Crane Lake
Crane Lake, MN How long would it take you to explore a quarter-million acres of waterways that provide some of the most outstanding and breathtaking views the North Country has to offer? Visit Crake Lake; a place that is almost as pristine as it was when the last Ice Age sculpted it from solid granite […]
Vermilion Lake
Lake Vermilion “Lake of the Sunset Glow” Most lake names in Northern Minnesota pay homage to the Native Americans. Vermilion is no different. It was known to the Chippewa as the “Lake of the Sunset Glow.” Perhaps the name is the result of the fire-red horizon at sundown, perhaps the result of the incredible displays […]
Lake of the Woods
Lake of the Woods “The Walleye Capital of the World” In all of Minnesota, one of the truly unique places is the incredibly beautiful area of international waters encompassing Lake of the Woods and Rainy River (The historic Rainy River is the original highway of the famed Voyageurs – it linked the Great Lake with […]
Bemidji
Bemidji, MN “First City on the Mississippi” and a great little lake, too! Paul Bunyan. Babe the Blue Ox. Itasca State Park. My first float-plane ride. Fishing. Some of the best memories of my life are the result of experiences that were surrounded by these phrases and many others as my family headed north for […]
Alexandria
Alexandria, MN Not far from Minneapolis – an easy 2-hour drive west on Interstate 94 – lies a beautiful little place known as the Alexandria Lakes area. About 20,000 years ago, the last of the glaciers retreated to the north, scouring out more than 375 pristine lakes in this part of the state – nestled […]
Sounds of Silence
And no, I am not referring to the Sounds of Silence Simon & Garfunkel album from 1966. This is something completely – or at least mostly – unrelated. Writer’s Block Writer’s block is something of which I am familiar. Personally, I have never had the pleasure (notice my tongue embedded firmly in my cheek) of […]
Bronko Nagurski & the Kabetogama Connection
Many thanks to Ed Oerichbauer, curator at the Bronko Nagurski Museum in International Falls, Minnesota, for his helpful information and insight. A conversation with him ultimately helped me determine the proper direction for the article that follows. (This page may contain affiliate links. See our disclosure about affiliate links here.) Super Bowl XVIII Coin Toss […]
Kabetogama
Kabetogama, MN It was 1972 when I got my first look at what I consider to be one of the prettiest “wilderness” areas on the planet; Lake Kabetogama in scenic Voyageurs National Park. It is about as far north into the state of Minnesota as one can get and still be in Minnesota. (This page […]
The Life and Times of Mr. Pike
Also known by some as Jack, Jackfish, Wolf, Gator, or Pickeral, Mr. Pike (Esox lucius) has always seemed to have just a bit of an image problem. Its scientific name in fact, is derived from Latin, and literally means “water wolf”. It is a carnivorous fish. There are many who would select the Northern Pike […]
The Finest of Times
Today’s pace is, admittedly, much different & much faster than the one I can remember from the years during which I grew up. Nonetheless, a family vacation is still one of the best opportunities to reconnect with the ones who are most dear to you. (This page may contain affiliate links, which means I may […]