Minnesota Ice Fishing – Wildwood Resort

Groomed Snowmobile Trails, Fresh Snow and Perfect Weather!

snowmobile trails x-ski trails — Fresh snow has made the landscape beautiful and the groomed snowmobile trails and x-ski trails excellent!

I think all of us can agree that winter has been pretty long so far. And the fact that it is only mid-February might make some folks head for the nearest airport to escape the cold. However, Mother Nature has finally given us a break this week with perfect snowmobile and x-ski trail conditions, fresh snow for grooming and “warm” temperatures to enjoy it!

Guests staying at Wildwood over the last few weeks are reporting near-perfect snowmobile trail conditions with all local trails being groomed regularly. It has been a busy winter for us and that hasn’t left a lot of time for riding our own snowmobiles. But on Friday night we finally got out on the trails ourselves and although it was not a long ride it was an amazing one! We picked the kids up from school and headed up to Marcell with plans to ride with friends. We hit the trails around 4:30 with clear skies and sunshine. We rode west on the Bowstring trail into the setting sun and as it dipped below the horizon it turned the sky pink and purple. Trail conditions were really good and were made better when we met the groomer out on the trail! The temperature dropped pretty quickly after the sun went down so we didn’t ride too long before we decided to turn around and head back the way we came. We had the kids along and wanted to eat steak at the Timberwolf Inn so the increasing cold and hunger pangs drove us back toward Marcell. Shortly after heading east again I was catching light out of the corner of my eye. I kept thinking I was seeing headlights of oncoming sleds. However, it didn’t take long to realize that the light was coming from the rising moon. It looked like it was playing peek-a-boo through the trees. With the clear sky the light from the full, yellow moon was amazing. It was so beautiful that it was hard to concentrate on the trail! With warmer temperatures forecasted for the coming week we look forward to getting more time on the snowmobiles. We hope you do, too!

Ice fishing on Bass Lake has been a little slow this winter. We can only guess that the crazy, cold temperatures impacted the fish as much as the rest of us! We had ice fishermen in over President’s Day weekend who reported the the fishing wasn’t red-hot but they caught enough sunfish throught he ice to limit out. While we only maintain our access for ATV and snowomobile traffic the ice conditions are great for travel by truck as well. Last we knew there were no plowed roads on the south end of Bass Lake.

Minnesota family resort — Finally all the windows and the front door are in!

Our project is going well and it has been fun to start thinking of the winter of 2015 when we will have nine cabins open for winter business. Of course, we have to get them built first so that’s still our main focus right now. Our contractors and Jay have been making great progress and all four cabins are coming along nicely. We ordered kitchen cabinets last week and have finalized our flooring decisions. Those feel like two big milestones right now. After this week we will be ready for the painting contractor to come in and seal up the walls, windows, doors and trim. Although we are trying not to get our hopes up it’s hard not to imagine getting Aspen Lodge, Oak Lodge and Cedar Lodge done before May so we can concentrate on getting the rest of the resort ready for summer! I included some updated photos in this blog but you can also check out our Facebook page for the latest photos on our new cabins.

minnesota lake vacation — Here is a little Minnesota “summer vacation” to get you through another winter day!

While our time and energy is focused now on winter business and building new cabins it’s always nice to hear from people who have started to think about taking a Minnesota family vacation to Wildwood this year. I appreciate talking about walleye fishing (on open water) and discussing the merits of renting a pontoon for large family reunion groups. As I answer “Mom” questions about our safe, sandy beach and our supervised kid’s activities it makes me anticipate warm, summer days on the lake and the sun on my face. It’s certainly been a long winter but let’s all remember that it won’t last forever and summer WILL return. In 12 short weeks it will be Minnesota Fishing Opener followed immediately by the kick-off of the summer vacation season. As hard as it is to believe we will be digging out our summer clothes soon so just tuck those warm thoughts under your stocking cap as you enjoy the last month of winter!

Cheers!
Kim & Jay

Minnesota cabin rental — We installed a sound-deadening insulation on both sides of the adjoining wall in the duplex.

Minnesota vacation cabin — There will be a nice closet for storage and an extra fridge under the stairs in the entry of Red and White Oak Lodges.

Mn family vacations — The addition of the above the door really finish the look of Aspen Lodge.

Minnesota resort cabins — The windows and door let a ton of natural light into Cedar Lodge

Ice Fishing Season Is Coming On!

minnesota winter resort — The south basin of Bass Lake is almost iced over!

Anglers waiting for Minnesota ice fishing must be thrilled with our cold temperatures these last few days. Bass Lake is making ice like crazy! In fact, there are several inches of ice for about 15 feet out from shore. There certainly isn’t enough ice to consider ice fishing but it seems like it won’t be long before we see people out on the lake for “first ice.” It should be good ice this year, too. It looks like those first layers of ice are going to get good and thick before any measurable snow falls. Ice fishing paradise!

