 Come and see our Spring bloom! 827 Kawishiwi Trail | Ely, MN 55731 | 218-365-4720 GPS Coordinates N 47° 53.475" W 091° 42.389" |
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The Boundary Water Canoe Area Wilderness was named by National Geographic Magazine as one of the 50 "must visit" destinations in the world. The BWCAW is a federally protected pristine wilderness of 1.3 million acres, with over 1,200 miles of canoe routes. |
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| JO's Blog | |
| May 19 - Wonderful rain! All that snow we had last month
just disappeared and left us dry again, so two days of rain are
welcome. First daffodil hiding alongside the septic tanks! first crocus by
the parking lot. We have a HUGE beaver visiting regularly. It is
probably 5 ft long and 5 to 6 inches across the head; this fellow
really leaves a wake! Sam dog has brilliantly decided not to tangle
with it and I have wrapped screen all around the trees I don't want
the beavers to take down. And they don't take them down. Co existence.
The
ice went out Sat. and Sunday the 11th & 12th - lots of wind piled
it all up on our shore, then the wind reversed and it broke up in the
bay. May 11, 2013 - fishing opener with very little open water. At 9:30 this morning there were no boats in the only available open water by the Silver Rapids bridge. Instead the 'fisherman' were clustered around a campfire on shore. First gold finch and a guest got a good photo. May 10, 2013 - Ice leaving fast!!! today there is about 6 ft of water along the shores, yesterday was only 3 and the ducks crowded in. Hear our first loon last evening. Birds are brilliant. Sun shining so wonderfully, air is not warm, but still sun is so welcome. Grass on the septic showing bits of green, the deer visit and dance on it every night, Sam-dog doing his best to tell them - from afar - that this is not their territory. Grouse flutter across the driveway, some drumming in the distance. The cove if fully open. I have learned that it is the last remaining stand of wild rice on Farm Lake and have given naturalist staff permission to use it for an experiment that will measure the effect of rusty crayfish on the wildrice. It is widely believed that these are the critters responsible for the rice's demise. They will divide the stand in two and construct crayfish-free area on half of it. Guests will look on active science all summer. May 5, 2013 -Blue Heron, White Throated Sparrows, Juncos, Purple Finches all firsts this week. But the ice here is tight and solid even around the edges. The April snow has melted off the top, the mush has either drained off or evaporated.... just ice. It will be a hard water fishing opener. April 24, 2013 - The birds did not get the memo about delaying spring for the north-county. I've now heard both robins and redwing blackbirds and seen juncos! It is reaching toward 45' this afternoon and sunny, but there is slush predicted for this evening. Yes! slush - not snow - 4 inches predicted. Never heard that before. I'm told this month holds the all time record for snow fall in Minnesota - and 7 days to go. April 19, 2013 - Last year the lake was fully open On March 25!! so different this year. Snow, snow and more snow!!! and still more predicted. As much as I know we need the moisture I sure would welcome a bit of green. The deer too evidently: they are seen now in groups of 4 to 10 hanging around the roadsides every afternoon/evening. Oh and Sam-dog: This morning I opened the door to let him out, we were met by a snow drift about 4 ft tall. Sam's look said "you've got to be kidding" he turned, came back into the house and climbed back into bed. Glad he has a great bladder! Later I was ready to tackle the drifts and Sam came along. Initially he plowed in front of me as I shoveled a 12" wide path, after a bit he stood rather irresolutely surveying the tall drifts in front of him, turned and came back to follow behind me. That's a smart dog. I'm including here the wildlife sightings from the Wed. morning Naturalists hike near Winton, observations written up by Bill Tefft.:
March 23, 2013 - This morning we woke to a fairy land, every twig is painted with frost, looks like delicate lace on all the trees. The chickadees are singing their spring song, we've passes the equinox, the red foxes are mating, the crows have returned ... and we still have several feet of snow, night temperatures double digit below zero and day temps that barely make it up freezing. It's my fault! I foolishly put away my heavy down coat. For several years now the ice has gone out by mid to late April....doubt it this year. Even White Wilderness, our favorite dogsledder, is continuing sled trips - and at 50% off (!) as long as there is snow. Every morning we find fox tracks - easily identifiable because they walk in a straight line..it is like a zipper line in the snow. Even a coyote for a few days; didn't see it, but