACCESS: From Hwy. 61, just north of Lutsen, turn north on C.R. 4 (Caribou Trail) and drive about 8 miles to F.R. 340. Take a left and drive 3.5 miles. The entrance to the campground and a gravel boat ramp is on the right, down a ¾-mile entrance road.

VITALS: This 387-acre lake sits entirely in Cook County. It has a maximum depth of 15 feet, with 4.71 miles of shoreline and water clarity down to 6.5 feet.

FISH SPECIES PRESENT: Bluegill, hybrid sunfish, northern pike, sunfish, walleye, white sucker and yellow perch.

WALLEYE: Clara’s walleye population is naturally-sustaining, and the most recent fisheries survey of the lake turned up 10 different year classes. At that time, there were a lot of fish showing up in the 12- to 14-inch range, 15- to 19-inch range and 20to 24-inch range. No fish registered in any size classes above that.

The majority of the open water in the lake is 15-feet deep, though the edges are shallower and host aquatic plant communities, and there are a few humps to key in on surrounded by that deeper water. There’s also an island in the southern part

of the lake, with a sandbar and reef to focus on, according to Minnesota DNR’s bathymetric map of the lake.

PIKE: Most of the pike that showed up in the most recent fisheries survey in 2007 fell between 15 and 24 inches. There were a few in the 25- to 29-inch range, and one in the 30- to 34-inch range. Suffice it to say, with yellow perch, sunfish and white suckers present, the pike population has the potential to produce some big fish in this lake. That survey turned up pike from eight different year classes, and growth rates were average for the lake class. With a handful of homes on the southern shore of the lake, it’s unclear how much pressure the northern pike fishery receives, and whether that limits many fish reaching trophy size.

PANFISH: As mentioned, the lake does have weedy edges, and an aquatic plant survey conducted by Minnesota DNR in 2012, documented the flora in the southwest end of the lake, which included submersed, emergent, floating-leaf and shoreline plants, many of which will give cover, attracting both panfish and predators such as pike. Bluegill, hybrid sunfish, pumpkinseeds, sunfish and yellow perch have all been documented in the lake, and that most recent survey showed most of the bluegills to be under 5 inches, though there were a handful surveyed above that, including a fish in the 10- to 11-inch range.

CLARA LAKE

Pumpkinseeds weren’t seen in that most recent survey, and the hybrid sunfish and sunfish were all too small to target in that survey.

But while most of the perch in the lake were under five inches, more than a handful fell in the 8- to 9-inch and 10- to 11-inch range. There was even one perch between 12 and 14 inches.

CAMP OUT:

There is free camping at the Superior National Forest’s Clara Lake Rustic Campground. While there are no trash receptacles or water available at the campground, it does have an outhouse. There is a maximum of nine people per site, with space for one vehicle and one towed vehicle. Additional vehi -

cles must park on the spur, and may not park on the grass or where they impede traffic.—Javier Serna

Wild Traditions

10 Tips for Sustainable Foraging

By Julia Prinselaar

Before the mid-1990s, many Quebecers remember growing up eating wild-harvested leeks. From the southern states to eastern Canada, there are entire festivals based around this bulbous, woodland ephemeral. Also known as ramps, these wild relatives of the onion gained a surge in popularity, filling tables at Quebec farmer’s markets and dinner plates at upscale restaurants— that is, until there were nearly none left.

In 1995, the province of Quebec made it illegal to sell wild leeks in an effort to conserve dwindling populations, brought to the brink by commercial over-harvesting.

Foraging for wild foods can be a useful tool to engage with the landscape, but with all its hype in today’s mainstream media—from Facebook groups on the Internet to celebrity chefs that specialize in wild game—ecological stewardship is a critical component to foraging best practices.

For more on this issue, I spoke with a friend in southern Ontario. Chris Gilmour is a forager and co-owner of Wild Muskoka Botanicals, a producer of artisan wild foods and cocktail mixers. He lives on forested acreage with his wife and business partner, Laura Gilmour, outside of Huntsville, Ontario. With respective backgrounds in forestry and ecological consulting, they have a combined 12 years of experience interacting with the land for both work and play.

“We’re seeing a huge growth in the interest of [foraging], I mean our plant walks have waiting lists these days,” said Chris. But he takes caution. “With all the available information, a lot of the people going out are coming from urban areas or at least

backgrounds that lack deep understanding of ecology, and how ecosystems function.

As an organization, we see wild foraging as an amazing tool set for people to build that relationship and understanding, but it’s a path that people need to move along really slowly and intently as opposed to just getting really excited and diving in, because there is a lot to know to do it in a good way.”

Without that knowledge, it can be easy to impart poor harvesting techniques and practices—especially if wild foods are being gathered for markets or wholesale.

Chris recalls when he and Laura went to one of their favourite wild leek patches last year and came across an “absolute mess.”

“People were coming in and digging up huge patches of bulbs, cutting the tops off.

The tops are totally edible, we actually only harvest the leek tops because you can actually do that in a completely sustainable way. And people were discarding the leek tops and leaving them there to rot, but they taste exactly the same as the bulbs. People were digging up the bulbs and leaving the soil exposed, which now leaves the mycorrhiza exposed in the soil, which is killing back fungi, which is made of organisms.”

Wild leeks or ramps aren’t as common along the North Shore, but the chaga mushroom is. Chris said he’s also wit-

A Loan on the Lake A Loan on the Lake

Paul Dromboli with a container full of yellowfoot chanterelles.

| PAUL DROMBOLI

Chanterelles [ABOVE] and golden chanterelles [BELOW].

| PAUL DROMBOLI

nessed signs of over-harvesting of this fungus, which can take decades to develop.

“People cutting into the tree to get every little bit of it. [They] probably just don’t know how slow-growing chaga actually is.”

