Beginning of a good week at the cabin

When my son and I left for “up north” on Saturday morning, it seemed like a decent morning. Once we got north of the Cites, it got cloudy and there were numerous lightning strikes. As we drove further north, it started to rain. By the time we reached Grand Rapids, it had cleared up and the sun came out. It actually turned into a beautiful day. The wind eventually picked up and it started cooling down. There was that hint of Fall in the air, which was a relief from the hot, muggy weather that we had left behind. Even though it was warm and sunny, that smell of fall in the air was invigorating. As I sat down to write this column, I could hear the sound of a Pileated Woodpecker working on a nearby birch tree. I had spotted him earlier in the day as he flew from a nearby tree as I approached. Having a close encounter with that bird helped me realize just how large those birds can get.

 

Later that day when I checked the trail cameras, I found that a few critters had visited our cabin over the last few days/nights. There were two different black bears and numerous deer. This always gives me a good feeling, except for when they destroy or run off with my feeders. Spotting any kind of wildlife restores my faith in nature and the natural order of things.

 

This week I was able to make it to a couple of different lakes. One was Spider, which I have now visited a couple of different times this year. The other was Sand Lake on the Bowstring chain. We have always called it “Big Sand” because it is fairly large and connects to quite a few other lakes. We spent quite a bit of time there as a family when the boys were young.

One of the resorts that we stayed at on Big Sand is, sadly, no longer there. They sold the cabins off in separate parcels, a practice that is no longer done in Itasca County.

 

This whole area of the state still has so much of its natural beauty intact. That is why we purchased land in this area. I still find it hard to believe that we bought this beautiful parcel of land and built our little cabin ourselves. This was a dream come true for me. Thanks to my sons and grandsons, we have made it a reality.

 

Until next time: Man seems to be taking away too much of our habitat. There seems to be less and less natural habitat existing in our area. Our land is being sold off to China and other countries for the almighty dollar. Selling thousands of acres to other countries and rich businessmen will hurt our country in the long run.

 

Please show your support for our troops who are now deployed. These service men and women are making that sacrifice, so that we may have the many freedoms that we enjoy today.