Deer Park Lodge

Booking up, holding the line, and an idea for the family

We gave a lot of consideration to raising our rates this year. But taking all things into consideration, especially you, we've decided to hold the line and keep them the same. Looks like we're doing the right thing!

As of today, March 27th, we still have a good number of openings almost every week until June 13, but it's hard to say how long that will last. The one exception is the weekend of May 6-10 during which we are completely booked. This is the place to check for any late-breaking openings.

After June 13 we have the following availabilities:

• Cabin # 4         June 13-18
• Cabin # 8         June 19-July 4 | July 11-25 | Aug 8-22
• Cabin # 6         July  11-18
• Large Cabin     August 8-15

Something we've observed over the years is worth thinking about. Many families who spend a week camping in the Muskallonge Lake State Park will snap up cabin # 8 for Grandma and Grandpa (or even  Mom and Dad) so they can take part in the family vacation but still have the comforts of their own heated, cozy space and private bathroom. Let us know if we can help you make your family vacation more inclusive!

Call us at (906) 658-3341 or drop us an email and we'll get you set up.

Dark nights = great sights: The International Space Station

I forgot to mention the other day, with a few nice clear nights this week, we've been able to see the International Space Station pass through our skies at night. Currently, Expedition 18 is in residence. They've been up there since last October and are coming home in early April. This sighting schedule will show you what times and sky locations you'll be able to see ISS from most places in the country.

Expedition 19 just launched this morning and will dock on the ISS on Saturday. It's cool watching them float through the sky, just a tiny bright spot of light. I don't image they see us, as we stroll down an empty county road with the dogs. It's pretty dark up here in the woods. But back during Expedition 6, Flight Engineer Don Pettit and the crew made this video of what many of Earth's large cities look like from space at night.

Most of the folks in those cities will have a tough time seeing the International Space Station orbit overhead (not to mention stars) - there's just too much light. That's one (million) more reason(s) to come on up to the U.P. and join us at Deer Park Lodge.

Cheers, M & M

On the right side of the Vernal Equinox

Yes indeed, it seems spring is gaining some strength over old man winter. As of the 20th, the Vernal Equinox is behind us,  days are longer than nights, and each day our yard is full of bird music. The Pine Siskins are here in force as are the American Goldfinches. Of course our yearly groups of Chickadees and the two different Nuthatches help with the choir. The woodpeckers too, are happy and active in addition to all the crows and ravens we seem to have in the neighborhood now. They just seem to know, and they love it when the puddles arrive after a morning of sunshine.

Muskallonge Lake still has a good deal of ice on it as we just haven't had a significant rain or a grouping of several days when the temps stay above freezing. It was 7 degrees when we woke up on Sunday.  We took advantage of the hard pack snow and took a hike up Trout Creek, which feeds into the west end of Muskallonge, to the first bridge, to see if any beaver dams were affecting the flow of water into the lake. We saw one beaver dam but it didn't appear to be affecting the flow of water.  Sure was a nice hike and we picked a perfect day to do it. For the most part we could walk on top of the snow. Next time out we plan to hike from the bridge up to Trout Lake.

We did spend a bit of time down at the Superior beach over the weekend with some friends. There is still a good deal of ice pack on the beach and out at least 100 yards. It seems like it will be some time before the ice bluffs start getting broken up. There were a few rocks showing, enough so that our friends had a heavy load going up the stairs from the beach. Agate hunting is very limited as of yet. The picture in the middle is a piling from the only pier left standing from the old dock that extended out into Lake Superior from the logging days from the late 1800's.

We took a very nice snowmobile ride yesterday with sunny skies. The conditions were such that we could ride anywhere we wanted to. It's a great time for us to explore and look over some country that is not accessible via two-tracks.  We did run across some ridges and south facing slopes that were without snow and several of the trees were showing turf around the bases. So yes,spring is making progress. But riding sleds is still an option probably for another week or so, but it is spring riding so you need to be flexible as to where you go and what you can do.

We have seen an increase in inquiries regarding our cabins for the months of May & June. If you are thinking about coming up give us a call.  We still have some openings but the flexibility in the calendar is getting smaller all the time.

Call or drop us an email and we'll get you set up.

(906) 658-3341

Enjoy the spring!!! We certainly will.