In response to this knowledge gap, combined with a relatively unregulated niche food industry, Wild Muskoka Botanicals is promoting sustainable foraging practices through an online blog and a series of educational videos. Their first two-part video about wild leek harvesting can be found on YouTube.com—just search for Wild Muskoka. You can view their blog and more information at: wildmuskokabotanicals.ca

If you’re itching to get out and forage, here are a few points to help you and others enjoy wild foods for years to come:

1. Go on a plant walk: You’re excited to get out into the woods and bring home delectable wild foods to your dinner plate, but it’s worth taking the time to do your research and seek out dialogue before jumping in. YouTube videos and Internet forums alone cannot replace the value of a trusted and knowledgeable guide. For intro foragers, plant walks are great ways to get out into the field with a credible expert to ask questions and identify plants correctly.

2. Location, location, location: Be respectful of land owners and get permission to forage on private land. If you’re on public land, make sure you’re aware of any ordinances or legislation for harvesting, because you may need a permit. Conservation areas and state/ provincial parks should be off limits.

3. Environment and habitat: Is the area a safe place to harvest from? Many plants are dynamic accumulators and gather toxins from the soil and store them in their leaves. Learn about the history of the land, including its past and present uses in the immediate and surrounding area. On that piece of land, how much traffic is there from other humans and animals? Are other people harvesting there, or is it just you? Consider that these foods provide sustenance for animals that share this habitat, too. “That’s going to change the way you harvest from that land,” said Chris, and may mean that the area should be left alone entirely.

4. Know the ecology: Think about the life cycle of the plant. How does it propagate, how fast does it propagate, how rare is it, what part of the plant is being harvested?

5. Tackle invasives: A great place to start is with invasive species. Garlic mustard is incredibly abundant, incredibly healthy, and you can take as much as you like.

6. Roots vs. shoots: Wild foods are prized for different parts: roots, leaves, fruits or the entire plant. Some take years to reach maturity. A good place to start is harvesting leaves of things that grow in abundance.

7. Know the look-alikes: Many plants and edibles, including mushrooms, have poisonous look-alikes. Some grow closely together or in the same habitat range. Chris recommends Peterson’s Field Guide to Venomous Animals and Poisonous Plants. “Don’t go foraging without that one.” And be sure to reference at least two field guides and consult an expert to confirm a plant or mushroom’s identity.

8. Eat the weeds: Many unwanted plants are edible and turn up in backyard gardens. Purslane, chickweed, dandelion and lamb’s quarters are all common “weeds” in the garden that are entirely edible and have useful medicinal properties. John Kallas’ book, Wild Plants, offers recipes and cooking techniques for these nutritious greens.

9. Give back: There are ways that you can implement stewardship practices. Chris and Laura help to prop agate wild leeks by digging up a clump of bulbs and planting them in a different area. “Some of the new places where we harvest from actually have more leeks than where we started harvesting,” said Chris. Similar practices can be done with other plants.

10. Be humble: Remember, having some experience with a wild edible doesn’t make you an expert. “I frequent ly see people go and take a plant walk and then start teaching other people, and harvesting stuff and bring ing it to places to share with very little knowledge,” said Chris. Bear in mind that there’s a big responsi bility in teaching others about wild plants and mush rooms. “If someone makes a mistake and gets sick, that’s your responsibility because you opened that door for them,” he cautions.

So take your time, go slow and harvest just enough to enjoy wild foods with your friends and family.

Oyster mushrooms. | PAUL DROMBOLI King bolete mushroom. | PAUL DROMBOLI

The Forked Fungus Beetle

By Wayne P. Steffens

Everyone knows the tropical rainforest and other faraway lands are flush with strange and fascinating insects. But there are some unusual and exotic insect residents here in the Northern Wilds too, like the forked fungus beetle.

Most people have never heard of it or seen it, but the forked fungus beetle is widespread in the region and is also found in many forested areas from the Great Plains to the Atlantic and Gulf coasts. Scientists call it Bolitotherus cornutus, and what it lacks in size, color and speed it makes up for in unique appearance and interesting habits. A mere half-inch long, forked fungus beetles sport no bright colors or blinking lights, and they don’t do anything glamorous like eat mosquitoes or pollinate alfalfa. They aren’t fuzzy and buzzy like bees. They have lumpy brown faces that only a mother could love.

Both sexes are covered in warty tubercles, and the males with their namesake forked “horns” resemble miniature six-legged dinosaurs. Males actually have two sets of horns, one small pair above the mouth and a larger pair behind the head on the thorax. These horns come into play when arguing over females. Males will use their horns to pry other males off of females they are courting, and males with larger horns have an advantage in these tussles.

Not surprisingly, their diet consists of fungi, and fungi in the genus Ganoderma are preferred over most other types. This preference for easily found fungi that many people are already familiar with provides an easy way to find the beetles, and they are worth looking for.

Anyone who has spent time in a mature deciduous forest has probably seen Ganoderma. These bracket or shelf fungi grow in clusters and protrude horizontally from the lower trunk of old, rotten or damaged trees. They are usually brown, gray or red, and one known as Reishi is sought for its purported medicinal properties. Another species is known as artist’s conk, because the lower surface is white and can be used for writing or artwork. They often occur on old sugar maple and hemlock stumps, but they can also occur on other species.

It’s difficult to find significant growths of these fungi between late spring and late summer without finding forked fungus beetles. Holes in the brackets about a quarter inch wide are a good sign that the beetles are there. They are well-camouflaged and look like a chunk of bark

The female forked fungus beetle lacks horns.

| WAYNE P. STEFFENS

or woody debris at first glance, but with practice it gets much easier to see through their disguise. They can be found on both upper and lower surfaces of the brackets and sometimes on the adjacent tree bark or in crevices and woodpecker holes.