Sam-dog was howling and there were tracks bigger than fox, smaller than Sam and definitely smaller than wolf. The deer are having a hard time getting around in the woods because the snow is so deep, we are seeing them more often by the roadside. The geraniums I brought in last fall are blooming!!! Bright cheery red in the midst of the dining room. I'm starting to spend time with gardening catalogues - heaven knows I'm not a gardner, but it is a great lift. Definitely cabin fever time. Feb. 27, 2013 - Our daily walks with Sam-dog are getting longer as it is practically balmy! (mid 30's during the days) The last two days we were hearing the unmistakable calls of Pileated Woodpeckers nearby. Also unmistakable is their 'thunk' as they excavate into a tree; sounds like we may once again have two new nests right nearby. With three warmer days the snow is retreating and, much to Sam's delight, there is revealed the detritus of the past months. Today he was rolling furiously in what turned out to be wolf scat. Ordinarily after a single sniff he ignores wolf scat, but this particular one was irresistible. We also saw tracks of a bunny - the first of the winter. The full moon on Monday was awesome! The stars were really bright plus the huge moon so that there were shadows. Feb. 12, 2013 - Snow snow incredible, lovely bountiful snow! 8 inches out here compared to 6" in town. While shoveling for hours is not way up there on my list of pleasures - it is beautiful!! and this afternoon the sun came out. There simply are no words to describe the beauty. Alas, clear skies means the temps will drop. Feb. 8, 2013 - All day there has been a light lazy snow - big flakes just drifting down, utterly no wind at all, very mild temps. Sam-dog is continually telling me there are wolves nearby. We saw lots of deer tracks on our walk today. They didn't move very much during the deep cold, - just like me! The snow depth has finally reached the point where we need snowshoes on the lake; are my leg muscles in shape? It is incredibly lovely; I know I say it and say it but it is! Jan 28, 2013 - The deep cold has finally passed. But the skies were so gorgeous while the temps were low: nights had glorious stars, and an awesome full moon, days were clear with sunshine and fascinating cloud displays way high up. This morning dawned completely overcast - we could be living in a cloud of cotton - and near zero. I sent off our dog-sledders with warning of not getting overheated! I have had an extremely fast recovery from retinal surgery early in Jan. and am driving again! My vision is still flawed by a big 'smudge' in the middle of the left eye but that in time may also heal. Bill had to take his turn at instigating crisis with the alarm on his pacemaker going off....turned out to be a malfunction of the pacemaker but gave medical personnel a chance to practice their emergency techniques and took us out for two days. Sam-dog had a wonderful run out on the lake yesterday. He wore his booties for the first time this year; after protest ("Don't do this to me!") he forgot all about it in the glory of free running. Fish houses speckle Farm lake, but no sign of fishermen trying South Farm. That fun starts in March on the rock ridges that underlie the lake. Winter Festival starts this weekend - Tell the world: we have snow! wonderful snow! White fluffy snow! Jan. 21, 2013 - Have been having multiple 'long-john' days. Night temps going down into low minus 30's, day temps barely up into 20's. Still that is a 50 degree difference! Burning through lots of wood, feeding birds (and guests) frequently and enjoying watching it all through the window! I never thought I'd reach the stage where I'd rather watch than get right out into the weather! We've had dog-sledders and skiers who were all doing the 'hearty' thing and loving it. The snow is wonderful and so, so white. Blue Heron got a wonderful review on the website heavytable.com (including appreciation and photo of Sam-dog; showing what discerning folks the food critics were). Also I learned that for the third year in a row we will be listed as one of the 'Best Places to Visit' by MidWest Living. This time we are included in the text of an article as well as a quote from me. Jan.1, 2013 - Happy New Year to all! Last night, it was incredibly gorgeous, the moon was still full, huge and yellow and the stars like diamonds on black velvet. We startled a curious wolf who was checking out our parking lot when we arrived home from a gathering of friends. The temperatures were dropping and the lake making ice groaned and cracked! the wolves howled... what a wonderful place to be. BUT this morning it was -20', lovely sunshine but it barely warmed up, and it still is a wonderful place to be. May you all have many happy days in 2013! Dec. 29, 2012 - We've had two days of almost continual snow; lovely fluffy stuff lazily drifting down. It is breathtakingly beautiful. During