Our builders got a crazy amount of work done since the last post on our blog. Both Aspen Lodge and Cedar Lodge are up and weather-tight and they even have interior walls. It is really exciting to imagine the finished cabin now that we can see bedrooms and bathrooms framed out. Both cabins are going to be wonderful! Our builders have been waiting for some warmer days to start framing Oak Lodge. With wind chills below zero on Monday no one was too excited about working outside. Hopefully with a little warmer weather forecasted for the end of this week they will get the first floor framed up. Keep up-to-date with our latest photos on our Facebook page. Remember you don’t have to have a Facebook page to view ours!

That’s it for this week’s update. Stay warm out there!
Kim & Jay

winter in minnesota — Cool little ice cave on the beach. Makes me wish for an Alice in Wonderland potion so I could explore it!

A River Ran Through It

I don’t suppose I’ve ever told you that I hate this time of year?! It’s the only time I hate living here. I don’t mind the mosquitoes in the summer or -40 temps in the winter. However, I can’t stand the end of March when we start our freeze/thaw cycle. This year we’ve gotten a lot of snow. It has made snowmobiling a ton of fun but it has caused the great flood at Wildwood this year. Friday afternoon we had an emergency session of ice chipping around one of the new cabins. All the snow melt was running down teh sidewalk and into the cabin so we chipped ice, shoveled snow, dug trenches and sandbagged until we finally got the water diverted. Unfortunately, we are slow learners because it didn’t occur to us that the very same thing would happen (but much worse) the next day! Late Saturday afternoon Katie and her friend came running up to the house to report that Cabin 2 was flooded. We threw on our boots and headed down to the lake and found Cabin 2 in need of a BIG life ring. The cabin sits off the ground but not by much and the water level was just starting to inch above the bottom of the siding. All I could think about was Jay’s new bathroom and how our life would suck if he had to rip it out and start over this spring!

We recently returned from a wonderful family vacation. We spent some time on the white sand beaches of the Mexican Riviera and it was wonderful! This year we went back to a resort we have visited previously and it was so interesting to have that “returning guest” mind frame that so many of our guests have when they return to Wildwood. We knew stuff about where we were going. For instance, we knew that the coconut ice cream is to die for. And we knew that on the nights when there is a chocolate fountain AND coconut ice cream we would go back to our rooms with the trifecta of sugar high, indigestion and chocolate stains on our clothes! We snorkeled and swam in the ocean but mostly just laid on chair by the beach for 6 days. We rested and spent time with our family and caught up on our reading and had guacamole with every meal. It was heavenly! There have been so many years that we just slugged on through our year with no vacation. It’s hard to recharge your batteries when you are always running on empty! Even though we came back to 12 inches of snow and subzero temperatures I can tell that my reserves are full and I’m ready for another season. I hope you are planning a life “time out” this year. If you are Jay and I would love to have you spend your family vacation with us at Wildwood Resort. Just think about it. 😉

As I mentioned we came home to lots of snow. The snowmobile trail conditions right now were the best they had been all year! We have NEVER had good snow conditions for snowmobiling this late in March. In fact, snow conditions are just now deteriorating this week. We rode for the last time on Tuesday and it was wonderful but also obvious that the snow was melting. While the snowmobilers are happy the ice fishermen are not! Deep snow with slush on the bottom have made ice fishing by truck or 4-wheeler impossible on Bass Lake. We are telling our guests to not even try if they aren’t traveling out by snowmobile! Conditions

Let’s Talk About a Minnesota Summer Vacation

winter weekends in Minnesota — We’re flocked with snow again after yesterday’s snow. It’s so beautiful!

We just got another beautiful Minnesota snowfall. Looks like close to 8 inches at our house and once again the trees are flocked and roads are snow-covered. Lots of people around town were disgusted by the snow since it had gotten so warm last week. However, I see the snow as a sign of the coming spring! March snow is as much a part of the summer cycle as the first sunburn on pasty white skin. Not as painful, of course, but part of if just the same. Even last year during our no-snow winter we got a March storm big enough to go snowmobiling. So I say “Bring it on, Mother Nature!” Get it on and get it over with so people can come North!