Although primarily nocturnal, they can also be active during the day. Feeding, courtship and mating can sometimes be observed during the day in well-shaded maple or hemlock stands. Courtship lasts several hours, during which the male climbs aboard the female facing the op -

posite direction and strokes the female’s head and thorax with his hind legs and abdomen until she decides he is egg-worthy. For copulation, the male turns around and faces the same direction as the female. The male will stay with the female for up to several hours after mating in a behavior known as mate guarding. This prevents other males from mating and ensures that the first male’s sperm actually fertilizes eggs.

Females lay one or two eggs at a time in cracks of the fungi, where the larvae feed, grow and pupate into adults that can live several years. Females that overwinter as adults lay eggs in late spring and these mature into adults by fall. Overwintering larvae emerge as adults during the summer and lay eggs in the fall, and the subsequent larvae complete the cycle by overwintering. Since shelf fungi are very durable and they may regrow on the same tree for many years, it’s often possible to find the beetles at the same tree for several years.

Although forked fungus beetles are able to fly, they rarely disperse more than a few hundred feet. There are some exceptions though. In one study, a beetle moved over a half-mile in one day.

Ganoderma on hemlock. | WAYNE P. STEFFENS

Strange Tales

Innovations from the Aboriginal Peoples

By Elle AndraWarner

Though the country of Canada came into existence 150 years ago on July 1, the land had already been inhabited for many thousands of years by the First Peoples of the Americas, and many of their ancient inventions and innovations are now part of modern society.

In the 2014 article “10 Native Inventions and Innovations That Changed the World” that appeared in the online magazine Indian Country Today, writer Vincent Shilling wrote, “Soon after the arrival of Columbus, detailed descriptions of the inventions of Indigenous peoples began to make their way back to Europe…..Indigenous cultures have created thousands upon thousands of innovations that are in use today in the most modern of practices.”

In 2000, ancestral innovators were recognized by singer-songwriter Buffy Saint Marie when she was presented with an Honorary Doctorate of Letters Degree by Lakehead University in Thunder Bay. Her convocation address, which included highlighting some of the breakthroughs of Aboriginal peoples in science and technology, inspired the university to develop a handbook of Aboriginal innovations “to educate the public about Aboriginal innovations and their impacts on Canada and the world.”

Lakehead University had a long list of agricultural innovations, and noted that “six of what are considered the 15 most crucial world food crops originated with American Indians: maize (which became corn), potato, manioc, sweet potato, common bean and peanut.” Other agricultural crops cultivated by First Nations included squash, avocado, cacao (about 2,000 years ago Mayans made chocolate from it), tomatoes and wild rice (actually a cereal grain, misnamed by Europeans).

The Aboriginal peoples of North America were the ultimate foragers of the forest, using over 500 species of wild plants for food and more than 500 plants for indigenous medicine (The Canadian Encyclopedia); like boiling the tree bark and needles of an evergreen tree to make a vitamin C tonic for scurvy (saved lives of seafaring Europeans). They used willow tree bark (including pussy willows) to reduce fever and pain as it contained salicylic acid, the basis of today’s aspirin. From the wild geranium, they derived the astringent witch hazel; used wild ginger root for earaches; strawberry leaves and roots to treat fevers, diarrhea, mouth and gum problems; chokecherry leaves,

bark and roots to cure colds, bronchitis and indigestion; white birch bark and leaves to heal various skin problems; wintergreen oil to sooth sore muscles; spruce sap to make chewing gum; and many more. And surprisingly, back in pre-Columbian times, a type of ancient syringe/hypodermic needle was used to inject medicine under the skin by North American healers, fashioned from hollow bird bones to which they attached small animal bladders (credit for inventing the syringe goes to Scotsman Alexander Wood in 1853).

The Moccasin Game being played at a trading post in Onamia, Minnesota, sometime prior to 1950s. | POSTCARD COLLECTION

Are duck/goose hunting decoys a modern invention? Well, up in the James Bay region of northern Ontario, the ancient Cree hunters created life-sized tamarack birds as hunting decoys during their annual spring and fall hunts, placing them on the water to lure waterfowl. They were made by binding twigs from the tamarack tree into the likeness of a Canada goose.

In sports, a variety of ball games were invented in Native America, some involving hundreds of players. In the Great Lakes region, an early form of lacrosse was played by First Nations players, including the Ojibway, and according to Government of Canada, First Nations created the game of lawn darts using shucked green corn (kernels removed) with feathers attached to the dart.

A popular Ojibway gambling game dating back thousands of years was the complex Moccasin Game.

A few years ago, while visiting the KayNah-Chi-Wan-Nung Historical Centre on Rainy River west of Fort Frances, we learned from our guide that it was traditionally a man’s team game based on psychology, knowledge of human behaviour and a complicated counting system, and could be played for weeks with the game moving from place to place.

Aboriginal inventions for the transportation and the outdoors include canoes (birch tree bark made the best canoes); kayaks (pointed and watertight, made by the Inuit of Canadian Arctic from sealskin with whalebone for frame); toboggans of birch

to transport people and/or loads; whalebone or walrus tusk snow goggles with narrow slits (created by Inuit to prevent snow blindness); life-jacket style garments created by Inuit of sealskin worn while hunting whales; and, while the origin of snowshoes is believed to be from 4,000 to 6,000 years ago starting in Central Asia, credit goes to the American Aboriginals for perfecting the traditional snowshoe for transportation. A First Nation quote passed down from generation to generation: “The white man always attempted to avoid the snow or skirt it, whereas the Indian always looked for the best way to walk on it and live in harmony with nature.”

Did you know that 26 U.S. states derive their name from Native Americans, including the name Minnesota from the Dakota Sioux “mni-sota” meaning turbid or cloudy water? The name Canada is generally accepted to derive from Huron-Iroquois word “Kanata” meaning village or settlement, while Ontario is from either the Huron word meaning “great lake” or Iroquoian word meaning “beautiful water.”