lunch a trio of deer were slowly crossing the lake in front of our window. There were huge wolf prints in the snow a few hours after this all started but none since. We love to fit together the clues to the animal tracks we see on our walks: rabbits who never go out beyond the shadow of the overhanging brush, otters who have tried out their favorite places to slide, squirrels who busily leave trails going hither and thither, foxes who know instinctively that a straight line is the shortest distance - and always stick to it, and the tiny zipper like trials of mice and moles. The moon has been incredibly bright as it grew closer to full, there were shadows at midnight! But alas now that it is full the snow clouds dull its shine. The wolves were still howling; still gives me the shivers. Dec. 21 - Incredible sunshine!!! temperatures hovering just above zero. Birds mobbing the feeders. Wonderful snow, trees are all lightly dusted, it looks like a senic post card. Tomorrow is the day I get out the Christmas decorations and make us festive. Also baking cookies. There have been no raccoon tracks, so maybe the 'coon went elsewhere. Dec. 14 - We are back! The train got into the Twin Cities just in time for the horrendous, record-breaking snow storm. After about 15 minutes on the freeway - including an interminable out-of-control spin/slide that only ended with a crunch against the between-lanes barrier - we found a handy motel and holed up for the day and night to enjoy a hot tub and kind bed. Driving was still so bad the next day it took us 4 hours to make a two hour destination in Duluth. All's well back here, and are we ever glad to be back home. This week we had a guest report seeing a red fox exploring the front yard via our web cam. Wonderful, I haven't seem them in several years. And a huge raccoon apparently took up residence; Sam-dog took him/her on in a mighty fracas on Wednesday evening. The raccoon came off second best thanks to Sam's very thick coat. Much as I appreciate wild life here I do hope that this critter has decided to move on to new territory. I'm getting caught up with the heap of paperwork and looking forward to our first winter guests. Nov. 24 - Lovely blue skies today - well, most of the day. It is SO incredibly lovely! We are so lucky to live here! Temps got up to about 20' by noon today and then started dropping again. Wind has stopped. The lake froze over in weird and wonderful patterns. We dearly hope it won't snow more right away as a layer of snow on the first ice guarantees it does not freeze well and we contend with slush layers all winter. Got out to town where it seems a different world. Bill & I are preparing for our holiday away...to the Pacific NorthWest where they have had horrendous rain and snow and wind storms. If that keeps up not sure wel'll be able to do the hiking we'd planned in the Olympic Penninsula. Blue Heron will be 'manned' by Doug and Suzann Bartley as they wait here for solid ice so they can return home across the lake. Nov. 23 - Snow started late yesterday aft.... there was as much as 10 inches this morning. Wet and heavy; the ground is not frozen yet so we can't plow - Bill used his big Ford to go up and down the driveway so we at least have tracks in case of emergency. Too much snow for our little snowblower. He & I shoveled narrow paths to the wood shed, bird feeders and cars...just the essentials today. The lake is not yet frozen and it is windy!!! so the freeze will be leave an uneven surface. The wind is still blowing strong and it has started to snow again. Nov. 13 - Almost time to change to the winter photo of BH. Highs are in the low 40's at best. Snow overnight and not melting. The water level is up to normal. Usually the power company lowers the water level before freeze up so that we don't have floods come spring melt. Nov. 8 - Odd thing going on with the lake water...appears to be clear current going west to east - the flow is ordinarily the other way. Little ripples on the surface as if a river. And the level is going up. The only explanation I can think of is that they are letting more water thru the dam - must be lots more to creat a current like this. It has been terribly low, and levels have come up at least 6 inches. I need to look into this. Pine Grossbeaks have appeared at the feeders - they don't usually show until it is far colder..is this a forecast? It was sunny this morning, nice to see after the past week of dull, dull and duller. But now clouded over again. Nov. 4 - This is the third day with morning lake ice lasting into the afternoon, water temps have dropped to 40'. Snowbuntings gone, replaced by orange hunters. We sort of hunker down here; using 'our' trails instead of going out along the road. Not a lot of gunshots so far but that's unusual. Sam-dog astonished me when he knew just what to do when I held out his orange vest! He was tracking some beavers - I think, based