Jay and I have a spring vacation planned. We are looking forward to getting a rest and spending quality family time! We haven’t always planned a spring vacation. In fact, for most of our 14 years at Wildwood we haven’t taken any vacation at all. But last year we called a halt to that crazy behavior because we all need a timeout. First of all, we need something to look forward to. Nothing is more depressing than facing another year of nose-to-the-grindstone months. We planned our coming vacation in December and we have been talking about it and dreaming of it ever since. I’m not even dreading the coming summer season where we work from May to October without a day off. I KNOW that when we return to real life after our vacation that I’m going to be ready to spring clean those cabins. Taking a Life Timeout does that for a person. I read something in a book once that I’ve quoted many times over: we pour ourselves out into others but if we never refill our own pitchers then we have nothing left to give. I think that’s what a family vacation does for a body. We’re so tied to our devices and our schedules that it almost feels like the sky will fall if we aren’t plugging away in our little corner of life all the time. However, I know for a fact that isn’t true! We CAN shut off our phones and leave the house or leave the country and just enjoy our kids and our spouses.

We can unplug and unwind and the sky won’t fall, Chicken Little! So that’s our plan: unplug, unwind and rest. And when we get back from our Life Timeout we’re going to be ready to work hard to get the resort ready to welcome you! Because this summer is your time to unplug, unwind and rest. Do some fishing, lay on our beach and eat s’mores by a fire while you watch the sun set over Bass Lake. Ah….doesn’t that sound like something to look forward to? Won’t that refill your pitcher?! You don’t have to stay at Wildwood Resort this summer…there are LOTS of Minnesota family resorts that are amazing and fun and relaxing. Just pick one. Do something for your family today. Do something that doesn’t involve running kids around town or planning supper! Plan a stay at a family resort in Minnesota and get ready for fun. The snow can’t last forever but memories last a lifetime.

Minnesota cabins have fire rings — Can’t you smell it?! Bring on the marshmellows!

mn ice fishing — A nice man from a nearby ice house “loaned” us his fish for a photo op

Fishing on Bass Lake has been pretty darn slow this last week. We had guests in last weekend who really had to work for their fresh fish supper! The girls and I had never gone ice fishing so on Sunday we decided to find out for ourselves whether or not the fish were biting. Guess what!? They weren’t! However, it was a GORGEOUS 30 degrees and partly sunny so I didn’t care that we didn’t catch fish. It was relaxing just sitting there on our 5 gallon buckets talking with friends and watching the Vexlar. It was amazing to me that it was just as relaxing as sitting in a boat fishing on open water. I was wishing we’d driven a truck out to the spot so I could crawl in the back and take a little snooze. (That’s what I usually do when we fish in the summer!) Ice fishing in Minnesota is a cool experience. There was a sense of commradery out there that I didn’t expect.

ice fishing with kids — Jay getting the girls all set up

In the summer you’ll hear fishermen growl when another boat comes too close and drops anchor to fish. It’s a breach of fishing etiquette to encroach on another boat’s personal space while fishing on open water. However, on the ice it seemed that there were no rules about how close you were to other fishermen. People would just drive up to the spot and start punching holes with their ice augers. (Assuming they were able to start their ice augers…our friend, Bob, couldn’t get his running!) One couple pulled up in their pickup and the husband got out, punched a hole right outside the passenger door of the truck and his wife sat in the truck and just fished from her seat. She didn’t even get out of the truck! That cracked me up!! I bet when she got nice and relaxed she just layed back on the seat of their truck an snoozed in the weak winter sun. We had a blast even if we didn’t catch a fish. Now Jay is scouring Craig’s List for an ice auger, a portable ice shack and a Vexlar.

ice fishing in minnesota — Jay had some trouble sticking on his seat so he spent some time rolling around in the snow!

Thank God he found something new to search for! He bought a plow truck in January and without plow trucks to obsess over he’s been a little lost. Search on, dear husband. I need a portable shack conducive to catnaps out on the ice!

In late February we took a weekend off and went to the North Shore for a snowmobile weekend. We had a blast! I was surprised that the trails on the north shore where we were looked very much like the trails around Itasca County. The trails we rode were all be inland and for some reason I had expected to be riding more along Lake Superior so we could enjoy the view. However, that sounds like criticism and I don’t mean it that way. We had a wonderful time and visited very cool places like The Trestle Inn and Gooseberry Falls. We stayed at the very wonderful Cove Point Lodge in Beaver Bay, MN and ate great food at places like The Rustic Inn just north of Two Harbors. (The homemade pie at The Rustic Inn is worth a trip to the North Shore all by itself!!) We rode, laughed, ate too much and generally got to enjoy what our guests enjoy when staying at Wildwood for their Minnesota snowmobile weekends. I’d never seen Gooseberry Falls before. We were literally standing on the falls which was so cool. We even saw some crazy guy climbing the ice flow. Crazy but cool!

Soon it our time for recreation will come to an end so we’re busy planning our spring projects and purchases and that always makes us excited for another season. It will be here before we know it! Enjoy this last little taste of winter and if you haven’t done so already, plan a little family time for the coming summer. Even Chicken Little learned that the sky won’t fall and he was, well….a chicken!