“An Indian Ball-Play” by George Catlin, 1846-1850, Choctaw Indians. Native American ball games often involved hundreds of players. | WIKIMEDIA

Homes & Cabins

Inland Lake Homes

Inland Lake Lots

Tom Lake

245’ of shore on 1.2A. Shoreline has its own natural boat slip!!

MLS 6024080 $45,000

Year round access with 171’ shore. Nicely wooded, driveway in place and a cleared building site. Lot is surveyed and septic sites have been identified.

MLS 6027392 $59,900

Private 34+A and 600’ of shore. Property is surveyed and septic sites are identified. Will consider owner financing to a qualified buyer.

MLS 6028673 $149,900

Poplar Lake

Convenient mid-trail location with deeded lakeshore access. Building site cleared, driveway in, utilities available.

MLS 2158160 $52,500

.94A with 291’ of shore. Healthy mix of huge white pines, cedars & balsams. Cleared building site, electricity, phone & broadband available.

MLS 6028705 $169,900

Leo Lake

169’ shore, on 3.70A, mid trail location, with public access to other lakes nearby. MLS 6023878 $124,900

Two Island 5+

Chester Lake

The only private parcel on Chester Lake. One of a kind opportunity! 40A, 300’ frontage! Rough cabin sold “as is”. MLS 6022402 $149,900

McFarland Lake Very

W Hwy 61 Great location and development opportunities right off Hwy 61! 7.1A, zoned commercial and R-1. Additional R-1 acreage available.

MLS 2170380 $149,900

County Rd 14 20A nicely wooded year round lot. Electricity and phone, abuts Federal land providing access to incredible amount of land.

MLS 2308865 $59,900 PENDING

North Rd 20A, very private, year round access. Power, phone and broadband available at the road!!

MLS 6024552 $39,900

Coyote Ridge Three 5A, private, beautifully wooded parcels close to town. Babbling, gurgling creek for your boundary.

MLS 6021224 $45,000 - $65,000

Rosebush Hill Lane Nicely wooded 5.40A with shared driveway only minutes from town. Identified septic sites and fully surveyed! Approx. 430’ of creek frontage. OWNER will consider a Contract for Deed!

MLS 6024624 $49,900

78 Squint Lake Rd 5A surrounded on 2 sides by government land. Convenient mid-trail location.

MLS 6020283 $62,900

Surfside

Land

Railroad Drive 1.7A in the heart of Lutsen. Gently rolling topography, mature trees. Convenient location.

MLS 6023743 $39,900

Gunflint Trail 7.9A connected to the Pincushion Cross Country Ski Trail system with the Little Devil Track River flowing through.

MLS 2313364 $69,000

Broadway Ave Wonderful location, oversize lot is open to many opportunities for development and use.

MLS 6025787 $48,000

Co Rd 67 2.24A, year round access, directly abuts State Land to the east. Fully surveyed and well-built private driveway.

MLS 6024406 $39,900

Stonegate Rd 2A on public portion of desirable Stone Gate Road with lots of potential uses. Power, phone, and broadband are a stone’s throw away.

MLS 6029678 $19,400

County Rd 7 Oversize lot on Co Rd 7 but inside the city. The obvious benefits of broadband and other services.

MLS 6028579 $58,000

Silver Fox Rd Two peaceful and quiet 5A pieces close to town with easements onto Federal land.

MLS 6025690 $39,900 - $69,900

Camp 20 Rd 28A located off of the Camp 20 Rd. Surveyed, septic sites have been identified and there is even a wetlands delineation!

MLS 6027375 $27,900

Caribou Trail Motivated Seller. Year round 20A surrounded by Federal land on 3 sides, has year round access, electricity and phone.

MLS 6028663 $139,900

274 County Rd 6 Conveniently located, just a few minutes from town. 2+A bordered by State land on 2 sides. Driveway is in, well is drilled.

MLS TBD $33,900

E Hwy 6110+A beautiful tree cover and magnificent rock out-croppings.Driveway to building site and septic holding tank installed.

MLS 6029042 $79,900

County Rd 48 Year round 11A of nicely wooded land, close to town, yet has a country, northwoods feeling. Partial Lake Superior view!

MLS 6029188 $64,900 New

OVER 600 FT OF LUTSEN’S LAKE SUPERIOR! Meander the tree lined driveway along Lutsen’s Rollins Creek Road, stumble upon the connecting ponds with Fountain and Sculpture celebrating the Sounds of Springtime! Over 8 acres of rolling terrain, experience the manicured path to the ponds, or stroll down the rock steps to the Tumultuous Shoreline, the Waves Pounding the over 600 ft of Rock with plenty of Splash! Inside the Fabulous home your guests will enjoy the Cascade of the Creek to the Big Lake just outside their

bedroom window. The master bedroom Welcomes the Sunrises via huge windows overlooking the drooling shoreline… 0r Says Goodnight to the Sun while watching the flickering of the fireplace from bed. All the other parts of the home are Magnificent, from the gazebo with hot tub, to the large library, to the gourmet kitchen with function and charm. See it to Believe it is the Best! MLS# 6019683 $1,197,000

WOWSER LAKE SUPERIOR PROPERTY!

Jonvick Creek AND Lake Superior frontage! Lovely LUTSEN home, tons of potential for updating and making this home YOURS! Vaulted ceilings, welcoming warm feel to this Cabin, a Must See! MLS#6026038

$374,900

WATERFALLS ON LAKE SUPERIOR, WALK TO GRAND MARAIS!

