The Importance of Water

Here at Heston's Lodge, we are blessed with excellent water.  We have three wells that are tested annually.  Of the three, we like the one at the lodge the best.  I remember when I was growing up, my dad worked for the municipal water and gas department.  He would always say, "Lake Superior water!  We have the best water in the world!"  It was more than just the company line.  It was true--we loved our water and its fresh, clean taste.

When I met Greg and began to visit the lodge, one of the early things he told me was that Heston's had the best water in the world.  How could that be?  I already knew where the best was.  But when I tasted it, I had to admit that it truly was very good.  Over the years, as the water back home had to be chlorinated, I had noticed the taste creeping in.  Here, right from the well, the water is its pure, sweet self.

Whenever we travel, we like to bring our own water along, if at all possible.  The car, our schoolbus, whatever, we try to save space for some jugs of our own resource.  It's what we are used to.  While camping, the jugs would inevitably get emptied, and we would refill them at the campground spigot.  Those refilled jugs would get a special mark on them, and we would begin to hoard whatever Gunflint water was left.  Sometimes, we were lucky to have at least a little when we were heading back to home, and the source.  Sure, we could grow accustomed to all the other water, but it just wasn't the same.  Even bottled water from the store is different, almost flavorless.

Here is a video that illustrates how much our water means to us.  Enjoy--and next time you are here, we'll be happy to serve you a big glassful!

Perfect Ending

Sunday was a perfect spring day.  It was the final day of our annual gathering of the Northern Ale Stars homebrew guild, and it provided the weather we had all been waiting for.  Two days prior, it had snowed, not surprisingly.  But when the skies cleared and the sun's warmth penetrated our bodies, we all breathed a big sigh of gratitude,  and gathered for some relaxation.

The temptation was strong to launch a watercraft, ice cold water notwithstanding.  But somehow, we couldn't muster the energy to put the barge into the water.  It was just so wonderful to sit and welcome the warmer weather while enjoying a good beer.  In my case, I was having some tasty mead, made with honey and berries.  A little like wine, a little like beer, it was all good.

Later, as the skies began to cloud up, we moved to the campfire circle.  Once the sun disappears, reality comes back to remind us that we are still early in this new season.  We had good conversation and many laughs, while listening to an occasional song from the ukelele. 

It was a great way to finish out a wonderful weekend with some longtime friends, and a good way to welcome springtime to the Northwoods.

Early Spring Continues

It's hard to imagine that the lake could be open in late March, but here is the proof:

After lighting the bread oven fire, I walked down to the landing, and then to our point.  The eye cannot see far, due to the light fog, but from all accounts, no ice remains to the west on Gunflint Lake.  To the east is another story:

I find it interesting that it has not pulled away from shore as much in this direction.  The wind hasn't come up strong, so the ice isn't moving and pushing as much as it does in some years.  Those are the dramatic times in ice-out history. Watching the slabs push up on shore, knocking over young trees and moving rocks is pretty awesome.  It's much quieter this year. 

The overnight temps still remain above freezing.  I noticed my little tulips nosing their way through the ground.  The rhubarb is showing red nubs, the precursor to the long shoots yet to come.  Everywhere there is water running, in the ditches, the culverts and the creeks.  We received some rain in the last couple of days, for which everyone is grateful. The sun is scheduled to return tomorrow, but the temps are not supposed to be as high as they had been. 

As I've mentioned over the last few days, I feel ill-prepared for the speed of Mother Nature as of late.  Obviously, I am not alone in this.

When a creature such as this snowshoe hare depends on its camoflauge to hide from predators, it must come as a shock to be caught so unawares.  Driving down the road recently, it was easy to spot four of these dudes.  Some guests reported seeing more than a dozen.  The first few were a novelty, and then they were popping up everywhere!  These folks also got to see a pack of wolves, and a cow moose with her yearling.  It's good to know that the animals are still out and about. 

While I might rather be skiing the trails right now, the hike I took up to the South Rim on Tuesday was quite nice nonetheless.  Wearing just a sweatshirt over my tee shirt, I actually was getting hot while hiking.  The view was spectacular, and again, I could see evidence of plant life awakening.  It's good to be headed into this new season. 

Spring Rain

The rains began sometime in the night.  It was comforting to hear the familiar drumming on our metal roof, and early in the morning, it lulled  me into a few more minutes of sleep.  Today we are having our first fire in the woodstove in nearly a week. The lodge has that cozy feeling conducive to reading by the fireside for the whole afternoon.  Even on a grey day, it still is pretty out.

For a brief spell, fog and mist were rising on the lake, a product of warm rain heating the cold mass.  I watched as it swirled up, and then eventually swallowed competely our view of Canada.  Most often it is a snowstorm that obscures our view, but spring fog can do the same.  It is much more mysterious, and it makes me wonder what it would feel like to be out in the midst of it.  Fishermen have talked about being on the lake in such fog, and without a compass, it is pretty tough navigating. 

Today, no one is on the ice, save for an occasional raven, crow or seagull that I see landing.  The last ice house was pulled off on Monday evening, and it was accomplished with lots of pushing and shoving, as well as a boat to get to it.  We are still surprised to think of a boat being launched so early.  I recall tales from a longtime guest, who told me of pushing their boat over ice on Memorial Weekend.  The goal was Little Gunflint Lake, and they used big forks to pull the boat along.  One foot in, one foot out of the boat, there was no way to do it without getting wet.  Determination was likely their greatest fuel.  No worries of that happening this year.

 The birds are singing in the rain, the pussy willows are out, and I see small green buds swelling on the lilac bush.  In my twenty-six years here, I still find new and amazing things to ponder in the woods.