Kim & Jay

P.S. Do you follow us on Facebook? Like Wildwood Resort on Facebook and you’ll have the chance to see lots of photos and sometimes a few videos of life at Wildwood Resort!

mn cabin vacation — The picnic tables are kinda buried right now! But in a few short months they’ll be back in action for our weekly potlucks.

MN snowmobile weekend — The moon rising over Lake Superior

Winter Vacations in Minnesota

minnesota winter cabins for x-skiing snowmobiling ice fishing — Wildwood Resort on Bass Lake near Grand Rapids, MN

Jay and I really do love our life. I’ve said before that resorting isn’t for everyone and that’s true. Some people think we’re lucky because we get to go fishing “whenever we want” in the summer. In reality we rarely get time to ourselves in the summer and we NEVER take a full day off (let alone a weekend) between May and the end of September. However, yesterday I was thinking about our wierd life as we drove out of Wildwood on our snowmobiles at 8:30 a.m. on a Friday morning. It feels strange to take our recreation days when the “normal” business world is hard at work but it’s days like yesterday that make the seasonal craziness of our summer so worthwhile! We literally rode our snowmobiles ALL day and explored lots of trails we hadn’t ridden yet this year. We had a great day and have some stories to tell, too, so that makes it more fun.

We hadn’t ridden out of Wildwood yet this winter so yesterday we left the resort heading east on the Bushwacker. We picked up the Taconite snowmobile trail north of Grand Rapids and headed north. The day was gorgeous!!! We definitely haven’t had as much snow in the Grand Rapids area as they’ve had to our north 30 miles. However, the Bushwacker was in good shape and had been groomed. We were anticipating a very fun ride on the Taconite Trail and were just a little bit disappointed that it hadn’t been groomed because it was pretty rough. That trail gets TONS of traffic and I’m sure the DNR has been out grooming but it was a little rough with corners pretty dug out.

Minnesota winter vacations — The Prairie Lake bridge on the Taconite Trail

The DNR is rating the trail condition as “Excellent” and groomed I’m sure it is excellent. We couldn’t take too long of a ride yesterday since the school district does expect us to pick up our kids at the end of the school day (!!) but we still had time for a trip north to a favorite lunch spot, The Scenic Pines Bar and Grill. The Swampsiders Snowmobile Club does a GREAT job taking care of their trails up there and as I’ve said before it’s a favorite place for us to ride.

grand rapids mn snowmobiling — Lots of great places to stop and rest on the Taconite Snowmobile Trail!

After lunch we went outside to the sleds and I realized that I was missing the bag I always carry on the back of my snowmobile. I thought I remembered carrying it out of the house that morning but, frankly, my memory ain’t what it used to be so we decided that I must have forgotten it. I jokingly told Jay and our friends, Tim & Karen, to keep their eyes open for my bag as we headed for home back down the Taconite. At this point I’d like to say that one of the things I really like about the Taconite Trail besides the wide trail and roller coaster hills is the number of bathroom stops on the trail. Now I’m not saying that I need so many bathroom breaks but some people might and I’m just saying that those people (not me) might be happy to see an outhouse if they’ve had too much Pepsi with their lunch. Anyway, we had gotten almost back to Grand Rapids when I came over a hill and saw our friend, Tim, chasing his snowmobile down the trail. In general I’ve learned that it’s not good if your snowmobile is still going down the trail without you on it. (However, it IS very funny to watch someone else running after their snowmobile…) Tim has an eagle eye for interesting things on the trail and as he sped by a trail sign he saw that some good Samaritan had hung my bag on a trail sign. He hit the breaks a little too hard and as a result of ill-advised braking he “dismounted” unintentionally. I topped the hill just in time to see him trying to catch his sled before it hit a tree! I would have taken a photo of that bag hanging on a sign but I was too busy laughing! Oh my, that was funny…if only I’d had one of those helmet cameras recording video at the time!! By the way, not one thing was missing from my bag. How nice!!

winter vacations in Minnesota — We had fun on the snowmobile trail with our girls last night!