Stunning home in a Wilderness Setting with Incredible Lakeshore, a combination of Ledgerock and pebble beach! Awake in the morning to the sounds of the Waterfall cascading in to Lake Superior just outside your bedroom window! This striking home is move in ready, main level living with a sweet master bedroom and bath. Lower level walk out area for your friends and family to enjoy! Two plus car garage, with an awesome Man Cave with views of Lake Superior! Gorgeous Landscape, Gorgeous Lake Superior Home. A Must See, including the Little House! MLS#6026723 $799,900

LAKE SUPERIOR AT CUT FACE CREEK! This home is waiting for YOU to personalize this home and make it your OWN! Mint condition, well maintained, it’s just waiting for you to mold the master bedroom of your dreams in to this lovely setting and home. Plenty of Lake Superior shoreline to afford you lots of privacy! And the location just can’t be beat! Walk to the Cut Face Creek wayside park to look for agates, and come home to Comfort! Minutes to Grand Marais OR Lutsen! A Must See home! MLS#6023379 $549,000

LAKE SUPERIOR GETAWAY, MINUTES TO LUTSEN! The cabin has all you need plus incredible Lake Superior Views from Nearly every room! Oversized deck to soak in the Spring Sunshine! Meander down to the fishhouse and absorb the history of the Big Lake. A Must See home. MLS# 6023113 $550,000 SIMPLE LIVING ON LAKE SUPERIOR! A Step up from Thoreau’s Cabin, Enjoy the peace and quiet this lovely little cabin offers on over 300 ft of Lake Superior Shoreline! Electric, and Nice gas Stove makes this a comfy and welcoming Cabin! MLS#6026595 $240,000

WELCOME TO THE LAKE SUPERIOR DREAM! Just a lovely home with updated kitchen and very functional living spaces! Sprawling Lake Superior shoreline meant to Meander! Stroll on the paths leading to the walking bridge over the creek, and enjoy the Sunset over Superior!

and an

MLS#6027633 $599,900 OVER 300 FT OF COOL SHORELINE TO CRAWL OVER! Super Lake Superior Home with a huge Prow of Windows showing off Excellent Lake Superior views! The home has a fantastic layout for year round living or for your getaway home! Main level master suite, gourmet kitchen and a Great Room to Wow your friends and family! MLS# 6028087 $699,900 SUPER VALUE!

LOG CABIN ON CARIBOU LAKE! Located on the quiet side of Caribou, this Gem of a home is just what the Doctor ordered for rest and relaxation! Excellent location to launch your kayak on to Caribou! MLS# 6028567 $425,000

LITTLE CABIN ON LOON LAKE! Peaceful living overlooking Loon Lake and the Wilderness! New stairway to the lake meanders through the woods…a great setting for this really nice and comfortable cabin with loft bedroom and Views that will Knock your socks off! It’s the perfect Tiny Home for your Gunflint Trail adventures! MLS#6028432 $211,000

$449,900

6027279 $224,900 CARIBOU LAKE SUNRISE SERENITY! Meander down the long driveway to explore this

HEY HANDYMAN! 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!

living with wrap around deck and upstairs loft bedroom/office space.

MLS#6020313 $319,000

MLS#6022904 $177,500 NEW ROOF! REDUCED!

NEW

CUTE LITTLE LOG CABIN IN TOFTE, A MINUTE FROM BLUE FIN BAY! Year round access, nice land, and a very habitable cabin! Enjoy as year round living or a getaway cabin! MLS#6026035 $84,000 REDUCED! Summertime on the Shore, Enjoy the Sunshine and Relaxation!

BUNGALOW HOME OVERLOOKING LAKE SUPERIOR, WITH ATTACHED GARAGE AND ACREAGE! Perfect location between Grand Marais and Lutsen, the best of both worlds! Two bedrooms, open kitchen and family room, with a large deck overlooking the lake! Great for year round living or a perfect low maintenance getaway home! MLS#6025328 $195,000

BIG VIEWS OF THE BIG LAKE! Tiny Home on a Gorgeous Chunk of land in the Hovland area! Functional, MUST SEE! MLS#6025583 $108,900

Hwy 1 area Hunting Cabin on 10 ac MLS#2309318 $64,900

NEW! Whitetail Ridge Overlooking Lake Superior! Just off Highway 1, Enjoy Sprawling Lake and Ridgeline views and Rugged Terrain! Yr Round Access, Electric. MLS# 6024856 $110,000

30 acres Wilderness, Borders lands next to Little Manitou River! MLS#2309327 $129,000

Rocky Wall Overlooking Lake Superior just outside Silver Bay. MLS#2244646 $99,000

Rock Road in Silver Bay area! Great build site with creek frontage! MLS#2308638 $45,000

Lakeshore on Ninemile Lake at the Village, common water and septic, build ready, borders common land! MLS#2309096 $39,000 REDUCED!

NEW! Creek Frontage 8 acres off Little Marais Rd. Perfect spot to set up your Camp, driveway and cleared building area ready for you to enjoy! MLS#6028686 $19,900

Summertime on the Shore, Enjoy the Sunshine and Relaxation!

10 Ac Parcels of Maples! Rolling Terrain of Mature Maples to a Sweet Building site Perched 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. FROM $70,000 MLS#2090628

Sugarloaf Retreats on High Ridge Drive, Located a hop, skip and jump from Sugarloaf Cove on Lake Superior! Large parcel, with access to the Superior Hiking Trail! Yr Round access and electric to street! MLS#1598640 $36,200 SOLD!

LeVeaux Mountain, Super Views and Wildlife Ponds! MLS#2220050 $69,000

Just Up the Sawbill Trail Grab your little piece of the Northwoods, rolling terrain and small community feel with year round access, great build sites!

MLS#2070510 Prices from $24,900!!

