BUSY BUSY BUSY

HOLY SMOKES have we been busy!  It is amazing how quickly time flies by.

The end of camp ended up keeping us on our toes with closing down camp and running bear hunts.  Our bear hunters had Jim running all over and working hard.....actually it was the big bears that had us all over the place.  They are big for a reason.....the big ones like to come in during non-shootable hours!  We did end up with 7 of 8 hunters shooting a bear.  Jim will be able to blog on this soon.

I almost forgot we also had a lot of Northern Lights the last week of guests at camp.  I believe we had 4 nights with lights!!!!!  It was awesome!

In the mean time we just wanted to let everyone know we arrived home safely and are in a whirlwind here back in Michigan with so much to do right now.  Getting back to the states is always exciting in an insanely busy kind of way!  It is  always so nice to see friends and family again.  Getting unpacked and situated with the kids/dog/house/schedules etc is the current challenge, on top of other things.

Needless to say we are available by phone again and have better internet so should be able to communicate with everyone much easier.

I am hoping to update the website today with next years prices (we haven't raised rates in 3 years but will be slightly raising them this year), and any other changes that need to be done.

I am not much of a blogger as Jim usually does this, but just wanted to let everyone know we were sad to leave camp but are happy to be home again.

Thank you all for such an amazing year at camp.  Lots of great fishing, but even better company.  We truly appreciate all of our guests and had a blast having you all at camp.  Loved all the extra time we got to spend with everyone this year hanging out and visiting while eating all the fun fish recipes we created.  (I am actually hoping to put together a Black Bear Lodge Fish recipe book this winter.  We created a few new ones while at camp this summer.   All summer we hear about so many other ways people prepare fish, so I thought it would be cool to have them all in one place for everyone to enjoy.  If you want to send us your favorite way to prepare fish (or a few different ways) we would love it.  Just title the Email FISH RECIPE so I know to keep it in a separate folder!!)

I guess I better get back to unpacking and organizing the house.  I will keep on Jim to get him to do a blog on the end of season soon.

2 week summary...

No we have not been closed and we did not go on vacation. We have had 2 very busy, yet fun, weeks here at camp. Two weeks ago we had lots of friends and family come visit. That usually means extra fishing and hanging out time for us, as we like to spend as much time with them as possible. The fishing was good and the entertainment was even better. Biggest fish was a 40 inch pike caught by my brother John. Everyone in camp caught their share of quality fish, though.

Last week was also another fun filled week with mostly returning guests along with my best friend Mike and his family. Somehow the veteran Black Bear guests seem to always find a way to side track me and my camp duties. To many late nights hanging out definitely did not help my blogging. All of this entertainment, along with bear baiting for the upcoming hunters, made the week fly by.
For those keeping track, fishing last week was very good also. Lots and lots of eater size walleyes with some decent sized pike mixed in. I think we ate fish almost every day! YUM!!

Thanks to everyone who entertained us for the past two weeks. It was truly great fun for our whole family!

Jim with a very rare Tiger Musky caught on Red Lake

This is why you never put your hand near the mouth of this fish!

This...

Plus this...

Equals THIS!

Followed by a nap.

So long to an old "friend"...

 If you have not already heard, the Old Main Lodge has been taken down.

For 75 years the Old Main Lodge has stood in the center of camp and was the heart and soul of Black Bear Lodge. It was the main dining hall, the kitchen, the pantry and even sleeping quarters for a few guests and employees. Guests would routinely gather there at the end of a longs day of fishing and trade stories of their successful catches and about the big ones that got away. It was also a great place to play a game of cards and to spend quality time with friends and family. The walls of that building have had a front row seat thousands of stories dating all of the way back to WW2. It is almost hard to fathom. And it was truly hard to see it go.

The people who built this cabin truly did an amazing job, considering the tools and environment they had to work with. Mother nature is just hard lady to live with.  It is just a matter of time and weather before any building succumbs to her power. Many of the logs on the Main Lodge had begun to rot away and none of them had been spiked together so the building continued to creep and lean towards the lake. We attempted to save the shell of the building, but after removing both porches, we realized there was no way we were going to be able to bring her back to her true self.

Our plan for the future is to build a new cabin or 2 in its place. We may also put up a temporary gazebo for shore lunches and for guest to hang out at. It is a future project, so please do not expect to see any new structures next May.

Even after 2 weeks, I am still not used to the look of the big open yard. Although I do have some amazing views from our front porch.

The Main Lodge was a great building in its day and we will always hold it in a special place in our hearts and minds.

If you have any nice pictures of the Old Main Lodge (especially inside pictures) please share them with us.

Here are some pictures of how the cabin looked and how it was removed...

This is a rare picture of the old kitchen. The pantry is to the immediate left just off
the picture. This is what it looked like for 5 decades before the New Main Lodge was
built and this room became the back porch.

This is what it looked like in 2007. 

No more kitchen.

This was the main dining hall.

Front of cabin in 2007

Front of cabin in 2016

back porch in 2007

back porch in 2016

The last morning for the Old Main Lodge.
The back hoe is nearly half the size of the building.

Phase 1 - remove the back porch...

Phase 2 - remove the front porch....

Phase 3 - remove the main shell...

Phase 4 - Enjoy the new view from our porch...and answer the most asked question

from the guests...what are you going to build next?

What's missing from this picture? Answer coming soon...