We decided that the day was too nice to be done riding so after picking up the kids from school we headed for Gosh Dam Place near Lake Winnibigoshish for dinner. We left the resort and headed west this time on the Buschwacker. We stopped for gas at River Rat Trading Post which is right on the trail between Cohasset and Deer River and then kept on going. The Bushwacker heads west toward Deer River, MN down Highway 2 which is a divided two-lane highway. The eastbound lane of the trail is on the north side of Highway 2 and the westbound lane runs along the south side. From Deer River we headed north and the trail took us through a part of Itasca County that was hit so hard by the July 2nd storm last summer. There were massive numbers of trees down – most with their HUGE root balls still attached. It was very creepy and brought to mind memories of that week last summer. Once the debris piles were cleared from our resort I pretty much tucked that experience away in the lockbox where I keep other memories I want to forget. (The lockbox is mostly full of embarrassing middle school moments)

minnesota snowmobile weekend — Miss K. dressing up the storm damage from the July 2nd storm

However, riding through the blow down area last night was amazing in a very unpleasant way. I’ll try to get better pictures next time we ride in that direction. The ride was 30 miles from Wildwood to Gosh Dam Place. We had a great dinner and rode home through a moonless night with the stars out in full force! It was gorgeous! The eastbound trail of the Buschwacker between Deer River and Cohasset isn’t a favorite. Lots of it is riding the angle of the ditch and with last night’s warm temps it was challenging to keep from sliding down the hill into the deeper snow. However, it’s only about a 10 mile stretch so it’s only a small part of an overall great ride!

MN snowmobile trips — The Grand Rapids, MN area is a great destination for Minnesota snowmobiling right now…our conditions are great!

We do have some ice fishermen in this weekend so hopefully we’ll have an ice fishing update for next week’s blog. And x-ski trail conditions are great from everything we are hearing! The Grand Rapids, MN and greater Itasca County area is a great destination for a winter weekend getaway! Check out the Visit Grand Rapids webpage for a listing of events in our area and make plans to head north. We’ll see you on the trails!

Kim & Jay

P.S. About our eagles: last weekend a neighbor stopped by to let us know that he’d seen an eagle on the shoreline just north of the resort with an injured wing. We called our local Conservation Officer and she was able to capture the eagle which indeed had an injured wing. She let us know that the eagle was on its way to the Raptor Center in St. Paul. Jay and I are praying it wasn’t one of “our” next door eagles. We’ll let you know what we find out!

Minnesota bald eagles — From the snow cover on their front deck it looks like our resident eagles might be enjoying warmer climates right now. They always leave for a short while in the harshest part of winter but we’re hoping to see them back soon!

Ready…Set….Ride!

Last winter in Minnesota was a huge disappointment with its lack of snow.

minnesota winter cabins — The moon was setting over our cabins as I came back from dropping the girls at the bus stop. My camera didn’t do the beautiful scene justice!!

And after a freakish rain ruined our snow earlier this month we thought that this winter might be a repeat of last year. However, we got a lovely storm Monday night which dropped about 4 inches of snow at Wildwood and 8+ just to the north of us. The warm temperatures that accompanied the storm was also a nice surprise. After spending a week or more in the double digits below zero I can tell you that 14 degrees feels like summer!!

minnesota snowmobiling — One of our favorite stops while out snowmobiling area trails is the Scenic Pines restaurant!

We took advantage of the new snow and went snowmobiling a couple of times this week. Both days we headed northwest out of Marcell on the Marcell Trail to the Cameron Lake Trail to the Herb Brandstrom Trail. Last Saturday when we rode we had the girls with us so we didn’t get quite as far as we would have liked. It was fairly cold so we stopped to snack and warm up at Antler Lake Store (always a great stop for gas, snacks and a bathroom break) and then had lunch at Scenic Pines. The trails were so good that we decided to head back that way on our regular Tuesday trip to see if we could get a few more miles on and try out the Taconite Trail. We made it to Scenic Pines (again!) for lunch and then got just 15 miles or so up the Taconite before we had to turn around and head for home. The trails were ungroomed with 6-8 inches of fresh snow and I’m telling you it was the most fun we’ve had in a long time!! We met snowmobilers who had ridden farther north on the Circle L and Circle T Trails and they thought there was close to 12 inches in far northern Itasca County.

We just love snowmobiling the Taconite Trail and yesterday was a blast. Someday we’re going to ride the Taconite from our place up to Ely! The Marcell Trail is a little rough in spots but very rideable. The Cameron trail was also rough but the farther east we traveled the smoother the ride. The Herb Brandstrom trail was beautiful as was the Taconite. After the clubs get those trails groomed this week the riding is going to be fantastic! The Bushwacker Trail that runs just south of Bass Lake was groomed today and looks good. Maybe we’ll sneak in another ride yet this week just to check in out!

Our ice fishermen in last weekend did really well, too. They caught nice sunfish, northern and some bass. They found most of their fish in about 10 feet of water hanging out in the vegetation. Bass Lake is very accessible right now with good ice! There is plenty of ice for truck traffic but after the snowfall we received Monday access by snowmobile might be easiest.

The weather is supposed to turn cold again this week but it is winter after all! At least we won’t be losing any of our new snow to warm temps. We hope you have the chance to get out and enjoy this beautiful Minnesota winter!