Tofte vaag on the Sawbill, Nice Lake Views! Walk to the Coho, great location! FROM $49,900 MLS#1615956

Wowser Lake Superior views on Overlook Tr! MLS#2296509 $79,900

NEW! Maples with lots of Elbow Room, Year Round access and nice location between Cross River in Schroeder and Finland! MLS#6028422 $59,000

NEW! Wowser Lake Superior Views perched on LeVeaux Mountain in Tofte! Big Views, Great location minutes from Lutsen Mtn, BlueFin Bay. Must see land! MLS#6028132 $79,000

NEW! Holy Smokes! End of the Road bordering County land, Tofte. HUGE value with 2 lots sold for the price of one! Lots 6 & 7 Chester Blvd. Lake Superior views, quiet spot, walk to BlueFin Bay on Lake Superior! MLS#6028792 $49,900

NEW! 1046 Cramer Rd-Schroeder-40 ac with creek and tons of Maples! OMG it’s a beautiful parcel with high elevations and ravine like creek. Driveway is in! Minutes to Sugarloaf Cover Interpretive Center on Lake Superior! MLS#6028837 $98,000

Mature Spruce and BIG Lake Views! Walk to Blue Fin Bay, drilled well in place! MLS#2272174 $49,900

NEW! Nice parcel bordering USFS land, driveway roughed in, access to Tait Lk! MLS#6023412 $35,000

High Ground End of Cul de Sac borders Superior National Forest! MLS#6021436 $49,900

Woodland Foothills Build Ready lots, Shared Water & Community Septic from $19,000 MLS#2309328+

Heartland of Lutsen, 80 ac at the Foothills of Ski Hill ridge, near downtown Lutsen! MLS#2312987 $119,000

Over 15 ac of Wilderness on Turnagain Trail in Lutsen! MLS#2216560 $69,500

Prime Build Site(s) just off theCaribou at Jonvick Creek! MLS#2240533 $49,000

Gorgeous 5 acre parcels in the Heart of Lutsen paved Caribou Trail locale bordering USFS lands! MLS#2174799 From $54,900 - $77,500

Creek Build Site just off the Caribou Trail at Jonvick Creek! Rare and Unique Build site! MLS#2289515 $57,500

30 acres of Prime Wilderness Land with year round access and electric at street with Views of Lutsen’s famed Clara Lake! MLS#2080599 $137,500

NEW! Maple Leaf Trail at Jonvick, Maples Galore! Nice elevated build site. Yr Round access, electric. MLS#6024972 $49,000

“Sunset North” perched along the coveted Onion River Road this sweet 5 acre build site has a roughed in driveway and a nice mixture of trees. Super location for recreating! MLS#6027996 $57,500

Ridgetop Views Overlooking Caribou Lake! Tuck your home in to the Maple hillside in Lutsen, year round access. Super Location! MLS#6028429 $56,500

Tait Lake area, Backlot with small garage. Rugged beautiful forest, nice build sites. MLS#6027176 $54,500 PENDING

Tait Lake area, Legend Trail parcel bordering USFS lands with views of Wills and Williams Lake! MLS#6028619 $67,500

NEW! Hammer Road East of town! Expansive Lake Superior Views! Great Build Site at $49,900 MLS#6023586

Cty Rd 7 Murphy Mountain Lake View lands! Bargain Buys in young Poplar Forest, easy clearing for Sweet Lake Superior Views for as little as $39,900! Or Enjoy Hilltop Build Site with driveway in place. MLS#1599157 $79,900 REDUCED!

Lovely parcel

,

$69,000

NEW! Meander in to the Sawtooth Ridges where folks enjoy the peace and seclusion of the Wilderness! 20 acres off Victory Lane-Off Grid Living! MLS#6028471 $30,000

LAKE SUPERIOR AND INLAND LAKESHORE BUILD SITES!

JAW DROPPING LAKE SUPERIOR

Ready to build with long winding driveway to build site, surveyed. Defined build site with Huge Views!! Rare opportunity close to Grand Marais and within walking distance from the Croftville Road, very nice for walks. MLS#6022564 $325,000

DREAMY LAKE SUPERIOR . land and lakeshore! Several acres of privacy and way more than 200 ft of Level Access Lake Superior shoreline in Schroeder, near Sugarloaf Cove Naturalist Area!

MLS#2090420 $275,000

MAJESTIC WHITE PINES ON TAIT

LAKE SHORELINE! Lutsen’s favorite spot for quiet recreation, this deep lot has 200 ft of shoreline and 3++ acres! Yr round access, electric, only 20 minutes to Lutsen’s Ski Resort! Five minutes to BWCA! Untouched virgin forest, a beauty of a lot! Includes the lakeshore lot and the back lot for TONS of value! MLS#6025368 $209,900 PENDING!

PLENTY OF ELBOW ROOM ON LAKE

SUPERIOR! Nearly 800 ft of shoreline and 11 ac. of rolling terrain, with signs of the past logging roads and Spruce planted forests providing a sweet buffer from all of those pesky worries of the Real World! Driveway installed in to the mid-section of the land to allow you to explore which building site best fits your desires!

MLS#2309271 $799,000

LUTSEN LAKE SUPERIOR CASCADE

LAKESHORE 10+ ACRES BORDERING

SUPERIOR NATIONAL FOREST! in Lutsen, year round access with over 10 acres and 200 feet of shoreline! Hilltop building site with cleared path thru cedar forest to Christine Lake, a super wilderness lake great for paddling your days away! MLS#6023288 $99,900

PIKE LAKE SHORELINE, southern

BEACH RD LAND! Very accessible, build site close to the water, listen to the waves of Lake Superior lapping the rocky shoreline! Gorgeous morning sunrises over the Big Lake, a must see!

HEY HEY TAKE A LOOK AT THIS SUPER NICE CARIBOU LAKE BUILD SITE! The original cabin was recently removed, allowing for a nice “established feel” to this lot. Driveway in place, clearing done and electricity available!

MLS#2309132 $150,000 PENDING!

MLS#2308906 $299,000

SWEET CLARA LAKE SHORELINE! Level

Access from Build Site to Rocky Shores.Superior National Forest Lands! Electric, yr round access, Old Cabin in place to use now and build later!

