Deer Park Lodge

Arctic blast! Blizzard warning indeed!

For the last two days the weather man has been telling us to prepare for a major storm. We've heard this story over and over, but the weather for the past 36 hours has been far short of a storm and much closer to spring-like weather.  For the past two days we have had temperatures ranging from 30 to 47 degrees with light winds.  This took our snow pack and shrunk it a bunch.  What looked like more than 3 feet of snow on the ground packed down to less that 1 1/2 feet, with several areas showing dirt.

The roads were totally cleared and dry.  The last couple of mornings during our walk we were dressed like it was spring, no gloves or hats were needed.  We were indeed getting a bit concerned about our upcoming snowmobile customers having adequate snow for riding.  AND THEN IT ALL CHANGED!!!

About 5:30 last night the light mist we had in the air changed to sleet, and within the next hour changed to snow, and within the next hour the winds picked up, and within an hour after that we were into a storm.  Well I'm here to tell you - 14 hours later we are still very much into a storm with no let up predicted for another 8-10 hours. Check out these satellite and radar images from about 3:15 this afternoon. Now wonder!

How bad is it? This is possibly the worst storm we have seen since arriving here in '92.  Not because of the amount of snow we are getting but because of the combination of wind and snow.  The wind is, and has been holding steady, at 30 mph with gusts reaching above the 50 mph mark, directly out of the west. 

Now if I may refresh your memory, our property is on the east end of Muskallonge Lake, and is the only large opening on this end.  Also consider that before the storm there had to be at least 10" of snow sitting on the lake. Thus, currently all the snow that was on the 800 acres of Muskallonge Lake, in addition to all the snow we got overnight, now appears to be in our yard and around all the cabins. 

There looks like a ten foot drift by the pole barn, and the doorway to #10 (the cabin attached to the house) is impossible to keep shoveled so our cabin guest can get out.  In walking over to the big cabin to check on the guys there, I think I walked up and over top of a snowmobile that was buried in the drifts.  All this just after last night. 

I won't think of trying to clear this snow until the winds settle down and I can see what and where things are.  We took the dogs for a quick walk (boy did they struggle), and visibility was at about 20 feet.  The Luce County plow had to back up three times to get through the drifts out in front of the store.

The storm is the news up north. I sure hope my tractor/snowblower is up to the task when things settle down. If not, we are buried until spring. Thank God the power is still on! But the snowmobiling should be excellent over the weekend and probably a bit challenging in places.

Give us a call if you have any questions about the conditions up here in the Deer Park Lodge neighborhood, and you can always check NOAA for up-to-the-minute forecasts.

(906) 658-3341

Stay warm,

Mike and Monica

Lake effect snow - watch where you go!

What a weekend!!!! We had a beautiful lake effect snow system sit on us from Friday night through early Sunday morning.  We must of picked up at least 16-20 inches of snow during that time. In addition to the snow we experienced extremely cold temps and wind chills.  We picked up enough snow that it was, and still is, very possible to get stuck in this powder while you are out riding your snowmobile. 

We picked up so much snow that the area lakes are now extremely slushy, because the weight of the snow pushes down on the ice.  Believe me, I had first hand experience with it this weekend. Getting stuck in the slush is not a good thing. It can be very frustrating, cold and wet getting unstuck. My buddy Bob took off out to our favorite fishing spot Saturday, immediately got stuck, then put his foot through a fishing hole and plunged his leg into the water up to his hip. After several attempts we got his sled going again and he never stopped until he got back to the resort. Never did fish!!!

Card playing and ping-pong seemed to be much better options.  We got so much snow that four guys from Musky Lake Lodge took 2 hours to get home from here, (it should of been a ten minute ride).  Very limited visibility and big drifting snow made the going tough. All but one of the guys got stuck (some more than once).

When we get the big snows like that along with the cold weather the snow is so light and fluffy that it makes it challenging with most snowmobiles, especially if you are making your own trail.  In a few days this light snow will start to compact and make getting around much easier for everyone.  Hopefully the winds will help blow some of the snow off the lakes and allow them to firm up again.

The cold weather is to continue for a few more days with lake effect snows tonight and tomorrow.  Finally, the temps are to warm back up for the weekend and get into the mid-20's. Check NOAA for an updated forecast.

We do have a couple of cabins available next week.  If you are thinking about coming up and riding for a few days I got to think next week will be a perfect time to do it.  Give us call if we can help you out in any way. As always, we appreciate your business, and look forward to seeing you here at Deer Park Lodge.

Call (906) 658-3341 to make your reservation, and keep checking our Bulletin Board for up-to-date news.

Cheers,

Mike & Monica
 

Snow's back and so's the sledding!

Seems like the weather kept everyone away this past weekend. Traffic up and down the road seemed to be exceptionally light. But, for those few that came, the weather couldn't of been better. We picked up several inches of snow over the weekend (a few each day) and the temps stayed in the mid to upper 20's.

We had a group of guys in that put quite a few miles on their sleds this past weekend. They reported that the trails were in outstanding shape and that no one was on them.  Friday night they rode to Grand Marais and saw only four other sleds. Then on Sunday they road to Seney and back and saw only seven sleds on the trail.

This is the beauty of staying over on Sunday - everyone grooms the trails on Saturday night, yet most everyone leaves to go home on Sunday. If you can stay that extra night, most of the time you will find flat trails all to yourself on Sunday, Monday and Tuesday.

Very cold weather with lake effect snow is predicted throughout the upcoming weekend.  Along with great riding, the ice conditions on the area lakes are improving daily and ice fishing has been good all over.

We do have a couple of our one bedroom units open for the next couple of weekends, so if we can be of any assistance please give us a call.

Hope to see you up North!!

M & M

Rain or snow - get out and go!

Mother Nature is throwing us another curve ball. We have been in a major meltdown for two days now, and as I type this rain is falling steadily.  The guys that were here this weekend said that all the trails were in really good shape and holding up well despite the thawing.  Trail corners were starting to show dirt, but for the most they report the riding was as good as they expected.

However, the last 24 hours were not kind to our snow pack and if this weather continues we will need a couple of good snow showers to get us back to where we were. So far the two tracks and fire lanes are still holding the snow and should be great alternative to the main trails. (UPDATE: NOAA is forecasting a chance of snow going into the weekend!)

So what do you do if you come up and cannot ride sleds? Well, consider doing some ice fishing. So far our ice is holding up pretty well to this weather. We just came off the beach while doing a little agate hunting, and the weather is perfect for that.  Steelhead fishing in the Two Hearted River should be good right now, and I am sure you won't have to fight any crowds getting to your fishing holes.  Cross-country skiing is still good, either on the area two tracks or the edges of the lakes.  Or come on up, slow down, read a book, play a game of cards and/or get out and take a hike and get some of this great air we have flowing through your lungs.

We still have several cabin openings throughout the month of January for small groups. Give us a call and we'll help you plan a weekend get-a-way.

(906) 658-3341

Happy New Year!

Mike & Monica