Kim & Jay

minnesota winter weekends — The drive into the resort was beautiful, too!

Winter is a Wonder at Wildwood Resort

As I approach my middle age and experience the maturing of my body I think I recognize the source of Mother Nature’s erratic weather patterns: she’s is menopausal! Rain? In January? Did she forget where we live? This isn’t the rainy season. It’s supposed to be the SNOWY season! Mother Nature needs hormone therapy, STAT!!!

MN snowmobile weekends — Of all the miles we’ve ever ridden this is still my favorite stretch – near Scenic State Park, Itasca County Minnesota

Needless to say the rain that we experienced at the end of last week has pretty much ruined the snowmobile trails. We snowmobiled three times last week and even though we are too old for that (Ibuprofen, anyone?!) we are so happy that we did! More than an inch of rain fell on our area turning roads and low-lying areas into ponds. There was some hope on Friday that we might get a dumping of snow afterward but, no….it didn’t happen. Trail conditions were marginal before the rain so right now I would say leave the snowmobiles at home unless you plan to ride your sled out to to your ice house.

The good news is that we have got plenty of ice! Reports from guests last weekend indicated more than 12″ of ice on the south end of Bass Lake. Although I haven’t seen any trucks out on the ice as of yet I’m sure by the weekend we’ll see some bigger vehicles out Bass Lake.

It’s hard to believe that it’s already mid-January! The new year is moving just as quickly at the last one. There are many great events coming up in our area to help burn these long winter months. So grab your winter gear, get up here and head outside:

Info courtesy of VisitGrandRapids.com calendar of events.

January 19: 7th Annual Hockey Day MN on Lake Pokegama; outdoor hockey games played on Lake Pokegama; line-ups include for boys, Eagan vs. Hibbing & Benilde St. Margaret vs. Grand Rapids and girls, Hibbing vs. Grand Rapids; broadcast on Fox Sports North

January 19: John Anderson, 7:30p @ Reif Performing Arts Center.

January 19: Annual White Oak Dog Sled Winter Event @ White Oak Fur Post; 18-mile sprint race to Gosh Dam Place; free & open to the public

January19: Annual Driftskippers Snowmobile Club fundraiser @ Timberlake Lodge

January 22: The Gichigami Trio, 7:30p @ Reif Performing Arts Center.

January 24: Minnesota Twins’ 53rd Annual Winter Caravan, 5:30pm Doors open; 6pm Dinner; Twins personalities include: Brian Duensing, Chris Parmelee, Tom Brunansk and Dan Gladden; cost is $12/person; event held at Sawmill Inn; sponsored by KOZY/KMFY

January 25: Mountain Heart, 7:30p @ Reif Performing Arts Center.

January 26: Candy Cup#1 (2:30pm); cross country ski race for 4-14 years old; entry fee only $5; hosted by Mt.Itasca Nordic Ski Association (MINSA). For more info go to: www.MtItasca.com or call Petra C. at 218-999-5046.

January 26: Winter Frolic, 11a-2p @ Marcell Family Center. Indoor & outdoor activities, hayrides, crafts, games, and food. Children must be accompanied by an adult. Free Children First event. 218-332-3444

January 26: Annual “Numb your Bum” 5K run, 8a registration, 9a start time @ Firehall in Coleraine. $15 entry fee – Contact for more information: Mindy Thomsen-Tammi 218-256-1654 $15

January 26: Jenny Guyer Ice Fishing Tournament, 11a-3p @ Trout Lake, Coleraine. $5 entry fee. Concessions, raffle, silent & live auction items @ Coleraine Fire Hall.

January 27: MINSA Ski Clinic (1-3pm) at Mt. Itasca; Clinic is free with paid trail fee. For more info go to: www.MtItasca.com or call 218-999-5046

January 29-30: Seniors Bonspiel @ Itasca Curling Club – More info. (218) 999-5875

January 31: Annual 2nd Harvest Chef’s Gala event @ Timberlake Lodge

Have a great week!

Kim & Jay

Wildwood Resort snowmobile weekends — Ready to head for home after a little break to chat and stretch.

Baby It’s Cold Outside!

Minnesota winter getaway — The snow-flocked trees make the area picture perfect these days.