M & M

The General Store

Our well-stocked General Store is open six days a week, to make it easy for you to get away, and to make sure you have what you need while you're here. We carry grocery items and fresh dairy products, as well as packaged liquor, beer, and wine. There's first aid and camping supplies, fishing supplies, bait and licenses. Plenty of ice, fire wood, and L.P. gas refills are available as well.

And, our clean, efficient coin operated laundromat is right next door and available for your convenience from Spring through Fall.

The General Store and laundromat are closed for the winter. We'll open back up on the last weekend in April. Give us a call and we'll be glad to get you set for your spring get-a-ways to the Upper Peninsula.

THE GENERAL STORE AND LAUNDROMAT RE-OPEN FOR THE SUMMER ON APRIL 25TH!

Spring is coming... with a crash, bang, boom!

I am writing this report in hopes that I can finish it prior to the power going out. We have extremely high winds on us right now, how the power lines are holding up without a tree taking them down is beyond me, but I'm extremely pleased. (Get current wind data for northern MI and the U.P.)

It is this wind that woke us up at 4:00 this morning and it was the stick being sent through our large picture window in the bedroom that really got our attention and out of bed. Yes, indeed the dogs freaked out, and how all of us avoided getting cut is quite amazing. Fortunately, we had the materials in the shop to board up the window and eliminate the wind storm in the bedroom.

It has been one of those weeks!!! Not only did we break out the bedroom window in a middle of a wind storm, but our old lean-to couldn't hold up the winters accumulation of snow any longer and finally gave out (see picture - ouch!). The worst part was that we park the snowmobiles under this and yes they took a pretty good beating.  Both sleds are repairable, Monica's will need much more attention then mine. Her hood suffered most of the damage.  We have spent the last couple of days cleaning up this mess, as soon as spring arrives we will rebuild.

It has been a beautiful week up to this point and now we are back to major winter weather.  The temps won't be so bad but the wind chill factors for the next couple of days will be mean (check out this Wind Chill Chart, you'll see what I mean). The good news is that after the weekend we are expecting more spring type weather - (forecast) - so bring it on.

I have include some more pictures. Abbott (above) our Mountain Dog was laying outside last week when the temps were -20, just another day in paradise for him. The frost that develops around his head is quite interesting. I also wanted to show you pictures of the front and back of the store.  Here's  the back (I think) - I'd include a shot of the back, but it looks just the same. As you can see we are about buried. If you haven't been up to Deer Park Lodge, here's what the store really looks like.

Good thing spring is coming. And to prove that, our Evening Grosbeaks have returned to the feeders. Snowmobiling should be wonderful for the next couple of weeks yet. We do have openings and spring riding certainly can be some of the best of the year.

So as you can see we have had plenty to do this past week. Life up north certainly has it's challenges, but it's still a great place to be. April is coming up fast - you should be too!

Cheers,

M&M

Baby it's cold outside - but we've got a warm spot waiting.

Baby it is cold outside!!!! The last three mornings we woke up to temperatures reading -18, -17 & -12 (yes, those are minus signs). We haven't had enough daylight to move those temps very much during the day. The good news is the weather man informs us that we are in for a warming trend during the next several days and we are all looking forward to that. On top of the cold we picked up probably about 10" of snow last week and at time had heavy winds (the wind chill factor was crazy low).

Fishing this past week has been very slow, not only for us but several other reports I got from throughout the area also indicated the lack of a bite.  Spring is coming so the fish will start getting a bit more active.  We only have until the 15th for our pike and walleye to be in season.  Hopefully, I'll be lucky enough to put a couple bags of fish in the freezer.

March snowmobiling looks like it will be fabulous.  We have a ton of snow and a great base.  At this point it looks like we'll be riding late into the month.  We do have cabins available for most dates, so give us a call if we can be of service.  Warmer weather and longer days makes for us great spring riding.

Just to get you thinking about the possibilities, check out this video by some sledheads who made a recent three-day trip from Frederic to the UP and back (did you know the Mackinac Bridge Authority provides transport services for pedestrians, bicyclists and snowmobilers who are not allowed to cross on their own - just $10 for you and your sled - 8am to 8pm 7 days a week - check it out in the video).

 

As always - give us a call or drop us a line and we'll do what we can to make the most of your trip to U.P.

1 (906) 658-3341 or email (upper left corner of any page).

Get outside and enjoy your day. Those guys sure did!

m & m