MLS#1600179 $199,000

400 FT OF STUNNING LAKE SUPERIOR SHORELINE minute’s to the Cross River in Schroeder! Rolling terrain, nice Evergreen stand giving nice buffer from ANY highway noise. Worth the walk through the wilderness to see the AMAZING 400 ft of sprawling ledge rock shoreline!!

MLS#2313305 REDUCED! $450,000

END OF THE ROAD SPECTACULAR

HOVLAND

NEW! STUNNING CONTEMPORARY HOME. Spectacular soft contemporary 3 bdrm, 3 bath home situated above Chimney Rock with miles of panoramic views of Lake Superior & almost 480’

Lake Superior charm and seclusion awaits on this park-like private retreat property with almost 90 acres, 1793 feet of shore, and 3 classic Aldrich log cabins with outstanding lake views. A rare, unique opportunity! MLS# 6024299 $2,250,000

in 1999 with

City services and walking

to downtown, yet secluded. Great rental history, outstanding lake views. MLS# 6028845 $537,900 STUNNING LAKE SUPERIOR VIEWS. Immaculate and beautifully furnished 4 bdrm, 3 bath Lake Superior home. Very little maintenance with smaller association benefits! All major rooms with stunning lake views. Master suite and laundry on main level. MLS# 6028321 $595,000

LUTSEN LAKE SHORE. Exceptional Lake Superior property in highly regarded Lutsen area. 150 feet of accessible ledge rock and gravel beach shoreline. Large, level building site surrounded by mature cedar, spruce and fir trees. MLS# 6024548 $299,500 WILDERNESS INVESTMENT OPPORTUNITY.

6028505 $239,900 PRICE REDUCED!

Immaculate 3 bdrm home on beautiful & quiet Christine Lake. Over 200’ shoreline with private boardwalk to floating dock and 6 acres for privacy. Knotty pine and tastefully painted interior. Deck, balcony and open design allow abundant light. MLS# 6024054 $319,500

CHARMING

SPECTACULAR

EAST BEARSKIN LAKE

HOME. Charming 2 bdrm cabin on 180 ft of E. Bearskin Lake. Federal lease property. Awesome views of the lake, level walk to the dock and shore. Includes utility shed, woodshed, aluminum canoe & boat. MLS# 6028479 $195,000

PRIME PIKE LAKE. Wilderness, woods and lakeshore. Pristine views of Superior Nat'l across the lake, towering white pine overhead. Virgin pine and cedar are unique here! The 252' frontage and 3 acres have gentle shore, crystal clear water and great privacy. Driveway and drilled well. Power and Broadband available. Fishing, wildlife and easy access to Lutsen or Grand Marais. MLS# 6028197 $192,500

CHARMING LOG CABIN RETREAT. This cozy little log cabin sits in the woods on beautiful McFarland Lake. The sleeping loft and screen porch make it feel bigger than it is. The lot has 150 feet of frontage and there's plenty of room for a future main cabin. MLS# 6028241 $152,900

CLASSIC CABIN ON CLEARWATER LAKE.

Comfortable, well maintained 2 bdrm, 1 bath cabin cared for by the same family for over 60 years. 205 feet of shoreline on much sought after Clearwater lake with direct access to the BWCA. MLS# 6027760 $259,000

LARGE LOT PRIVACY – POPLAR LAKE. Dense mixed forest, great views, & classic wilderness shoreline make these two lots perfect for a Mid-Trail lake home. Choose 2 acres with 165’ shoreline, 3 acres with 200’ shoreline, or both! MLS# 6026287 $134,900, MLS# 6026286 $142,900, both for $245,000.

ON

PRIVACY ON PIKE LAKE. Cozy north woods cabin secluded on almost 6 acres of dense cedar forest with adjoining forestry lands. One bdrm plus loft with plenty of space. Generator power, electric at road. Easy access to 300’ lakeshore and great views! MLS# 6026819 $239,900

Comes furnished including pontoon boat, fishing boats, canoe, dock, and two Onan generators. MLS# 6029644 $229,900

BWCAW access. MLS# 2309237 $224,900

A-FRAME ON POPLAR LAKE. Classic 2 bdrm, 2 bath A-Frame cabin in a beautiful setting overlooking Poplar Lake. End of the road privacy with year-round access. Very nice, gentle path to the 156’ of lake shore. Nice mix of trees. MLS# 6024438

SECLUDED AND PEACEFUL - MCFARLAND LAKE. Quality built cabin tucked in a mature cedar forest with great views of the palisade. One bdrm plus lrg loft, nice kitchen, dining & cozy living area with wood stove. A

THREE PRIME PIKE LAKE LOTS. Three lake lots with wilderness, woods, and lakeshore are waiting for your dream lake home or cabin. Pristine views, towering white pine, +/- 200' accessible shoreline each with crystal clear water and great privacy. Good driveway in place, ideal location, power and broadband available. Four total lots can be purchased together at a discount. MLS# 6028199, 6028230-31 $179,900 ea.

BIRCH LAKE CABIN. Two bedroom cabin plus charming log bunkhouse on 150 feet of shoreline. Comfortable accommodations for year-round recreational fun. Water, septic, generator power, small garage, large shed, dock platform. Very private, easy access to BWCA. MLS# 6028894 $179,900

POPLAR LAKE-BWCAW

ACCESS. Nice 2.11 acre lot with beautiful west views of the lake and 244’ of shore tucked in a quiet bay. A small, updated 1 bdrm cabin sits right at the water’s edge. Plenty of room for a main home and garage. MLS# 6021031 $167,000 PRICE REDUCED!