The weather has turned very winterish all of the sudden! Nighttime temps are dipping into the single digits and as crazy as it sounds we are happy about it. The other night I was running some things between cabins after dark. It was one of those winter nights when everything was still and since there was no moon the sky was just blanketed with stars. Somehow the crispness of the air brought all those stars into sharp focus It was the kind of night about which Christmas songs are written. It was a beautifully “Silent Night.” I had come “…Upon a Midnight Clear” or in this case an “8:00 p.m. clear.” (We’re too tired to see midnight anymore!) How is it that in just a few short months of summer I forget how absurdly beautiful a winter’s night can be?! Most people who prefer warm weather can’t imagine that there’s anything beautiful in a night like the one I described. But I’m here to tell you there is and I hope this holiday that you get to experience “chestnuts roasting on an open fire and Jack Frost nipping at your nose.” Winter has come to Wildwood and we are thrilled!

We did not get the amount of snow that those south of us received. We were initially disappointed with our measly 4 inches but really to have good conditions for snowmobiling and ice fishing in Minnesota we need good ice first. Too much snow before good ice means slushy conditions (at best) for the rest of the winter. Also I’m a bit of a ‘fraidy cat on my sled so I like knowing that before tons of snow fell there were many inches of ice on the lakes already! There are some permanent ice fishing houses showing up on Bass Lake this week and we’re guessing there must be around 6 inches of ice on the lake. Now it can snow….tons please….FEET even! Many Minnesota snowmobile clubs are busy beavers getting trails ready to ride so we’re hoping that by the time Christmas has come and gone we’ll be ready to hit the trails. Our phone is ringing with lots of calls from folks planning MN snowmobiling weekends or organizing their ice fishing trips to Wildwood so let the fur fly…or the white stuff in this case. We hope that whether you stay at a Minnesota family resort or if you decide to play close to home that you get out and enjoy the beautiful Minnesota winter!

MN winter resorts — The seasonal cabins are all settled in for a long winter’s nap.

With all that talk of snow and sleds and ice fishing gear some people might think that a visit to Grand Rapids is only about getting outside. For lots of people that is true. However, there is a very big contingent who pledge their loyalty to fireplaces and the warm and toasty feeling they get from one. There’s nothing wrong with that! Lots of people visit Wildwood in the winter and never leave the cabin. One year we had a group of ladies who spent a girlfriend getaway weekend in their jammies having a Wii bowling tournament. They had a ball! We have our fair share of groups who spent the weekend quilting or scrapbooking or getting massages in the cabin. That sounds pretty good, too, right?!

Maybe the most balanced winter visitors are those who like a little bit of fireplace time AND some “Jack Frost nipping at your nose” time. Our area has some amazing x-ski trails – 19 to be exact – which are groomed and lighted (some of them) and we have many groups who spend their weekends skiing during the day and playing cards at night. Some of our family groups play a crazy game of football/rugby/snowball fight out on the lake and then head inside for movies and popcorn. Still others take in a performance at The Reif Center and then dine out at an area restaurant.

It really doesn’t matter too much what you do….just get out and do it in Minnesota this winter. Tourism is the second largest industry in Minnesota after agriculture so consider it your civic duty to spend some fun-and-frolic time skiing, snowmobiling, ice fishing, shopping or relaxing this winter wherever you live.

See you out on the trails!
Kim & Jay

Bring on the Hard Water!

mn family resort — Jay is so smart. He’s figured out how to make the pontoons into covered wagons so the snow just slides off the pontoons.

minnesota pontoon rental — Jay had to let the air out of the tires on the trailer to get the pontoon in the shed.

This is one of my favorite times of our year. It’s not like “Top 5” favorite times of the year but it’s close…Top 10 for sure. It follows on the heels of my “Number 1 Least Favorite Time of the Year” which is fall. Love the weather, the colors and the guests. Just don’t love the back-to-school, clean-every-day, do-I-have-clean-sheets-for-the-cabins part of fall. Then at the very tail end of my Number 1 Least Favorite Time of the Year comes the “Really, Absolutely Worst Part of the Number 1 Least Favorite Time of the Year” and that is shutting down the resort. We’re tired and we need a rest after 5 solid months of 24/7 (or so it feels) and the last thing I really want to do is shut down the old cabins, stow the boats and pull the docks. While we are doing the work I realize that it’s never as bad as just anticipating doing the work. Thinking about doing the work is more exhausting than actually getting it done. Anyway, it took many weeks to get ready for winter but finally…whew!…we are here. We pulled docks on Friday and Saturday suffering only minor marital strife in the process. We had the usually hiccups and “what the heck!” moments but overall it’s a done deal. It can snow now without Jay having a major anxiety attack. We’re all(mostly) tucked in for the winter – our nuts are stowed, so to speak – and that’s what makes it a Top 10 time of year. We can finally rest! So now we say, “Bring it on Mother Nature and Old Man Winter!” We’re ready…mostly…pretty much. Okay – I just thought of something we didn’t get done yet. Maybe just a couple more days and then “Bring it On!”…