on the evidence they left behind. They've been busy the last two evenings, two more pointed stumps along the sun-rise trail. We are beginning the annual cleaning -- head to foot here in the lodge, room by room. Wish my house were as clean. Oct. 28 - Snow! staying on the ground, temps hovering right at freezing. Snow Buntings - skads of them - along the roads, skittering, swirling, surging in flocks of 30 or more. We didn't get the outdoor furniture in in time - hate to put it away wet, but not much choice now. While I think/hope it will warm up again ( e.g. go up to the 40's) I am watching the lake for signs of freezing; hoping that it will not happen for several weeks. The last guests of the season leave tomorrow. Over the last 3 days Bill & I drove down to LaCrosse for my annual check-in/testing with the allergist. I've had SO much improvement I do not need the 3 x day antihistamines I've been on for almost 5 years. Along the way we obseve the gradually changing trees as we head south for 7 hours. Up north even the tamarack have lost their needels - that is early. Bill and I are getting geared up for a trip to the Olympic Penninsula and the Columbia River Gorge...got to be sure our hiking boots are waterproofed! Temps there next month should be about what they are here this month. Oct. 18 - Blessed rain! so badly needed. There have been numerous small fires this month but the Forest Service jumps on them right away - new policy. I am awaare of the long term consequences of building up of fuels - burt right now this seems the best course. All the leaves are gone, two days of wind earlier in the week completed any stripping. The tamaracks quickly moved for yello/green to yellow to bronze and now rust; they too will start dropping. We have been enjoying the fruits of Sall's gardening efforts recently; bags and bags of tomatoes waiting to ripen. We got in the last lake water testing on one of the most gorgeous days last days. Interesting to see how some of the measurements we take remain the same all through the season and other change radically. There have been so many deer along the roads every evening... speeds over 30 mph are dangerous. Oct. 3 - Yesterday it was windy and the noise of a million trees with dry leaves was like being alongside a locomotive while it rained leaves! Today calm, lake is mirror-still. Northern Lights the last two nights. As the leaves come down the bedrock is beginning to emerge, something I consider just as beautiful as all the trees. Our world is an intense gold-yellow now, much of the red is gone. Sam-dog was into the Vet clinic for his annual - Chip looked up his dates and I was astonished to learn that I've had him for 10 years!!!! I lost some years along the way. Oh well we both look/act younger than we are: He is healthy and vigorous. Sept. 30 - The colors have been SO incredible this week. Peak Peak Peak. This whole week! plan ahead for next year same time, last week of Sept. Campfires every night this week, full moon as well! What a treat! I was out on the chain of lakes on Friday doing the last watersampling for the year; could hardly pay attention to the data the colors surrounding us were so intense, water so calm we did not need an anchor. Today the first day with any wind the leaves are falling steadily. All the very bright reds were gone by mid-week, now all the rest. The water is 12 to 15 inches lower than optimal, hard on bigger boats but no problem in my canoes/kayaks. First Junco's, Redpolls, lots of Blue Jay activity at the feeders. Just the juvenile loons left now. Lots of eagle activity. We've been covering the garden and flowers every night; frosts were regular. Have harvested all the basil, tomatoes, greenbeans and letuce now. The freezer now holds a year's worth of pesto. Will now make green tomato jam. Red peppers are really low in price and I may also make up red pepper jelly....do love that. Sept. 24 - The colors are so intense - wind for several days, of the white cap vairety, has limited canoe outings. Great days for hiking. Sighting numerous hawks as they begin their fall migration. This morning for the first time in weeks there were NO Grackles at the feeders! I guess they have all headed south. Instead white throated sparrows, lots of chicadees, and nuthatches. Odd that there are no Grosbeaks. |
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| Blog continued on year in review. |
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Blue Heron Bed and Breakfast is a great place for lodging in Ely, MN. We are an alternate for a resort, big lodge, motel, hotel or inn and a great romantic get away. You will get a good night's sleep while enjoying canoeing, dining, birding, or taking out the sled dogs in the winter; we are open all year round; reserve a room now to enjoy this wilderness B and B. | Write
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Coordinates N 47° 53.475" W 091° 42.389" |