Deer Park Lodge

Ho! Ho! Hooo!

Happy Holidays

from

Mike and Monica

Deer Park Lodge

Let it chill, let it chill, let it chill

YUK, YUK, and YUK!!!!!!

The weather the last 24 hours has not been beneficial to our snow conditions. There has been a lot of moisture in the air, but the temps have just been too warm, so it rained for most of last night. Sure hope the weatherman is right and this warm front is to be pushed out of here today by a much stronger cold front. Hopefully this will allow the lake effect machine to get cranked up. We still have adequate snow in the woods to play in and actually if it gets and stays cold this wet snow will make for a perfect base for the upcoming long week of riding. If it doesn't get cold I doubt these trails will hold up to much traffic. You can check the National Weather Service forecast for our area, which, right now (12/23), looks promising. I'll keep you up-to-date on the local backcountry riding, and you can always check TASA for more extended trail reports.

Ice of Muskallonge Lake has been safe enough for me to venture out on and do a bit of ice fishing.  I caught a dandy pike the other night. The 34 incher was nice and heavy.  We already had fresh fish waiting to be cooked up so I released this fish. Interesting thing about it was it had a steel leader hanging out of it's gill plate and still very much attached to the inside.  I snipped the leader off the best I could before putting it back down the hole.  Someone broke off on a nice fish earlier this fall and I'll bet one of us will catch this fish again this winter. If snow conditions don't improve there will probably be a lot of ice fishing going on this next week.

• But please be careful and evaluate the ice before venturing out on it. There are some lakes in the area that don't freeze up as quickly as others.

We have spent some time this past week on the shores of Lake Superior looking for rocks.  We've found some pretty good agates but finding these little beauties seems to be getting harder all the time.  We love getting on the beach this time of year.  There usually is no one else around, no bugs to contend with and the ice formations that gets created on the logs and stumps along the beach are very interesting.  Quite often, though, the only place you can look for rocks is right at the waters edge, as the rest of the beach is covered with ice. 

Our dogs love going to the beach with us.  Abbott, our Bernese Mountain Dog, seems to thrive on being outside and frolicking in the snow this time of year. Even though he is almost nine years old he still get himself worked up like a little puppy when he realizes were we are going.  Mocha, our Standard Poodle, has been the queen of the resort for 14 years now. She likes the beach but doesn't take much of a liking to the ice and deeper snows. Her back hips aren't what they use to be, but she is a real trooper and willing to go whenever we are.

With most of the chores now completed, and all the new windows in and trimmed out, we will be able to sit back and relax for the next few days.  The day after Christmas the highways will be packed with people coming north and into the cabins.  We are fortunate to have a full resort booked through the New Year.  If you are interested in coming up after the Holidays give us a call - we have several openings for small groups throughout the month of January.

We want to wish you and your family a very sincere MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!!!

Mike and Monica

Beautiful trails, southbound tracks

After enjoying a snowy weekend, it seems as though the weather has stabilized a bit for the time being. Weather predictions are for another good blast of snow before the weekend. We have not seen any of the freezing rain that so much of the country has been dealing with.

We rode sleds a few different times last weekend and I got to tell you that it was darn near perfect.  All weekend long we never saw another snowmobile track other than our own.  The trails had at least 12 inches and sometimes up to 18 of good snow. Everything was smooth and beautiful. We spotted some deer tracks, but for the most part the white-tails seem to be heading south as we approach the mid-point of the Zone 1(UP) muzzle-loading season.

I do worry that the trails may not hold up well unless the snow settles considerably or they get packed down.  But if you're one of the few up here then you are in for some great sledding. Give us a call and we'll give you latest conditions and help make it happen for you.

I ventured out on the ice of Muskallonge Lake over the weekend and I will say it needs more time to really firm up. There was a good six inches of ice but it was layered and slushy. If the temperature stays down, and we get a little wind over the surface, I'll have an ice-fishing update for you before too long.

Come up this weekend we do have cabins available. Whether you stay with us or someone else be sure to check on availability of gas.  This might be an issue up here this year. Bringing along some extra cans will certainly be beneficial to you and your group.

Happy Trails and do Enjoy the Holiday Spirits!!!

M & M

Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow!

Winter has arrived.  For the past week it sure has felt like and looked like winter. And it is settling in rather quickly across the U.P.  We currently have about a foot of snow on the ground up here at Deer Park. We have lots of drifts in the yard due to the high winds that have remained as constant as the snow for the past week.

The last two days of rifle  hunting for deer were extremely challenging.  The temps stayed in the low teens, the winds remained in the upper 20s and the snow fell about as hard as we can expect for this time of the year. Thursday night I was sitting in the woods and it was so nasty out. At times I couldn't see more than 30 feet in front of me. More than once I wondered, "what and the heck am I doing out here? There is no way deer are moving in this stuff".  Right at dark, and out of nowhere, a deer shows up in front of me. As it bends over to sniff the ground I could make out a horn. That was all I needed to put my second buck in the freezer.  Now I need to compliment this venison with a good bunch of fish and we'll be set for the winter.  What a life!!!!

With the venison supply taken care of, we got the sleds out of storage yesterday and took them for a bit of a ride. Very nice!!!  However, with this first snow being powdery, the trails probably can't hold up to much traffic.  In a few more days, with the additional snow being projected, we might just end up with some great riding prior to the Holidays. We have a lot of openings up to December 28.  If you get the urge to come up and enjoy this snow you will probably be one of only a few snowmobiles out on the trails. 

Give us a call and we'll be glad to give you the latest snow report.

Happy Holidays!!!!

M & M