Our Winter Rates went into effect on November 1st and already we’ve had some fun girlfriend weekends that made me green with envy. I love sister-mom-aunt-grandma-girlfriend time. Once I read something in a book that has stuck with me. Basically the idea was that as moms we ‘pour’ ourselves out into our families and those we love but if we don’t take time to refill our pitchers we’ll end up empty. That’s what I always think of when we have ladies’ groups in for crafting or relaxing. Some groups get together to accomplish their scrap booking projects or to finish their quilts and still others just come together to rest. We had a group in over the last weekend that brought in a massage therapist and a chef. And another family group a couple of weeks ago that spent time watching and learning how their grandma made their favorite dish. My husband refills his pitcher with a fall fishing trip each year but I think I would rather go with a massage and girl-talk! Who’s with me?!?!

mn fihing resort — It’s hard to get down to Cabin 4 this time of year since the docks block the way.

I’ll be spending a day or so at the St. Paul Ice Fishing and Winter Sports Show that’s being held November 30th through December 2nd at the River Center in St. Paul. I’ll be there representing Visit Grand Rapids as well as Wildwood Resort talking about Grand Rapids as a destination for Minnesota ice fishing trips and Minnesota snowmobiling weekends. Stop by and say hi if you make it to the show.

That’s it for now! Oh…if you’re interested in how the docks come out of the lake visit our Facebook page to see some video.

Kim & Jay

mn fishing resort — Gotta remove the ramps before we can pull the docks out

pontoon rental — The newest pontoon gets indoor storage this year. However, it didn’t quite fit in the shed door. Oops…

Minnesota fishing resort — The docks are stored behind Cabin 4

Minnesota Ice Fishing at Wildwood Resort – March Madness!

We weren’t too happy with Mother Nature when she didn’t support our snowmobiling plans this winter. However, what we didn’t anticipate was that our mild winter would be such a boon to MN ice fishing! We’ve had more fishermen in this year than ever before and fishing has been really good. Our guests have found lots of nice sunfish, largemouth bass, northern pike and an occasional crappie. Most lakes are very accessible right now with the low snow totals but be careful out there – spring is around the corner so we’ll start losing ice on those lake!

Minnesota snowmobile vacations — We have so much fun snowmobiling with friends!

We did manage to get out snowmobiling one last time a week ago. Two back-to-back snowstorms left enough snow to enjoy the trails. We traveled from Jessie Lake east to the Scenic Pines restaurant. We had a great lunch (as usual) and then made our way back to our friends’ house. We rode almost 100 miles and loved every second of it. We weren’t the only ones with snowmobiling on our minds, though. It was the busiest day we ever experienced on the trail – I think we saw over 100 sleds!

Minnesota family resort vacation — Just a little something to get you thinking about summer!

Jay and I have started our project list for the coming spring. This is the time of year when we find ourselves wandering around Home Depot for no particular reason. While most couples see a movie on “date night” we tend to go look at flooring, appliances and lumber before coming home at 7:00. Yep. We step out on the wild side every now and then!! Anyway, the list is pretty extensive this year so we’re hoping for an early spring so Jay can get started. He’s going to be a busy guy in a month or so. (He should probably start working out or something.) Our goal is to always provide a good value for the vacation dollar for our guests so we are constantly trying to improve our cabins and grounds. After 13 years we struggle sometimes to see our resort with fresh eyes and can easily overlook issues that have “aways been that way.” What is our project “Wish List” for this year? We’re looking into different heating sources for a couple of cabins and we have to replace some dining room tables and chairs. A couple of bathrooms need some serious TLC, Jay has to build some closets and we need to replace a kayak that we lost in a storm last year. We will do the usual spring cleaning which involves wiping down all the walls in the cabins, washing all the dishes, cleaning carpets and washing all the bedding (again) that we used in the winter cabins. Outside we rake the grounds again to clean up the pine needles and leaves that winter left behind, then put docks in, get the boats out of the shed and into the lake and set up the Lodge with all of our new clothing and gifts. Whew. I’m tired already – maybe I should start working out now, too?!

We are looking forward to getting Wildwood ready for summer!

Kim & Jay

MN snowmobiling — There were just a few snowmobiles on the trails last weekend!

Accommodations

Things to Do

By Season:

The Resort

Accommodations

Things to Do

By Season:

The Resort

Groomed Snowmobile Trails, Fresh Snow and Perfect Weather!

Ice Fishing Season Is Coming On!

A River Ran Through It

Let’s Talk About a Minnesota Summer Vacation

Winter Vacations in Minnesota

Ready…Set….Ride!

Winter is a Wonder at Wildwood Resort

Baby It’s Cold Outside!

Bring on the Hard Water!

Minnesota Ice Fishing at Wildwood Resort – March Madness!