NEW! TOM LAKE GETAWAY. Well constructed and maintained cabin with year round access, electric and broadband. Enjoy the solitude, wildlife, the new sauna, and great fishing from this perfect location. Level access to the lake shore. MLS# 6029506 $149,900

SEAGULL LAKE This framedin home features BWCA views looking down Seagull Lake from high on a bluff. Septic mound is in place and rooms are roughed in. Finish to your taste, the frame is complete. Over 330’ shoreline! MLS# 6028863 $315,000 NEW! LAKE PRIVACY ON 20 ACRES. Beautiful Lost Lake is a remote wilderness lake with only a few privately-owned parcels on the water. No public access! This great lot features huge white pines, pristine views, 20 acres, and 650’ shoreline! Motivated seller. MLS# 6029314 $149,000

SUPREME LAND, SUPREME WATER. Over 20 acres of amazing forest teamed with 300’ of awe-inspiring shoreline that rests at the southeast end

CARIBOU LAKE - HOME SITE. New price is well below tax assessed value. Magnificent old-growth cedar and maple trees. Great, high build site on Sawmill Bay. 5.34 acres and 185’ lake frontage. MLS# 2203572 $95,000 LOTS ON NINEMILE LAKE. Two beautiful, large lots on Ninemile Lake in Finland. Lots adjoin Superior National Forest and Cabin Creek Unit Roadless Area with excellent shoreline and views. Power and year round access! MLS #6019489 $89,300 & MLS #6028511 $69,000

TALK ABOUT WILDERNESS! Private, deep wilderness parcel. 17 acres includes almost 300’ frontage on Tucker Lake plus a section of Tucker River. Superior Nat’l Forest lands next door with BWCAW just across the lake MLS# 6028852 $69,900

SNOWSHOE RUN LOTS. Set along a high ridge overlooking Hare Lake in a mature northern hardwood forest. Year-round plowed and maintained county roads, power at each property and a clear water trout lake. MLS# 60194906019496, 6019498 Lake lot prices start at $48,800

CONDOMINIUMS

SUPERIOR LIVING ON THE LAKE. Gorgeous 2 bdrm, 2 bath condo with unobstructed Lake Superior views! This unit has had everything redone and replaced. Convenient location with access to many recreational opportunities. MLS# 6026577 $144,000

LEVEL LOTS, NICE WOODS, EASY SHORE. These three Devil Track Lake lots have easy access from a county road, with power, phone, broadband and great building sites. South shore, 200 ft. frontage, great views. Build your home on the lake here. MLS# 6027317-6027319 $198,900 each NORTHWOODS VACATION GET-AWAY. This recently remodeled and updated ski-in/ski-out condo has 1 bdrm, 2 baths, fireplace, and great views of the ski hills, plus distant views of the Poplar River. Walk to the pool, playground, restaurants – everything you need! MLS# 6027382

MARK LAKE - 159 ACRES.

only

on Mark Lake! Good northern

NEW! CABIN WITH BWCAW VIEW

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!

HOMES & CABINS

ing fireplaces, and a 2+ car heated garage. Private setting and design, perfect for entertaining or escaping. MLS# 6025932 $339,000 PRICE REDUCED!

CLASSIC FARM HOUSE AND 20 ACRES. Simply charming country home with outbuildings and some pasture for your horse! The 3 bdrm, 2 bath home has a country kitchen/dining room, huge living room, & 3 season porch. A cute log cabin sits near the home, and the land is special with a lrg wildlife pond & planted

ADORABLE A-FRAME Genuine

REMOTE HIDE-A-WAY. 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 $269,000

BEAUTIFUL HOME IN THE WOODS. Fantastic 3 bdrm, 2 bath cabin with sauna and bunkhouse. The 3.78 acres is surrounded by forest with Ninemile Lake across the road. Large kitchen/dining space, incredible master suite, upper level sunroom. Lots of room for guests! MLS# 6026570 $254,900

FANTASTIC GRAND MARAIS HOME. This solidly built one-level home has 3 bdrms, 2 baths, and attached 2-car garage. Open layout, updated mechanicals, geo-thermal system, new septic, and private wooded back yard with

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

Plenty of space for a garage. MLS# 609555 $152,900 PRICE REDUCED!

$229,900

One of a kind property on the sought after Baptism River. This 140 acres has over 4,000 feet of frontage on the Baptism just off Mattson Rd near Finland Mn. Privacy is what this is all about.

For more information call 218-591-0985, email to stphn. carlson@gmail.com or Realliving.com/steve.carlson.

MLS# 6007921 $250,000

PINE RIDGE OVER LAKE SUPERIOR

Lot 9 with 3.8 acres and view of Lake Superior, 3 miles north of Two Harbors on Hwy 61. Price includes lot, shell of house, well and septic. (no inside finishing)

2806 HWY 61

MLS# $299,900

440 ft of Lake superior frontage and 8 acres with small creek beautiful views and lot of privacy.

MLS# $440,000

Grand Marais Area

Nicely appointed and extremely well maintained

Historic Lutsen Lockport sites

Pancore Lake, Tofte

Pancore

CATCHLIGHT CATCHLIGHT

Black Bear

I watched this bear spend the afternoon eating raspberries with her two cubs. She was moving pretty quickly through the raspberry patch and it was very hard to stay in front of her. Finally got this shot after a few hours. It was the only clear shot of her I got that day.—Jim Stroner

Welcome to Golden Eagle Lodge, a family oriented, yearround resort on Minnesota’s historic Gunflint Trail. Located on the quiet shores of Flour Lake, we are the only resident on nearly 8 miles of pristine shoreline. Here, you can look forward to the quiet and solitude offered only from a true wilderness setting. We offer modern lakeshore cabins to ensure comfort during your stay in the North Woods.

Each season has something special to offer; excellent fishing, canoeing, and hiking in summer and nationallyrenowned Cross-Country Skiing in winter. Visit our website to find in detail how each season can help shape your vacation.

Try our 9-site campground which offers the same quiet and personal service as our cabins; each site comes equipped with water and electric hookups. We go out of our way to ensure every aspect of your visit will convince you to come back and see us again.

We know much time, effort, and expense is invested in a vacation and we would be honored if you considered us as your vacation destination. You won’t be disappointed!